Each Community has several standard post Templates available for use by Community and Group Managers. These standardized templates have everything needed to quickly and easily get started engaging with members.
Templates can help set expectations for behavior and communication, as well as provide resources for getting started, or a chance to welcome new members into the group. Additionally, a well-crafted post can help set the tone for the community and make it clear what kind of discussion is allowed and encouraged.
Click the links below to see the different Template options:
Controversial topic/conversation starter & CTA
Personal (staff or member) story
Getting people to talk to each other
Guidelines/Cultural Norms
Best practices
-
Include additional guidelines unique to your community’s purpose
-
Remember that these guidelines are here to create the culture you want, rather than to police your members
Start with this text:
Please follow these cultural guidelines to help us create a comfortable and constructive space for all members.
We encourage members to:
Create posts with a clear purpose:
Please use clear subject lines and self-explanatory content to communicate with the community. Refrain from posting links only, for example.
Be authentic:
This is a space for you to be yourself and genuinely connect with others. We encourage you to be vulnerable and support others in doing the same.
Be respectful:
In order to foster an authentic community, it is important that we foster a community of respect. While you may not always agree with others in this community, please be respectful of their thoughts and opinions
Be considerate:
Post content that you think would be valuable to other members and not content that is inappropriate or harmful. Unless you’re in a space that is clearly labeled for promotion, please do not promote or share products, events, links, or articles unless they have specifically been created for this community.
In the interest of community safety, management will use their best judgment to determine if a post should be removed and reserves the right to remove anyone from this community who does not adhere to these guidelines. If you have any concerns, please contact [@manager name].
Why we're here/welcome
Best practices
-
Share the goal of your community program with your members.
-
State how being in the group meets member needs. In other words, “what’s in it for the members.”
-
Tell your members how they can start engaging in your community. Give specific examples, so they have a place to start. Examples might include:
-
Use the filters in the member database to find a new person to connect with. Send them a direct message.
-
Create a post to introduce yourself.
-
Ask the community a question.
-
Comment on a post and at mention another community member.
-
Introduce your staff.
Start with this text
Welcome to [group/community name]. We’re glad you're here. As an introduction, we’d like to share some information and initial thoughts.
The goal of this group / community is [why you built this community program].
You, the members, will create the culture of this space. It’s important that we meet your needs by …. Here is why we think you’ll keep coming back for more …
Here are a few key people from [name of organization] who you will want to get to know and who are waiting to help you get started ...
Staff Introduction Post
Best practices
-
Add photos.
-
Include personal details (as you are comfortable) and storytelling so people feel like they can get to know you.
-
Be specific about the role you have and the way that you’re able to help your community, whether through your expertise (eg. advice about product development) or specific actions (eg. introducing members to each other; post moderation).
-
Encourage members to reach out to you about specific concepts or questions and beyond.
Start with this text
Hi! My name is [name] and I am the [role] at [organization] / your community manager. I am here to help you with … You can feel free to reach out to me by @ mentioning me in a post or comment, or sending me a private chat.
I joined this community because ...
I am excited to be a part of this community because …
What I hope to learn from this community is ...
I can contribute [expertise] to this community …
A fun fact about me is …
I am particularly interested in talking to people about…
In the next year I hope to…
Share an article/blog
Best practices
-
Add a link to a piece of content, such as an article, a video, or a podcast. [Link to Help Article about linking to content]
-
Create a subject line that inspires curiosity and conversation. Rather than, “Article about cats versus dogs,” use a subject like, “Do you think cats are better than dogs?”
-
Include a description of the content you’ve shared with highlights or quotes.
-
Share your opinion and ask other people to share their perspective in the comments.
-
@ mention one or more people who can contribute to the conversation
Start with this text
A lot of people have been talking about [concept], which seems especially relevant to our community because [add relevancy]. [@Member] mentioned in [hyperlink to related post] that ... What are your thoughts on the subject? Please comment with your thoughts.
[or]
I’m curious to get your opinions on this article about [subject], “[title][hyperlink to article].” The article suggests that … Would you agree? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Controversial Topic/conversation starter & CTA
Best practices
-
You don’t always need a resource or a separate piece of content to have a good conversation
-
Take a position to begin with, and then engage in the conversation
-
Inspire debate by posting about a controversial topic or current event. Stay within the realm of your community’s guidelines, but don’t be afraid to have some healthy disagreement to inspire respectful conversation.
-
Ask an open-ended question that will give members the crowdsourced answers they need or get people talking about what inspires them to be here.
-
Put a Call to Action (CTA) in the post that instructs your members to participate by asking them to do things like post, comment, send a private message to another community member, or visit a website to donate to a cause.
Start with this text
Cats vs. Dogs … GO!
[or]
Here’s a topic that I have been wondering about lately …
My opinion on this is …
Change my mind!
[or]
Hivemind, I need your advice on X …
Personal (staff or member) story
Best practices
-
People connect in person and online through storytelling. In an online space, storytelling is even more important for building belonging and connection.
-
Set an example for your members about the stories they can tell, by sharing your own story about the impact that this community has had on your or what inspired you to get involved initially.
-
Use personal experience to humanize a topic and invite genuine connections with your members
-
With their permission, share member stories that will inspire the community and use an @ mention to give the member a shout out.
-
Include a CTA that asks other members to share their own stories as a comment or a new post.
-
Make sure the point of the story is clear; don’t necessitate that the reader infers the meaning
-
Any links to supporting artifacts are great to include
Start with this text
A long time ago, in a galaxy far away …
[or]
You may not know this about [@ member] but …
This is their story …
How has this inspired you?
Getting people to talk to each other
Best practices
-
Tell members to connect with each other, give instructions for how to do so, or facilitate connections in a publicly facing post.
-
Use the Member Database or the Member tab to filter members with similar attributes
-
Use the @ mention feature in post comments to bring experts into the conversation
-
Use the DM feature to connect members that you have found to have similar interests
-
Use the DM feature to bring topics of interest to a group of members that may be a member of a particular group
-
Add fields to the registration form that ask members what they’re interested in connecting about (eg.. I want to learn Spanish; I can help someone learn English). Feature those fields on member profile cards [help center link]. Invite members to connect with each other based on these fields.
Start with this text
POLL: Do you want to be matched with another community member this month [or] week? Check yes or no and comment with your ideas for a conversation topic!
[Take Poll results and turn into a new post below]
The question [or] topic of the week is….
This week’s connections are...
-
@[name] @[name].... Topic: [X]
-
@[name] @[name].... Topic: [X]
-
@[name] @[name].... Topic: [X]
Discuss!
[or]
Did you know we have a feature to connect with other members? Click the members tab and use the member filters to select for “yes, people can reach out to me..”. Then, send a direct message to one to four people. [insert image]
[or]
This month, host your own events about ….[or] …. Did you know you can host your own events in the community?
We encourage you to host happy hours, book groups, article discussions, and more. When you navigate to create a new post, choose to create an event! Make the event public so everyone can join and consider using the event page for discussion before and after.
Share a win
Best practices
-
Start a conversation dedicated to personal and professional successes.
-
Give people guidelines on what is relevant and appropriate to share.
-
Follow up with members to congratulate them on their wins in the comments or via private message.
Start with this text
Here are the weekly Sales Wins!
@[name] closed [x deal] that was worth [x measurement]
@[name] closed [x deal] that was worth [x measurement]
@[name] closed [x deal] that was worth [x measurement]
[or]
Weekly wins! Comment with something you’re proud of that happened at work this week. Celebrate moments as small as getting to work a few minutes early and as big as crushing your presentation at all hands.
Icebreakers
Best practices
-
Icebreakers are great to get the conversation started. Once people have a chance to get to know each other, they’ll feel more comfortable moving to conversations that meet your community’s goals.
-
Icebreakers can relate directly to your community’s purpose, or they can be playful and personal so people can get to know each other better.
Start with this text
-
What could you talk for 30 minutes about with absolutely no preparation?
-
If you had intro music, which song would it be? Why?
-
Share your favorite movie and favorite song.
-
If you had access to a time machine where and when would you go?
-
What according to you was the best invention of the last 50 years?
-
How do you push yourself to be more creative every day?
-
What are some things you are interested in learning more about?
-
If I could snap my fingers and be the CEO of an existing company, I’d be the CEO of ... because … .
-
My favorite way to relax after a long day is ...
Comments
0 comments
Article is closed for comments.