The Raptive Community Leaders program helps you build strong relationships with your top fans while creating an active, welcoming community from day one. Leaders are typically your most engaged fans. They can help spark community activity, welcome newcomers, start meaningful conversations, and model your brand’s vibe and values. Leaders can also answer community member questions and provide valuable feedback, bringing the kind of authentic, peer-to-peer perspective that makes communities genuinely thrive.
Sourcing Your Super Fans: The Leader Recruitment Playbook
We recommend recruiting at least 20 Leaders before opening your community to a broader audience, though closer to 50 can help create stronger momentum and encourage conversation. Before you open your community to the public, we’ll provide a private Leader invite link for you to share with your warmest, most engaged fans: people who regularly interact with your content, understand your voice, and are excited to help shape something new.
You can recruit Leaders through direct messages, targeted emails, social stories, existing groups, or other places where your most engaged audience already interacts with you. The invitation should feel personal and intentional, explaining:
- Why are you creating the community? Share your vision! This is a great opportunity to let them know the why behind what you’re building.
- Why are you inviting them specifically? Give them a shout-out. Let them know you’ve noticed their support, comments, or great energy over time and trust them to help set the tone.
- What do Leaders receive? They’ll get an exclusive public profile badge, entry into a private category just for you & other leaders, and leader-specific community tools.
- How can they help shape the community? Being explicit about what you want them to contribute and the values you want them to help uphold can help provide direction.
- How can they join? Give them a clear next step. All they have to do is click your private link and create their account to get started.
Once your community is live, the platform will continue recruiting active contributors as Leaders based on recent participation.
Beyond the Badge: Exclusive Ways to Recognize Your Leaders
Leaders receive a public badge on their profile, along with access to a private discussion category and group chat. You can make the experience of being a leader special by offering optional perks such as early access to content, exclusive post, opportunities to provide feedback, giveaways, special events, swag, or coupon codes for your products or merchandise.
Even small gestures, like a monthly post just for Leaders, can help them feel recognized and valued as supporters helping shape the community from the beginning. Pop in once a month to share a behind-the-scenes photo or ask for their thoughts on a new project.
An active group of Leaders helps the community feel welcoming, alive, and easy to join from the very beginning, and makes it more sustainable in the long run.