So, you have a new guild. It's your very first, and you're super-excited. But a few days in, you realise that you don't know how to get members.
Never fear! There are a few reasonably fail-safe ways to ensure that you can get and keep new members, all with only a little effort on your part:
1. Advertise. Sell it, and sell it hard, but only in the right places. Try the Chatterbox and the Registered Guilds forums. Browse forums related to your guild's focus and PM likely looking people with invitations. Make or pay for a banner and put it - and a link - in your signature. Be persuasive and professional. Correct spelling, grammar and punctuation do wonders, especially if you're appealing to literate Gaians.
Remember, there are doubtless several guilds with the same focus as yours. Why should we join your guild above the others? What makes it special? Flaunt your assets. Dwell on your good points. Make us believe that your guild is worth joining.
2. Give them incentives. Spruce up your front page. Create introductory posts. Make sure your guild feels welcoming to new members - create an FAQ or introductory thread if necessary. Make sure you and your crew are available to answer any queries promptly and helpfully.
3. Search by Interest and PM any likely looking Gaians. Be polite, persuasive and professional. Give some thought to your invitation's composition - if it only took you twenty seconds to write, you're doing something wrong. This is the invite message I use for a Slytherin guild of which I am a member:
Invite Message
Hi,
Firstly, my apologies for this random message. I know that quite a few users dislike random PMs. Having said that...
After an interest search for fellow Slytherins, I found you, looked at your profile and liked what I saw, so I want to extend you an invitation to a place I think you'll like: The Serpent's Cove, a Slytherin guild for intelligent, literate Slytherins (or members of other houses, for that matter) who are interested in a friendly and relaxed but still literate environment where they can roleplay, post fanwork and discuss the Harry Potter books with other people of a like mindset. If you think this sounds interesting, I invite you to apply for entry to the guild - it only costs 10 gold, and it's certainly worth it.
Should you apply, I'll see you at the Cove,
Regards,
Jay Silverstreak, The Serpent's Cove.
Firstly, my apologies for this random message. I know that quite a few users dislike random PMs. Having said that...
After an interest search for fellow Slytherins, I found you, looked at your profile and liked what I saw, so I want to extend you an invitation to a place I think you'll like: The Serpent's Cove, a Slytherin guild for intelligent, literate Slytherins (or members of other houses, for that matter) who are interested in a friendly and relaxed but still literate environment where they can roleplay, post fanwork and discuss the Harry Potter books with other people of a like mindset. If you think this sounds interesting, I invite you to apply for entry to the guild - it only costs 10 gold, and it's certainly worth it.
Should you apply, I'll see you at the Cove,
Regards,
Jay Silverstreak, The Serpent's Cove.
4. Lead by example. You want active members? Make sure you devote time and effort to your guild. Keep your posts on-topic. Keep spam to a minimum (unless, of course, you're actually running a spam guild or something similar). Encourage the other members to do the same. Consider incentives and rewards (gold, free art, whatever) for active and committed members of your guild.
5. Finally, remember that you won't have a full, active guild overnight. I can't stress this enough: you have to devote time and effort to making your guild a success, because it sure as hell won't become one on its own. The rewards and the satisfaction of captaining an active, successful guild are well worth the trouble.
Updated 30th of August, 2007:
6. Try affiliating with guilds and threads with similar interests and focuses. Does your friend run a Harry Potter guild that could provide members for your fantasy book guild? Drop them a line and ask about affiliating. Do you run a roleplaying guild for literate teens? Perhaps a literate discussion guild might be interested in associating with you. Affiliation is a good way of getting the word out about your guild and finding new potential recruitment bases.
And that's all from me! If you have any questions, comments or feedback, feel free to comment.
Good luck,
~Jay.
This Guide was originally made by [Shadow.Elven-mage], so all credit goes to her.
