💬 Paid Communities: Rituals, 90–9–1 Rule, Community-as-a-Service

Welcome to the 234 new founders who joined last week. Let's talk about 💬 Paid Communities.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Hey there, Welcome to the 234 new founders who joined last week. Let's talk about 💬 Paid Communities What you’ll learn: - What is Community-as-a-Service? - What are market networks? - What are community-specific tools? - What are negative network effects? - What is the 90–9–1 rule? ​[👉 Become a Trends Pro Member](=) to unlock the full report ​ This issue is brought to you by [The AI Product Report](… =​ ​[The AI Product Report]( is a weekly must-read newsletter. Each Friday, [Tyler Swartz]( (a product lead at Reddit) shares [new AI-powered products](. There is so much happening in the [artificial intelligence space]( with new products launching daily. Tyler’s free, [5-minute, weekly newsletter]( cuts through the noise. Stay up-to-date on the [latest AI products and trends]( to position yourself for success in the rapidly evolving world of technology. ​[The AI Product Report]( highlights [new AI products]( that help you: - Boost your productivity - Improve decision making - Stay ahead of the competition Want the [top AI products]( in your inbox each week? [Click to Subscribe](=) ​ ​ ​ --------------------------------------------------------------- ​ Paid Communities ​ “People come for the content and stay for the community.” – [Stu McLaren]()​ ​ ​ 💎 Why It Matters A group of like-minded people can help you grow faster. ​ 🔍 Problem Free communities tend to be noisy without a barrier to entry. ​ 💡 Solution Paid communities use strategic friction to build high-signal environments. ​ 🏁 Players Paid Communities - ​[Trends Pro](=) • Community of successful founders discovering new markets and ideas - ​[Rosieland](=) • Everything about community building - ​[10xmanagers]( • Learn management and leadership - ​[Empowering.Cloud](=) • Community for Microsoft Teams industry professionals - ​[Cloud Software Association]() • Association of cloud software vendors, resellers, distributors and platforms - ​[Frauvis](=) • Community of black women in tech - ​[The Futur]( • Courses, coaching and community for creative professionals ​ ​Paid Community Tools - ​[Levellr]( • Build a thriving fan community on Discord or Telegram - ​[MemberSpace](=) • Turn any part of your website into members-only with just a few clicks - ​[Ghost]( • Publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members - ​[Pico]() • Build landing pages, grow your audience and get paid - ​[Notion]( • All-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis and databases - ​[Spiffy]( • Conversion-optimized checkouts and one-click upsells - ​[Payhere](=) • Payment links to help you collect payments online ​ ​Paid Community Platforms - ​[Discord]() • Create invite-only channels for paid members - ​[Tribe]() • Customizable community platform for businesses - ​[Heights]() • Create a community of engaged learners with forums, gamification, automations and more - ​[Orbit](=) • Platform for building, growing and automating your community - ​[Mighty Networks](=) • Build courses, memberships and communities on iOS, Android and the web - ​[Podia](=) • Build websites, courses, digital products and paid communities ​ 🔮 Predictions - We’ll see more Community-as-a-Service professionals. They will help you build, launch and monetize your paid community. - ​[Bri Leever](=) builds community-led brands. - ​[Ece Kurtaraner]() is a freelance community builder. - ​[Late Checkout](=) builds communities for your products. - ​[Hard Numbers]( builds engaging communities on any platform. - ​[Sara Saunders]() helps you build, grow and maintain stronger communities. - We’ll see more niche paid communities. They will cater to long-tail interests unaddressed by other communities. - ​[NABJ]( is a community of black journalists. - ​[Fulhamish]( is a community of fans of [Fulham FC](=). - ​[AAJA]( is a community of Asian-American journalists. - ​[Refresh Miami](=) is Miami’s tech and startup community. - ​[SENT](=) is a community of Catholic founders and executives. - ​[International Gem Society]( is a community of gemstone professionals and enthusiasts. - ​[TopMusicPro](=) helps music teachers build music studios and grow their music teaching business. - ​[Next Gen Men]( teaches positive masculinity, mental wellness, healthy relationships and gender equity among young boys. - We’ll see more [market networks](=). They will combine marketplace and social network features. Such as branded profiles, product listings and direct connections. - ​[Microns]() lets you connect with startup buyers and sellers. - ​[HerHouse]( is a community of female hosts and solo travelers. - ​[Foster](=) connects writers and editors that contribute to text drafts. - ​[Houzz](=) connects homeowners and home designers with [Houzz Pro](=). - ​[SoleSavy]( connects members who want to buy, sell or trade sneakers. - ​[Mylance](=) is a community and a marketplace of tech and startup consultants. - ​[MicroAcquire](=)​[connects]( buyers with startup founders to discuss acquisitions. - ​[Fishbrain](=) is a community and marketplace for anglers who connect with each other and fishing brands. - ​[Time Bank of the Rockies]( connects people and organizations who exchange resources and services for free. ​ ☁️ Opportunities - Validate demand with presales and waitlists. Don’t build a community nobody wants. - ​[Rosie Sherry](=) presold [The Indiependent](=) to 27 people for [$325](). - ​[Charlie Ward]() presold [Ramen Club](=) to 20 people for [$500 MRR](=). - ​[Framework](=) is building a school and community of tech entrepreneurs. You can join the waitlist to see when they launch. - Build rituals to help members stay productive and accountable. - ​[Trends.vc]() has daily standups, 1-on-1 founder chats and masterminds. - ​[Makerlog]( has daily tasks and streaks. - ​[Indie Worldwide]( has monthly live calls. - ​[Founders Board](=) has monthly 90-minute group calls. - ​[48 Days Eagles]() has small, focused 1-hour group meetups 4 times a month. - Offer a clear benefit. Show how your community leads to specific outcomes. - ​[Drumeo]() teaches how to play drums. - ​[The Golficity]( teaches how to play golf. - ​[Pipeline]( teaches how to livestream like a pro. - ​[Launch Club](=) helps you get support for your product launch. - ​[Blogging for Devs]() teaches developers how to write SEO-optimized content online. - ​[Monthly Makers]( helps you launch a no-code MVP in 1 month by joining a monthly cohort. - Build a community for your [paid newsletter]() to help readers with similar interests connect with each other. - ​[Lenny’s Newsletter]( has a [private Slack community]( for paid readers. - ​[Bankless](=) has a [community]( of crypto enthusiasts and professionals. - ​[Trends.vc]() has a private community of 1,000+ successful founders discovering new markets and ideas. - ​[Micro SaaS HQ]( shares research-backed profitable [Micro-SaaS]() ideas. It has an exclusive community of paid subscribers. - Build community-specific tools. Share tools designed to solve members’ problems. - ​[BiggerPockets](=) shares property, rent and rehab calculators. - ​[The Blog Societies]() shares pitch, invoice, media kit templates and more. - ​[Modern Mastery]() shares marketing strategies, content frameworks, sales scripts and more. ​ 🏔️ Risks - Negative Network Effects • Engagement drops as niche communities grow without a way to efficiently sort contributions and content. - Key-Person Risk • If you are the sole source of value for the community, you may face burnout and/or the inability to sell the community as an asset. - Platform Risk • You are subject to the platform’s terms, outages and roadmap. Slack is a popular, but [not an ideal]( choice for running paid communities. ​ ​ 🔑 Key Lessons - Build an audience to solve the chicken-and-egg problem. [Trends.vc]() reached 20,000+ subscribers before Trends Tribe meetups were launched. - Show appreciation by highlighting active members. [Trends.vc]() highlights contributors at the end of each report. - Online communities suffer from participation inequality. The [90–9–1 rule](=) says that in most online communities, 90% of users lurk, 9% contribute a little and 1% create content. While this is a well-known phenomenon, it can look like your community is stagnant. ​ 🔥 Hot Takes - Paid communities will let members review new applications. [WIP]( is not paid, but it’s an invite-only community. If nobody knows you, WIP will share your [application](=) with existing members. They will decide if you can join the community. - We’ll see hyper-niche paid communities. [MAP Community]( is a community of museum professionals who aim to build more inclusive and innovative museums. - Paid communities should use scarcity tactics. Use limited-time offers to tap into people’s fear of missing out. [Sophia Amoruso](=) made her paid community part of her [Business Class]() cohort-based course which opens twice a year. You can join the waitlist to not miss it. ​ 😠Haters “The 90–9–1 rule has been [challenged](). It’s not accurate anymore.” ​We said this rule applies to most online communities. Not all. Remember negative network effects. You can expect higher engagement in small communities and lower in big ones. ​ ​“Paid communities are exclusionary.” ​So are cohort-based courses, paid newsletters and top universities. Great things cost money. It can be wise to join a paid community if you can’t find the value it gives anywhere else. ​ ​“I have a free community. Members won’t be happy if I lock it behind a paywall.” ​You don’t have to lock everything. [Freemium]( is a viable option if you don’t want to upset existing members. ​ ​“Most of your examples are online communities. How to get started with an offline paid community?” ​While starting an online community is easier, you can apply most of the tactics to offline communities. Host offline events and masterminds. Vet members and run cohort-based courses. These are common among offline paid communities. ​ 🔗 Links - ​[Which Paid Communities Do You Belong to?]( • The tweet behind this report. - ​[Paid Communities]() • Previous version of this report. - ​[How I Built a Paid Community to 1,000+ Members in 10 Months]( • [Dru Riley]() talks about building and growing the [Trends PRO](=) community to 1,000+ paying members. ​ 📁 Related Reports - ​[Cohort-Based Courses]( • How to build, grow and monetize cohort-based courses - ​[Token-Gated Communities]( • How to build deep alignment between community members - ​[Audience-First Products]( • How to validate ideas, get feedback and build trust - ​[Internet Challenges]() • How to build strong brands and communities using time-bound challenges - ​[Build in Public](=) • How to break through noise by sharing wins, failures and lessons ​ 📈 Unlock the Full Report ​[Trends PRO #0107 — Paid Communities](=) has more insights. What you’ll get: - 33 Paid Communities (372% More) - 37 Paid Community Tools (429% More) - 35 Paid Community Platforms (484% More) - 10 Predictions (234% More) - 22 Opportunities (340% More) - 6 Risks (100% More) - 10 Key Lessons (234% More) - 11 Hot Takes (267% More) - 18 Links (500% More) ​ With Trends Pro you'll learn: - (📈 Pro) What are social tokens? - (📈 Pro) What are NFT memberships? - (📈 Pro) What are professional communities? - (📈 Pro) What is integration risk? - (📈 Pro) What are member-owned communities? - (📈 Pro) What are community engagement strategies? - And much more… =​ ​ ​[Become a Trends Pro Member](=) and join 1,000+ founders enjoying... ​ - 🧠[Founder Mastermind Groups](=) • To share goals, progress and solve problems together, each group is made up of 6 members who meet for 1 hour each Monday. ​ ​ - 📈 [100+ Trends Pro Reports](=) • To make sense of new markets, ideas and business models, check out our research reports. Including the Pro Version of this report. ​ ​ - 🧍 [Daily Standups](=) • Stay productive and accountable with daily, async standups. Unlock access to 1:1 chats, masterminds and more by building standup streaks. ​ ​ - 💲 [100k+ Startup Discounts](=) • Get access to $100k+ in startup discounts on AWS, Twilio, Webflow, ClickUp and more. ​ [📈 Become a Trends Pro Member](=) ​ --------------------------------------------------------------- ​ Thanks to [Anderson Dadario](), [Josh Gain](=), [Soma Mandal](), [Bernhard Friedrichs](=), [Bradley Jacobs](), Andreas Lohr, [Fausto Sá Teles](), Jean Lucas Lima, [Tom Arbuthnot](), [Stewart Townsend](), [Shuyen Phoon](=), [Yarty Kim](=), [Byron Wilson](), [Gianni D'Alerta]( and [Thomas Sorheim](. We had a great time jamming on this report. ✏️ [Emin]() researched and wrote this report. [Dru]() researched and edited this report. ​ --------------------------------------------------------------- ​ Last but not least... 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