The Single Reason Most Web3 Communities Fail (And How To Avoid Making The Same Mistake)

Hey there 👋,

As the Head of Community at a crypto startup, I have been working with dozens of communities for over 2 years now.

And for those past 24 months, I realized that most people who want to start their community end up failing because of one single reason:

They focus too much on the technical or Web3 side of community building.

They think having great Tokenomics or spending hours on whether they should launch an NFT or a social token will make their community succeed. But they never realize these are details for community members.

Instead, the top 1% of tokenized communities don't focus on Web3.

They focus on solving problems that wake their members up at night and work on problems that are:

1. Painful
2. Urgent
3. Acknowledged

Here's how you can do the same:

1. Solve A Problem That Is Painful.

If the problem you're solving is just a little embarrassing, it won't be enough to trigger the desire for someone to join your community and engage in it.

Building a community to help people "make more friends in Web3" is nice, but your potential members can live without it and will never wake up one morning saying, "I REALLY need new friends in Web3, let me spend 3 hours this morning to meet new people."

The takeaway here is that members need to feel the pain to contribute.

A better problem for a community to solve would be "I help crypto beginners invest thoughtfully, so they don't lose money" or "I help Web2 marketers transition into Web3, so they don't feel left behind."

Here, potential members would feel the pain of "losing money" or "being left behind."

2. Solve A Problem That Is Urgent.

People always take action when it becomes urgent. It's human nature.

So try to solve a problem that is in their day-to-day reality. Ask yourself:

• What do they try to improve every day?
• What do they need help with?
• What do they struggle with?

Each of these questions will help you find problems that need to be solved right now.

This is a key part of getting support. Few members will end up contributing daily if the problem you're helping them to solve is too distant from their daily lives.

3. Solve A Problem That Is Acknowledged

Finally, your members must recognize they have this problem in their own life.

Think of it for a second. Maybe you think (rightfully) that your local baker should improve its social media strategy - but the baker himself doesn't care. It's probably a waste of time trying to convince him because it's not a problem he has yet acknowledged.

Well, the same thing goes with community building.

If you're trying to solve a problem not yet acknowledged by your audience, you'll spend more time convincing them they need to solve this problem than actually getting their help.

So build a community that solves problems members have on top minds.

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That's a wrap!

You should now have all the keys to creating a successful community!

Remember, don't focus on the Web3 aspect of the community. Instead:

1. Solve a problem that is painful
2. Solve a problem that is urgent
3. Solve a problem that is acknowledged

If you follow this piece of advice, I can ensure it will be much easier for you to have active contributors!

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