This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Should you monetize a free Facebook group? Can you turn a free Facebook group into a revenue source without upsetting your members? In this episode, we're gonna look at exactly that question. Welcome to Side Hustle School. My name's Chris Guillebeau.
We've got all kinds of people out there doing all sorts of interesting things. They're all trying to create economic empowerment. They wanna make extra money without quitting their job, perhaps eventually quitting their job to go full-time, but either way, building a path to some financial freedom, which is great, right? So today, we're gonna look at running an online community. Specifically, we've got somebody out there with a Facebook group about sustainable fashion, Facebook group on sustainable fashion.
It's grown to 15,000 members, which is pretty big, especially if they're active members, not just people who joined at one point, but 15,000 people posting actively is pretty significant. So she's wondering, because this has been entirely free, a free group, she's wondering if there's a way to monetize it without hurting the sense of community. That would be a little bit of a disruption, of course. So is there a way to do it? And I think there might be.
So let's talk about when and how to introduce a revenue source as a way that adds value rather than turning people away. And some people may be disappointed, but we're talking about the majority of people. So what can you do to serve this Facebook group? And how can you perhaps turn it into a revenue stream? That's today's question.
Detailed version in my answer coming right up. [Music]
Hey, Chris, this is Danielle from Raleigh. A few years ago, I started a Facebook group for people interested in sustainable fashion. It started as a fun side project, but it's grown to over 15,000 members and managing it takes a lot of my time. I love the community, but I'm starting to wonder if I should be making money from it, especially since other businesses are benefiting by promoting their product in the group.
I don't want to ruin the vibe or drive people away, but is there a way to monetize the group that feels natural and fair? - Hey Danielle, this reminds me of my good friend and brother-in-law, Wes Wages. He has got a big Facebook group of photography gear, video and photography gear and discussion and such. And I don't know how many members it is, but it's very active. He built it up.
I think it's free, and from time to time, he's wondered like, what should I do with this? Can I sell it? What is the way to monetizing it? So in this situation, Danielle, with her niche or her focus of sustainable fashion, she's definitely built something valuable. And it definitely makes sense to explore ways to generate income from it.
I think maybe the wrong way to go about it would be like, okay, it's been free all this time. Now it's going to be paid, right? 'Cause you will lose a lot of people by doing that. Like you've captured all this goodwill. What is a way to translate that goodwill or redirect it into some kind of revenue source without taking away the free group?
So I would say the free group stays, like the free group remains. And then it's like, what can I do on top of that? And so that could be a paid membership where you introduce it kind of gradually, slowly. Maybe you give people trials with it without taking away the features that they've had to this point. It's more like you're introducing something additional.
And then I think if you don't want to do that, and by the way, I should say you can do that through Patreon. You can do that through some of Facebook's platforms. You can redirect it to a completely off Facebook platform. There's lots of ways to do it. But also, if you don't want to have a membership, then just think about the influence that you have gained through this group.
What are some ways to redirect that influence? So if there's something else you could sell, can you sell guides or courses? Like we talk about all the time on the podcast, can you sell those? And then just from time to time, you mention them in the group because it's your group. You can do that.
So that's essentially another way of monetizing without taking anything away from the existing group. Or if you're trying to do consulting, then once again, you've got this influence. You have all these people following you. I think you start reaching out to some of those folks and saying like, I'm also doing this thing. So in my opinion, you don't take away the free Facebook group.
You keep that there. You just try to capture some of the goodwill that you have spent a long time, presumably years, I would imagine, building this up. And way to go, just focusing on community. I think that's great as well. Listeners, if you have a question or a comment, sidehustleschool.com/questions.
Thank you for being out there. We'll continue to feature them throughout the year, along with updates from listeners as they launch and grow their projects. I am honored to make the show for you every single day. I'm excited for all that is to come. It's always free, of course.
My name is Chris Guillebeau. You're listening to Side Hustle School.
