Engagement How many threads do you need to make on a daily basis?

[Cedric]

As community leaders, we all want to see our forums active and growing, it's addictive! But it takes effort to get there—especially in the early stages. So, how many threads should you be creating each day to keep the momentum going?

Personally, I try to create 3-5 or more threads per day. Why? Because it’s important to lead by example. You can’t just count on your members to generate activity on their own. Fresh content keeps things interesting and gives members something to engage with, which can encourage them to start threads of their own.

A few questions to consider:

• How many threads do you make daily to keep your community active?
• What strategies do you use to come up with new topics?
• Do you think focusing on quantity or quality has a bigger impact on engagement?
• How do you balance creating threads without overwhelming your members?
• Would you consider using fake accounts to create threads ?

Share your approach and tips for keeping your forum active, and let’s discuss the best ways to keep the conversation going!

 

[Cory]

I'm pretty non-creative when it comes to thinking of unique thread ideas. Since I run a resource board the primary threads I want to create are resources. I usually depend on posting packages to bring fresh threads to the board for users to engage. How many threads you make daily can be dependent on your niche and how active your board is. If I owned a general discussion forum, for example, I would worry about creating more threads daily.

 

[Cpvr]

• How many threads do you make daily to keep your community active?

I generally make about 2-4 threads on a daily basis. I usually spread threads out amongst all my forum categories to boast activity throughout my forum.

• What strategies do you use to come up with new topics?

I use social media to come up with new ideas if I’m lacking inspiration. I also use Google trends along with Youtube.

• Do you think focusing on quantity or quality has a bigger impact on engagement?

I focus on quality.

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• Would you consider using fake accounts to create threads ?
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• No, I’m not a fan of this tactic. I’d rather use my own account to post new content.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I try to make a few new topics a day.

On my niche forums, it's easy because I'm passionate about it.

On my general/off-topic forum, it's a bit harder. Small talk isn't my best suit, LOL.

 

[InMyOpinion]

• How many threads do you make daily to keep your community active? I personally think about 5-10 threads a day is a great way to keep your community active. You don't want to be the only one posting but at the same time you want to set the tone as well. Obviously, in a perfect world you'd make and your others members will also make 5 but that is rarely the case. I also find some members tend to enjoy replying to posts more than they do creating threads so making more threads for members to reply to is a great idea. I think the amount of threads you should post on your forum daily also depends on how many sections/forums you have. In my opinion, you should be creating AT LEAST 1 thread per section/forum a day.

• What strategies do you use to come up with new topics? Sometimes I go on other forums or visit other sites, wiki etc. to get new ideas on what to post about. If I'm lost sometimes I will just learn more about the niche so I can then in turn have more questions/threads.

• Do you think focusing on quantity or quality has a bigger impact on engagement? I believe that it is more important to focus on quality posts rather than quantity of posts. You can have a forum with 1,000 threads but if they aren't engaging or well written it doesn't matter. Plus, if you only care about quantity that's all your members are going to care about too. By caring about the actual quality of the threads and posts you're going to be in turn getting your members more engaged with better quality threads/posts.

• How do you balance creating threads without overwhelming your members? That's a great question, you want to create enough posts so that the members have something to reply to on a daily basis but you also don't want to make 2 pages of new threads a day (by yourself or just from staff) because then it's overwhelming and the members will feel like it's too much. You have to come to a good medium where you're creating good quality content on a regular basis but not overdoing it so that the members can't keep up.

• Would you consider using fake accounts to create threads ? No, to me a fake member is a horrible idea. I want my members to trust me and trust that the stats are real. If I'm creating fake accounts to create threads not only is it not ideal in the long run but it isn't ideal because then the members won't trust you or the forum. Create threads under your own 1 account and it'll be so much more beneficial.

I loved this thread so thank you @Cedric for this

 

[Bawse]

I try to make at least 1 thread per day on my forum. I do go days without creating new discussions, but I'm always responding to topics when I can add value, and interact with my members.

I like to have a good balance of topics started by more than just me on my forum.

 

[Cedric]

I try to make at least 1 thread per day on my forum. I do go days without creating new discussions, but I'm always responding to topics when I can add value, and interact with my members.

I like to have a good balance of topics started by more than just me on my forum.

I also agree with that. Sometimes (and I've done this recently) is just to take a step back and let members create discussions. So it doesn't all come from one direction. I still stand firm with the expression "lead by example" but it's also important to let other take the lead.

 

[Al]

Perhaps it's less about quantity and more about quality. Well thought out searchable content is better in the long run. I would rather one very good thread than four "what is your pet called" style threads - especially on a niche board.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

Perhaps it's less about quantity and more about quality. Well thought out searchable content is better in the long run. I would rather one very good thread than four "what is your pet called" style threads - especially on a niche board.

I agree with that.

Too many "starter" or "filler" topics these days. I almost feel like axing the Off Topic section at times and just linking to my off topic forum, as an alternative.

 

[Nomad]

"Need?"
I am not sure if there is something like the "need to create x number of threads daily" I believe a community needs new content and it could be threads as well as posts. A lot of threads without any responses also do not look good in a community.