How to get more members in WhatsApp community?

For small, local communities WhatsApp is a good choice. The main objection I've seen from people to join WhatsApp community is that it requires sharing your phone number with complete strangers. But if that is not a problem for your members, you can employ following strategies to grow your WhatsApp community:

1. First have a clear purpose and mission for your community.
2. Optimise community settings and profile to make the purpose clear to new members
3. Invite members from existing WhatsApp groups and your personal network
4. Incentivise inviting new members
5. Host AMAs, interviews with local influencers
6. Host events and make sure that attendees join your WhatsApp Group
7. Build a content calendar and stick to it.
8. Appreciate and motivate existing members to contribute more
9. Create polls, quizzes and discussions about latest trends and topics

These are 9 proven ways to get more members to your WhatsApp group. Of course, different type of groups on WhatsApp can grow their membership through other techniques.

I have two large WhatsApp groups - about 900 - 1000 members in each. We are strictly invite-only. Frankly speaking, I don't recommend building a community or group on WhatsApp; unless it's a family or friends group with casual chats.

Why don't you consider building your digital marketers community on Jatra? I'd love to join.

Stay away from WhatsApp to build professional communities, Paula. It's incredibly hard to build engagement in WhatsApp powered communities. They recently launched community features; but it's very limited.

The only way you can scale WhatsApp group is through inviting members personally. But if you do not have constant inflow of content, it'll be hard to keep the users engaged. I'm a part of several WhatsApp groups that have 500+ members; but have no activity whatsoever.

Paula - I want to share a few more ideas now that WhatsApp has rolled out its Community feature.

IF you are still figuring out how to create a WhatsApp Community, here's the basic structure that works well:

1. Start with an announcement group - This is where only admins can post updates, event links or important news. It sets the tone.
2. Create topic-based sub-groups - For example, "SEO Tips", "AI Tools for Marketers", or "Local Job Opportunities".
3. Use the WhatsApp Community Tab to group all these sub-groups under one umbrella. That's what makes it different from regular groups.

Also, when you invite members, tell them what they'll get out of it - not just "join my group", but something like

Join our WhatsApp Community to get free growth hacks every Friday

That makes a huge difference.

One more thing - if you are wondering how many people can join a WhatsApp Community, the limit now is 5000 members per announcement group, which is great for scaling.

Let me know if you need any help.

I have scale a WhatsApp Group to 1000+ active members. It's difficult to scale it without a strategy. I'd like you to focus on the WhatsApp Community Settings -

• Who Can Add Members - Keep it admin-only in the beginning to maintain quality.
• Edit Group Info - Important setting. Disable to avoid spam.
• Disappearing Messages - Turn it OFF if you want to keep the messages history.

Also, try using WhatsApp Built-In Polls to boost engagement. They are simple way to get feedback and spark conversation. You can start with really simple polls:

Which marketing channel gave you the best ROI in 2024?

If you are promoting your community outside WhatsApp, try creating a short, branded invite link like wa.link/<your-community-name>

It's a small thing, but makes sharing easy.

I recently joined a few WhatsApp communities, and honestly, the ones that kept me coming back had a few things in common:

• Clear focus: I knew exactly what I’d get by joining.
• Low noise: Not too many messages, but just enough value.
• Useful content: Weekly updates, quick tips, and links to deeper resources.

If you’re wondering how to make your WhatsApp community engaging, here’s what I’d suggest:

• Share one super actionable tip each day or week.
• Spotlight one member’s success story each week.
• Keep your ask simple when inviting others - “Join if you want X outcome.”

Also, if someone asks “how to join a WhatsApp community,” you can use QR codes or custom invite links in your Instagram bio, emails, or LinkedIn posts.

You’ve got a great niche digital marketing has tons of room to grow on WhatsApp!