I don't know if this belongs here, but this is a huge question I have and I know there are lots of enterprising people on here who have been in my situation, and I also wanted to ask it outside of my fandom where I'll be free from judgement for now- I need solid advice, not tainted by anyone's impressions of the concerned parties.

My fiance and I are trying to open a forum, and I'm wondering if any of you have some advice on how to make this a successful launch. So far we have signature banners linking to it, but are there other ways to find members (that won't get us in trouble for spamming various forums?) I just need general advice on opening a forum, keeping members, etc. (For all those curious, it's a Pokemon fanworks oriented forum.)

Any help will be most appreciated!