Engagement New Forum Admin Advice; Post on your own site regularly

[Cpvr]

I see this happen frequently. People come to admin forums asking why their new forum is struggling or failing to grow. In response, they often get the typical answers: forums are dying out, or maybe it's just bad luck. You know how it goes.

But when I take a closer look at their forum, one issue stands out.

They hardly post on their own site.

At most, they might have made one or two posts in the last 24 hours, usually just replying to existing topics. Sometimes, they haven't posted anything for days, weeks, or even months, expecting their users to miraculously keep the forum alive with hundreds of new posts without any effort on their part.

How can they expect their forum to thrive with such little involvement? Running a forum isn’t easy. You can’t just create some content on day one and sit back for months while expecting your community to automatically grow and generate content daily.

It might seem like things are going well initially, especially if you have a popular blog, YouTube channel, or offline presence. But that momentum won’t last. No one is so popular that their forum will sustain itself while they do nothing. I've seen many successful content creators launch forums, only to watch them fail within weeks.

So here’s some basic but crucial advice for running a forum: Post regularly. Share news and articles that interest you. Write your own content at least weekly, and start conversations in your forum to encourage engagement. If you want your forum to succeed, you can't just sit back and do nothing. The world doesn’t owe you success—it's up to you to keep your site active with fresh, daily content.

 

[Cedric]

This is very much true. Just like Rome wasn’t built in a day, successful communities take time—often months or even years—to truly flourish. If you're not prepared to invest the necessary effort as a community admin, then creating a community may not be the right path.

Engagement is the heart of any thriving community. If you don’t take the initiative to ignite that engagement, no one else will magically do it for you.

 

[Cpvr]

This is very much true. Just like Rome wasn’t built in a day, successful communities take time—often months or even years—to truly flourish. If you're not prepared to invest the necessary effort as a community admin, then creating a community may not be the right path.

Engagement is the heart of any thriving community. If you don’t take the initiative to ignite that engagement, no one else will magically do it for you.

Exactly. I’ve seen some forum owners say, 'Oh, I’m fighting a losing battle with social media,' yet they’re not creating content or putting in the time to actually work on their forum, while still expecting results to come to them. That doesn’t happen. Without effort, dedication, and hard work, a community won’t last long.

You can’t expect a forum to grow without nurturing it; you have to plant the seeds first.

 

[Bryn]

I try to make new threads on my forum on a regular basis, but it's difficult I must say...

 

[Cedric]

I try to make new threads on my forum on a regular basis, but it's difficult I must say...

If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

 

[Cory]

I think I depend on thread exchanges and content bundle requests for new threads, as I have difficulty developing new ideas for fresh thread content. I can make regular posts on my forum quite frequently as others seek help and topics that I can relate to.

 

[Cpvr]

I try to make new threads on my forum on a regular basis, but it's difficult I must say...

I’d say the best approach for generating fresh ideas is to check what’s being discussed on social media and develop your own topics from there. Sometimes, we need a new source of inspiration to spark fresh ideas.


Even news articles, blogs, and YouTube videos can provide great topic ideas.

 

[Al]

I have a weekly planner - just on an excel spreadsheet for my tasks which reset every Monday. There’s daily tasks such has five posts/threads on https://rtshq.net/hub or 3 tweets on the associated Twitter account, but also tasks to complete throughout the week such as blog posts or YT video uploads. I find it helps keep me focused.

It’s really useful if you get involved in a post exchange. Reminds you what you need to achieve.

 

[Nomad]

That holds true for me as well. On average, I make 40-50 posts on someone else's forums every day but I don't post on my forums every day, sometimes I don't even post for weeks. The major problem with small forum owners is that they think posting on someone else's forum is the part of their marketing effort.

 

[Bryn]

I’d say the best approach for generating fresh ideas is to check what’s being discussed on social media and develop your own topics from there.

I keep away from social media though... but news articles, yes.

But I expect my members to pull their weight on the issue also, because I can't always do it alone...