11 Strategies to Grow Your Community Membership

You’ve invested your time, energy, and resources into creating amazing content, structure, and workflows for your community. Then launch day comes, and you sit back and wait for those membership sign-ups to start rolling in.

😟 And wait. And wait. Something must not be right.

“Build it and they will come” is a great strategy for growth if you’re building a baseball diamond for ghosts in an Iowa cornfield (see: Field of Dreams). But unfortunately, it’s not a strategy that works for community builders.

If content is the heart of your community, your membership acquisition strategy is the lungs that breathe life into it. The challenge for many community builders is knowing where to begin with getting new members.

When we talk to community builders, many still put all their eggs in social media as the go-to channel for finding members. According to our 2025 Community Trends report, 76% of respondents still source new members from social media. That’s a lot of time, investment, creativity, and energy for a channel that can be wildly unpredictable in terms of ROI.

So how do you build a thriving community if you haven’t found your people yet? By moving away from the traditional funnel approach to a community-led flywheel, where joining your community isn’t the last step. It’s the first engagement that drives long-term value for you and your members.

In this article, we’ll guide you through:

The difference between customer and member acquisition
How to define your ideal member profile
12 tried-and-tested strategies to rev up your community’s growth

The difference between customer and member acquisition

To (slightly) paraphrase Atlanta-based rapper Future: “Customer acquisition. Member acquisition. But they are not the same.”

You may know the traditional customer acquisition funnel:

⬇️ Customer becomes aware of a product (Awareness)

⬇️ Customer is interested in the product (Interest)

⬇️ Customer considers clicking “buy” (Consideration)

🎉 Customer buys, and the sales team pops open the bubbly (Conversion)

You’ve probably bought something online after going through a company’s funnel. Perhaps it started with an Instagram ad for a tech wallet (at least it was for me), or some sort of customized haircare. We know that funnel works.

🤔 But does acquiring members for your community use the same funnel?

The simple answer is ‘not really’ for a very straightforward reason: Communities aren’t products. They’re living things that grow, change, and provide continuing value.

Instead of a funnel, community member acquisition works as a flywheel. Instead of the purchase being the final step, joining your community is the first step in a cycle of engagement, advocacy, and retention.

The core principles of member acquisition

Communities are built on shared interests, goals, and values. Your membership acquisition strategy should be built on those same things. In marketing, we refer to this as the ideal customer profile (ICP)—in community, we call it the ideal member profile (IMP).

Figuring out your ideal member

Defining your ICP or IMP helps you understand who your potential members are, including:

Demographics: Age range, location, education level, profession, or industry.
Psychographics: The values, motivations, interests, and attitudes that align with your community’s purpose.
Goals and aspirations: What success looks like to them, and what kind of transformation they’re looking for. It could be career growth, learning, networking, social impact, or something else tied to your offering.
Engagement style: How they like to participate. That could be active contributors, learners, networkers, or just being an event attendee.

Understand your value proposition (aka. why members should care)

Your community’s value proposition is the promise you make to members—including the transformation you offer. It’s the unique benefit they gain by joining and participating. It’s not just about what you offer, but why it matters to them.

When you clearly articulate the outcomes, experiences, or connections your members care about most, you’ll attract the right people and keep them engaged for the long term.

💡 Learn how to create your unique value proposition in our ultimate step-by-step guide for launching your community.

Measure what matters (and skip the vanity metrics)

Measuring growth is more than tracking sign-ups. Understanding how efficiently you’re acquiring members and whether they stick around is critical to building and scaling your membership acquisition strategy.

Vanity metrics like likes and impressions on social might look good, but they don’t tell you if you’re getting, and keeping, members. Instead, focus on numbers that give you a clear picture of performance:

Conversion rates: Measure how many prospects move from leads (like newsletter subscribers or event attendees) into paying members. This helps you see which acquisition channels actually drive results.
Drop-off points: Track where people disengage in your sign-up process, whether that’s during a free trial, on a landing page, or at checkout. Identifying these friction points lets you fix leaks in your acquisition funnel.
LTV vs. MAC: Lifetime value (LTV) tells you how much revenue an average member brings in over time, while member acquisition cost (MAC) shows what it costs to get them in the door. A healthy ratio (often 3:1 or better) means your acquisition is sustainable.

🎯 Knowing your ICP, defining your value proposition, and knowing what to track helps make your member acquisition strategy more efficient, better aligned with your mission, and deliver better long-term value.

11 proven member acquisition strategies

Now that you understand who you're targeting, what you're promising, and how to measure success, let's get into the tactical playbook. These 12 strategies work across different community types, but remember: start with 2-3 that align with your strengths and resources, then expand from there.

1. Create content that gets discovered

When it comes to member acquisition, content is your discovery engine. Think about your own behavior—when researching tools, communities, or solutions, where do you start? Most likely, you're searching Google, browsing YouTube, or asking ChatGPT.

Content marketing increases your community's discoverability, showcases your value proposition, and builds an audience before they ever consider joining. The goal isn't perfection—it's consistency and relevance.

Start with formats that play to your strengths. If you're comfortable on camera, launch a YouTube channel addressing common questions in your niche. Prefer writing? Publish SEO-optimized blog posts that answer specific member pain points. Podcasts work well if you're conversational and can interview community members or experts.

The best part about content? Its versatility. One podcast episode can become:

5 short-form video clips for social media
A blog post transcript optimized for search
3 quote graphics for Instagram
Email newsletter content

When you build a strong creator brand, you can let your content work as a 24/7 acquisition engine.

2. Showcase social proof and testimonials

As the old saying goes, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” Social proof, such as testimonials and organic user-generated content (UGC), is one of the most effective strategies for driving community awareness and keeping the membership acquisition flywheel spinning.

When potential members see real people talking about their positive experiences, it builds trust and credibility faster than any marketing copy can. Reviews, testimonials, and even casual social mentions show that your community delivers on its promises.

The beauty of social proof is that it’s authentic, and you don’t have to create it from scratch. Your members do the work for you by sharing their stories. When you highlight these moments on your website, in newsletters, and across social media channels to showcase the real value of joining your community, it turns into an advocacy program.

3. Launch a member referral program

Similar to social proof, affiliate programs are another member-led acquisition strategy that can yield awesome returns. Referral programs tap into the trust and enthusiasm of your community to bring in new faces.

Current members are encouraged to invite friends, colleagues, or peers to join, and both get a benefit. Your member earns recognition for bringing someone new into the community, and the new member gets to experience what you offer.

Rewards can range from tangible perks, such as discounts, free months, or exclusive content, to recognition-based incentives, including special badges, shoutouts, or access to VIP sub-groups.

For example, BeyondBMI's healthcare community keeps their referral program simple: €50 off for both the referrer and new member, with one requirement—the new member stays for at least one month before the credit applies.

Founder Peter Lumley's honest take? "The best way that we can actually get referrals is by just making sure that the job we're doing is good." The financial incentive matters, but delivering real transformation drives referrals. His program follows the Pareto principle: 20% of members generate 80% of referrals.

Referral programs turn members into active ambassadors, helping you grow your community organically while strengthening their own sense of belonging.

4. Partner with aligned creators

🤝 Everyone loves a good collab! Partnering with other creators or brands that have overlaps with your core audience can give you instant access to people who are already primed to be interested.

Think of collaborations as a value exchange. You bring your expertise and audience; your partner brings theirs. Together, you can co-host webinars, create joint content, bundle offerings, or run cross-promotions that highlight the benefits of your community and what they offer.

Like social proof, partnerships and collaborations demonstrate to potential members that your community is endorsed by a trusted partner. When executed well, collaborations can drive new sign-ups, expand your brand presence, and establish a steady pipeline of like-minded members.

💡 Quick start: Start by identifying 3-5 creators or brands whose audiences overlap with yours by 30-40%. Pitch a value exchange: co-host a webinar where you each bring expertise, then promote to both audiences. The goal isn't just exposure—it's demonstrating your community's value to qualified leads.

5. Host events that convert attendees

Events aren't just engagement tools—they're acquisition accelerators. Live and virtual events give prospects a low-risk way to experience your community's energy, expertise, and value before committing to membership.

Ubuntu Hub, a community for teachers across Africa, proves this strategy's power. By making live events the backbone of their programming—hosting more than 30 events monthly—they grew to 17,500+ members across 22 countries and saw a 229% increase in monthly active users in just six months.

Even smaller-scale events can also drive acquisition. BeyondBMI runs about 10 events monthly, including weekly 15-minute guided meditations and bi-weekly community meetups. Their key insight? Limit attendance. They cap community get-togethers at 30 people to ensure everyone has space to share, creating the intimacy that drives word-of-mouth growth.

Events create urgency that evergreen content can't match. A live session has a specific time and place, encouraging sign-ups and reducing "I'll check it out later" inertia. The real-time interaction builds trust faster than any landing page, making attendees more likely to convert into paying members.

Event types that drive acquisition:

Free intro workshops or masterclasses
"Office hours" where prospects can ask questions
Panel discussions featuring current members
Small-group cohort kickoffs

6. Nurture leads with email sequences

The rumors of email’s death are greatly exaggerated. It’s one of our favorite (and reliable) channels for converting leads into paying members. According to the 2025 Community Trends Report, 67% of community builders are actively using newsletters to grow their businesses, and 82% report that email has an impact on community growth.

💡 See how Jay Clouse grew his business to $800k/year with his newsletter.

The reason? Email funnels and lead nurturing sequences give you direct access to your audience without those pesky algorithms getting in the way. A well-designed funnel guides prospects from awareness to conversion by providing timely, valuable content that builds trust.

👉🏼 Start with a welcome series to introduce your community’s mission, follow up with educational content or success stories, and close with clear calls-to-action to join.

Done right, email funnels serve as the bridge between casual interest and committed membership, transforming browsers into believers and subscribers into active participants.

7. Offer free trials that convert to paid

Not every member needs to start with a credit card in hand. Free communities, freemium trials, and limited-time access offers can act as powerful entry points to your paid membership. A free space lets prospects experience your culture and value before committing, while structured upsell funnels guide them naturally toward premium tiers.

Think of it as a “try before you buy” strategy. Lower the barrier to entry, showcase your best content or connections, and then invite people to deepen their involvement through paid membership. When done well, free pathways create a steady pipeline of warm, highly qualified leads that keep the membership acquisition flywheel humming.

8. Scale growth with paid ads and sponsorships

While organic strategies should always be the foundation of your growth, there comes a point where layering in paid acquisition makes sense. Ads, sponsorships, and influencer collaborations can help you reach a larger audience quickly, especially once you’ve validated your community’s value and know who you want to attract.

The key is balance. Paid campaigns can bring in a high volume of leads, but you need to keep a close eye on membership acquisition cost (MAC) compared to the lifetime value (LTV) of a member. For example, if it costs you $50 to acquire a member and their lifetime value is $500, you can confidently scale your ad spend knowing the return justifies the investment.

Paid acquisition works best as an amplifier, not a crutch. Use it to scale what’s already working, not as a replacement for organic growth engines like content, referrals, or social proof.

9. Use social platforms for discovery (not belonging)

Social media remains the top discovery channel—76% of community builders in our 2025 Trends Report source new members from platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. But here's what successful community builders understand: social platforms are for discovery, not deep connection.

Platforms like Reddit, Discord, LinkedIn groups, and TikTok excel at reaching new audiences. They're where people browse, consume, and learn about what exists. But they're not where meaningful community happens—that requires intention, structure, and ownership you can't get on rented land.

Your playbook: Use social platforms for what they do best, then transition interested prospects into your owned community space.

On social, focus on:

Sharing quick wins and insights that demonstrate your expertise
Teasing the deeper conversations happening inside your community
Highlighting member transformations and success stories
Making it ridiculously easy to find and join your community

Once they're in your space, emphasize what they can't get on social media:

Organized, searchable content (not algorithmic chaos)
Exclusive access to you and other experts
Real relationships without platform interference
A space designed for their specific goals

The math backs this up: One community member delivers the same value as 234 social media followers. Discovery happens in the big open spaces. Belonging happens once they cross the threshold into your community.

10. Build authority through thought leadership

One of the most effective ways to attract new members is by building authority outside of your community. Guest podcast appearances, bylined articles, and speaking engagements position you as a trusted voice in your niche.

Thought leadership creates social proof at scale, signaling that your community is a place worth joining. Each guest spot or collaboration plants a seed of awareness, and when paired with a clear call-to-action, it can drive a steady flow of warm leads into your space.

When B2B marketer Dave Gerhardt began sharing insights on LinkedIn and guesting on niche marketing podcasts, his following quickly turned into a pipeline for his community, Exit Five. Each appearance introduced him to new audiences, and when paired with a clear invitation to join, it helped his membership grow past 1,000 paying members within months.

11. Automate outreach with AI tools

AI isn’t just changing how communities are managed. It’s also reshaping how they grow. Workflows and automations can take repetitive outreach tasks off your plate, from sending personalized follow-up emails to segmenting leads based on their interests.

👉🏼 Instead of manually chasing every potential member, AI helps you scale outreach while still keeping it relevant.

AI adoption is accelerating fast. While only 19% of builders were using AI chat agents last year, 70% are either considering or planning to implement them in 2025. These tools don’t just save time. They extend your reach and let you offer personalized responses and onboarding support that can nudge prospects into becoming members.

Using onboarding to move from acquisition to activation

Getting a new member to sign up is only the first step. True growth comes when they stay and engage. Onboarding is the bridge between acquisition and long-term retention, shaping how new members experience your community in the crucial first 7–14 days.

A smooth, intentional onboarding process not only boosts engagement but also sets the tone for lasting participation. Invest in onboarding now, and you’ll spend less time chasing churn later.

Spin up your membership flywheel today

Building a thriving community takes more than great content and a “build it and they will come” mindset. Sustainable growth comes from a thoughtful membership acquisition strategy, one that balances organic and paid approaches, leverages the trust of social proof and referrals, and uses tools like email, events, and onboarding to move members from sign-up to long-term engagement.

The 11 strategies we’ve covered here aren’t quick hacks. They’re proven approaches that help community builders attract the right members, reduce friction in the acquisition process, and set the stage for retention.

🚀 Ready to take the next step? Check out our post on membership growth strategies and then start your free 14-day trial today!

FAQs about member acquisition

How do you acquire new members?

You can acquire new members through strategies like content marketing, social proof, referrals, partnerships, events, email funnels, and AI-powered campaigns. Unlike a funnel, acquisition is the first step in a flywheel of engagement, retention, and advocacy.

11 proven strategies to grow your membership (without betting everything on social)