Needing additional product features specific to their community.

Creators are looking for viable business models that existing ad-driven social platforms do not provide

Gating a community can help preserve the quality of interaction and keep out trolls and spammers.

Modern consumers don't want to buy the brand, they want to become the brand.

Despite the internet itself, many people still lack access to (curated) network.

Users crave a high-signal environment with high-quality content.

Members seek out the community as a final destination, not just as part of a broader platform's content.

Organic formation of ties and initiation of interactions between members

Members actively contribute new and original content vs. just engaging with what's broadcasted by the brand.

to either content, network or both. Possibly gated.

of either content, members or both. Possibly gated.

People have a need for belonging. They gather around common interests, values, struggles → Identity.

Someone paying you $19/month out of fandom might be driven by reciprocity. Someone spending $1000/year is driven by personal gain & results. Help people to change and improve something substantial.

By raising the bar for who you allow as a member, you raise the quality of the community.

You niche is as defensible as your specific knowledge. With communities, personal and business moats overlap.

Type: Cornered Resource

Exceptional practice does not equate to exceptional teaching. The better you are able to translate specific knowledge into content, the more people will gravitate towards it.

Type: Process Power

Platform risk is real. If you can own your channels, do so. A public platform's goals are rarely aligned with yours. They are competition masked as allies.

Type: Economies of Scale

Give free access to part of your content to draw people in, then charge them for the full experience.

Communities are perfect for subscription models – though lump sum lifetime offerings do happen (like at Makerpad).

Communities are hyper-targeted in a way advertising cannot copy. Advertisers will pay for an audience with your community.

Clearly communicate what problem your community solves together. Members need something they can rally behind.

Find the 'dusty attics' of the web where your users play D&D. Give value. Over time, funnel users to your own platform.

Attract your first users by creating a steady stream of quality content (using your specific knowledge).

People want what they can't have. Limiting the no. of invites triggers scarcity. Just look at the buzz around Clubhouse.

Successful subreddits are a great source of inspiration. So are popular 'broadcasters.'

Get to know your audience. Find out their goals, motivations and obstacles. Involve them in improving the community.

Agreat example of content → community. People loved the content, but the buzz around Lenny's Slack community converted many to paid.

Deliberately kept raising the price on the NomadList community, to keep out 'low quality' users, such as spammers and trolls

Broke down how he built an MVP community using NoCode tools

An exclusive community for Discord advocates only.

Shows any niche can become interesting and successful if done right.

Has created an extremely successful NoCode community in Makerpad.co, leveraging other experts, and a high price of admission: $600.

Built Visualize Value content first. Daily content for 6 months. Then he built a product. Then he launched the community.

Spun out of a publication on Medium to take control over their distribution.

Mastermind sprint is a great example of productized service.