How to get into private trackers (and survive)

The first thing you need to ask yourself is whether your needs are satisfied by what you currently have at your disposal
 (Public trackers (TPB and KAT), DDL, newsgroups, Popcorn Time, Soulseek, Tribler...among other things), because private trackers may not be actually worth your time depending on what you are after.
 Joining private trackers isn't hard, but it takes time. Do you just want that one specific file you've been searching in vain for weeks? If so, you'd be better off asking someone on /ptg/ (or /r/trackers if you are so inclined) to snatch it for you and call it a day.
Or do you instead want to build a comprehensive library with consistently superior quality? If that is the case then you should try to join one of the specialized trackers that will fit your needs.
If you live in a copyright happy hellhole (like the UK or the US) and are afraid to get raped by the MPAA/RIAA and associates, private trackers will do you well as the large agencies do not want to waste the time or effort to get into places like BTN or PTP

Tracker Types
Open Signups: These trackers are very easy to get into, most trackers start like this, allowing anyone to sign up so that they can get some content. There are lots of great resources online if you want to find a bunch of open trackers
(Bear in mind that most Open trackers have little content and as such may not be the best course of action)

From here on out I will (mostly) Assume you know the respective niche of most trackers. If not, check out the other pastebins in the OP

Pay2Pirate - Some trackers will invite you for a fee (most notably, IPTorrents and Gaytorrents). These trackers are generally pretty shit, they are mostly a "For Profit" tracker and often do shady dealings (DDoS attacks and such).

Application - Some trackers have a special page with an application form in one way or another (most notably, AnimeBytes and ScienceHD).
Their goal is to keep a moderate influx of new members they can control by assessing your willingness to join and what you have to offer.
Different trackers have different requirements: some will require proof of good ratio on other trackers, some will only require that you show genuine interest and good will in your application form even if you are new to the tracker scene. (Animebytes)
Some mostly care about what you have to offer to the site (for instance, being an actual scientist with access to loads of books and articles will surely land you an invite at ScienceHD).
DO NOT lie in your Application, this is a sure-fire way to get your ass banned. (And for AB don't mention super popular/long running stuff such as Naruto, Attack on Titan or SAO)

Interview - A few trackers have an interview system; it means that you are going to join an IRC channel and answer questions to their staff.
It's mostly a way to control members' origin as almost all of them will ask that you join from your home connection.
The most reputed tracker known to maintain an interview system is What.CD, and the interview, while not hard, may catch you unaware if you are not prepared.
Be sure to read all of the material on the What interview preparation site (www.whatinterviewprep.com) as the site does log each and every one of your connections, even if they are years apart
The hardest part in an interview system is getting enough free time to wait for an interviewer, then taking the interview itself. What.CD queues are known to last for hours, and the interview can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Super Exclusive Sekrit Klub - Once you've made it to the big ones, the rest is up to you - you may try to join some of the ultra-closed trackers such as Exigo/HDBits/h*h (don't even try Art of Misdirection though unless you are a legitimate wizard)
But at this point your needs should be pretty much covered unless you are looking for something really specific or just doing it for epeen.


Invite forums (NOT Torrent-invites and other public ones they get you banned) - Once you've established a good standing on one of the aforementioned trackers you've hopefully managed to get in, you will be able to move on to more restrictive ones.
Most top trackers require new users to have a past of good standing (i.e. Power User or Elite userclass) such as one that can be shown on a tracker whose staff they trust - tracker staff often cooperate (or fight) with each other for good users.
What.CD is known for having the most comprehensive range of recruitment threads and will land you a place in all but the most restricted sites (HDBits and h*h).
BaconBits is also known for being a good gateway to reputed trackers. For this reason, they are often cited as a "first step" for new users to the tracker scene.
AnimeBytes also has a pretty comprehensive invites section, especially for weeb stuff like JPopsuki and Oppaitime

What NOT to do:

Invite Begging: This is a terrible idea, people in /ptg/ will often report emails posted there, this is a sure-fire way to get banned from most trackers

Public Invite Forums: As mentioned before, these trackers WILL get you banned. People that post invites there are often at the bottom of an invite tree and as such if someone treebans the top you are fucked

Buy Invites: Again, this is not only frowned upon it is actually damaging to the tracker, unless it’s a Pay2Pirate tracker just don't do it. If a admin finds out you will be BANNED

Argue With Admins: Unless they are confirmed cool doods (Azacuck, pasta, Pgreat) just don't do it. Admins are generally power tripping ban happy cucks

Other Miscellaneous info:
The other pastebins are mostly up to date, check them out before asking questions in the threads
/ptg/ has a very active IRC channel at irc.oppaiti.me #ptg