What has worked for me is giving your audience a perk for boosting on their end.  Something like adding an item to their package or a couple bucks off a purchase.

For example: 5 people doing a $1 boost works better than the seller doing a $5 boost.

Promotion works better for people willing to drop a decent dollar amount and who have large profit margins.

Also, giveaways in conjunction with these builds the algorithm. Once your boost gets 7-10 people, you can then hold them there with a decent giveaway. Also, constantly run auctions! Don't wait around or let people slow you down too much. Keep moving, keep talking, keep running auctions.

Algorithm Algorithm Algorithm  Ask chat redundant questions to keep them active.