Here's a free tip for those leaders trying to recruit players to their alliance:
WRITE A MESSAGE, don't just send an invite! Tell potential recruits about who you are, what the goals are for your alliance, what kind of players you are looking for, what your experience is.
Also, find out about who you are trying to recruit by asking questions - you may not want them after all! I want to be in an alliance where the leader wants to know what kind of player I am.
Communication plus activity are the two key ingredients of a successful alliance.
I've been in a world recently for 350 ticks and have been sent 16 invites to join various alliances (some top 10). Not 1 has sent me a message or asked me anything about myself. This puts me off, as it suggests the leader doesn't give a monkeys who they recruit as long as they have a reasonable rank.
Yeah, it may take a bit more time, but at least you'll be upping your recruitment success rate, and will be recruiting better comrades.
Go on, COMMUNICATE, you know you want to