Build an Online Community

Define your community model and build your Circle community with branded spaces.

1. Decide your model: free community (for lead gen), paid membership, or cohort-based - this shapes everything
2. Sign up at circle.so and create your community with your brand name
3. Upload your logo, set brand colors, and customize the appearance to match your brand
4. Create 3-5 initial spaces: Welcome & Intros, General Discussion, Resources, Wins & Celebrations, and one topic-specific space
5. Write pinned welcome posts for each space explaining its purpose and community guidelines

Design community spaces and onboarding

~25 min

Create a member onboarding flow and content hub in Notion that feeds your community.

1. Build a "Community Playbook" in Notion with your community values, guidelines, and FAQ
2. Create an onboarding checklist for new members: introduce yourself, read the guidelines, join one discussion, set up profile
3. Set up a content calendar database in Notion to plan weekly discussion prompts, events, and resource drops
4. Create template pages for recurring content: weekly threads, member spotlights, resource roundups
5. Link your Notion content hub in Circle's Resources space so members can access it

Set up ConvertKit for member emails

~20 min

Build email sequences that nurture members and drive engagement back to the community.

1. Create a ConvertKit subscriber tag for community members
2. Build a 5-email welcome sequence: Day 1 welcome + onboarding link, Day 3 best resources, Day 5 introduce yourself prompt, Day 7 upcoming events, Day 14 feedback survey
3. Set up a weekly digest email highlighting top discussions, new resources, and upcoming events
4. Create a re-engagement sequence for members who haven't visited in 30 days
5. Add a "Join the Community" CTA to all your existing ConvertKit emails and landing pages

Create content templates in Canva

~20 min

Design branded templates for community graphics, event banners, and social media promotion.

1. Create a Canva Brand Kit with your community colors, fonts, and logo
2. Design templates for: welcome banners, event announcements, member spotlight graphics, and weekly discussion prompts
3. Make social media templates (Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn) to promote your community externally
4. Create a "Community Badge" graphic members can share when they join
5. Save all templates in a shared Canva folder so you can produce graphics in minutes

Connect Zapier automations for member workflows

~25 min

Set up Zapier automations to connect Circle with ConvertKit, Slack, and Notion for hands-free member management.

1. Create a Zap: "When new member joins Circle → Add to ConvertKit with community tag → Trigger welcome sequence"
2. Create a Zap: "When new member joins Circle → Send Slack invite to the private community Slack channel"
3. Create a Zap: "When new event is created in Circle → Add to Notion content calendar → Send email blast via ConvertKit"
4. Set up a digest Zap: "Weekly → Pull top Circle posts → Send formatted digest via ConvertKit"
5. Test each automation end-to-end by creating a test member account