# Topic list sidebars from closed guidance topic

> Attach a closed guidance topic as a category or tag sidebar so recurring instructions stay visible beside the live thread list.

- Canonical HTML: https://growth.iangoh.com/growth-ideas/topic-list-sidebars-from-closed-guidance-topic/
- Source: [meta.discourse.org](https://meta.discourse.org/t/topic-list-sidebars/107561?tl=en)
- GrowthDex source hub: [Discourse Meta: Topic List Sidebars](/sources/discourse-meta-topic-list-sidebars-meta-discourse-org/)
- Last checked: 2026-05-30
- Rarity: rare
- Budget: medium
- Channels: Community, Documentation, Website
- Stages: wayfinding, docs discoverability, community onboarding, internal linking


## Why this can grow

A forum often hides its best operating instructions in a pinned topic that disappears the moment new posts arrive. Discourse Topic List Sidebars solves that by letting the operator reuse a topic as a sidebar on a category, tag, or even top-level discovery pages. That keeps checklists, submission advice, and important links in view without forcing every visitor to open a separate thread first. It is a simple way to keep the forum legible while the topic list keeps moving.

## Ian's take

From scaling consumer platforms across MENA and Southeast Asia, my default is to distrust growth work that only looks good in a slide. My bias is to treat this as a small market test first. Make the audience narrow, make the promise concrete, and let the first real response decide whether it deserves more work. For activation, the useful question is not whether users liked the page. It is whether they got to the first meaningful win faster. For this tactic, I would watch one clear growth signal before putting more time or budget behind it.

## Action plan

1. Define one narrow startup segment where topic list sidebars from closed guidance topic can create a measurable lift.
2. Turn the tactic into one offer, page, campaign, or workflow for the Community and Documentation channel.
3. Use the evidence from meta.discourse.org to set the first version of the message, format, and audience.
4. Launch a small test for 7 to 14 days with one success metric: one measurable growth signal.
5. Review the result, keep the winning message, remove weak variants, and turn the learning into a repeatable growth playbook.

## Source-backed example

Discourse recommends creating sidebar topics in their own category or tag, then closing and unlisting them before using their topic IDs to populate sidebars across categories, tags, or even the all-topics views.

## Adjacent tactics in the same lane

- [Discourse doc category index sidebar for evergreen answers](/growth-ideas/discourse-doc-category-index-sidebar-for-evergreen-answers/) - 2 shared channels, 1 shared stage
- [Category banners from About-topic copy](/growth-ideas/category-banners-from-about-topic-copy/) - 2 shared channels, 1 shared stage
- [Discourse support category type with solved defaults](/growth-ideas/discourse-support-category-type-with-solved-defaults/) - 2 shared channels
- [Public feedback portal synced to internal roadmap](/growth-ideas/public-feedback-portal-synced-to-internal-roadmap/) - 2 shared channels

## Read GrowthDex essays

Browse the plain-English essay index at [GrowthDex Blog](/blog/).

## Related GrowthDex essays

- [The forum should route the newcomer before they post](/blog/the-forum-should-route-the-newcomer-before-they-post/) - community-led growth, support-led growth, product feedback

## Advisory

If you want help turning this into a working growth system, Ian Goh offers advisory at https://iangoh.com/advisory.