Some forums require invitations or paid access, while others are open to all. Which model works best? Have you found that exclusivity increases quality, or does openness drive more engagement?

It depends on what you are looking for though and the audience you are trying to attract. In some cases entry by invitation or subscription works, while in most cases free to all is the best. Both has their advantages and disadvantages.

Choosing between a private or public forum depends on your goals. A public forum offers broader engagement, attracting a diverse audience and boosting visibility. However, it may struggle with moderation and spam. A private forum, though more secure and controlled, may limit growth but builds a closer-knit community. Both models have their merits depending on your desired level of accessibility and privacy.

I have never run a private forums. I tried private access to a certain section on one of my forums but I did not have anyone who was willing to pay money to access private section. Therefore, I have stopped doing it. Whether you should run a private forum or public forum depends on your preference and goal. It is not possible to say which one is good.

I think it comes down to the niche of the forum. If you have specific content that is unique to your site and you don't want it to fall to the public, then having a private forum is fine.

On 6/12/2025 at 1:19 AM, Nomad said:

I have never run a private forums. I tried private access to a certain section on one of my forums but I did not have anyone who was willing to pay money to access private section. Therefore, I have stopped doing it. Whether you should run a private forum or public forum depends on your preference and goal. It is not possible to say which one is good.

I couldn't run a private forum either. However, I do see some running them on Substack, Mighty Networks and others. It works well for them as they charge a monthly subscription just to access their forum. Cutting off access to a forum and charging others to access content isn't something that I could do as a community owner.

I've seen it happen where it worked for a brief time. But ultimately, it depends on your audience and niche. It can work for sure, but it's quite limited.

11 hours ago, Cpvr said:

I couldn't run a private forum either. However, I do see some running them on Substack, Mighty Networks and others. It works well for them as they charge a monthly subscription just to access their forum. Cutting off access to a forum and charging others to access content isn't something that I could do as a community owner.

For Mighty Networks and Circle, they're more akin to selling course or pay to interact type of community. The infrastructure is great and what they offer is also good but you do have to have a community that is willing to pay in order to gain access as you're paying a large monthly sub in order to just create the community itself.

I was Community Manager for Copyblogger for a few years. Our community was private and paid using Circle. It worked great. We maintained over 1,500 paid members. But we gave them a lot of value and attention versus what most forums gives these days.

I've made private forums in the past. They didn't work well because no one wanted to join something they couldn't see.

However, I'm actually considering making a private forum soon. It will even cost money to join. I know that will hinder the number of potential members but I'll be aiming for a more serious target base by charging.

It's going to be focusing on realistic forms of making money online and passive income.

I'll have to report more on it as it launches!

Just now, Shawn Gossman said:

I was Community Manager for Copyblogger for a few years. Our community was private and paid using Circle. It worked great. We maintained over 1,500 paid members. But we gave them a lot of value and attention versus what most forums gives these days.

I've made private forums in the past. They didn't work well because no one wanted to join something they couldn't see.

However, I'm actually considering making a private forum soon. It will even cost money to join. I know that will hinder the number of potential members but I'll be aiming for a more serious target base by charging.

It's going to be focusing on realistic forms of making money online and passive income.

I'll have to report more on it as it launches!

Sounds interesting, do keep us updated.

Where would you be sourcing the audience mainly from?

7 minutes ago, Cedric said:

Where would you be sourcing the audience mainly from?

I'm not sure yet.

I still need to choose the target audience before I even think of installing the forum. I think that's important for us all. Know your audience before you even consider launching - then every step of the way, you'll know exactly who you want and can align all goals and action with that audience.

3 minutes ago, Shawn Gossman said:

I'm not sure yet.

I still need to choose the target audience before I even think of installing the forum. I think that's important for us all. Know your audience before you even consider launching - then every step of the way, you'll know exactly who you want and can align all goals and action with that audience.

Agreed. I’ve seen enough admins who jump into something without even having a few followers beforehand. It’s not something I’d do, but it’s also not something that should stop anyone from doing it. Just makes it a little harder to see some success for your efforts. And the chance it’ll fail is much larger that way.

Honestly, it's difficult to get anyone to join a forum, free and especially paid these days. In that case, we can figure people aren't going to join a paid thing unless something big is in it for them. For instance, perhaps you are a well known SEO with proof of success. Such a situation could lead to a lot of paid signups.

20 hours ago, Jayson said:

Honestly, it's difficult to get anyone to join a forum, free and especially paid these days. In that case, we can figure people aren't going to join a paid thing unless something big is in it for them. For instance, perhaps you are a well known SEO with proof of success. Such a situation could lead to a lot of paid signups.

Yeah. The way I see it, if you offer a paid membership, then you're looking for a specific type of member and also one who is willing to pay. It allows you to level out the seriousness you will dedicate to that forum versus a free forum where everyone demands the same attention. You weed out the people not willing to contribute by putting in a pay gate.

1 hour ago, Shawn Gossman said:

Yeah. The way I see it, if you offer a paid membership, then you're looking for a specific type of member and also one who is willing to pay. It allows you to level out the seriousness you will dedicate to that forum versus a free forum where everyone demands the same attention. You weed out the people not willing to contribute by putting in a pay gate.

Yeah, but you got to have something serious to offer to get anyone to pay. 😃 It's not that easy. As I said, you'd have to be some "proven" SEO guru or something.