Pick a lane.

When telling people about your pop community, you stand at a crossroads. Unique or Utility. Most builders try to do both. They end up being neither.

The Unique side is experience-driven. One-of-a-kind. Hard-to-find. Curiosity-focused. Socially oriented. The pitch is "You won't believe what happened."

The Utility side is problem-solving. Goal-achieving. Process-improving. Work-focused. Result-oriented. The pitch is "Here's how to fix that."

Each appeals to different parts of the brain. Each attracts different types of people. Each requires different language.

The first time you build a pop community, keep it simple. Know the change you want to create and focus on delivering it. Choose a lane, build, execute, and learn.

If this is your second or third time around, you can add flair to make it both unique and utilitarian. A utilitarian community can stand out through focus. "Rebuild Your Resume in just 5 minutes" or "30 habits in 30 days for single parents." Or you can use unexpected locations to get creative. Crossfit in the park. Yoga with goats at a farm. Your next novel in a Substack newsletter.

Before you fall into the marketing rabbit hole, decide which side of this line you're on.

There's always time to expand later.