How Entrepreneurs Can Build Product-Led Communities

Marketing or brand, which can end up looking like a multi-tier marketing structure like Stella & Dot;

When Gin Lane, arguably the most important brand strategist of the DTC era, wound down and launched Pattern Brands, they announced they were launching a “Direct With Consumer” brand. This DWC brand would not only sell cookware products but would build its brand and future products alongside its community.

Geneva was born out of this same momentum. The founders not only see a title wave of direct with consumer brands coming but also believe community should be the default GTM and customer discovery strategy for early-stage internet and DTC businesses.

Before launching a community, you need to make sure you and your company are in a strong position to do so. Two simple questions kept surfacing during our conversations — Why and who? Why does this community need to exist, and who will you be gathering?

Within a true PLC, the community enhances the consumers’ experience with the product and helps them reach their desired outcome in a faster, cheaper, more enjoyable, or more accessible way. Community can also be a competitive advantage for startups as they build and improve their products.

User research, like the way Glossier builds communities around new products before launching, or the way eBay embraced buyer and seller communities to help define their product roadmap;

Community can serve one of three purposes: