Everyone is different, just a few observations based on my own experience. It seems like you have started out right and done what others have suggested, and just enjoyed riding, since others have come to you to find out how to get into cycling.
I have several bikes (and some BSOs), and have basically just asked others to join me, and let them ride one of my bikes. This removes expense as an issue. I have a few bikes I never plan to ride, they are specifically loaners.
If someone wants to evangelize others, maybe buying a spare bike or two is a good step. (We can discuss the N+1 principle later)
Last year a guy that I have been working with retired, and I kept in touch with him. He went on a few rides with me. In his case, his son had a nice hard tail 29er that he borrowed for the rides
A guy I had been walking with joined me for a couple of rides. I picked him up, with a spare bike that I quickly adjusted for his use. His daughter thought that he was crazy to ride a bike at 75... But, since then she has changed her mind. He has his own bike now, a Christmas gift.
It is not a $500-600 bike (nor is it a department store BSO), and it works for him. We plan to do a multi-day trip later this year.
For someone who hasn't ridden them, road bikes are intimidating, and in my opinion a poor place (for some) to start when they are just getting into riding, or starting again. When I was a kid, I didn't start on a drop bar bike, but a few decades later I bought one to get back into cycling. I rode it a couple of times, and then it decayed in the shed until it got tossed. A few years later, I got a hybrid, and things were much better and formed the basis of one of my current addictions... cycling.
There may also be a factor that riding on roads is intimidating to people who haven't done it. Especially someone who has not had the opportunity to build their skills and confidence by spending time in the saddle. Rail trails are wonderful to help to build the basic skills of balance, cadence, shifting, and many other things that many of us do automatically after some time on a bike.
Among some there is an attitude that someone getting into cycling should get a decent quality road bike, since if they get into riding, they won't have to upgrade. They seem to ignore the fact that the first bike needs to be something that will allow them to get into riding. A cheap hybrid (or BSO) that gets ridden is much more appropriate than the nice road bike that sits in a garage for years until it is finally sold or discarded. This attitude seems silly after the fact, since after we have ridden for a year or two, we know we're going to upgrade anyway. But, I didn't know that when I started.
And finally, don't worry whether an individual rides or not, just stay willing to share your experience and knowledge with anyone that is interested in getting into cycling. It is up to them what they do with the information you share.