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Creating a community activation plan

Use AI to generate community posts that actually get responses

 

Here's a question: What's the difference between a membership and a community?

Answer: About $10,000 per year in lifetime value.

Okay, that's a slight exaggeration, but not by much. Members who feel connected to a community have 23% higher customer lifetime value, make 5x more repeat purchases, and are 7x more likely to refer their friends.

Translation: Community isn't just the "nice-to-have" social feature you tack on because everyone says you should. It's the retention engine that determines whether your membership thrives or dies.

Building the space is easy. Building an engaged community where members actually show up, participate, and form real connections? That requires strategy.

 

How to Set Up Your Community in Membership.io (The Easy Part)

First things first: you need a community space. If you're on Membership.io, this takes about 3 minutes thanks to the AI Hub Builder.

Step 1: Create Your Community Hub

From your Membership.io dashboard, click "Create Hub" and select "Community" as your hub type. Add in a few details about who your community is for, click "Create" and boom—your community hub is built.

The AI automatically creates sample posts, sets up your layout, and gives you a starting point. You can preview it immediately and see what members will experience.

Step 2: Customize Your Community

Don't just accept the defaults and call it done. Add your personal touch: update the welcome message to reflect your voice, add a hero image or banner that matches your brand, set up community guidelines (optional but recommended) and create initial spaces if needed.

Step 3: Connect It to Your Membership

Your community shouldn't exist in isolation. Link it to your membership so it's easy for members to find. The easier it is to find, the more people will use it.

Okay, you've built the space. Now comes the hard part: getting people to actually use it.

 

Here's the framework that works:

Strategy #1: Lead by Example (You Go First)

The #1 mistake creators make: they build a community and then wait for members to fill it.

  • Wrong approach: "Here's the community! Go post something!"

  • Right approach: You post first. Multiple times. For weeks. Until engagement becomes the norm.

Think of yourself as the party host. If you're standing in the corner on your phone, your guests will feel awkward. If you're actively engaging, introducing people, asking questions, everyone relaxes and joins in.

 

Strategy #2: Use Strategic Conversation Starters

Don't just post "What's everyone working on today?" That's lazy and gets lazy responses. Use specific, strategic prompts that are easy to answer and naturally spark discussion. Example for a business membership:

  • ❌ Bad: "How's business going?"

  • ✅ Good: "I just spent 3 hours on a task that should've taken 30 minutes because I didn't have a system in place. What's the last thing you automated that saved you a ton of time? Drop your favorite automation tool or hack below—I need ideas!"

 

Strategy #3: Create Content Directly IN the Community

Here's a ninja move most creators miss: create content IN your community, not just ABOUT your community. Instead of recording a video lesson and posting it to your course library, record it as a community post. Then members can comment with questions, you can answer them publicly, and suddenly you have engagement.

 

Strategy #4: Leverage AI to Generate Engaging Posts

Let's be real: coming up with community posts constantly is exhausting. This is where AI becomes your best friend. Here are some prompts you can steal:

  • For a weekly check-in post: "Write a casual, encouraging weekly check-in post for [your topic] community members. Include 2-3 specific questions about their progress this week and end with an invitation to share wins or challenges."

  • For thought-provoking discussions: "Create a post that challenges common assumptions about [your topic]. Present an unconventional perspective, back it up with 2-3 points, and ask members what they think. Keep it under 150 words."

  • For practical tip sharing: "Write a post titled '3 Unconventional [Your Topic] Hacks' that shares surprising tips most people don't know. Include specific, actionable tactics and end by asking members to share their own unusual tricks."

  • For photo-centric engagement: "Write a post encouraging members to share a photo related to their [topic] journey. Make it specific enough that people know exactly what to share, but broad enough that everyone can participate. Include alternatives for people who don't want to share photos."

  • For seasonal/holiday posts: "Create a post about how community members can adapt their [topic] strategies during [holiday/season]. Include 4 practical tips and ask members to share their own seasonal adaptations."

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