How to promote your events in forums

We all know that good promotion is one of the keys to running successful events. And just having your events listed on the MotorsportReg calendar is a great place to start. But that's not enough if you want to break even, make money, or sell out your event.

We've previously blogged about how much time motorsport enthusiasts (and your potential attendees) are spending in forums. It's A LOT! And that's why it's a great place to promote your events. It's a pretty simple process and doesn't take any special skills- just your time. Follow our 5 easy steps below and be on your way to finding some new attendees.

1. Find out what forums YOUR attendees participate in

There are boat-loads of forums out there and you want to promote your events in the forums that your attendees monitor. You might be able to list a few off the top of your head based on what you hear your participants talking about at events and on social media. If you have no idea, send out a survey, quick email, or Facebook post and ask. Start building a list of relevant forums. Also ask yourself where might you go for new attendees? Don't limit yourself to only those forums that your current attendees are on. But definitely make sure it's relevant. It probably doesn't make sense to promote your autocross in a karting forum. Below is a short list of popular forums that we've come up with:

Rennlist

Audiworld

Apexspeed

Specracer.com

Mazdaracers.com

Spece30.com

Ls1tech.com

6speedonline.com

Sccaforums.com

2. Review the rules

Every forum has its own posting rules and some of them strictly prohibit you from promoting your events. Read and understand the rules so you're not marked as a spammer. You can usually find them under FAQ, general forum usage, terms of use or something similar. A lot of times you will find them in the same place you register as a member. And if the rules don't allow you to promote your event, consider becoming a sponsor. Some forums can be sponsored for as little at $30 a month.

3. Register as a member

Easy- in most forums you have to be a member to post and it's usually free. Be sure to pick a username that's not offensive and well-represents your organization.

4. Pick the best section/ sub-forum

Forums have multiple sections or sub-forums that are organized around a specific topic. Pick the one that is most relevant to your event. For example, people looking in the "Stuff for Sale" section are probably not looking for events to attend. Also look at the date of the last post, number of threads and number of posts and replies in that section. You want to post in sections that have a lot of recent traffic to make sure you get the most eyeballs on your thread.

5. Write an informative, clear and concise post

Initially, readers will only see your subject line and then decide to read your post- so make it good! March 16th Track Day at COTA is much better than Upcoming Track Event. In the body of your post, provide the most important details, but keep it short. Provide links to other non-critical information an attendee might need and can be found somewhere else. And always, always include the link to register for your event. Don't make attendees go look for it.

And those are the basics. Have any good forums you think we should add to our list?