How Facebook Groups Helped Turbo-Charge Forever35's Community
Forever 35’s strategy could be a masterclass in transforming a podcast into a digital campfire. Below, 5 key things they’re doing.
The first time I listened to the Forever35 podcast about all things self-care, I felt as if I’d been teleported through a serum-drenched rabbit hole into a grown-up version of the best slumber party ever. The conversations between BFFs and co-hosts Doree Shafrir and Kate Spencer were silly and girlie and fun, but also serious and raw and vulnerable. And I felt like the luckiest damn fly on the wall just to be there.
I definitely wasn’t alone.
The Forever35 community is thousands-strong, and its unofficial HQ is the Forever35 Facebook group, which the co-hosts created when they started the podcast two years ago and which now has more than 18,000 members. Another 104 fan-led Forever35 Facebook sub-groups have also sprung up organically since the show’s inception.
These groups have been the most visible part of a community-first strategy that Doree and Kate have continued to evolve through the coronavirus crisis, and may be the reason Forever35 has not had the major dips in listenership that many other podcasts have reportedly been experiencing over the past couple of months. (Doree says that although Forever35 has experienced a slight downturn, overall its listenership stayed “pretty consistent” at 125,000 per week throughout the crisis).
The community-first strategy Doree and Kate used to turbo-charge their podcast into a crazy popular campfire is basically a masterclass for anyone trying to build a community of any kind. That in mind, here are five.
1. Focus on one platform and really commit
Thinking about developing communities across multiple platforms? Not so fast: It’s easy to spread yourself too thin. Doree and Kate made that mistake early on, launching a newsletter that, in addition to running dedicated Twitter and Instagram accounts and the primary Facebook Group, ended up being a huge lift to produce. They ceased production even though it had a big following so they could focus their energy elsewhere. Instead, pick one platform and make it your community’s primary home.
2. Establish healthy boundaries for your community early
The podcast’s co-hosts Doree and Kate started the primary Forever35 Facebook Group soon after their first episode aired “as a place for our listeners to gather and talk amongst themselves in a safe space,” according to Doree. Facebook seemed like a good option, since their listeners were largely already on that platform. But the co-hosts knew they needed to set boundaries from the start if they wanted the group to run smoothly, so they put a lot of thought into how to make that happen, especially having had past experiences with Facebook groups that “go off the rails.” From the start, they put some basic guidelines in place (don't attack others, don’t promote your MLM business, don’t share anything outside the group). Soon after, they turned on post moderation in the group, and they credit this choice with helping to keep the tone respectful. Today, there are over 12 volunteer moderators around the world, so posts from the group’s 18,000-plus members are monitored 24/7.
3. Don’t be afraid to relinquish control (but build trust first)
Whether you’re hosting a podcast or running a Fortune 500 company, it can be scary to cede control to anyone, let alone to a bunch of people, most or all of whom you’ve never met. But early on, Doree and Kate handed the reins over to their community, encouraging them to create Facebook sub-groups in the spirit of Forever35. Soon, the groups proliferated organically. Today, there are groups ranging in size from a couple of hundred to many thousands of members where people discuss everything from “woo-woo and witchery” to sobriety, Animal Crossing to Royals watching, Disney to divorce. Some members of the groups aren’t even Forever35 listeners, but Kate and Doree say “they're still in there for the community.” None of this, says Doree, would be possible without a key ingredient. They trust their listeners and their listeners trust them.
4. Create a barrier to entry for your community, however low
All Forever35 Facebook Groups require a password to join. The password is not hard to guess. The pair say it at the top of every show (spoiler alert: it’s “serums”). Still, says Kate, “it’s surprising how many people still don't get the right password.” The effect is that all group members end up actually being aware of the podcast, even if they’re not active listeners, and the community maintains a degree of focus it wouldn’t otherwise have.
5. Be vulnerable if you want your community to do the same
Conversation in the Facebook groups gets pretty real, pretty fast (case in point: a woman recently posted in one of Forever35’s groups that she was planning to leave her marriage, something she said she was revealing to the group before anyone else—and the community jumped in to support her.) This level of honesty probably wouldn’t be possible if Kate and Doree had not already set the tone. “Kate and I have both been very vulnerable on the podcast. We’ve talked about things that are intimate in every sense of the word.” The upshot? A “snowball effect” where people feel empowered to share and be vulnerable, as well, because they know they’ll feel supported.
Want to hear more community-building tips from Forever35’s Kate Spencer and Doree Shafrir? Check out our full 52-minute conversation on The Digital Campfire Download here.