7 Dec 2023

How to Build a Community That Outlasts Algorithms

RSL

<i>Why your people should be able to survive even if the app dies tomorrow.</i>

Every few years, the timeline changes. MySpace, BlackPlanet, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, TikTok, Threads, whatever comes after that—each one shows up like the new promised land. And every time, some founder or brand falls into the same trap: they confuse a platform with a community.

The truth is simple: if your “community” disappears the second an app glitches, you never had a community. You had reach.

Here’s how I think about building communities that still exist when the algorithm decides you’re no longer interesting.

1. Start with a purpose, not a product

Communities that endure are built around a shared purpose, not just shared content.

Ask yourself:

1. What problem are we here to solve for each other?
2. What do we protect?
3. What do we celebrate?
4. What would still matter if all of us had to meet in a church basement with no Wi-Fi?

For For(bes) The Culture, the purpose wasn’t “a group of people who like Forbes.” It was:

Create a true community of inclusion for Black and Brown leaders who were in the room, but not centered.

That purpose could live on email, group chat, text, Zoom, or in person. The platform just helped accelerate it.

If the only thing your group has in common is that they all follow you on a certain app, you’re not done defining the purpose yet.

2. Design rituals, not just events

Most people think “community” and immediately think events. I think rituals.

An event is “we get together sometimes.”A ritual is “this is what we do here, and this is how we do it, every time.”

Rituals can be:

1. A specific way you open or close every gathering
2. A weekly email that always lands on the same day and always delivers something people actually look forward to
3. A recurring segment in your Twitter Spaces, podcast, or IG Live that people know by name
4. A simple check-in question everyone answers in the group chat

Rituals create rhythm. Rhythm creates expectation. Expectation creates belonging.

The key question:

“What are the 2–3 things we do so consistently that if we stopped, people would notice and ask what happened?”

Those are your rituals. Protect them.

3. Own at least one channel you control

An Instagram page can be deleted. A Twitter handle can be banned. A Facebook Group can get buried by the algorithm.

You need at least one channel you control that isn’t at the mercy of somebody else’s product roadmap:

1. Email list
2. SMS list
3. Private community platform you pay for
4. Even a consistent, searchable podcast feed

You don’t need to own every channel, but you cannot build something real if you own none of them. Social platforms are amazing front doors. They shouldn’t be your whole house.

Whenever I’m working with a brand or community, I ask:

“If every social app shut down for 90 days, how would you talk to your people?”

If the answer is “we couldn’t,” then building that channel becomes priority number one.

4. Make membership mean something

If being in your “community” doesn’t come with any identity or responsibility, it’s just an audience with better branding.

You don’t need complicated membership tiers on day one. But you do need clarity on what it means to be part of this.

Some starting points:

1. What values are non-negotiable here?
2. What behavior gets you invited deeper in—and what gets you removed?
3. How do members support each other, not just the founder?

Maybe members get early access to jobs, deals, or experiences. Maybe they commit to mentoring once a quarter. Maybe they help each other raise capital. Whatever it is, membership should be something people can describe without showing a login screen.

5. Build leaders, not just followers

Communities die when the founder is the only engine.

Communities last when leadership is distributed:

1. Give people lanes to own: programming, partnerships, content, local meetups.
2. Invite people to start city chapters or affinity groups under the same banner.
3. Train your most committed members to facilitate, moderate, and hold space.

You can’t architect a true community without making room for other architects. If everything runs through you, you’ve built dependency, not resilience.

6. Expect evolution—and design for it

The community you start with should not look exactly the same in five years. People will grow. The world will change. Your structure has to be flexible enough to adapt without losing its soul.

That means:

1. Your purpose can stay stable…
2. …but your programming, platforms, and products should be allowed to shift.

Think of your community like software: v1.0, v2.0, v3.0. Announce when things change. Explain why. Bring people along.

The simple test

Here’s the most honest test I use:

Could this community still exist if we had to move everything into a group text, a monthly meetup, and an email list?

If the answer is yes, you’re building something that can outlast algorithms.If the answer is no, you’ve still got work to do.