Launching a private community

Here's a secret that most membership creators don't realize: you don't need hundreds of videos, a massive email list, or years of expertise to launch a profitable membership. You just need people who want to connect around a shared interest.

Welcome to the community-based membership—the fastest, easiest, and most overlooked way to launch a membership business. While everyone else is stressing about creating the perfect course curriculum or filming 50 videos before launch, you can have a thriving membership up and running in less than a day.

No content library required. No fancy tech stack. Just a space where your people can gather, connect, and grow together.

Sound too simple? That's because it is. And that's exactly why it works.

How to Build Your Community in Membership.io (The Technical Part)

Step 1: Create Your Community Hub

From your Membership.io dashboard, click "Create Hub" and select "Community" as your hub type. Fill in a couple details about the community you want to launch. Don't have all the answers? No problem. The AI generates suggestions. Just hit Tab to accept them or type your own. Click "Create" and your community hub is built.

Step 2: Customize Your Community Space

Don't just accept the defaults. Make it yours: click "Customize" to open the Hub Editor. Update your welcome message to explain what the community is about. Add a hero image or banner that reflects your brand. Set up community guidelines (optional but recommended).

Step 3: Enable the Discussions Page

Until you actually add the link somewhere visible, members won't see the discussions page yet. This gives you time to customize everything before inviting members in. Once you're ready, be sure that your community is linked somewhere in your Hub.

Step 4: Set Your Access and Pricing

Go to Hub Settings → Pricing to connect your Stripe account, set your monthly/annual subscription price and configure your registration page.

Step 5: Create Your First Posts (30 Minutes)

Here's where most people freeze. What do you even post? Start with these essentials:

• Post #1: Welcome Message

• Post #2: Introduce Yourself Template

• Post #3: First Discussion Prompt: Ask an easy, engaging question that anyone can answer.

Common Questions About Community Memberships

Q: Can my community be free? Yes. You can create a free community that still requires email signup. This protects against bots and spam while building your email list. Many creators start free and add paid tiers later.

Q: How many members do I need to make this profitable? At $27/month, you need just 37 members to hit $1,000/month. At $47/month, you need 21 members. Start small and grow from there.

Q: What if people are resistant to leaving Facebook groups? Remind them that Facebook just killed long-term storage of live streams (30 days max). Also, dedicated communities have 53% higher engagement and members spend 19% more. But mostly, make your space so valuable they don't want to miss it.

Q: Can I add a community to an existing membership? Absolutely. 97% of Membership.io users include a community element. Just go to Pages → Discussions → Enable. Boom, done.

Q: How much time does community management take? First 90 days: Plan for 30-60 minutes daily. After that: 2-3 hours per week once the community has momentum and members are engaging with each other.

Q: Can I pin posts to the top of discussions? Yes! Pin as many as you want (though don't go crazy or it defeats the purpose). Welcome posts are perfect for pinning.

Q: How do I handle trolls or inappropriate behavior? Set clear community guidelines upfront. Remove members who violate them. The beauty of your own platform is you have full control—unlike Facebook where you're at their mercy.

🔥 Community Engagement Prompts Guide Get 20+ AI-powered conversation starters to fill your community calendar 👉 https://help.membership.io/maximize-community-engagement-with-these-tips