When I decided to make my community public, I got a lot of questions. But the main one was always the same. Why? 🤷‍♀️ The answer is that there are several reasons. I wanted to explain them, especially if you are thinking about whether you should have one too. I have always recommended having a public Skool community alongside whatever you are doing on Skool. Whether you are running your own community or supporting someone else, it is something I genuinely believe in and have told people to do for a long time. Especially now that we have the option of a $9 hobby plan community, but even when there was only the $99 option, I still saw it as one of the cheapest forms of SEO and marketing you could invest in. Do you know how much it costs to have someone do SEO for you? A good one can cost a lot, so this is super affordable. But at a certain point I realized something. Even if I understand how valuable it is and can explain what to do and how to do it, a lot of people need to actually see it. They need a real example. Something visual and hands-on. I get it.. I learn better that way too! 😅 Why am I so sure everyone should have one? I have tested the power of a public community on Skool, and I also know how powerful SEO is from long before Skool even existed. That combination is what made the decision obvious for me. Let me ask you this.. If you saw what YouTube looked like before it got big, or what TikTok looked like before it took off, and you understood the potential back then, would you not lean into it and tell others to do the same? That is where I believe Skool is at right now, and where the real opportunity is with AI discoverability. You're not too late to the game and you don't need to feel FOMO, because you're here right now. Another big reason is time. ⏳ I only have so much time in a day and everyone wants some of it, and I genuinely want to give it. But I am still only human with life happening. I am a single mom, I homeschool my little one, and I am everyone’s go-to person.

Over the next few days, I am going to be sharing a series of posts about public Skool communities. Public communities rarely get the spotlight they deserve for how powerful they can be. It has been a long time coming, and I have gotten a lot of questions about this decision from people building on Skool, people considering it, and people trying to decide what direction to go. So instead of making one long post that could turn into a novel, I wanted to break it down into a series of posts so we can cover everything properly and answer questions as they come up. ✍️✅ Here is what we will cover: Why I made my Skool community public Should you have a public Skool community or a private one? Things to make sure you do if you go from private to public What will help your public Skool community Skool tips for a public community, including how to prevent spammers and low quality posts And the Skool strategy I personally recommend and will lead by example with After that, I will shift back to what this community is here for: - Resources and templates you can use. - New Skool videos and podcast episodes. - Highlighted communities that are worth checking out. - Posts about new Skool features and platform changes. - Breakdowns of how different Skool communities are structured and what is working. - Plus, little things I find across Skool that most people miss, like features, pages, or tools you might not know exist. Yes, I did say a podcast! 🎤 I finally can announce that my podcast host Eric and I are launching a new one together! We had one when we first started on Skool two years ago, took a break, and now we are starting fresh with a new one focused on online communities and what actually works in practice. So… who is @Eric Howell? If you are building a Skool, it is really easy to feel like you should be able to do everything yourself. Content, community, offers, systems, traffic. And the truth is, you probably can.. I know I felt like that.

This community helps you understand what Skool is, how the platform works, and stay up to date with platform changes that affect how people use it. Sometimes I will highlight Skool communities that are worth checking out. These are shared as real examples of how people are using the platform and what different types of communities can look like in practice. So What is Skool? Skool is a community platform where people can discover or create communities. People use Skool to run communities that include content, discussions, events, and memberships in one place. Inside the Classroom, you will find three main resources: Skool Basics This walks through what Skool is, what Skoolers is, and how the Skool Games work. Skool Build Template This is a practical starter kit you get free access to just by joining the community. The build template includes a checklist, a questionnaire to help you think through your idea, and Canva templates you can use to set things up visually. Skool Clarity Call Feedback Real responses from community members about their ideas and the clarity they gained from clarity calls. This is something I recommend community owners do for their own members when starting out, no matter what their community is about. You can see what others have to say by joining the community for free. What will the content in here look like? You will see: - Resources and templates you can use. - Our latest Skool videos and podcast episodes. - Highlighted communities that are worth checking out. - Posts about new Skool features and platform changes. - Breakdowns of how different Skool communities are structured and what is working.

Skool just released a $9/m pricing option, and it’s now easier than ever to build a low-ticket paid community around something you already care about. In this new video, I walk through how creators are using this plan to build simple Skool communities that are earning $1k a month or more, without needing a big audience or complicated offer. What the video covers: • Real examples of low ticket communities that are already working • How to calculate if your time investment makes sense • Why 143 members can equal your first $1,000 online • How to use Skool Discovery to get organic traffic • Ways to grow from low-ticket to higher offers Watch the video here: Turn $9 Into Your First $1K Online With Skool (Thank You Sam Ovens) If you’re still figuring out what to build, you can post questions in this community & I'd be happy to answer them! If you're wanting to build a community but need guidance, you can use my free build template in the classroom. Already built a $9 community? 👉 Drop your Skool link in the YouTube comments, and I might feature it so more people can find you. (This is also helpful for viewers to see others doing it! Encourage them and get eyes on your community!) 👇 What kind of community would you build for $9 per month?

On Skool News today they announced that you can now start a new community for only $9 a month! Amazing, right?! You can see it on the pricing page here. But here is what you need to know. I downgraded a community to show you what it looks like. (All pictures included, so if you're on a phone.. swipe!) You lose: Custom URL All the links that originally posted somewhere will FAIL (go change them) Transaction fees go from 2.9% to 10% Suggested groups will show on side bar You only get 1 admin/moderator (YOU the owner) You lose access to PRO plugins You lose access to affiliates Your cover photo will have a powered by Skool banner Before you can downgrade, you may need to do a few tasks like: If you have a moderator or admin, you will have to downgrade them. Turn off the pro plugins. Turn off affiliates. If someone starts a Skool community from your $9/m community, you won't be auto given the affiliate. You can still get them as an affiliate, if you give them your affiliate link. IF you have people that had a community as an affiliate underneath you, then you will still get a commission for a $9/m community if they downgrade. If someone starts as a $9/m community and they upgrade, you'll get the upgraded affiliate amount. Who are you bringing to Skool? Are you starting a $9/m community?