In my career, I’ve built several communities. The hardest part of building a community is getting its first 100 members.
Let’s not confuse ‘members’ with 'sign-ups’. In the community world, 1 active member is > 1000 sign-ups.
In this guide, I’ve shared my proven 3-step community-building strategy to quickly grow your active member count and get some momentum for your community.
TL;DR: How to get first few members
The best and the easiest way to get first 10, 50 or 100 members of your community through personal networks, social media and platforms like ProductHunt. But don’t jump away just yet. I’ll show you the right way to do it. All I need is 5 minutes of your time.
Ground Zero: Before you begin
Most community builders set up their platform and start looking for members right away.
Hold your horses!
Answer this: Why would a new person want to join your community? What does your community offer them in return?
You might think that people will join and then you’ll create value together.
No. We don’t live in an ideal world.
Create “Instant Value” for your first members
Before you invite your first member, work alone for a few days and create some ‘instant value’.
That is, your community should make it obvious for your potential members that it gives them immense value, instantly.
How?
Well, it’s simple. Solve pain-points for your potential users.
Create questions and answers that solve real pain-points
Share ideas, tips, tricks that help your potential members
Offer an incentive worthy of a sign-up
I strongly suggest spending time on your community to create value before you jump into executing your strategy to get your first community members.
I hope you are with me. Let’s now look at how you can attract initial members to your community.
Step 1: Tap into your network
Before chasing the strangers online, look at what’s right in front of you. Your personal network is gold!
Always look for your first few community members within your close network for family, friends, colleagues, former colleagues, former classmates, alumni networks.
The people who know you are more likely to say yes to joining your community.
Tip: How to reach out without being awkward
No one likes being spammed, even by someone they already know. Instead of blasting a generic message, write a personal note:
“Hey [name], I hope all is well. I am working on [community] and it [ value prop ]. It’d mean a lot to me if you could check it out and join.
“Hi [name], I am creating this [community, value prop] and thought you might like it. Your feedback would be super useful”.
Focus on them, not you. Show why they will benefit from it and why their feedback matters. Do not forget to include a link to your community.
Bonus hack: Use email lists wisely
If you have an existing email list, now’s the time to put it to work. Send a warm, conversational email about your new community, your vision and how it benefits them. Keep it short and simple.
Follow up once or twice over the next few days.
Step 2: Go public and spread the word
Once you have exhausted your inner-circle and have a few early-adopters of your community, it’s time to go public. This is the fun part and I get it - it’s a little scary as well.
The goal is to amplify your reach without coming across as desperate.
Social Media: Be strategic, not spammy
Platforms like LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Instagram and Tiktok are powerful tools. If possible, learn some basics of social media and digital marketing. It will help you a lot in the long run.
Here are simple ways to craft engaging content and get people interested in your community:
Share BTS (Behind the Scenes) of building your online community.
Share your struggle, wins and failures openly.
Ask questions and spark conversations
Use photos, videos and graphics to make your content more engaging.
SEO: The long-term game
In 100% of the communities I’ve built - SEO has been my primary growth driver. The best thing about SEO is that content drives organic traffic for months or years.
I can’t put more importance on the power of SEO for community growth. It’s one of the reasons we spent months perfecting SEO for Jatra. Jatra automatically powers your community content with industry-leading SEO so that your content drives organic traffic without extra efforts.
Search engines like Google and AI-tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity can drive traffic to your community.
Product Hunt, BetaList and other platforms
I would strongly suggest submitting your community to platforms like Product Hunt or Beta List. These are the sites designed to showcase new projects and connect the creators with early adopters.
Success on these platforms depends on several factors. If you present your community well and highlight its value, you will attract early adopters.
Step 3: Engage, retain and celebrate
This is the most important part of the strategy to get early members for your community. However, it’s often the most ignored part as well.
Getting members is one thing but keeping them is the real challenge.
As a community manager and builder, it’s your duty to keep the first few members of your community engaged.
Don’t worry, it’s simpler than you think. These are some of the techniques to keep your initial members engaged:
Host simple online events: Host monthly online meetups, live QnA sessions, workshops or virtual hangouts for your community members. Keep these events high-energy.
Reward loyalty: When your early members create value for your community, reward them. A simple announcement, badge or acknowledgement can do wonders.
Celebrate wins: When you hit simple milestones, celebrate it with your community members. For example, we celebrated our first 10, 50, 100, 200 and 500 members.
Your first 100 members are your Golden Ticket
Starting a community can feel like hosting a party with no guests. But getting your first 100 members right will create lasting momentum.
These early adopters will be crucial in building the community culture, environment, content and building that early ‘network-effect’ for your community.
Our community member Paula has created a discussion where community managers are sharing their stories of getting first 100 members. Do not miss it!