Build Better | Don't Kick Level 1's (Here Is Why)

Nov '24 • Posts

I have had several conversations in the past 2 weeks about Level 1 members and if people should kick them. Had 2 conversations today and then also Calvin posted about it in Skool Games.

What are level 1's? People who have not engaged or very little engagement within the community to the point they haven't reached level 2 on the leaderboard. Some call them Lurkers, Procrastinators, etc.

Well there are a few things I would like to share with everyone so that this perspective and some facts about communities is fully explained for all wondering about it.

There are so many reasons a person would choose to stay level 1 and not engage. (This is from studies I've found.)

Lack of understanding. They may not understand the community vibe or the platform. No one wants to feel stupid or like they did something wrong, so they just stay in observer mode. It's also why we must communicate it, because we can not expect them to ask.
They are content with just observing.
They may have had a bad experience in other communities.
They don't have the mental capacity or energy to engage back and forth the way they would want to.
They have a high level position in either their job or in society and can not take the risk of being noticed in the community, but they really want to learn from you. Offering more options to speak just 1:1 with you can help, especially if you have established trust within the way you show up to your community.
They may be socially awkward or introverted. Creating a safe place for them to feel comfortable can really make a huge impact on their sense of belonging and acceptance.

There could be even more valid reasons, but these are the ones off the top of my head.

Myth going around:

"You need to kick level 1's, because it hurts your numbers in discovery."

That is not true and I have spoken to Skool directly about this. Yes, your discovery is going to increase, if your people are active and engaging. Having inactive members does not harm you in any way, (except maybe your ego) and it is very normal and healthy to have a large amount of level 1's. Great job if you can encourage them to move up the levels, but not force them.

I have been in several groups where I was active and because I saw that this is how they treat people who are not active, I have left sometimes. Not only have I left... I will never recommend them at all to anyone.

If you're not getting the engagement that you want, then it's time to look at your engagement strategy and your actions and not on others to perform.

Ultimately, I think you're losing out on high paying clients, trust factor, and long-term stability of a community if you kick them or treat them poorly. At that point, just get a website and an email list and don't pretend you're building a community.

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Build Better | Don't Kick Level 1's (Here Is Why)