Pros and Cons of a Free and Paid Online Community

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Which is better, a free or paid online community? Learn the advantages and disadvantages of each before deciding which one is best for your business and content. 

Pros of a Free Online Community

Your online community has the potential to grow quickly if you open it for everyone without asking them to pay a centavo. Since members don't have to open their wallets to participate, you’ll get more people to see your work and attract more members and potential customers.

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Aside from free communities allowing you and your audience to connect without a fee, social media platforms are also accessible to many people. Social media networking sites are excellent tools to spread the word about your business and content, but it does have their limitations. Algorithms on social media determine who gets notified when you post something new and who doesn't. 

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We’ll delve deeper into it later on. 

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Your viewers can see what they want in a free online community. Your members will receive notices and announcements without getting lost in the shuffle because there is less noise.

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It's also worth noting that free communities might be an excellent place to start before committing to a premium service. While the stakes are modest, you can utilize your free group to learn more about how online communities work in general.

Cons of a Free Online Community 

It's a bright idea if you want to monetize your community to have a strategy for exposing them to paid products. Yes, more people indeed join free communities than those that charge fees. Increasing the number of users is fantastic, but it also means that moderators will have to deal with more complaints.

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Furthermore,  free communities face the danger of enticing a smaller, less engaged audience. We usually only buy paid resources if we really find them valuable, but we may sign up for freebies if they're enticing enough. This is similar to free online communities. 

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If you're running a free community, keep an eye on your engagement rates because having a few highly engaged members is preferable to having too many members. Keep in mind that quality is better than quantity. 

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Learn the 7 Ways to Improve your Online Community Engagement. 

Pros of a Paid Online Community 

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Using a paid online community, you can engage with your most loyal consumers and members at a much higher level. You can be sure that your members are particularly interested in what you have to say because they have to pay to join. You can make a living by selling your work in the paid online community as a creator. 

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Plus, you can connect to many people and earn more money in a paid community without significantly increasing your workload.

Cons of Paid Online Community 

Paid communities necessitate a higher level of organization and structure. As you expand, keep in mind that there may be increased expectations for your involvement and the amount of work to operate the community. 

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Additionally, it may be difficult to entice new members if you don't already have a following. This type of community is perfect for content creators and businesses with an established audience, such as those who already have a large number following on social media or through their own email list.

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Aren’t you sure yet? Try Freemium online community platforms like Backspace. We make setting up free and paid options available to meet your career goals. 

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