Focus on quality over numbers. Be active Yourself, create regular discussion threads, respond to members, recognize good contributors, and build a clear community Identity. Avoid spammy self promotion participate genuinely in related communities instead. I think this is important, give people a reason to keep coming back and talking to each other.I'm working on a subreddit and would love advice from people who have successfully built active communities. What strategies have worked best for increasing quality members, consistent discussion, engagement without relying on paid promotion.
The bait aspect does work, although I would make sure that people are not forced to be engaged, instead, there should be just a few posts that could raise debate.Create high-quality, niche-specific content, act as your own "bait" to stir up initial discussion, and set clear rules for filtering from the start.