The biggest myth in community building is the idea that if you simply build a space, people will naturally show up and engage. In reality, communities face a tough cold start problem; reaching those first 100 active members takes more effort than scaling from 1,000 to 10,000.

Separate acquisition (getting someone in the door) from activation (getting them to engage) and retention (keeping them coming back) . Each of these comes down to different tactics and metrics. Your growth playbook has to align with the type of community you’re building and the outcomes you want it to drive.