I’ve help build internet communities that have generated hundreds of millions of members

The most often question I get asked is:

But Greg - how do I build a community from scratch?!

Here's what I usually say:

First, why you should care about community:

- It's the best way to build a movement
- It supercharges word-of-mouth
- People want community more now than ever
- Products built on-top of communities scale fast

If you unlock community, it's an unfair advantage

Img: @gapingvoid

Start small. Start tiny.

95% of communities can start as a simple group chat

A community only needs a shared purpose and a place to thrive

Don’t overthink it

Weak community leadership kills communities

6 qualities of high-performing community leaders I’ve noticed:

1. Captivating
2. Consistent
3. Loud
4. Obsessed with the mission/people
5. Relentlessly helpful
6. Sincere

Invite-only works

95% of communities should begin as waitlists. B2B or B2C. Doesn’t matter

Exclusivity and scarcity drives demand

Tip: waitlist communities outperform

Merch supercharges communities

You’d be surprised what designing incredible merch can do to a community

It gives them a “raison d’etre”

Example: @100Thieves

Tip: hire streetwear designers to design your merch

Get members where they want to go

The secret to community design: get members they want to go (ie: milestones etc)

The best communities: move members

Who we are

I’ve never found a community that thrived that didn’t have a compelling “who we are” story

Key points:

- Describe the future utopia
- Describe the cause with passion
- Amplify the real reason they exist

Tip: tighten your who we are story and terrific things happen

Not all founding members are equal

Example: Clubhouse recruited well-known tech people in April 2020 and gave them a virtual place to hang out

Tip: your first members set the tone. Choose wisely

Community/market fit

Founders obsess about product/market fit. But don’t obsess enough about community/market fit

How to build a startup in 2021:

1. Community/market fit
2. Product/market fit
3. Scale

Design rituals

Being in a Zoom call together isn’t community building

The goal: Create daily/weekly rituals that make people feel alive and grateful to be apart of the community

Takeaways:

1. Human beings can’t help it: we need to belong
2. The long term win is in building a community
3. Building a community is where art meets science. It's perfectly do-able

If you enjoyed this thread, RT it to share with your followers. The world needs more communities not less :)

and toss me a little follow at @gregisenberg

And if you enjoy learning about internet communities and the exciting world of community based products

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