How to Build a Relentlessly Helpful Community – John Espirian

Have you ever wondered what sets apart a thriving community from a stagnant one on professional platforms like LinkedIn? What secret ingredients are necessary to turn a disparate group of individuals into a vibrant paid community? In today’s digital age, the concept of building exclusive communities on social media platforms has skyrocketed in popularity. LinkedIn, in particular, has emerged as a powerful space where professionals can connect, share knowledge, and unlock new opportunities. However, not every attempt at creating a paid community on LinkedIn succeeds. The real question is, what does it truly take to build a successful paid community on a platform like LinkedIn?

In today’s episode of the Insight Out podcast, I have the pleasure of sitting down with John Espirian. John is a content marketing expert and Espresso+ community founder on LinkedIn who specializes in helping small businesses and solopreneurs thrive online without resorting to ads or cringe-worthy sales tactics. With a commitment to genuine connections, he guides clients to build effective and authentic presences on LinkedIn and the web.

In our conversation,  we dive deep into John’s journey of building a paid community and the ethos that has been the cornerstone of his success: being”relentlessly helpful,” and the challenges faced along the way. John shares insights on pricing, member engagement, and the importance of aligning the community with his personal brand values. He also talks about the operational aspects of managing the community, the significance of transparency, and the balance between private and public content. The episode highlights the importance of genuine engagement, listening to community feedback, and the strategic approach to building a successful personal brand and community.

In this episode, you will learn the following:

• The Genesis of Espresso+: A Relentlessly Helpful Community
• The Relentlessly Helpful Ethos
• Surprises and strategies in community management
• The unexpected demand and pricing dilemma
• The operational aspects of Espresso+
• The future of Espresso+ and community leadership
• The mindset required to build and maintain a thriving paid community.

In This Episode:

• [03:13] Evolution of the term “Espresso”
• [03:59] The transition from Copywriting to Community Building
• [08:29] The concept of being relentlessly helpful
• [11:04] Challenges of running a community
• [14:30] John’s biggest surprises in building a community
• [17:35] The journey and inspiration behind building a community
• [19:08] Choosing a platform and conducting competitor research.
• [21:52] End-to-end experience of community members: Areas of pride and improvement
• [26:20] Future plans and empowering community members
• [29:39] Embedding core values into the community
• [32:43] Balancing private and public content
• [33:33] Organizing daily activities
• [34:52] Managing community interactions
• [35:20] The time-consuming nature of managing the community
• [36:16] The decision to limit the community size
• [37:27] Key elements for a thriving community
• [39:17 The delight of the community emboldening members
• [40:52] Key insights and advice for building a successful community.
• [44:38] Tips for marketing and promotion to boost community awareness and participation.
• [47:50] The power of listening to the community

Notable Quotes

• [03:24] “Espresso just came from the idea of doing something short and sharp and strong, and I always thought of my emails as like a hit of digital caffeine for my audience.” – John

•  [15:44] “The whole relentlessly helpful thing is you try and give people as much content as you can that will answer every question under the sun.” – John

• [37:28] “I always look for any kind of green shoots of positive progress from people. If someone has been waiting a while to contribute, you want to be quick to celebrate that and to give them a good response.” – John

• [00:47:50] “I think it’s great if you can just listen to your community in terms of creating content that will shape the future of your brand. People will feel invested if they can see themselves, their ideas reflected in your content.” – John

Resources and Links

John Espirian

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnespirian/?originalSubdomain=uk
• https://espirian.co.uk/join/?1

Billy Samoa

• https://billysamoa.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/BillySamoaSaleebey/
• https://twitter.com/BillySamoa
• https://www.instagram.com/billybelieve/
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCjQ9RSxYqDS4_VxBHNyQJw
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/billysamoa/
• https://billysamoa.com/podcast-archive/
• https://billysamoa.com/video-carousel/
• https://billysamoa.com/blog-with-sidebar/

Mentioned

• Join 200+ members of the Espresso+ community at jesp.me/join