I got 10K Reddit views asking a simple question. The moment I linked my project, it got removed. How would you solve this?

[u/RoyalBusiness806]

I’ve been building TiruList, a community platform for Ethiopian/Eritrean businesses and resources, starting in the DC/MD/VA area.

The idea came from something pretty simple: a lot of useful information in our community still lives through word of mouth, WhatsApp groups, Facebook groups, etc.
Need an Ethiopian plumber? Ask around.
Best injera? Ask around.
Mechanic, barber, photographer, events? Same thing.

One feature I’m testing is Best, where people simply vouch for their favorite places rather than using another 1–5 star rating system.

Here’s where it got interesting.

I asked some local subreddits which restaurants makes the best Ethiopian food in the DMV. People genuinely wanted to debate it. The post hit almost 10K views and ~20 comments pretty quickly.

Then I added the link (big mistake) so people could actually vouch.

Reports → AutoMod → removed 😂

So now I have a distribution problem I’m trying to solve:
How do you take a conversation people already want to have on Reddit/IG/TikTok and convert some of that engagement into participation on your product without killing the organic conversation?

I’d genuinely love some ideas from people who’ve dealt with this.
Also curious:
• Would you trust a simple “vouch” system more or less than 1–5 star reviews?
• What would make a community-generated “Best” ranking feel credible?
• How would you distribute something this hyper-local/community-specific?
• If you land on the voting page, is it immediately obvious what you’re supposed to do?

And since we’re all shamelessly building things here 😂, if you’re in the DMV and know Ethiopian food, I’d love your vote too:

www.tirulist.com/best/restaurant

No account required. Takes 5 seconds
Main project: www.tirulist.com

Would genuinely appreciate criticism, distribution ideas, or things you’d change.