In comparison, conversations in text-based social media are welldocumented and more structured.
“ Video content is the trend, but I don’ t see traditional text-based forums disappearing. People still value reading feedback and detailed discussions, which isn’ t always possible in a shortform video format. It’ s like comparing watching a movie to reading a book
The problem with YouTube is that people might ask a quick question or make a statement tied to a specific video, then they just disappear. There’ s no discussion on a wider topic”
Neil Walker, founder of livecasinocomparer. com
– both provide information but in different ways,” Puolakka explains.
Puolakka believes that building a platform from scratch can offer many advantages that third-party channels cannot provide. For example, while user-generated content on both Reddit and proprietary platforms is heavily favoured in SERPs, the forum’ s integration gives a free boost to the main site’ s SEO performance. Additionally, the public visibility of player discussions can aid in brandbuilding by creating transparency and authority. Owning an admin panel and implementing tracking programmes also enable“ a better overview of activity”, especially engagement levels. Furthermore, as noted by Valeria Martinez from Betting Ladies in a recent iGB Affiliate profile feature, forum integration enhances the user experience as players won’ t need to log in separately.
Apart from offering regular B2C content, Puolakka highlights the forum’ s unique B2B benefit:“ Game providers and payment providers can all create profiles on our site. For example, a slot studio can have its own profile and promote upcoming releases to players. This allows our B2B clients to showcase their new games or campaigns.”
In terms of challenges, Puolakka echoes Walker and says,“ the hardest part was and still is getting users to the community”. He recommends that affiliates promote their new online gambling forums using existing channels and run exclusive campaigns like raffles to encourage players to join.
“ It’ s important to test different strategies to see what resonates with users. We’ ve experimented with various approaches – some worked, some didn’ t. A / B testing is key to finding them out,” Puolakka explains.
“ This process is similar to any form of marketing: you must continuously test different approaches, analyse the results and refine your strategy based on what works.”
Running an online community isn’ t easy – it’ s like being a city planner in a virtual world, where affiliates must navigate everything from localisation to moderation for sustainable engagement, higher player retention and greater authority-building opportunities. While a self-built forum offers more flexibility, it may not suit smaller brands with limited resources. Affiliates can learn from the above but must ultimately choose a platform and content strategies that best suit their audience, capabilities and long-term goals.
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