How To Post A Forum Topic That Gets Responses

[Evan]

Hello Forum members!

I came across a blog post written by Darren Rowse and thought the same points could apply to our forums if you're trying to write a post that will get people to reply:

* Start a Debate - pick a more controversial topic or one that you think people will have strong opinions about - state the case for two sides of the arguement and let your readers go at it. Eg: Video on a DSLR - Would You Use It? and Full or Partial RSS Feeds?

* Ask for Advice - state a problem that you or a reader has and ask for help, solutions and advice. I do these regularly on DPS and call them ‘community workshops. The latest was ‘How Would You Photograph a Funeral?‘ and How to Photograph Grandma - a DPS Community Workshop.

* Ask for Tips - choose a topic that your readers might know something about and ask them for practical tips. You might then compile the tips (or the best of them) into another post. Eg: How to Photograph Kids - Leave Your Tips Here.

* Ask for Examples - give readers an invitation to submit links to examples of a topic you’re writing about. Example: What Was Your Most Popular Post in 2007.

* Ask for Experiences - ask a question about what your readers have ‘done’ or ‘experienced’. Eg: MicroStock Photography - Share Your Experience

* Give Opportunity for Self Promotion - give readers an opportunity to show themselves (or their blog, or their work) off. I did this on DPS over the weekend in a post ‘What is Your Favorite Landscape Location’ which asked readers to tell where they liked to shoot landscapes and invited them to submit links to their work.

* Run a Poll - many bloggers just put polls in their sidebars and don’t post about them. If you announce a new poll and ask readers to expand upon their vote in comments you can often generate some great discussion. It will also increase the number of responses to the poll. For example - see my recent post - ‘Have you Ever Guest Posted on Someone Else’s Blog?‘

[GT Bulmer]

Thanks for the great guide, Evan. Numerous angles to approach a topic from and initiate discussion. Excellent food for thought for each of us. (And for bloggers looking for inspiration, too!)

GT

[Josip Barbaric]

Evan, thanks for the great tips. I would add that posting something that contradicts the majority view has been known to stir up a conversation. There are a lot of threads in the Warrior forum to prove this.

Cheers,
Josip

[Kevin Lee]

The key is to NOT post something that simply promotes your business and include a link back to your own website (or affiliate link). These posts are considered spam and removed immediately.

There's so many newbies who try to abuse the forums by asking a general business question, and then offering their own web link as a solution.

[TannyL]

Hi Evan,
Great tips.
I completely agree with this one:

Give Opportunity for Self Promotion

Some people will always search for the opportunity to promote themselves and their business, even if they are out of line.

[Kevin Lee]

I also feel that writing shorter posts helps to garner more attention and feedback. If you write an "essay long" post, you'll likely alienate all readers aside from the person who originally posed the question/thread.

[TannyL]

I also feel that writing shorter posts helps to garner more attention and feedback. If you write an "essay long" post, you'll likely alienate all readers aside from the person who originally posed the question/thread.

Hi Kevin,
I agree, long post bore me, and I can't focus, to much text make my eyes "dance" and I can't read it, so I learned to go through the text, and read, like many others, the first and last sentence of theparagraph and concentrate on the important things.

[GT Bulmer]

I also feel that writing shorter posts helps to garner more attention and feedback. If you write an "essay long" post, you'll likely alienate all readers aside from the person who originally posed the question/thread.

Yikes! I should have read this before I posted those other comments in other threads earlier today!

I know I am bad for writing essays. Can't seem to help it. I guess that's why I am a writer!

I agree with you, though. Completely. Forum participants aren't looking for a complete topic discourse - just a quick tip or thought to spark their own ideas outside of the forum.

Like Tanny suggested, most people are "scanners" quickly scanning through for "bits" of relative info.

GT

[TannyL]

Hi GT,
I guess this is why you are a writer and this is why it took me 6 months before I started writing articles for article marketing. The first article took my 3 day, or even more.

In high school I was the only one not to fill all the given lines for an answer, while others filled more.

[Kevin Lee]

I also feel that writing shorter posts helps to garner more attention and feedback. If you write an "essay long" post, you'll likely alienate all readers aside from the person who originally posed the question/thread.

Yikes! I should have read this before I posted those other comments in other threads earlier today!

I know I am bad for writing essays. Can't seem to help it. I guess that's why I am a writer!

I agree with you, though. Completely. Forum participants aren't looking for a complete topic discourse - just a quick tip or thought to spark their own ideas outside of the forum.

Like Tanny suggested, most people are "scanners" quickly scanning through for "bits" of relative info.

GT

Don't worry GT, no one is complaining about your longer than usual forum posts However, I feel that if you wrote shorter ones, it would help you become more effective as a forum moderator and active participant. Just think about it... you could probably turn one of your regular essay-like posts into 5 separate ones, and that way, you'd always be on the Leaderboard

[MichelleJ]

Although I always enjoy GT's posts and find that I read them all the way through, generally I like Tanny my eyes get very tired and I normally just scan them or otherwise give up on them and move to the next one.
Shorter is definitely better.

MichelleJ

[mbrand2222]

Thanks Evan,
I hadn't seen this post but I think it is very helpful to everyone who is marketing on line. I know I got some new tips.

[Barry Sarner]

Great suggestions...

I like this one especially:

"Start a Debate - pick a more controversial topic or one that you think people will have strong opinions about - state the case for two sides of the arguement and let your readers go at it. Eg: Video on a DSLR - Would You Use It? and Full or Partial RSS Feeds?"

I also like to mix up the topics even if it moves a little bit outside the focus of the forum. It keeps things interesting.

[MichelleJ]

Great suggestions...

I like this one especially:

"Start a Debate - pick a more controversial topic or one that you think people will have strong opinions about - state the case for two sides of the arguement and let your readers go at it. Eg: Video on a DSLR - Would You Use It? and Full or Partial RSS Feeds?"

I also like to mix up the topics even if it moves a little bit outside the focus of the forum. It keeps things interesting.

Hi Barry

Generally when a topic has a lot of discussion and debate the subject will move outside the focus of the topic, don't know if you have noticed but this just seems to happen quite naturally. Thanks for bumping this thread up again, it is a good one.

MichelleJ

[Barry Sarner]

Hey Michelle

You're welcome and thanks for responding.

Thanks for pointing that out....I never really noticed.

Michelle, any suggestions on what forum topics get the best responses? Anybody have any suggestions?

How about specific suggestions on how to post a forum topic that gets responses. Let's keep this thread going it could help us all.

Happy Easter