"I want to build a community"

Stop

Let me ask you a question

Do you want to build a community or an audience? How does it differ? And what do you need to do?

Special thanks to @arvidkahl, @petergyang, and @rosiesherry. Without them, this thread would have been lame

Simply said

• the audience = who you talk to
It's people you can reach.

They might comment on your posts, but rarely reply to others' comments

• The community = who talks to you, and also to each other.

Your message and the reaction it gets are on equal footing

In communities, people form a shared identity and a real sense of belonging.

As such,
• An audience can be bought.
• A community has to be earned.

So growing a community sounds like hard work

Why should I bother?

Because
• Corporate lifespan is shrinking
• Brand loyalty is almost dead
• People don't care anymore about "look-at-me" campaigns
• You'll need to spend more for an incrementally decreasing level of engagmnt

Here come the advantages of the Community:

• People are becoming more polarised and vocal

• Delighted users will use your product & tell everyone they know – with or without a referral code

• You'll benefit from direct product feedback and get closer to product/market fit

How do I build a Community? (1/3)

• Start with an audience (You can't build a community without having a group of people willing to even listen to your message)

• Don't call them users. Prefer members, founding partners, etc.

How do I build a Community? (2/3)

• Invest in content, SEO, ads, referral programs, and the entire traditional marketing toolkit

• Focus on the individuals - not the mass

• Interact personally with your members in a channel you OWN (Substack, Discord, Circle, Slack, etc)

How do I build a Community? (3/3)

• >< Channel you DON'T OWN (mostly because of their algorithm or risk to be banned): Twitter, Instagram, TickTock

How do I know I'm on the right track?

• Don't focus on reach and clicks (that's relevant for audiences)
• What counts is the depth and density of the engagement that will matter. How often do they reach out to each other? What are the topics they discuss? And so on

Last but not least: LISTEN. And keep pushing.

Community is not built overnight.
Or as @mazaic : "If my success has been built overnight, it was a long night".