This community is still brand new, but I have big aspirations for where it can go. To make it really thrive with consistent, lively discussions and engagement, we need to hit a critical mass of active members participating.
My goal is to organically grow us to a core group of 50 members within the next 30 days through strategic cold outreach and promotion. Only by hitting a critical mass of people will the discussions become frequent, dynamic and active.
Why 50? Based on established online community statistics, that's around the minimum number required for a small community to have enough voices contributing that it stays energetic and ongoing.
To get there, I'll be implementing a high volume cold outreach strategy of directly messaging professionals in our niche with a simple invite to join this collaborative group. I know it's a numbers game - more quality outreach leads to more yeses.
I'll be posting weekly updates here to keep myself accountable, sharing:
- Cold outreach message/pitch I'm using
- Total outreach attempts that week
- New member signup numbers
- What's working/not working with my approach
Because at the end of the day, growing an audience is one of the most crucial factors for any creator or community builder. But with an engaged core group, the momentum creates a self-perpetuating cycle.
My belief is that with 50+ passionate professionals in our niche offering insights, feedback and accountability to each other, this community will truly thrive. The discussions will be richer, connections will form, and people will keep coming back for more.
So I'm gonna share the process and the progress. Showing up daily. Telling you about my activities with it. Tweaking my pitch and approach.
Publicly tracking my progress like this serves two important purposes: 1) It keeps me accountable and motivated to show up and put in the work consistently. And 2) It provides insights you can apply to your own audience growth efforts.
I'll be back next week with my first progress update.
If you have advice for effective cold outreach and community building, I'm all ears! Share tips and insights in the comments. And accountability partners are welcome - if you want to become accountable for important activities, join me in the accountability tracking.