Podcast Summary: Voices of Search – “The biggest mistake in community building”

Podcast: Voices of Search
Episode Title: The biggest mistake in community building
Date: November 11, 2025
Host: Jordan Koene
Guest: John Levesque, CEO of Seek

Overview

In this episode, Jordan Koene sits down with John Levesque to dissect the nuances of building impactful online communities—especially the biggest mistakes to avoid. The conversation zeroes in on the difference between constructing communities around individuals versus fostering an inclusive environment that values every member’s contributions. Levesque draws on his personal experiences, offering actionable wisdom for SEO professionals and content marketers striving to cultivate communities that are not only vibrant but sustainable.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Central Mistake in Community Building

Building Around a Singular Personality:
John Levesque identifies this as the most critical misstep. While communities centered on an influential figure can scale rapidly, they lack staying power and easily fizzle out if the central figure steps back. This creates fragility rather than resilience in community dynamics.

“Community built around a singular personality…it goes farther, faster, but it doesn’t last as long. Community built around the spirit of the community lasts much longer, but it takes a lot longer to build.”
— John Levesque (01:00)
Durability Comes from Collective Ownership:
Levesque has learned through experience that involving members and centering the community around shared values and collective input creates longevity and deeper engagement.

Distinguishing Between Audience Building and Community Building (02:00)

Perspective in Storytelling:
- Audience Building: Focuses on “what it did for me.”
- Community Building: Focuses on “what will it do for others.”
Who Holds the Stage?
- If the leader dominates, it’s audience building.
- If members are given the spotlight, it’s true community building.
  
  “Do you let other people have the stage more than you as the leader?… Do I have the most time on the stage or do they have the most time on the stage?”
  — John Levesque (02:30)
The Value of Balance:
Levesque emphasizes that a successful community needs a mix: charismatic leadership sets direction, but a supportive environment that elevates member voices is essential.

“A good community has some balance of both—a good leader personality drives a community forward. Someone standing at the front saying, ‘let’s go this way’ is just as valuable as someone at the back saying, ‘come on everybody, let’s go that way.’”
— John Levesque (03:10)

Practical Takeaways (Recap)

Don’t build solely around one person; infuse community with shared purpose.
Tell stories that benefit others, not just yourself.
As a leader, step back and let members shine.
Balance leadership inspiration with collaborative community-building.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On building around a single person:

“Built a couple communities around like my personality. They grew fast, but they also fizzled out fast.”
— John Levesque (01:30)
On the leader’s role:

“A little bit more of the second, you know, behind, than the first in front is the best blend.”
— John Levesque (03:30)

Important Timestamps

[01:00] – The danger of communities built around singular personalities.
[02:00] – Audience vs. community building: telling a story for others vs. for oneself.
[02:30] – The importance of letting others take the stage.
[03:10] – Achieving the right balance between leading and supporting.
[03:30] – Final thoughts on healthy community dynamics.

Conclusion

This episode delivers hard-won wisdom for anyone wanting to build lasting online communities. John Levesque’s reflections serve as a caution against ego-driven community strategies and highlight the importance of inclusivity and shared momentum. Leaders are most effective when they champion others and foster a sense of collective purpose—a lesson as relevant for SEO and content marketing as for any digital community.

Listen and follow for more insights:

LinkedIn: John Levesque
Website: seeq.ing

Transcript

A (0:00)

The Voices of Search Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com welcome to the Voices of Search Podcast. A member of the I Hear Everything Podcast network, ready to expedite your company's organic growth efforts. Sit back, relax, and get ready for your daily dose of search engine optimization wisdom. Here's today's host of the Voices of Search podcast, Jordan Cooney. Let's dive into our lightning round where we're going to ask you a bunch of discovery related questions on this week's topic, which is the end of this directory era. All right, Are you ready? Ready. All right, awesome. So let's go through mistake replay. What's the biggest mistake you've seen in community building that you'd never want to repeat? Community built around a singular personality. It goes farther, faster, but it doesn't last as long. Community built around the spirit of the community lasts much longer, but it takes a lot longer to build. And so I definitely learned that lesson a couple of times. Built a couple communities around like my personality. They grew fast, but they also fizzled out fast. Right. And so I think, yeah, that's that. What are some tips for our listeners to understand the difference of that isolation of building a community for one person versus really listening to the entire community? So I think the simplest distinction that I've ever been able to boil it down to is if you are telling a story from the perspective of what will it do for others versus what it did for me, that's one big difference between audience building and community building. And I think the other one is do you let other people have the stage more than you as the leader? And I think because then again, that's audience building versus community building. Do I have the most time on the stage or do they have the most time on the stage? Is this story about what it can do for them or is it about what it did for me? I think a good community has some balance of both because a good leader personality drives a community forward. Someone standing at the front saying, let's go this way is just as valuable as someone at the back saying, come on everybody, let's go that way. Right? But I think, you know, a little bit more of the second, you know, behind than the first in front is the best blend. Love it. And that wraps up this episode of the Voices Search podcast. A huge thank you to John Levesque, CEO of Seek, for joining us. If you'd like to contact John, you can find a link to his LinkedIn profile in our show notes or on the voicesofsearch.com you can also visit his website seeks eeq.ing. if you haven't subscribed yet and would like a daily stream of SEO and content marketing knowledge in your podcast feed, hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed every week. Okay, that's all for today, but until next time, remember, the answers are always in the data.