<blockquote>
  <p>We need more answers, and therefore answer-writers There's no escaping
  that more answers to on-topic questions are required to close the gap.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>In my opinion this is the single most important point, and all other ideas, while very good, will only have a <em>marginal effect</em> as they are not addressing the fundamental structural problem the site is facing. With that out of the way here are a few controversial ideas ranked from most impactful to least impactful in my opinion.   </p>

<h3>1) A paid, targeted advertising campaign</h3>

<ul>
<li>At statistical conferences, in events, awards</li>
<li>In specialized journals, magazines, books</li>
<li>On related websites, forums </li>
</ul>

<h3>2) A free advertising campaign</h3>

<ul>
<li>Volunteer SE users giving access to university groups, forums, events</li>
<li>Links with non profit and teaching organizations</li>
<li>Partnerships (e.g. with Khan academy, Datacamp or others) </li>
</ul>

<h3>3) A banner on the homepage</h3>

<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zim8C.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zim8C.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>why note, Jimmy Wales does it all the time</p>

<h3>4) A banner on questions with zero answers</h3>

<h3>5) An email campaign to less active past users</h3>

<h3>6) An official guideline for word of mouth campaigning</h3>

<h3>7) Unofficial guerrilla campaign</h3>

<ul>
<li>Ask the top 100 active users to promote an organized, unofficial guerrilla campaign on campus, at work, during conferences. </li>
<li>Ask professors and TA to discuss SE and its usefulness with their students in class</li>
</ul>

<h3>8) New bonuses, badges and recognition awards for new users</h3>

<p>You guys had it easy answering questions on the usefulness of $R^2$ back in 2011 and getting 250 votes for a 15 line answer ! Now days getting 1000 points is a battle. </p>

<p>Since SE is an educational and most importantly <strong>very useful</strong> website for students and professionals alike, I don't see why we shouldn't aim to attract new contributors in any way we can. </p>
