The Key Approach: Sell Before You Build
You don't have to have every content piece figured out to start your community, but you should consider what your pricing strategy is.
How do I figure out what products my audience will pay for and what their ideal price point is?
- Ask first, build later - Before creating any content, graphics, or setting up Heartbeat channels, go to the source: your audience. Research or directly ask what they are interested in and their preferred price point would be.
- Validate demand upfront - Spending a lot of time building and planning when you aren't certain how many members will be interested will cause you lose time and revenue. Instead, validate first if the demand is there and make sure that your community can answer that value proposition.
What Makes Communities Successful
Working with thousands of community builders on a weekly basis has informed us of a few distinct patterns that are directly connected with highly successful communities. Some key focus focus areas:
- Get to market quickly - communities that monetize within 30 days typically are more successful and long lasting
- Iterate based on feedback - be willing to change your offer multiple times to find the right fit, as community building is about constant iteration
- Bring your authentic self - successful community leaders are genuine, honest, and human
- Build an audience first - don't start from zero expecting to grow massively, you should build a steady audience ahead of trying to set up a community
- Don't take churn personally - people leave for many reasons, and it's important for you to focus on what is working