Inviting your first members is one of the most important steps in starting your community. These early members set the tone, shape the culture, and help you build momentum. This guide walks you through how to prepare before inviting anyone, who to invite first, what your goals should be, and how to know when to start growing.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Communityâs Purpose and Tone
Before you send a single invite, spend some time defining why your community exists and how you want it to feel. This will influence every decision you make.
Write down a Purpose Statement, a simple and clear reason why your community exists (or needs to). No need to overthink this. Even a few thoughts will help guide choices. This idea (statement) can change as you learn and your community grows.
1. Define Your Goal(s)
Is your community for learning, networking, entertainment, collaboration, or a mix?
What will members get here that they canât get anywhere else?
For subscription communities: What value is worth paying forâexclusive content, insider access, events, direct interaction with you, or all of the above?
2. Set The Tone
Decide on the personality of your space - professional, casual, inspirational, supportive, playful, or something unique.
Infuse this personality in the content you create, the groups you make, what you call things, and other bits of engagement (think mobile notifications).
3. Plan For Community Management
Strong communities donât run themselvesâespecially in the early days.
Think about how new members are "welcomed" into the community. Go to Community Settings > Onboarding to leverage tools that will help with this.
Be ready to model the behavior you want to see. Feature posts that model the behavior. Create content and send post notification emails that exemplify what you want to see in the community.
Step 2: Prepare Your Space Before Inviting Members
A well-prepared community feels alive from the moment someone joins.
1. Customize The Login/Registration Page
Often serving as the first impression for your community, add text and art to this page to communicate what your community is about.
Watch a 2-minute walkthrough video on how to do this.
Consider creating Custom Fields, not only to capture member information but also for your members to express themselves and learn about one another when visiting another member's profile.
2. Consider a Member's First Experience
Once a member is registered, think about what you can do to welcome them, educate them, and deliver immediate value to them.
Be sure to customize the Welcome Email, a transactional email sent once a member successfully registers or is approved (private network). Include information on community guidelines, how to use the platform, and what they can expect from being a member of the community.
Create a post on Community Guidelines and either feature the post so that it's pinned to the top of everyone's home feed or create a custom Menu Item and link to the post.
Use the "Auto-follow Accounts" and "Auto-join Groups" feature in Community Settings > Onboarding to make sure new members are automatically following certain accounts and are members of groups in the network. This will ensure new members get interesting content to their Home Feed once they join the network.
3. Set Up a Welcoming Environment
Complete admin profiles in the manner you want others to.
Create 3â5 posts showing the kind of content members can expect - that express the tone of your community and the kind of value members will get.
Feature a âWelcomeâ or âStart Hereâ post for your first members. A video showing the network owner/admin is always well received.
4. Organize Your Network
Create an initial set (2-5) of groups that add depth and interest to your network and its members.
Customize your Left Side Menu with menu items that give your members access to the areas of your network and resources you want them to have access to.
Step 3: Choose Your Founding Members
Your initial members are your foundation. Theyâll help you shape the culture and build momentum.
People you already know personally.
Enthusiastic supporters who believe in your mission or topic.
Active contributorsâpeople who are naturally inclined to post, comment, and share.
Trusted collaborators who can help you moderate and welcome others.
đĄ Pro Tip: Aim for 10â30 strong first members. This gives you visible activity without overwhelming your ability to manage.
Step 4: Focus on the Right Goals for Early Members
Your first members are co-creators of your community experience. Early goals should include:
1. Create Conversations
Encourage posting, commenting, and asking questions.
2. Test the Experience
Gather feedback on navigation, content, prompts, groups, and onboarding.
3. Refine Your Value - or Offer (For Paid Communities)
Use early feedback to strengthen your value proposition or, for paid communities, your subscription offerings: Why a member would return to your community and/or why they would pay to be a member of your community.
Special Note for Subscription-Based Communities
If you plan to monetize through subscriptions, your early members are not just testersâtheyâre your proof of value.
Overdeliver Early â Give founding members an experience worth talking about.
Gather Testimonials â Use their stories to market to new members.
Create Exclusivity â Consider making Founding Members "Verified" or discount their subscription.
Test Pricing and Benefits â Adjust now, before you scale, to make sure your offer is irresistible.
Final Thought
Your first members are the spark that lights the fire. By defining your communityâs purpose, setting the tone, preparing a welcoming space, carefully selecting your founding group, and managing actively, youâll create a strong foundation for sustainable growth and, if youâre monetizing, a loyal subscriber base that fuels your long-term success.