The most profitable forum monetization method tried

[LonArcvarden]

What's the most profitable forum metization method you've ever tried?

For me, two different types;

(1) Direct ad sales. AdSense never really did much for me, but made my members annoyed at me. However, selling ads directly to people and brands that directly relate to my niche has always been the main way of making money with forums. I can also control what the ad looks like and where it goes which is important to me.

(2) Premium membership. Most of the time, I sell premium memberships to members who simply want to support the community. It is important to add some extras and benefits though even if it's a private section, a cool premium member banner, and something like that.

How about y'all? What have you done to make the most profit with your forum?

[princemeraj]

I didn't make much profit, but it was direct ad sales as you mentioned.

[MichaelSavan]

I’ve been testing a mix of methods lately, and what finally clicked for me was non-intrusive app monetization. It's smooth, doesn't annoy users, and earns passively once set up. I integrated it with reward-based actions, and engagement actually went up rather than dropping off like with banner ads. Super easy to maintain too—no constant tweaking or chasing ad performance every week.