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TLDR In 2026, the focus for School is on discovery and community engagement, building on last year's push for affordability and enhanced features. Successful communities start free, leverage social media for growth, and transition to monetization, as seen in examples like Nate Herk's AI group and Kim Thompson's knitting community. The goal is to connect people around their passions and help them earn income through community building. Engaging in existing communities and taking the 'School 101' course can provide insights for new creators, fostering a collaborative environment to attract members and enhance growth.
Before launching your own community, it's vital to immerse yourself in existing groups that align with your passions. By actively participating in these communities, you can gain insights into effective strategies and best practices for community building. This approach also helps you understand the needs and desires of potential members, which can inform your own community's direction. Engage genuinely, contribute to discussions, and build connections that could help pave the way for your future community.
Successful communities often start with a free membership model to attract initial members. This strategy enables you to build a solid foundation of participants eager to connect over shared interests. By creating a free resource or community space, you can cultivate trust and engagement while refining your offerings based on member feedback. Once your community is thriving, consider transitioning to a monetized model that provides value to members while helping you achieve recurring revenue.
Utilizing social media is crucial for the initial growth of your community. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are invaluable for driving traffic and attracting members. Personal invitations and engaging content can help you reach like-minded individuals who are likely to resonate with your community's themes. By tapping into existing social networks and creating shareable content, you can enhance your community's visibility and foster organic growth.
To effectively grow your community, strive to be the type of member you wish to attract. This means actively participating and contributing valuable insights within your niche communities. Your engagement will not only build your reputation but will also showcase the potential of your future community. By establishing yourself as a knowledgeable and approachable participant, others will be more likely to join and engage with your community when it's launched.
To enhance community growth, it's essential to utilize discovery tools that improve member engagement. This includes understanding where your members come from and how they interact with your content. Analytics can provide valuable insights into user behavior, allowing you to tailor your offerings and marketing strategies effectively. Utilize features like live streaming and native video to keep your community engaged and informed, making them more likely to remain active members.
Investing time in educational resources such as the 'School 101' course can significantly accelerate your understanding of successful community building. This course offers foundational knowledge about the platform's capabilities and strategies for engagement. Gaining insights from experienced community builders will equip you with the necessary tools to create a thriving community. Knowledge is power, and the more you learn, the better prepared you will be to attract and retain members.
The theme for School in 2026 is discovery, focusing on community growth and improving features for member engagement.
The goal for 2025 was to make the school platform 11 times cheaper while enhancing its features to support online businesses, which include native video, live streaming, and analytics.
Individuals can earn a full-time income from their passions or hobbies by building communities, which can start with free memberships and subsequently transition to a monetized model.
Nate Herk's AI automation community has 226,000 members in the free community and 3,100 in the paid community, generating $238,000 monthly.
Community owners should focus on attracting initial members through personal invitations and social media.
The 'School 101' course is beneficial for learning best practices in community building and what works effectively.
There are around 200,000 communities available on School.
Newcomers are encouraged to explore and join various communities related to their personal interests and engage actively to gain insights.