#295: Community Building Trends for 2026 with Becky Pierson Davidson [Greatest Hits]
Creator Science with Jay ClouseShow Notes
I brought back Becky Pierson Davidson to compare notes on where community is headed — and we found a few areas of disagreement. Becky works with 6, 7, and 8-figure businesses helping them build memberships and courses through design thinking and customer research, and she's seeing a major shift right now: course businesses are slowing down, and the smart ones are pivoting to membership models. The difference? Shared learning experiences are replacing self-paced education. Community is what people stay for.
We dig into the real mechanics: how to set expectations that don't feel like a bait-and-switch, why meaningful engagement isn't what most people think it is, the mastermind paradox (increases retention, decreases forum activity), and why in-person events might be the most important retention lever you're not using. Becky's hot take for 2026: content drops are dying. People don't need more stuff — they need connection and programming that moves them forward.
Affinity Collective
Build with Becky podcast
Episode 197: Building Raving Fans (with Becky & Chanel)
Circle (community platform)
TightKnit (Slack archive plugin)
Dreamers and Doers
Full transcript and show notes
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TIMESTAMPS
(02:35) Defining community as a product, not a growth engine
(04:09) Why community is rising as a business model in 2026
(06:02) The reality of transitioning from courses to memberships
(08:01) Finding the right community design for your appetite
(10:02) How to avoid the bait-and-switch with member expectations
(13:06) Value perception vs. value experience
(13:57) The smallest viable promise for your sales page
(16:44) Where we disagree: transformation vs. community of practice
(21:14) Forum design: why fewer spaces wins
(23:17) Solving the engagement problem (what meaningful engagement actually is)
(25:50) How the best members actually use your community
(29:46) The mastermind paradox: retention up, forum participation down
(32:09) In-person experiences and the graduation weekend model
(36:39) The economics of offline events
(39:35) 2026 Hot Take: Content drops are dying
(43:07) Retention rethink: Did I get my money's worth vs. Will I next year?
(46:04) Why connection drives retention more than results
(48:23) Tool stack: Circle 9 times out of 10
(51:14) The future: personalization in community software
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RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE
→ Episode 197: Building Raving Fans
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