Creator Science with Jay Clouse

Episode #295: Community Building Trends for 2026 with Becky Pierson Davidson

Date: March 3, 2026
Guest: Becky Pierson Davidson – Community Product Strategist, Founder of Affinity Collective
Theme: The evolution of online communities, emerging membership models, honest retention challenges, and predictions for where community is heading through 2026.

Episode Overview

In this engaging and tactical episode, Jay Clouse sits down with returning guest and friend, Becky Pierson Davidson, to dissect the current and future trends in online community building as of 2026. The two compare notes on what’s changed, what’s working for top creators, and where community-led business models are headed in the face of AI, changing audience desires, and platform evolutions. Highlights include actionable advice on membership transitions, setting and communicating expectations, balancing content with connection, personalization, retention strategies, and innovative in-person event models.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Defining Community: Beyond Audience ([03:16]–[05:43])

• Community as Product, not Marketing:

  • Becky: “I think about community a lot as a product versus as a marketing growth engine...something that you really nurture and improve over time.” ([03:33])
  • Both Jay & Becky distinguish "community" from "audience":
    • Audience = one-to-many, largely consumptive.
    • Community = connections, relationship-building, peer-to-peer interaction.

• Hot Take:

  • "I don't think about audience as community, which I know is maybe a hot take..." – Becky ([04:25])

Memberships > Courses: The 2026 Landscape ([05:43]–[07:59])

• Memberships on the Rise:

  • Becky notes a surge in creators pivoting from self-paced, passive income courses to membership-based models with a focus on connection and shared learning.
  • "Community is the piece that really is bringing people into this shared learning experience...away from an education like self-paced kind of experience..." – Becky ([05:43])

• Transition Challenges:

  • Shifting from courses to community is complex, not a plug-and-play swap:
    • Depends on willingness to run live events, interact, or hire support/coaches.
    • Example: A course business now using a separate coach for community engagement, not the face creator. ([08:59])

Designing Community for Creator Capacity and Member Experience ([07:59]–[12:40])

• Active vs. Passive Income Reality:

  • "Community is very active income...so much of [my time] gets soaked up in the lab and in our community." – Jay ([07:59])
  • Importance of matching the community model to the creator's actual time/energy/desire to engage.

• Boundaries and Expectation Setting:

  • Over-promising leads to "bait and switch" feeling from members if the creator is absent.
  • “People will probably assume they get more access to the creator than is real.” – Jay ([10:10])
  • Becky advocates transparent communication, involving community members in decisions, and a “co-creation” mindset.

• Notable Quote:

  • “We need to over communicate...make the community part of decisions. Like, we're co-creating this community experience.” – Becky ([11:15])

Value Proposition: Transformation, Programming, and "Surprise & Delight" ([14:04]–[21:47])

• Transformation Sells, Community Retains:

  • “People buy for the outcomes and for the roadmap or the checklist...they stick around because of the community.” – Becky ([14:55])
  • Jay’s alternative: Centers Lab on peer learning and experimentation, not a linear transformation.

• Programming Drives Connection:

  • Becky describes organizing workshop calls with clear objectives—people sharing work, getting direct feedback, fostering authentic connections around shared progress ([17:51]):

    "That builds connection because they actually have a shared thing that they're working on..."

• Minimal Viable Promise:

  • Jay: “You need to make the smallest viable promise [on the sales page] so you have flexibility...do a lot of surprise and delight.” ([14:04])

Forums, Meaningful Engagement, and Community Behavior ([21:47]–[29:52])

• Forum Design: Simplicity Over Complexity:

  • Becky: Start with as few channels/spaces as possible and expand only as real usage patterns emerge ([22:12]).
  • Avoid over-engineering; confusion reduces engagement.

• Defining "Meaningful Engagement":

  • Shift from vanity metrics ("chatter all day") to alignment with the community’s purpose (e.g., experiment sharing in the Lab).
  • Use ambassadors (“plants”) to model desirable behavior ([24:19]).

• Onboarding & Participation Culture:

  • Draws from Dreamers & Doers’ application process: “...application you're basically like accepting the terms for what it means to be a member...” – Becky ([27:05])
  • Surface member success stories:

    "If you asked me my behavior in the lab...because we always learn a lot from people telling their stories." – Becky ([29:52])

• Jay’s Welcome Call Advice:

  • “Be a little selfish in the forum. I've never seen anybody overuse it...” – Jay ([28:48])

Offline & In-Person: The Retention Powerhouse ([34:34]–[41:22])

• Becky’s Bold Prediction (2025, still true for 2026):

  • “You have to have some kind of in person component to your online community to have high retention and survive the next wave of this.” ([34:34])

• Case Study: Beyond Connection

  • 8-week cohort program with a Graduation Weekend in LA (includes dinner at Keith Ferrazzi's house, member-led meetups).
  • 66% of cohort attended in person; 60% monthly active users a year later (post-program) ([36:47])

• Offline Event Economics:

  • Covering costs via ticket price vs. rolling costs into higher membership fees.
  • Additional models: member-led local dinners with 20% sponsorship, high-ticket masterminds with retreats.

• Jay’s Reflection:

  • In-person events dramatically increase retention and satisfaction.

Content Overload vs. Connection ([41:52]–[44:03])

• Content Drops Are Out:

  • "Content drops are dying...content's overwhelming. And the number one reason people leave communities is overwhelm." – Becky ([41:52])

• Simplicity & Programming Are In:

  • Focusing on core resource libraries and live programming rather than constantly adding new stuff.
  • Memberships are sticky because of connection, not content quantity.

• Jay's Example:

  • Membership for CMOs with only quarterly questionnaires + aggregated results = high retention. Less is more when it's the right less.

Retention and Personalization ([44:03]–[54:42])

• Retention Mindset Shift:

  • Not just, “Did I get my money’s worth?” but “Am I willing/able to put in the required effort next year?” ([45:24])
  • Time investment and perceived future payoff drive renewal decisions.

• Personal Connection Trumps Results:

  • "What matters more is the connection to others. And so if the in person stuff drives a ton of really meaningful connection...that's what drives retention more than anything." – Becky ([48:21])

• Optionality:

  • Provide multiple ways to participate—live, forum, listen-only, in-person, mastermind.
  • “We need to have more optionality. And I think you do a really good job of this...” – Becky ([49:54])

Platform Choices, Personalization, and Hot Takes ([50:32]–[54:42])

• Platform Stack:

  • “Nine times out of 10 we're building on Circle...” – Becky ([50:40])
  • Some clients still using Slack, but more often these communities eventually migrate to Circle for better all-in-one experience.
  • Issues with Slack: poor community pricing, content expiration.

• Wishlists & Predictions:

  • Personalization (including onboarding quizzes, dynamic resource delivery) is the next crux for engagement/retention, but software still lags.
  • Expect AI-driven personalization layers on platforms soon. ([53:41])

• Fun Moment:

  • Jay: “Kiss, Marry, Kill: Circle, Slack, School?”
    • Becky: “I'd kill School. I'd marry Circle. I'd kiss Slack.” ([52:15])

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Value & Overwhelm:

  • "The number one reason people leave communities is overwhelm. And so we don't need to create more overwhelming libraries of stuff..." – Becky ([41:57])

• On Setting Expectations:

  • “Anytime that you don’t put your time to, you’re saying you don’t value this in this way.” – Jay ([12:40])

• On Member Stories Informing Design:

  • “Collecting those stories and being like, here's how people engage, Becky reads [the forum] every morning with her coffee...” – Becky ([29:52])

• On Personalization:

  • “Personalization is going to be necessary for higher engagement, higher retention, better member success, and there's not a great solution for it yet. So we're doing a lot of experimental stuff.” – Becky ([53:41])

Segment Timestamps

• Defining Community (vs. Audience): [03:16]–[05:43]
• Memberships v. Courses Trend: [05:43]–[07:59]
• Designing Community for Time/Appetite: [07:59]–[12:40]
• Setting and Communicating Expectations: [10:10]–[16:34]
• Transformation, Programming, and Roadmaps: [14:55]–[21:47]
• Forum, Engagement, Onboarding: [21:47]–[29:52]
• Offline/IRL Events Impact: [34:34]–[41:22]
• Simplification / 'Content Drops Dying': [41:52]–[44:03]
• Retention Theory & Personalization: [44:03]–[54:42]
• Platform Stack & Final Hot Takes: [50:32]–[55:05]

Final Takeaways

• Communities are only becoming more central as creators shift away from self-paced, content-heavy courses
• Setting clear, honest expectations up front is crucial for retention and member satisfaction
• Simplicity in forum and programming design, and a focus on inter-member connection, reduces overwhelm
• In-person or high-touch events create outsized retention and belonging
• Personalization is the next big lever for higher engagement, but tools are still lacking
• Offering optional ways to participate accommodates different member personalities and needs
• Less is more when it’s the right ‘less’; programming and shared momentum trump content quantity

Links & Resources

• Becky Pierson Davidson: affinitycollective.com
• Becky's Podcast: Build with Becky
• The Lab Membership (Jay Clouse): creatorscience.com/lab

This episode is a must-listen for current or aspiring community builders, membership site operators, and any creator wrestling with real-world retention, engagement, and platform choices in 2026.