Episode Overview

Podcast: People Magic: How to Build a $1M Community
Episode: Stop Losing Members: The "Sticky" Community Framework
Host: Gina Bianchini (Founder and CEO, Mighty Networks)
Date: January 29, 2026

In this episode, Gina Bianchini explores why the first experience in your membership, course, or community is the most crucial determinant of long-term success and member retention. She introduces her "Sticky" Community Framework, highlighting the essential ingredients of creating people magic—a member experience so valuable and remarkable that it both retains members and allows you to confidently charge for participation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Importance of a Magical First Experience

• Emotional Impact:
  Gina emphasizes that after spending so much effort recruiting members, the biggest difference between communities that thrive and those that don’t is their focus on creating a compelling, positive first experience.

  • "You have worked hard to get your members into your new membership or course or challenge or event and making that first experience magical is so important and also really fun." (00:00, Gina Bianchini)

• Common Pitfall:
  New community builders often get bogged down in logistics (platforms, guidelines, tech) and miss the opportunity to deliver immediate member value.

  • "We focus on logistics or mechanics and the value of your membership, the one that you just worked really, really hard to create, your offer and your launch and your sales page and invite new people in gets lost. It's not a magical first experience." (00:38, Gina)

The Formula for a Magical First Experience

Gina shares a simple but powerful formula:

Purpose + Connection + Surprise = Magical First Experience

• Purpose grounds the member in why they’re there
• Connection inspires them to engage with others
• Surprise delights them beyond expectations

Real-World Examples

Gina cites several thriving communities and their approaches:

• Playwork (Early-career programmers & engineers who love gaming):
  • Members are encouraged to join live events and game together immediately.
  • They receive a personal community tour and an intro call with the team.
• Live Richer Academy (Tiffany Alice/Budgetnista Community):
  • Surprise new members with a mini-course on investing.
  • Personalized welcome email.
  • Free book on growing a multimillion-dollar business.
  • "These are just little surprises, things that they weren't necessarily expecting when they joined that they get when they join the Live Richer Academy." (02:07, Gina)
• Outlier Project (Leaders prioritizing self-improvement):
  • Access to real-life meetups across the country.
  • Badging system: new members take one action to earn a badge.
  • Warm welcome video from the hosts.
• The Bite Shot (Food photographers):
  • Free downloadable gift for new members.
  • Engaging welcome video.
  • Invitation to a year-long (52-week) food photography challenge.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On why guidelines and instructions aren’t enough:
  • "...I put all my community guidelines on the welcome page plus a welcome video telling everyone how the website works. But the launch kind of tanked. Not sure what to do." (00:22, Listener Question)
• On the necessity of surprise and delight:
  • "So these are just little surprises, things that they weren't necessarily expecting when they joined..." (02:07, Gina)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 – Gina introduces the importance of a magical first experience
• 00:22 – Listener question: launched a community with guidelines and video, but weak results
• 00:38 – Gina explains why logistics aren't enough and introduces her formula
• 01:18 – Playwork community example
• 01:43 – Live Richer Academy example
• 02:13 – Outlier Project example
• 02:38 – The Bite Shot example
• 03:05 – Gina thanks the audience and encourages trying Mighty Networks

Takeaways for Community Builders

• Don’t just focus on the rules or walkthroughs; focus on human connection and delight.
• Design the first member experience around purpose, connection, and an element of surprise.
• Real-life examples show that community-first thinking creates engagement and “stickiness.”

Closing Note & Call to Action

Gina closes by expressing gratitude for listeners and encourages them to take the next step in their community-building journey:

• "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of this. It really means a lot to me that you've invested the time to watch these videos and hopefully I have inspired you to start a free trial of a mighty network. This is people magic. I'm Gina Bianchini. Until next time." (03:10)