---
title: "What is Reddit Gold / Awards? — Social Media Glossary | Postpone"
canonical_url: "https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/reddit-gold-awards"
last_updated: "2026-10-08T07:17:02.448Z"
meta:
  description: "Reddit Gold and awards are paid recognition tokens that users give to posts or comments they find valuable or entertaining."
  "og:description": "Reddit Gold and awards are paid recognition tokens that users give to posts or comments they find valuable or entertaining."
  "og:title": "What is Reddit Gold / Awards? — Social Media Glossary"
  "twitter:description": "Reddit Gold and awards are paid recognition tokens that users give to posts or comments they find valuable or entertaining."
  "twitter:title": "What is Reddit Gold / Awards? — Social Media Glossary"
---

**Reddit**

# Reddit Gold / Awards

Reddit Gold and awards are paid recognition tokens that users give to posts or comments they find valuable or entertaining.

[**Reddit **post scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/reddit-post-scheduler)

Reddit's way of letting users put their money where their upvote is. When a regular upvote isn't enough, awards let you spend real currency to highlight content you think deserves extra attention.

The system has gone through several iterations. Reddit Gold was the original — a premium award that gave the recipient ad-free browsing and access to the private r/lounge subreddit. Reddit later expanded into a tiered system with Silver, Gold, and Platinum, then introduced a broader awards marketplace. In 2023, Reddit removed the entire awards system and the virtual coins that powered it. Gold was reintroduced in 2024 as a simpler, standalone award — one tier, no coins, no marketplace.

## What Awards Actually Do

An awarded post or comment gets a visible icon next to it. Multiple awards stack up, creating a visual signal that screams "this is worth reading." That signal drives clicks from users scrolling past who might otherwise skip the post entirely.

Giving someone Gold grants them a week of Reddit Premium — ad-free browsing and access to extra features. The old system of coins and chain-gifting is gone, replaced by a straightforward one-step process.

The practical effect is a visibility boost. Awarded content attracts more upvotes because users associate the award icons with quality. It's a self-reinforcing loop — the more awards a post gets, the more attention it receives, and the more awards follow.

## Awards as Social Proof

You can't buy awards for your own posts without it being obvious and embarrassing. Awards work because they come from the community. A comment with three Gold awards is a genuine signal that real people found it valuable enough to spend money on.

For brands posting on Reddit, receiving awards is one of the highest compliments the platform offers. You can't engineer this directly — you can only create content good enough to earn it.

The posts that get awarded most often share one trait: they're unexpectedly generous with information. Detailed tutorials, transparent financial breakdowns, and brutally honest advice earn awards far more reliably than clever one-liners or polished marketing copy.

**Example**

A founder's transparent breakdown of their startup's first-year finances in r/startups received multiple Gold awards, pushing it to the top of the subreddit for days and driving thousands of visits to their site — all from a single text post.

## **Why It Matters**

Awards act as visible social proof that amplifies content. An awarded post signals quality to other users, driving a cycle of more views, more upvotes, and more engagement. They're organic endorsements money can't directly buy for yourself.

## **Related Terms**

[Comment Thread](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/comment-thread) [Community Management](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/community-management) [Karma](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/karma) [Upvote / Downvote](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/upvote-downvote)

[**← Back to Social Media Glossary **](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary)