Seeding the space before you open the doors

A new member's first look at your community answers one question: is anyone here? Seeding is about making sure the answer is yes before you invite people in.

What to prepare

• Five to ten real posts on topics your members care about. Write some yourself and ask your first members for the rest.
• Two or three open questions that are easy to answer, such as "What's one tool you couldn't run your group without?"
• An introductions thread with your own introduction already in it, so nobody has to go first.
• One upcoming event or ritual, even a small one, so there's a reason to come back.

Use real voices

Seeding works best with posts under your own name and your team's names, plus genuine stories from friends who have agreed to share them. A starter post that answers a question someone actually asked you last month will always beat a generic "Top 10 tips" article.

Spread the starter posts over a couple of weeks before launch rather than publishing them all in one afternoon. A feed where every post has the same date looks like a stage set.

This week's task: list ten starter posts and three open questions for your community, then write the first two.