Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist, observed that 80% of Italy’s land was owned by 20% of the population.
This led to Pareto’s Principle: 80% of results come from 20% of efforts. Over time, it got popularity as Pareto’s 80/20 Principle; applying to businesses, productivity and even community building.
80% of Your Community Growth Comes from 20% of Efforts
The catch? You still need to put in 100% effort to figure out which 20% works. Let me break it down for you -
Understanding Community Growth
Community growth can be tracked through:
New member signups
Posts shared
Visitor traffic
Active members
Referrals from existing members
The first key metric is visitors from organic search and it’s best achieved through SEO.
Time and again, 80% of community traffic comes from 20% of content, whether it’s user-generated questions, articles, or webinars.
The pattern gets crazier:
20% of members create 80% of content
20% of members bring 80% of referrals
20% of threads get 80% of responses
20% of members become active participants
Finding Your “20%”
Most people misunderstand Pareto’s Principle. You can’t identify the 20% without first putting in 100% effort. Funny, right?
I wish I knew upfront which content would bring 80% of traffic.
But the only way is to create hundreds of threads and see what sticks.
Double Down on the 20%
Once you identify the key content, members, and activities driving results, focus on them:
Nurture the top 20% of members who keep the community alive
Track high-performing content and create more like it
Community building requires patience.
It’s like setting a flywheel in motion. Finding your 20% takes time, but once you do - you’re unstoppable.
Welcome to the world of community building! 🚀