Getting new members

[Resolute]

I know there are a lot of options out there to get new members. I am part of Forum Promotion and Promote My Forum and several other niche-related forums like my forum, MyChristianForum.com.

What are some ways you get new members to your forum apart from the ways mentioned above? I'm open to ideas!!! I am doing a lot of personal inviting too on social media and friends, etc.

Thanks!

Edit: Would some kind of contest/giveaway be a good idea?

 

[Cedric]

You need leads Resolute. You need to keep advertising around websites, forums, post links, signature advertising, buy advertising if you can, etc. It takes a lot of work, some money would speed up the process, but determination and patience will get you there. A contest/giveaway is a very good idea when you have a good member base.

Social media is also a good way of advertising, but only paid advertisements get decent results. My advice, don't expect too much, it takes months and even longer to build up a decent member base.

Google forums with similar interests, advertise, advertise, advertise.

 

[Resolute]

That is my plan! I enjoy the process, honestly.

 

[saoussen5765]

Sometimes it will be not very easy to get new members unless you are giving a reward for people to signup and comment on your forum especially if you have a dummy forum like I see advertisement of CasinoForum IO on TimeWall. When it grow up then bringing members will be easier.

 

[Smokey]

Building up backlinks is important. Doing post exchanges when & where you can could help with brief activity boosts as well. The best way of gaining activity is organically and that can be done with the help of backlink building across other forums in similar niches.

 

[Resolute]

Building up backlinks is important. Doing post exchanges when & where you can could help with brief activity boosts as well. The best way of gaining activity is organically and that can be done with the help of backlink building across other forums in similar niches.

That's very true. Backlinks help!

 

[Nomad]

Offer paid posting and referral contests. If you offer paid posting, a lot of people will join your community (because people like getting paid for what they do). Referral contests will bring more members on the site.

 

[ClicketyKat]

Keeping your site active in the meantime is crucial. What I've found through the years is that a lot of people would rather go to a very busy forum. They want their threads to be responded to by multiple people within a day since 24 hours is a lifetime on the internet. I have had people leave the Christian forum I run because it's not active enough, even though members are there daily posting. It wasn't AS active as the big Christian forum that gets constant activity.

So keep your forum active, whether it's by post exchanges or paid posting. That way members might be enticed to join.

 

[oldbuddy]

You need leads Resolute. You need to keep advertising around websites, forums, post links, signature advertising, buy advertising if you can, etc. It takes a lot of work, some money would speed up the process, but determination and patience will get you there. A contest/giveaway is a very good idea when you have a good member base.

Social media is also a good way of advertising, but only paid advertisements get decent results. My advice, don't expect too much, it takes months and even longer to build up a decent member base.

Google forums with similar interests, advertise, advertise, advertise.

Or as the old saying goes, "Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise".

 

[Lewis.]

There's got to be a clear reason to join. What issue do you solve? Why would people sign up and spend there time there? It's all about how much you can give back, rather than what people can bring to you. If you've got that in place, it's time and energy doing the things everyone else has already mentioned.

 

[Shortie]

Do you post on other Christian-based forums? Do they allow links in your signature & profile? Another passive way of 'gaining members' is to advertise your site in your signature on similar sites as long as it's allowed. If you're going to be posting on such forums anyway, it's a passive way to possibly get more eyes to your own forums.

 

[Nomad]

Signatures and profile links can gain you some traffic if you are posting on an active community and if you are actively posting, however, in my experience, you rarely get members.

 

[Reverie]

I find that advertising in signatures of similar type communities helps! So if you're a video game website/forum, you may join others and have yours in your signature. Try to appeal to people who would like a similar niche.