Thread by @MurtazaBambot

Communities are the backbone of the internet.

It's how we make meaningful connections with other humans.

But I've studied 100s of communities in 2021 — most STILL struggle w/ engagement.

Here's 7 ways I've learned to boost engagement overnight 🧵

1/ Ask human questions that create conversation 🤔

Boring: "who are you" & "why'd you join" 😴

Instead, ask something that starts a convo by default. My favorites:
• What's the best meal you've ever eaten?
• Your coolest celebrity encounter?
• Fav pic on your phone?

2/ Obsess over the onboarding experience

Members are the most likely to drop off in their first 7 days of joining the community.

Use every tool at your disposal here:
• Email onboarding sequences
• Live onboarding events
• Handwritten notes

h/t @FutureFounders

@FutureFounders 3/ Don't comment first on every post ❌

It's hard to write a good response after the community leader drops their thoughts in. Even with good intentions, admins often kill convos.

Give space for other members first. Tag them if you need to 💡

@FutureFounders 4/ Ask members to post questions publicly 💬

As the community creator, you'll have a ton of people DM or email you questions.

Just ask "Are you open to posting this in the #questions channel?"

Aim to convert private DMs into public convos (where appropriate)

@FutureFounders 5/ Use live events & breakout rooms 🎬

Live events create energy + breakout rooms let members build 1:1 relationships in a community.

Use this. Plan events with 1-2 breakout sessions baked in (max of 4 per room). Engagement will skyrocket!

Example from my time at @gtcreatex

@FutureFounders @gtcreatex 6/ Give more opportunities for members to learn from each other 😇

• Have specific members lead relaxed conversations on their fav topics.
• Spotlight members doing cool stuff (bonus points for video highlights)
• Post great questions anonymously (@lolitataub is 👑 here)

@FutureFounders @gtcreatex @lolitataub 7/ Create weekly recaps

Not everyone will always be active on the platform & that's okay. Engage through email, twitter, and other channels to bring engagement back to the community. It's low effort, but INSANELY high-value.

Good platforms have this baked in ❤️

@FutureFounders @gtcreatex @lolitataub That's it for today!

If you enjoyed this...
• consider dropping a follow (@murtazabambot) 😇
• RT the first tweet for others that are building communities 🙌

I tweet about community & building @HeartbeatChat 2-3 times/week.

TL;DR
1/ Ask q's the create convos by default
2/ Obsess over onboarding
3/ Don't be the first comment on posts
4/ Push for public convos over private ones
5/ Capture energy from live events
6/ Give members the chance to learn from each other
7/ Leverage weekly recaps