so, i've noticed that a lot of people put their time into developing a well rounded ad that looks really good. i've just recently started a new board, so i was wondering, what kind of things should i include in the ad to get the attention of people? i've tried making numerous ads but none of them really seem to work as well as those really WHOA kinda ads.

what's in an WHOA ad? :o

Well, it's advertising. You have to market your board. Look around at the advertisements you see everyday on billboards or in commercials. Some products (and sites) require more explanation all the time, whereas other products (and sites) don't need any flashy, cute effects to get the point across.

For RPs, however, it really depends on the members you're looking for. If you're looking for dedicated members, don't try and lure them in with all the unnecessary effects like "cute" text and graphics and formatting. Just give them the gist of what your board's about, and try and end it with a sort of "cliff hanger" - something that will make guests want to click on your link. I always thought a good ad should make a guest ask themselves, "What happens now?" or "Wow, I want to see this in action." Even if your plot's just a hum-drum real life roleplay, with the right wording and hook, it could easily attract many people's eyes.

Don't forget there's other factors involved, though. Some sites don't get lots of members until they advertise persistently and show people they'll actually live; some sites only get a few, but they live because those few members are dedicated. Some get a lot, even within a day or two, but chances are that site is in a popular genre and all those members are gonna die off, (hopefully) leaving behind the truly dedicated ones.

My advice is advertise like no tomorrow, but don't get discouraged if you only get a few members. Remember that sometimes, people don't want to venture outside their comfort zone. But if you show that you're a reliable site, then you'll get more members as time goes on.

I know that was incredibly vague, but hopefully it helps. =]

EDITS~ I added so much to this post, haha.

Hahah. Not that vague, Sunday.

Uh, my co-admin and I sent stuff backwards and forwards from our plot, adding and subtracting sections as we went. We ended up with an ok ad, but its not the best. For shaaame.

mmm. i see. so is an advertisement basically a summary of the plot? or what?

Uh, for me it was.

Go browse an advertising forum on a site. Any site, and open up the first page of ads. Read them all and see which ones caught your eye and why.

Then take a leaf out of their book.

Taadaaaaaaaa!

That is very vague, but oh so very helpful. :p

Oh, Panda... you amazing thing you. :lol:

Kung Fu Panda strikes again! Very good advice.

Speaking from the POV of a member and advertiser, it's annoying as heck to have board links hidden within multiple blocks of tiny text. I never read the text and just get mad at the board admin for not making things easy for me. My 'whoa!' ads are brief, have IC and OOC information, and are formatted in such a way that they're interesting to look at. They also have important links clearly displayed, including the board index. If you made your ad something like that, you will have made at least one person happy. :pink:

mm. thats a good idea panda.
and so you're saying, it should also have a good amount of decoration in it?

No, not necessarily. It's just that you want to avoid a long row of paragraphs, because they run together and put people off of reading the information (it does me, at least!). It's better to have a quick ad that packs a lot of punch than a long rambly ad that just gets boring. The important thing is to attract their attention. You don't have to tell them everything at once, after all.

mmmm okay. so lemme get this straight

1. make it short and to the point
2. add cliffhangers
3. make it pretty
4. mix in a bit of IC and OOC

is that the basic jist?

Seems like, to me.

I might just have to pinch these tips. I have some ads to do. Buh.

I don't overdo it. I just have an overview of the plot and a link, and I advertised like a crazy person. I've been open since May and I have 34 members. That alone worked for me - I don't think ads need to be too over-the-top: just the information needs to be there.

besides this place I would like to find other places to advertise. That would be a big thing for me.

okay so, what would you guys think about an ad that said this?

Though I'm not a grammar erudite, I think the person who typed that needs to make sure of sticking to one tense. Switching tenses and POV makes the whole thing pretty confusing for me.

Well, that's my two cents. :sweat: