Vote manipulation
Black hat. Against platform rules or the law. Risks bans, fines and your reputation.
What is vote manipulation?
Vote manipulation is any attempt to change the votes on content other than by honest, independent votes: buying upvotes, using sockpuppet accounts, organising "upvote rings", or asking friends and colleagues to vote on a specific post.
Reddit names it explicitly in its content policy, and Hacker News and Product Hunt both detect and penalise coordinated voting.
Why vote manipulation matters
Platforms protect their ranking because it is what makes them useful. On Show HN or a Product Hunt launch, share the link and let people decide; do not ask for upvotes.
Risks of vote manipulation
- Reddit, Hacker News and Product Hunt penalise or remove posts that receive manipulated votes, and can ban the accounts.
- A post caught with vote manipulation is often flagged publicly.
How to stay clear of vote manipulation
- Share your post where your audience is, without asking for votes.
- Never vote from more than one account.
- Do not use services that sell votes, comments or "launch support".
- Read each site’s guidelines for launches before you post.
Related marketing terms
SockpuppetBlack hat
A sockpuppet is a fake online identity used to praise, defend or vote for oneself or a brand while pretending to be someone else.
AstroturfingBlack hat
Astroturfing is faking grassroots support: posts, reviews or comments made to look like they come from ordinary people when a brand is behind them.
Reddit karma is a score reflecting the upvotes your posts and comments received. Many subreddits require some karma before you can post.
Show HN is a type of Hacker News post where people share something they made themselves, for the community to try, discuss and critique.
A Product Hunt launch is posting a new product on Product Hunt for a day, where the community upvotes, comments and ranks the day’s launches.
Engagement podsBlack hat
Engagement pods are groups that agree to like and comment on each other’s posts to game the algorithm, inflating engagement artificially.