Without spamming, of course. As your friendly neighborhood moderator, I'm obligated to tell you how NOT to promote your website via an online forum. Do NOT post a link to your website in every topic you post in, regardless of whether it is relevant. Do NOT start a topic about your website in the wrong section of the forum you are thinking about posting in.
Rule #1: Never post a link to your website homepage in any forum post body that you ever write.
Rule #2: Never post an advertisement for your website in any forum post in response to any thread.
Rule #3: Never start a thread to directly promote your website in a section that is not specifically labeled for website promotions.
Now that I've saved you from about 10 forum bans, how do you do this the right way?
The key operating questions:
1. What does my site do?
2. Who will be interested?
3. Where are those people located, and what do they want?
Question 3 is frequently answered by turning to Google. For example, if moms would be interested in your site, find a forum website for moms. If your website caters to climbers, find a climbing forum and join it.
Question #4: What does the site I'm posting on want? What are the interests of the moderators and staff?
Obviously, you need to scrutinize the forum's TOS to make sure your site isn't against the rules of the forum you're trying to promote it on. Think of your site as an extension of the forum, as if you were posting all of your site's content to the forum. Would there be something that the forum's moderators would remove? If yes, never link that page to the site you're considering, and frankly consider moving on. I've been on two moderation teams, and one of them would go deep into external links to find rule-violating content as an excuse to take down external links. Another moderation team (that I wasn't on) literally told people they would ban people based on what they did offsite if the actions could be traced back to their forum account. (Interestingly, this rule was applied inconsistently.)
Another obvious gotcha is rules against external links. One forum I'm on bans external links in user's signatures. Another forum bans external links altogether and insists that almost all external URLs be placed in brackets to deactivate them so that the users have the choice about whether to copy and paste them into their browser windows. I'm not making this up. In the face of these rules, creative means (or non-creative means) may be employed, but you need to know that the rules are there and adapt accordingly.
It's important for you to think of the moderators' and admins' interest as separate from the users' interest, because these two groups can frequently be at odds. The users of a climbing forum may want the climbing equipment you're selling, but the dude who runs the forum may be an old codger with a grudge against newfangled gadgets who will come after you for that one swear word you used to describe your last climb.
On the other hand, you don't want a site with interests that completely match your own, as you're directly competing with the forum you're trying to promote on. You need to differentiate yourself a bit from your promotion target and offer something that the forum doesn't offer.
So there is a lot of subtle social maneuvering involved. You want a website whose users want what you have on your site, whose site interest is neither adverse to your interest nor exactly the same. Once you've got that, you're good to go.
This is probably what most people expected me to lead this article with, but you can't really get much better than free promotion of your website at the bottom of every forum post. As for what the link should be, your website name and why people on that forum should visit it should be there, as concise as possible.
If your website is running a special promotion or your have specific content that you think would especially appeal to the users of that forum, employ a small, 800 X 460 px image that shows the benefit to your intended audience. Have that image link directly to that particular item, if possible.
Once you have adjusted your signature accordingly, go and post in topics where users who are interested in your site are posting. Look for specific users who need your site, your content, or your product, and post in their topics. You may also post topics that you think will draw the attention of your target user as well.
An extremely important note for these posts: DO NOT mention your site anywhere in these posts. It's important that these users don't realize that they are being targeted for a promotional campaign. You are looking to help these users by bringing them something they can use, not looking to harass them into subjection. Respect their autonomy as a human being and let them make their own decisions.
Never send unsolicited advertising private messages on a forum website you don't own.
Before you employ this strategy, it's important that you have a large repertoire of ordinary forum posts on your target promotional forum. Unless your target promotion forum has an obvious promotional subforum or a link directory, most forums are promotion-adverse environments for external content for good reasons. Unless employed with great subtlety and great thought for the benefit of others, most promotions are annoying. And moderators and admins don't like to annoy their users.
A. Mentioning content on your site in a relevant topic to that particular content, and applying that content to the topic. You only get to do this ONCE for that piece of content on your site, unless the target promotion forum keeps bringing up the subject over and over again. In that case, the site is annoying itself, and your annoyance will get lost in the wash. DO NOT link to the content directly, unless external links in signatures aren't possible.
Do this very infrequently, and only when your content is relevant to the topic and only when the social
occasion warrants it. You don't want to look like you're on a forum solely to promote your site, for that will get you banned as a spammer. Frankly, you don't want to be on a forum solely to promote your site, for then you are a fool. The point of an online forum post is to benefit others instead of yourself.
B. Starting a forum topic for some of your site content on the target promotional forum in question. For example, if you have an art site, you can make a topic for your art, and link to your site in the first post, if that is allowed (it is NOT allowed on Bizdustry). Then you link that topic in your signature instead of the external links that are banned, and wallah. Return to step 4.
Don't try to camouflage your link in this case, as this makes you seem dumb. A simple "You can learn more about my [content type] here or My [content type] site: [link] is most effective.
This strategy can be employed if promoting on your target forum just won't exactly work. Remember the forum that required that all links were to be posted in brackets? Sure, you could go along with it, but this community had a Discord server that most of its members joined, ironically to get around the draconian rules of the main forum. You would be far better off promoting your site inside that Discord community (or on a second forum that one of the members started) than that forum.
Engaging with the forum's social media accounts can also be a path forward for promoting your site. In some situations, forum members will follow their favorite forum on X (Twitter) and you can capitalize on that by contacting and following them for more exposure.
And use obvious directories and promotion forums. Just know that you may not be able to target as effectively as a social promotion where you pay attention to what people want and need.
Once you have identified the combination of strategies that best fits your target promotional forum and your site, go ahead and roll it out. But once you have done so, wait for the people to come. Don't panic and change your message. People have lives and need time to adjust to the new opportunity you've presented.
If there is no response in about a week, consider how you may have misread the social situation. In time, as you continue to talk to the people on the target promotional forum, you will discover how you have erred and, with good fortune, likely have the opportunity to try again with something that is a better fit for the community.
Rule #1: Never post a link to your website homepage in any forum post body that you ever write.
Rule #2: Never post an advertisement for your website in any forum post in response to any thread.
Rule #3: Never start a thread to directly promote your website in a section that is not specifically labeled for website promotions.
Now that I've saved you from about 10 forum bans, how do you do this the right way?
Step 1: Think about who will benefit from your site, and who will be interested in what you have to offer.
The key operating questions:
1. What does my site do?
2. Who will be interested?
3. Where are those people located, and what do they want?
Question 3 is frequently answered by turning to Google. For example, if moms would be interested in your site, find a forum website for moms. If your website caters to climbers, find a climbing forum and join it.
Step 2: Mind competition, and employ subtlety
Question #4: What does the site I'm posting on want? What are the interests of the moderators and staff?
Obviously, you need to scrutinize the forum's TOS to make sure your site isn't against the rules of the forum you're trying to promote it on. Think of your site as an extension of the forum, as if you were posting all of your site's content to the forum. Would there be something that the forum's moderators would remove? If yes, never link that page to the site you're considering, and frankly consider moving on. I've been on two moderation teams, and one of them would go deep into external links to find rule-violating content as an excuse to take down external links. Another moderation team (that I wasn't on) literally told people they would ban people based on what they did offsite if the actions could be traced back to their forum account. (Interestingly, this rule was applied inconsistently.)
Another obvious gotcha is rules against external links. One forum I'm on bans external links in user's signatures. Another forum bans external links altogether and insists that almost all external URLs be placed in brackets to deactivate them so that the users have the choice about whether to copy and paste them into their browser windows. I'm not making this up. In the face of these rules, creative means (or non-creative means) may be employed, but you need to know that the rules are there and adapt accordingly.
It's important for you to think of the moderators' and admins' interest as separate from the users' interest, because these two groups can frequently be at odds. The users of a climbing forum may want the climbing equipment you're selling, but the dude who runs the forum may be an old codger with a grudge against newfangled gadgets who will come after you for that one swear word you used to describe your last climb.
On the other hand, you don't want a site with interests that completely match your own, as you're directly competing with the forum you're trying to promote on. You need to differentiate yourself a bit from your promotion target and offer something that the forum doesn't offer.
So there is a lot of subtle social maneuvering involved. You want a website whose users want what you have on your site, whose site interest is neither adverse to your interest nor exactly the same. Once you've got that, you're good to go.
Step 3: External link to Your Website in Your Signature (If Possible)
This is probably what most people expected me to lead this article with, but you can't really get much better than free promotion of your website at the bottom of every forum post. As for what the link should be, your website name and why people on that forum should visit it should be there, as concise as possible.
If your website is running a special promotion or your have specific content that you think would especially appeal to the users of that forum, employ a small, 800 X 460 px image that shows the benefit to your intended audience. Have that image link directly to that particular item, if possible.
Step 4: Target specific users
Once you have adjusted your signature accordingly, go and post in topics where users who are interested in your site are posting. Look for specific users who need your site, your content, or your product, and post in their topics. You may also post topics that you think will draw the attention of your target user as well.
An extremely important note for these posts: DO NOT mention your site anywhere in these posts. It's important that these users don't realize that they are being targeted for a promotional campaign. You are looking to help these users by bringing them something they can use, not looking to harass them into subjection. Respect their autonomy as a human being and let them make their own decisions.
Never send unsolicited advertising private messages on a forum website you don't own.
Step 5: Content Stripping
Before you employ this strategy, it's important that you have a large repertoire of ordinary forum posts on your target promotional forum. Unless your target promotion forum has an obvious promotional subforum or a link directory, most forums are promotion-adverse environments for external content for good reasons. Unless employed with great subtlety and great thought for the benefit of others, most promotions are annoying. And moderators and admins don't like to annoy their users.
A. Mentioning content on your site in a relevant topic to that particular content, and applying that content to the topic. You only get to do this ONCE for that piece of content on your site, unless the target promotion forum keeps bringing up the subject over and over again. In that case, the site is annoying itself, and your annoyance will get lost in the wash. DO NOT link to the content directly, unless external links in signatures aren't possible.
Do this very infrequently, and only when your content is relevant to the topic and only when the social
occasion warrants it. You don't want to look like you're on a forum solely to promote your site, for that will get you banned as a spammer. Frankly, you don't want to be on a forum solely to promote your site, for then you are a fool. The point of an online forum post is to benefit others instead of yourself.
B. Starting a forum topic for some of your site content on the target promotional forum in question. For example, if you have an art site, you can make a topic for your art, and link to your site in the first post, if that is allowed (it is NOT allowed on Bizdustry). Then you link that topic in your signature instead of the external links that are banned, and wallah. Return to step 4.
Don't try to camouflage your link in this case, as this makes you seem dumb. A simple "You can learn more about my [content type] here or My [content type] site: [link] is most effective.
Step 6: Use community extensions.
This strategy can be employed if promoting on your target forum just won't exactly work. Remember the forum that required that all links were to be posted in brackets? Sure, you could go along with it, but this community had a Discord server that most of its members joined, ironically to get around the draconian rules of the main forum. You would be far better off promoting your site inside that Discord community (or on a second forum that one of the members started) than that forum.
Engaging with the forum's social media accounts can also be a path forward for promoting your site. In some situations, forum members will follow their favorite forum on X (Twitter) and you can capitalize on that by contacting and following them for more exposure.
And use obvious directories and promotion forums. Just know that you may not be able to target as effectively as a social promotion where you pay attention to what people want and need.
Step 7: Be patient and willing to learn
Once you have identified the combination of strategies that best fits your target promotional forum and your site, go ahead and roll it out. But once you have done so, wait for the people to come. Don't panic and change your message. People have lives and need time to adjust to the new opportunity you've presented.
If there is no response in about a week, consider how you may have misread the social situation. In time, as you continue to talk to the people on the target promotional forum, you will discover how you have erred and, with good fortune, likely have the opportunity to try again with something that is a better fit for the community.
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