What are "low effort" vs. "high effort" posts in meme and text communities?

The distinction between low-effort and high-effort posts is one of the most contested quality metrics in Reddit communities, and its application varies significantly by subreddit. In the broadest terms, a low-effort post is one where the creator did minimal work to produce something original, context-appropriate, or intellectually valuable. In meme communities, this typically means applying a recognizable template to an obvious or uninspired observation, using the same format that hundreds of other posts have already used, or sharing something lifted directly from another subreddit without modification. High-effort posts, by contrast, demonstrate investment of time, creativity, or knowledge. In meme communities, this might mean creating original artwork, subverting a familiar template in an unexpected way, or crafting a joke that requires actual knowledge of the subreddit's internal culture to land correctly. In text-based communities, a high-effort post might provide detailed context, link supporting evidence, acknowledge counterarguments, or structure a personal anecdote to produce a clear narrative payoff. The effort is visible in the product. The policy implication matters because subreddits that allow low-effort content tend to degrade over time. As Paul Graham observed in an essay that influenced Reddit's thinking, easily-consumed content accumulates upvotes faster than content that requires engagement to appreciate, meaning memes and simple images will always outcompete thorough text posts in raw vote tallies unless moderation intervenes. This is sometimes called the "fluff principle" — junk food crowds out nutrition if you let the voting system run unchecked. Different communities manage this differently. Some ban certain templates outright once they have been overused. Others require minimum character counts for text posts, use "quality" flairs, or run weekly threads specifically for content that would otherwise be removed. Understanding this distinction helps you calibrate what a subreddit expects before you post.