How to promote a new Forum?

[Dyna]

I've just setup a new forum. What is the best way to promote it and get traffic to it? It's a niche forum. If I just try SEO, I guess I'll be waiting forever, there must be an easier way to promote it?
Thank you!

 

[hipcat]

Try posting in similar niche forums and put a link to yours in your signature, but just don't spam. Make helpful posts and members will want to check out your links.

Also try posting in FB groups in the same niche

 

[Kocerroxy]

In addition to the advice from Hipcat I want to add new opportunities:
- write an article about it and publish it on a blog that is valuable for your niche;
- you could try affiliate links with platforms/people that could bring you new interested members of your forums;
- it is a new trend to speak with someone to talk in a podcast about your forum.

 

[Dyna]

Dyna

Why would someone from the same niche allow me to post on their blog, I'm the competition, no?
How do you go about getting affiliate links in similar platforms?

 

[Rob Whisonant]

Best answer

Before you start promoting a new forum have you worked out what you are going to do during the ghost town phase of the forum? You could send a ton a PAID traffic to the new forum and it still fail miserably if you don't have a plan to make people seeing your forum for the first time think that it is not a ghost town.

Here are some tips.

1. Start with only 1 forum topic. Don't go adding 10 or 15 forums.
2. Get your current followers to make a lot of good posts. Maybe hold a contest. If you don't already have a following. Dump the idea of a forum and work on getting a following.
3. Pay a company to pretend to be forum members and post a lot of good quality posts. This method is controversial but works.
4. Now that your forum looks like it has a lot of activity, it's time to advertise.
5. Keep doing 2 and 3 until your forum takes traction.

Nobody wants to post in a forum that looks dead. AKA ghost town.

To start a successful forum you got to hit the gates running hard. Just trickling traffic to it will not work.

 

[Dyna]

Dyna

Thanks, that's really good advice!
Where can I find companies to post questions at?

 

[Rob Whisonant]

Rob Whisonant

Scroll down to hipcat's response. He gave you the same answer I would have.

 

[luxeweb]

All kinds of promotions, contests with interesting prizes.
Filling the forum with qualitative content: articles, themes.
Referral program

 

[Dr.haitham]

1. Focus on Website SEO
2. Social media marketing
3. Search engine menu
4. Brand signature
5. Cross-linking
6. Focus on quality content
7. Use (Google Local Business)

 

[Dyna]

Can someone share a link to a place that I can 'rent' people to post on my forum?
Also If anyone needs help with their website or VPS, as far as sysadmin stuff, I'll do it for free to give forward to this community.

 

[hipcat]

hipcat

Any microjob site should do. Just look for sellers providing services under "forum posting" or similar.