How To Build An Online Community - Jay Clouse

Jay Clouse predicts a near-term surge of poorly run communities that will leave members burned out and disillusioned. He argues the goal is to design an experience strong enough to become one of the one or two communities members “can’t imagine not being a part of.”

Jay breaks community value into three buckets: connection, transformation, and identity. He says transformation is often the easiest promise to communicate, but “stickiness” and long-term retention often come more from connection and identity.

Jay warns that many creators over-specify programming and features on the sales page, which locks them into rigid delivery they may later want to change. He recommends emphasizing the promise and outcomes while staying flexible about how delivery evolves.

Jay says monthly billing creates an easy off-ramp and can increase churn simply because it’s available. He also argues you shouldn’t offer a recurrence schedule that’s misaligned with how long it takes members to achieve the promised outcome.

Jay stresses the moment right after purchase is “peak excitement” and “peak anxiety,” and many communities fail by dumping members into an empty space with little guidance. He describes designing onboarding to repeatedly answer the member’s “Now what?” question through guided steps, messaging, and training.