Creators and entrepreneurs around the world have realized the importance of building online communities to bolster their businesses. Why? Because an online community can sustain the conversation around your business much longer than any content drop will.
But some creators have concerns:
- Is it hard?
- Will I run out of things to say?
- Do other people care about what I do?
As these examples show, just about any topic can lead to a thriving community around it. All you need to do is find your niche and a group of passionate people to support it.
In this article, we’ll point out which factors make for a great online community site and show you some inspiring examples to emulate.
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What makes a community website great
Let’s explore 10 factors that set thriving online community websites apart.
- A clear Ideal Member: Communities work best when they are built for one type of person in need of one transformation. After looking at all these thriving communities, you’ll see this is a common thread.
- Strong Big Purpose: In each of these, members share a strong sense of purpose or interest that keeps them engaged for the long haul.
- Authentic leadership: There are different models of leadership, but many of these communities thrive because of a founder(s) with relevant personal journeys and an authentic ability to share their story.
- Structured engagement: The communities are structured around common themes and “Year in the Life”--predictable shared activities or rituals that members can look forward to.
- More than content: As we studied these communities, you know what we didn’t hear from members? “The best thing about this community is the content.” These communities thrive on relationships and connection, not just information sharing.
- Clear transformation journey: Each of these communities take their members on a personal transformation of some sort.
- Accessibility: You should be able to access a community website on a great app–for iOS and Android. You may even prefer a branded app.
- Branding: You want your community website to reflect your style and vision. Customization and branding tools make it happen.
Great online community website examples
Here at Mighty Networks, we believe that digital businesses can reach new heights when they are powered by community. We’ve built our SaaS platform to empower creators and entrepreneurs in designing stellar community spaces that are ever-expanding with functionality like online courses and virtual event hosting.
Here are some amazing examples of online community websites.
1. Level Up Creator School
Ideal Member: Level Up Creators works with subject matter experts who want to transition their business into a revved-up recurring revenue model.
Amanda Northcutt had spent 20 years in software and the creator economy. And in 2023, she founded Level Up Creators. Her vision was to create a place where subject matter experts–especially LGBTQ, and BIPOC creators–could learn to transition to create recurring revenue businesses.
The community website offers group and 1:1 coaching for creators, as well as directed consulting services. And they’ve seen some incredible wins for clients! These include:
- A life coach increasing monthly recurring revenue from $10,000 to $50,000.
- A COO saw sales activities double!
Here’s how the business is structured:
- The “Level-Up Creator School” is $299/mo.
- The company also offers consulting services
Level Up offers their community and courses on an app under their own brand. Here’s what it looks like:
“These creator businesses are so near and dear to our hearts. Helping our clients build a business they can take forward has been extremely rewarding.” - Amanda Northcutt
Why this is an example of a great online community
It helps creators build thriving, sustainable businesses from their work. And by specifically supporting LGBTQ and BIPOC entrepreneurs, Level Up Creators transforms expertise into inclusive wealth-building.
2. Category Pirates
Ideal Member: Category Pirates’ network is built for seasoned business owners, consultants, and entrepreneurs who are at a crossroads in their careers. They want to do something exponentially different than the incremental.
Category Pirates was the brainchild of Chris Lochhead, Eddie Yoon, and Nicolas Cole–all leaders in “category design”. In short, this means creating and dominating new markets.
The membership is the “Category Design Academy,” an invite-only program for entrepreneurs who want to see incredible growth. It spun out of a newsletter that had 32,000 subs, which was awesome! But they wanted to put their ideas into practice.
The academy is structured as a high-ticket membership ($1,000/mo) where small cohorts do an intensive program that matches MBA-level rigor with real-world insights from industry pros.
Why this is an example of a great online community
It offers exclusive, personalized mentorship for pros seeking incredible transformation. It’s a high-ticket offer with a ton of support and incredible results from members who love it.
3. Write Hearted
Ideal Member: Someone who wants to write courageously and consistently, but is stymied by hesitation, writer's block, or imposter syndrome.
When his previous writing community was shut down, the bug wouldn’t leave Rick Lewis. He wanted a space where writers could come together and share, despite fighting the occasional feeling that he “wasn’t a writer.”
The result is Write Hearted, and it brought Rick’s dream to life. 30 founding members joined in the first cohort.
Write Hearted costs $2,000/year and offers four tracks: essays, challenges, comments, and stories–based on where members want to focus. The community and program are built to cover things like writer’s block, isolation, and hesitation.
“Members have told me, ‘I'm getting rid of my social media and spending more time here. The quality of engagement, the supportive mood — it’s far and away a better place to spend my time.” - Rick Lewis
Why this is an example of a great online community
It brings writers of all skill levels together, helping them master their craft and overcome blocks. Rick’s story is powerful as he overcame his own insecurities in launching, and this resonates with a community of people who have their own insecurities and hold-ups about their writing.
4. The Bite Shot
Ideal Member: The Bite Shot is a food photography enthusiast at any skill level—from beginner to seasoned creative—who shares a common love of food and enjoys connecting with others who have the same passion.
Joanie Simon discovered food photography while selling restaurant point-of-sale systems for restaurants. It was a bit of an unconventional journey. Before this, she’d worked in higher ed.
When she started making YouTube videos–teaching things like shutter speed and composition–she grew a devoted following. And she tried to create a Facebook group, but found it was limiting. So Joanie made the jump to a Mighty Network, to a paid community that welcomes both beginners and experienced photographers.
Her first launch had 500 sign-ups! Today, the community earns from dedicated memberships and paid courses. It’s a game-changer for a group of people who are used to working alone, as they find a place to belong.
Why this is an example of a great online community
The community connects people who often work alone: food photographers. Joanie leads the group of all skill levels, fostering friendships and skills growth along the way.
5. Modern Metal Academy
Ideal Member: An intermediate to expert guitarist who feels stuck creatively and technically, needs structured guidance to find their own sound, and wants to help others avoid similar frustrations.
Guitarist John Browne was an international touring guitarist with the band Monuments, known for his signature downpicking style. Today, he teaches would-be metal guitarists from his studio in Haworth, England. In 2018, he started a platform called Riffhard. He eventually moved his platform to a Mighty Network to integrate community and lessons together–and Modern Metal Academy was born. He wanted one place to teach everything, one software to rule them all.
The membership offers:
- Master classes and lessons library
- 1:1 coaching
- Members lounge
The MMA has been a huge success, with tons of organic member engagement (some members send more messages than John). And there have been organic community initiatives too–like “Gui-car Hacks” to encourage members to practice during lunch breaks.
Why this is an example of a great online community
The community thrives because it provides expert instruction in a tight niche (metal guitarists), all overlaid with a fantastic community of friends who support and encourage each other.
6. Retirement Loop
Ideal Member: Canadians between the ages of 50-64 who want to manage their financial plan independently as they approach retirement.
Retirement Loop was founded by Mike Heroux (with Véronique St-Pierre as vice president of marketing). Mike realized that many people in their 50s and 60s had similar retirement questions, but were paying high fees to advisors (who didn’t always give the best advice).
The community offers financial planning, projection tools, budgeting, estate and tax planning, and insurance. Retirement Loop has seen incredible peer support, since many of the members have gone through the same stages in their transformation.
The business includes:
- A paid membership
- Coaching and courses
And it’s seen rapid growth, with 500 founding members joining in just two months. Retirement Loop has also grown a team of retirement coaches, who provide support–alongside the founder.
Why this is an example of a great online community
It helps Canadians 55-65 prepare for retirement with planning and peer-to-peer support. It empowers members to take control of their finances and create the future they want, with professional advice to help.
7. The House of E
Ideal Member: Women seeking self-embodiment, healing, and personal growth, who want to connect with their bodies through movement and energy work.
Elizabeth DiAlto wanted to help women explore and implement self-embodiment without constraining programs. She also wanted to build accessible, affordable offerings–and a space to do healing work without distraction.
The answer is The House of E, a dedicated community that also includes courses, webinars, podcasts, and a library with specialized classes.
Here’s the business structure:
- A Premium membership group at $44.99/mo.
- Two mini-courses offered individually for $99.99 each.
Why this is an example of a great online community
It creates accessible space for women seeking authentic mind-body connection. And it’s led by a founder with a powerful vision and personal story.
8. The Self Care Space
Ideal Member: Women in their mid-to-late 20s seeking growth, healing, and improved relationships with themselves and others.
Megan Sherer and Katrina Wright had a vision for an affordable space for women to explore mental wellness together. They wanted to create a self-therapy resource that could combine community support, education, and access to experts.
The answer is The Self Care Space. It encourages personal growth and development, with a mixture of self-directed curriculum, crisis resource packages, and lots of virtual events like healing sessions and educational talks.
The Self Care Space uses branded apps and offers premium memberships.
Why this is an example of a great online community
It offers affordable mental health support for young women, mixing self-guided resources, professional support, and meaningful connections. With 800 members joining and 6,000 on the waitlist, this community has definitely hit a genuine need.
9. Bujo U
Ideal Member: People struggling with organization searching for a unique journaling solution.
Another great online community website example is Ryder Carroll ‘s BuJo U, a paid membership site for people enthusiastic about bullet journaling to network and share resources for how to better organize their life. After years of struggling with ADD, Carroll searched for a way to tune out the noise in his head and create an organizational methodology to unlock his full potential.
Now, he uses the knowledge he’s gleaned from years of practice to help others do the same. His white label membership site has over 750 members and has created a five-figure revenue stream. This is an awesome online community example because Carroll has found a way to create a space for members to share in their creativity and learn new strategies for organizing their lives.
The membership offers office hours, weekly and monthly rituals, experiments, a book club, and workshops.
The breakdown:
- Paid membership ($5/mo)
- Dedicated courses
Why this is an example of a great online community
It offers a real life improvement strategy for those struggling with organizing their thoughts. Led by Ryder, with his authentic story and hard-won strategies, it passes the knowledge on to others. Many of the members have struggled with ADHD themselves, and bullet journaling can be life changing!
10. ArtSnacks Mix
Ideal Member: Artists of all skills and backgrounds who want to learn, grow, and connect to other artists.
Brother and sister artists Lee and Sarah Rubenstein started off their business by selling a subscription to a box filled with rotating art supplies. When their idea quickly took off, they started thinking about how they could expand it further. That’s when they created ArtSnacks Mix, an online community built to connect artists of different skill levels. In their community, they offer online courses, art challenges, feedback, and networking.
The Rubenstein’s have been able to grow their online community into a group of over 7,000 people all passionate to learn and share content centered around art. ArtSnacks Mix is a great example of an online community website because it offers a free and paid plan, so everyone has a way to engage with what the Rubenstein’s are building.
The membership offers a monthly ArtSnacks Challenge (core activity), challenges, and digital events.
Here are some details on the business:
- Free membership
- Subscription box sales (physical product)
- Paid challenges and licensed courses
- Special challenges (ie. Weekly Portrait Challenge at $4.99/mo)
Why this is an example of a great online community
It spins off of a subscription box business, but has become so much more. It connects artists of all levels encouraging them to get started and connect with others, all while replicating that “art room” feel of high school.
11. The Outwild Hub
Ideal Member: People who want to make the outdoors a bigger part of their life, and want company and support as they make the shift.
Courtney Stafford fell in love with the outdoors once she moved to Seattle. From there she realized the value in dabbling and trying a bunch of new and different things. With the help of Jeremy Jensen and Sanni McCandless, Stafford started a retreat event series that helped people interested in spending more time outdoors learn how to make that happen called The Outwild Hub.
After two years of successful events, and in the wake of COVID-19, Stafford saw a future for Outwild Hub that existed virtually.
Today, Outwild Hub has grown into an online community of over 2,000 members. Joining the Outwild Hub community is free, but they also offer a $150 membership that includes access to monthly speaker and workshop series, early registration for in-person events, and more.
Business structure:
- Free community
- Paid premium membership ($150/year)
- Virtual events and workshops
- In-person meet-ups and adventures
Why this is an example of a great online community
Outwild Hub solves a real problem: connecting people who want to spend more time outdoors. It helps members build authentic relationships and challenges them to spend more time outdoors–and even connects them for real-life events.
12. ARC Alumni
Ideal Member: Adults diagnosed with ADHD (often later in life) who have big ambitions and don’t want ADHD to limit them.
Eric Tivers is a clinical social worker with a private practice and a podcast. He discovered a high demand for ADHD support among adults–especially those with a rescind diagnosis. He announced that he would offer group coaching in his podcast, and created the network to be a shame-free space for adults with ADHD.
The community serves people with big dreams: often entrepreneurs, professionals, or academics who don’t want ADHD to limit their productivity. It helps people find self-compassion and acceptance.
The membership community works around an initial 10-week intensive coaching program (ADHD ReWired), with live video and accountability. The alumni community continues after completion, but there are weekly 75-minute sessions for alumni + “adult study hall”, webinars, and happy hours.
Business structure:
- ReWired Coaching Groups: $1,650 one-time fee (runs 3x/year)
- Alumni Membership: $39.99/month or $399.99/year
- 3-month free trial of alumni network during coaching program
Why this is an example of a great online community
Going through an ADHD diagnosis later in life can be lonely and confusing. The community offers acceptance and self-love. But after this, it helps with real strategies to empower people with ADHD to thrive. This is an awesome Big Purpose, and it’s changing lives!
Mighty Networks is the best place for growing an online community website
At the end of the day, communities are made up of highly motivated, enthusiastic people that are all banding together to accomplish a common goal. Isn’t that powerful? As these online community examples show, you can harness the power of community to bring your business to the next level, and in order to do that you’ll need a powerful platform to build what you’re dreaming up. When you forefront the importance of building a network where members can form real connections with one another, your community is bound to grow.
Building a community on Mighty will give you access to a robust set of tools and features that you’ll need to make your online community more than just a hub for an endless well of content. In addition to industry-leading community-building tools, you also can offer paid memberships, and design online courses. You also get a powerful website builder that gives you the tools you need to deliver your awesome content.
On top of that, with a Mighty Network, you’ll be able to offer all of these pieces together under your own brand, instantly available on web, iOS, and Android.
You can get started free for 14 days–no credit card required.
FAQS
What is an online community website?
An online community website is software that hosts memberships, often with features like profiles, content sharing, discussions, and payments. Some online community websites are built into existing web platforms like WordPress. And some are built on a dedicated community platform.
How do I build an online community website?
There are two main approaches:
- Add on a community or forum solution to an existing website. This gives you some basic functionality, but often limited software.
- Build on a dedicated community platform designed for member connection and growth. These usually offer fewer "website" functions, but make up for this with way better community-building options: Spaces, subgroups, live and async courses, discussion forums, brandability, gamification, and apps.
What is an online community?
An online community is a group of like-minded individuals who are coming together around a shared interest, idea, or motivation to accomplish a common goal. So, as we said above, practically any topic can sustain an online community.
The best part about a community is that it doesn’t need to have thousands of people to be successful. In fact, if you can find passionate and dedicated folks, you only need a small cohort—think 10 people or so—to make it worthwhile. That being said, no one will be interested in joining your online community if you haven’t set up a great place for them to interact with one another and accomplish their goals together.
If you're launching an online community website, try our AI-powered community name generator! Mighty Co-Host™ runs on Chat GPT and can create a Big Purpose, community name, brand, landing and sales pages, and more. Try it!
What is an online community platform?
An online community platform can be a few different things. But the most common example takes the form of SaaS (Software as a Service) platforms that provide pre-built features and the functionality to create a thriving community.
In short, an online community platform is software that helps people build complex yet easy-to-use online experiences for their members without the need to know how to program anything. So, when we go over some of the excellent online community examples below, you’ll know that these creators and entrepreneurs were able to accomplish building these spaces thanks to robust and powerful features from online community platforms.
