Before You Post Anything: Do This First (What I Set Up Before Opening Indigo AI)
Most people open a community and immediately think about content. What to post, how often, what the first thing should say.
I did not start there. And if you are ever thinking about building a community, I would suggest you do not either.
Here is what I set up first, and why the order matters.
🏗️ The foundation before the front door
The very first thing I sorted was the community agreement. Not because it is exciting, but because I knew I was going to collect email addresses through the joining questions. You cannot collect data without telling people what you will do with it. In the UK that is not optional. So before a single member joined, there was a plain-language document in the START HERE module explaining exactly what their email would be used for and how to opt out.
Skool has its own terms and conditions that cover the platform. What it does not cover is how your specific community operates. That part is yours to write.
📚 The welcome module before the content
The second thing I built was the START HERE module. Five short pages covering what Indigo AI is, how the community works, the community agreement, and what is being built. All publicly visible, all in place before the doors opened.
The logic is simple. If someone joins and lands somewhere empty or confusing, they leave. The welcome module is not exciting content. It is the thing that makes everything else make sense.
🪝 The copy that does the heavy lifting
Once the foundation was in place I worked on the about page description and the hook. These are the words a prospective member reads before they decide to join. The about page has a 1000 character limit. The hook has 150. Every word has to earn its place.
The framework I used structures the copy in seven sections: who it is for, why you are credible, what they get, what it is not for, proof, friction removers, and a clear call to action. Even with limited proof at an early stage you can write honestly and still write confidently.
❓ The joining questions
I used all three slots. One collects email addresses for the mailing list. One asks what AI topic or tool they are still trying to figure out; that answer feeds directly into what gets built in the classroom. One asks what they are currently working on, multiple choice, so I know who is actually in the room.
Open text questions are valuable for research. Multiple choice questions get completed. Know which you need and use the right one.
📌 The pinned posts
Three pinned slots in a Skool community. I used two immediately. One permanent Start Here post that doubles as an introduction thread. One Building in Public anchor post with a poll asking how members prefer to learn, because that answer will directly shape how the classroom gets built.
The third slot is kept free. When a module launches or something time-sensitive needs visibility, it is there.
🚪 Then, and only then, the doors opened
By the time the community went public, a new member could join, read everything they needed to understand the space, introduce themselves, cast a vote, and know exactly what to do next.
That is the goal. Not a perfect community. A ready one.
If you are building something and want to talk through the setup, drop a question below. This series is a live account of how Indigo AI gets built; the decisions, the order, and the reasoning behind them.
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Before You Post Anything: Do This First (What I Set Up Before Opening Indigo AI)
