I guess that this is why the new system will probably work. Users actually need to carefully read posts and try to engage in forum discussions right now, otherwise they will not be able to receive or give merit. You now need to try to be part of this community and really talk to other users, and this is a good thing.
Maybe I will rank to hero, or maybe I wont. It doesn't really matter anymore, and this is why I'm confidant that the system will work: If I'm not thinking about the ranks, then I can really focus on content.
Well done, you've taken the step of embracing the new system rather than sulking about missing out on ranking up like many others are doing.
The fact that members have to submit their posts to approval threads shows a fundamental flaw in the structure of Bitcoin Talk.
This just shows how difficult it is to find interesting discussions going on when it is buried under a deep pile of shitposts. That's exactly what this system is trying to fix. I found the unexpected benefit of checking what certain people have left merit for and discovered good threads I would otherwise have missed.
This makes one wonder how useful all those sig banners are. If the posts are not being seen, then there is a strong possibility that the banners aren't either.
From personal experience, I've only had a paid add in my signature for a short while and before that, I used to leave a referral link in there. It was very effective in getting hits. Even when I took a break and didn't use the forum for a couple of years I was getting about 5 hits a day.
It really depends on what is being written. Is it the sort of thing people will be searching for and reading? I'm sure the advertisers paying people to post in spam mega threads are wasting their money but this is still a very effective place to advertise if people are posting interesting content.