The guide
Reddit formatting, explained
Good formatting is the difference between a wall of text nobody reads and a post people upvote. Here is how Reddit Markdown works, and where it trips people up.
Rich text editor or Markdown?
On desktop, Reddit's composer has formatting buttons that insert the formatting for you, and a Markdown mode where you type the symbols yourself. Markdown is faster once you know it, works the same everywhere and is what you paste from a draft. The mobile apps also understand Markdown typed by hand.
Paragraphs and line breaks
The most common Reddit formatting mistake: pressing Enter once does not start a new line. Markdown joins the lines into one paragraph. Press Enter twice to start a new paragraph, or end the line with two spaces for a line break inside the paragraph. Lists and quotes need an empty line before them too.
Quotes, links and spoilers
Quote with "> " at the start of the line, link with [text](url), and hide spoilers with >!text!<. When you quote the post you are replying to, keep it short: quote the one sentence you answer, then answer it. It makes long threads easier to follow.
Formatting that gets upvoted
Long posts that do well on Reddit share a shape: a one-line summary up top, short paragraphs, a bulleted list or a small table for the details, and a question at the end. Bold one key sentence, not ten. If you are mentioning your own product, keep it to a plain line with a disclosure; heavy formatting around a product link reads like an ad.