CW is easy to learn and much fun to use. In the "old days" we learned it out of necessity, since all license classes required a code test, and most new hams came through the ranks starting as Novices, who only had CW privileges on HF, with additional restrictions that Novices and Tech Plus licensees do not have today: Those being, we were restricted to 75 Watts DC input power (typically 40W output), and crystal control (no VFO's!) only. We had another restriction, too: The Novice license was only good for one year, and was non-renewable. That was quite an incentive to either learn more or get out of the hobby.
Once you actually _use_ CW, even if fumbling along at 2 wpm and making 50% mistakes, most find it so enjoyable they want to learn more, and do better. The mode can also easily "spoil" an operator, since 50W on CW is equivalent to 200W on SSB and about 800W on AM or FM, in terms of what can be worked in any situation. So, getting "spoiled" means working the world with 50 Watts and a wire, on CW. Then, try that using another mode. Oops, not so easy. (Although I must admit that PSK31 is pretty close. It just takes a whole lot more equipment, like a computer, sound card and software as a minimum, to use effectively.) A simple QRP CW rig can weigh one pound and run all day off a battery pack, and thus makes the most simple portable DX station possible.
It's also interesting that, despite the popularity of other modes and the elimination of the code proficiency requirement in many cases, CW activity on the bands is about as high as it ever was, at least as high as it's been for the past 40 years or so. The CW subbands are still crowded, and when the bands are really open, they're more crowded. All those using it can't be nuts -- it's a great mode.
If that's not enough incentive, then perhaps simply challenging yourself is. Successful people (in life, and in all endeavors of life) constantly challenge themselves, and when you reach the pinnacle of success in any field, the only one left to challenge you is you. Reminds me of a really great and very short conversation I heard at a Lakers game last year: After Kobe Bryant did a 180 degree spin, reverse-slam dunk starting out about 15 feet from the basket and made it look about as easy as eating a jelly donut, coach Phil Jackson said to Kobe: "You're gonna hurt yourself." To which Kobe replied, "No, I'm not." Pure and simple.
As for recruiting, I'm sure there are as many opinions as stars in the sky, but the only thing I've found effective is letting prospects sit at the rig and have a chat with somebody on the other side of the world (with me as the control operator). It is quite an experience for most people, and many immediately want to know more about this wonderful hobby. For that reason, my door is always open to anyone remotely interested, and I've set up parking-lot portable stations many times. Seems about 9 out of 10 people with any interest in anything become as least a bit interested in chatting with the world "for free," using no telephone or internet connection, just a tiny radio and a whip on the car.
WB2WIK/6