Product-Led Communities Need Picks and Shovels

While many communities have built atop various communication platforms and social networks, those platforms aren’t primarily focused on serving the needs of communities. For instance, while both Li and David use Slack for their communities, the platform is clearly designed for enterprises, which is apparent from its pricing model (starting at $7/me... See more

The work of building a great community goes much farther beyond simply moderating a Slack group. A great community needs regular events and meetups. They need ways for leaders to step up and invent their own traditions, create their own events, and run their own sub-groups. Leading a community requires making it easy for members to become advocates... See more

What’s unique about product-led communities is that they orient around a product or service that helps people achieve a valuable future outcome. These future outcomes can be individual (better health, professional advancement, cultivation of skills or hobbies, or overcoming a struggle, such as an illness, divorce, loss of a loved one, etc.); team-c... See more

There are actually about a dozen platforms designed to fill this need - and they make up about a $2-3B annual market for brand community platforms today. Community-building is nearly as old as the internet, and so much has been developed since the advent of message boards and forums.