Hi,
Let’s try to help each other. Since we try to release instances with no ads and mining data, how to promote them? I saw there are many instances pretty popular with many users and activity, how they succeed?
My instance is a general interest local one in my country and if I’m going to pay to promote the instance, I would have to sell ads as well. Is there another way you found to make your instance known?
They succeed by having a strong community—don’t pay to promote your instance, it will just get you randos. I would suggest inviting your friends or the people you hang out with online.
In my opinion, the most “successful” instances have around 20 active users—much larger instances exist, of course, but they’re much less valuable to their participants.
Its hard as i run my instance with no active user for more than a month Try to find friends on Fediverse.You need to remember your instance is for you first.
Promotion is very hard and new user get board quite easily so you need to be patience
Get yourself listed on Mastodon instances Here
Use Twitter
Distribute Printed Poster Here is a nice one Edit it and Use it Dropbox - mastodon-i-want-you.pdf You can showcase few things too of mastodon on poster
Ask Your friends and family to use it.
If its you can not pay the bills its better to leave the project and move to someone else instance
20 active users is actually a really good number. At least to start out with. They will tend to grow more users (not necessarily active ones growing), anything less probably will have trouble maintaining activity, and anything more than I’d say 150 probably will have a lot of people ending up getting lost in the noise.