Forum marketing in the age of short attention spans

[Shawn Gossman]

People don't read long posts anymore.

I see some of you posting them. I imagine it's for SEO reasons, but other than that, humans aren't primarily focusing on long content anymore.

So, should we be creating shorter and more scannable content?

If not, justify why we shouldn't!

 

[Cpvr]

You know what I think? Create videos about your forum's content and link back to your forum under the description or video url. Especially on Tiktok, Youtube or Facebook. This in turn can help funnel users from these platforms.

I see creators doing it with other websites, especially blogs. I don't see why forums can't do it either.

 

[JWeb]

You know what I think? Create videos about your forum's content and link back to your forum under the description or video url. Especially on Tiktok, Youtube or Facebook. This in turn can help funnel users from these platforms.

I see creators doing it with other websites, especially blogs. I don't see why forums can't do it either.

I did something similar, but it was more like How-To's revolving around my forum since we were getting members from other venues like Facebook that weren't familiar with the forum software we had (or forums in general).

 

[PJMC1986]

Some owners see short posts as spam. Some forums have large min word count.

 

[Cpvr]

Some owners see short posts as spam. Some forums have large min word count.

Which owners see short posts as spam?

 

[Uncrowned Guard]

I think it's crucial to recognize that forums do need to adapt to modern user behavior; shorter attention spans, mobile-first access, and cross-platform engagement are real challenges. But adaptation doesn’t mean abandoning what makes forums valuable in the first place.

Forums offer structure, depth, and continuity that social media simply can’t replicate. Threads persist, conversations build over time, and knowledge is archived in a way that’s searchable and reusable. That’s the core value, and it shouldn’t be diluted just to chase trends.

That said, we can modernize without losing our soul. Improving mobile usability, integrating better search, and even using short-form content within forums (like summaries or TL;DRs) can help bridge the gap. And yes, leveraging platforms like TikTok or YouTube to funnel users in is smart, but the forum itself should remain a place for deeper engagement, not just mimic the fleeting nature of social feeds.

Adaptation should be strategic, not reactive. Let forums be forums, but let them be modern forums.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

Which owners see short posts as spam?

I've seen forums that are like that.

Unless the post contributes, they usually warn you or even delete it.

I think reaction features, like the like button, have replaced short replies. Personally, I don't think that's a good thing. I'd rather see someone say "I like this" or "Thank you" than see the like button clicked. There is no continuation of a discussion when all that happens next is a like button clicked.