Start with a free sample

The entry point to your community is something free. A resource list. A how-to video. A challenge. A short event. Something that shows what you do without requiring commitment.

Samples work because they filter for the right people. Someone interested in your thing will take the sample. Someone who isn't won't bother. That self-selection saves you time. You're not convincing skeptics—you're attracting people already primed to care.

When someone takes your sample, you get their email or phone number or a follow. That's the trade. They get something useful. You get a way to reach them next. It's the first real connection.

Pay attention to who takes the sample and what they do with it. If 50 people download your resource list and 10 actually use it, you've learned something about your audience. That feedback—whether explicit or just behavioral—shapes what comes next. You're watching what sticks.

Your sample should be valuable on its own, not just a hook. If it's genuinely useful, people talk about it. They share it. That word-of-mouth is cheaper than any ad.

Start by offering it to people who already know you. Then expand to your broader network. Then share it wider.

Each layer teaches you if you're on the right track before you invest in the full community.