Hello,
Coming from someone who took part in the sub for sub stuff, but as since sworn off such actions. It can be satisfying in the short term to watch those subscriber numbers go up. But it is also important to recognize the fact that there are pitfalls for sub4sub, because while it can lead to genuine connections between people, it can come across as being disingenuous if people aren't genuinely interested in each other's works. Furthermore, there are high chances where such tactics might be great in the short term sense, but it is no substitute for cultivating an audience who actually engages in your work. That's not saying that such things can't lead to general opportunities, but it is a common perception (of which I have become aware of myself).
Years ago, while studying marketing in a traditional sense, there was something I learned which stuck with me, which can relate to the sub4sub debate. And this isn't just with Tapas, but the rest of the writing community. But it is so much better to have a smaller audience of subscribers, commenters, and etc who are engaged, than a larger audience of people who technically follow your work but never engage. And with sub4sub related content, while some people can be genuine, there are a lot of factors which come to play which means that those subscribers from a sub4sub promotion might not stick around.
Instead, what one might do is find other works in their genre and boost those works. But be genuine about it, and try to build authentic connections that way. Because if someone is writing something in a genre similar to yours, chances are they might appreciate such a connection anyway.
Lastly, it's no secret that marketing is hard. It takes a lot of trial, error, luck, and persistence. But it is worth far more than what a sub4sub forum can give.
That said, if one does make a genuine connection from a sub4sub discussion, that can be beneficial. But once again, that takes a lot of time and care.
