How to Encourage Participation and Engagement When Starting a New Community from Scratch

June 29, 2026

Hey friends, we kicked off our first official Tightknit for Startups program today!!!! 💃 In the kickoff call, I asked the startups building their first-ever communities with us what felt scary about starting a community from scratch. A common theme: the fear that no one will participate and the community will turn into a ghost town.😅 I shared a few thoughts, but I’d love to hear from other community builders here: what are your favourite ways to encourage participation, spark questions, or help people engage? All tips welcome - this feels like the age-old community question imo so I know there's lot of viewpoints and experiences out there 👀

6 comments

· Sorted by Oldest

Zach H.
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Feel like Jacob G. has strong thoughts and tactics on this
Jacob G.
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can empathize a gazillion percent !
im intentional about data points i ask in onboarding/intros workflow, so that i can always go back to someone and say, 'hey this applies to you, check this out/contribute.' That worked with a recent event / meetup in DC that we had, and a Community member would have never gone if we hadnt gone to our intros channel and made a search modifier "keyword: Washington DC" to see who is from the area and could maybe attend.
When i share an update and folks emoji react, i use who emoji reacted as leverage and re-tag them when said update has shipped, has an update, etc. Anything to keep them engaged and bring them back to see the ping
Founding members: Name your founding members, give them a private space, a nice lil tightknit badge (😉); making someone part of an exclusive group means something, and if ypou set the expectation that youll lean on them for input, then they wont be surprised when you bring them into a convo
Find what's high value to the audience, and lean into it. For us, thats bringing product leaders into the Community so folks can get up close to how the platform is built (we do this via AMAs in Slack, which also tags the participants a few times and brings them back to see the answers to their Qs)
i guess the theme here is two fold:
build exclusive groups early and keep them involved as 'the insiders'
notice who participates (even passively via emoji reactions). proactively tag them and loop them into convos where relevant
💥1
1
🙌1
🙌🏼1
Patrick M.
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these are great Jacob G.!!!!
Patrick M.
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<soapbox> I think every community (and especially one that’s just getting started) exists to help people accomplish something. The people who join are looking for value, so it’s worth asking: What do they need, and how can you consistently deliver it? One of the biggest advantages an early-stage startup has is its proximity to customers. Even a community of 50–100 engaged people can become an incredible source of insight. By regularly sharing what you’re building, what you’re learning, and where you need feedback, you create value for members while also accelerating your own product development. The key is consistency. Communities thrive on a reliable cadence that gives people a reason to return and confidence that it’s worth showing up. Whether it’s weekly product updates, office hours, or discussion prompts, a predictable rhythm helps build trust, engagement, and momentum over time. </soapbox>
2
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Joel P.
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Love these tips — so good, Jacob G. and Patrick M.! I think a lot about habits, too, so things like:
Tuesday Topic to kickoff conversations (from my time at Lattice)
Product Release Notes channel (in my current role at Salesforce)
Weekly recap of celebrations shared in the channel via a Slackbot Skill (in my current role at Salesforce)
Usually a couple of times Monday-Friday when I share events (in my current role at Salesforce)
Add value and tag others into the post to add additional thoughts as a peer SME (from my time at Lattice) ➡️ mostly tagging in our ambassadors but sometimes not
2
🫶3
Scott B.
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Honestly, staying out of the way a bit and letting the community drive things. You can do all the ritual stuff too, but it can feel a bit heavy and like someone asking you to constantly come and play when you maybe don't want to. I think if you make it clear how people can participate, listen to their ideas, things will happen. Build community with your members, not for your members.
👍4
➕2
1

Zach H.
·
·
Feel like Jacob G. has strong thoughts and tactics on this
Jacob G.
·
·
can empathize a gazillion percent !
im intentional about data points i ask in onboarding/intros workflow, so that i can always go back to someone and say, 'hey this applies to you, check this out/contribute.' That worked with a recent event / meetup in DC that we had, and a Community member would have never gone if we hadnt gone to our intros channel and made a search modifier "keyword: Washington DC" to see who is from the area and could maybe attend.
When i share an update and folks emoji react, i use who emoji reacted as leverage and re-tag them when said update has shipped, has an update, etc. Anything to keep them engaged and bring them back to see the ping
Founding members: Name your founding members, give them a private space, a nice lil tightknit badge (😉); making someone part of an exclusive group means something, and if ypou set the expectation that youll lean on them for input, then they wont be surprised when you bring them into a convo
Find what's high value to the audience, and lean into it. For us, thats bringing product leaders into the Community so folks can get up close to how the platform is built (we do this via AMAs in Slack, which also tags the participants a few times and brings them back to see the answers to their Qs)
i guess the theme here is two fold:
build exclusive groups early and keep them involved as 'the insiders'
notice who participates (even passively via emoji reactions). proactively tag them and loop them into convos where relevant
💥1
1
🙌1
🙌🏼1
Patrick M.
·
·
these are great Jacob G.!!!!
Patrick M.
·
·
<soapbox> I think every community (and especially one that’s just getting started) exists to help people accomplish something. The people who join are looking for value, so it’s worth asking: What do they need, and how can you consistently deliver it? One of the biggest advantages an early-stage startup has is its proximity to customers. Even a community of 50–100 engaged people can become an incredible source of insight. By regularly sharing what you’re building, what you’re learning, and where you need feedback, you create value for members while also accelerating your own product development. The key is consistency. Communities thrive on a reliable cadence that gives people a reason to return and confidence that it’s worth showing up. Whether it’s weekly product updates, office hours, or discussion prompts, a predictable rhythm helps build trust, engagement, and momentum over time. </soapbox>
2
➕2
Joel P.
·
·
Love these tips — so good, Jacob G. and Patrick M.! I think a lot about habits, too, so things like:
Tuesday Topic to kickoff conversations (from my time at Lattice)
Product Release Notes channel (in my current role at Salesforce)
Weekly recap of celebrations shared in the channel via a Slackbot Skill (in my current role at Salesforce)
Usually a couple of times Monday-Friday when I share events (in my current role at Salesforce)
Add value and tag others into the post to add additional thoughts as a peer SME (from my time at Lattice) ➡️ mostly tagging in our ambassadors but sometimes not
2
🫶3
Scott B.
·
·
Honestly, staying out of the way a bit and letting the community drive things. You can do all the ritual stuff too, but it can feel a bit heavy and like someone asking you to constantly come and play when you maybe don't want to. I think if you make it clear how people can participate, listen to their ideas, things will happen. Build community with your members, not for your members.
👍4
➕2
1