Community reactivation, in a nutshell, is all about re-engaging members who are inactive and bringing them back to your community’s world.

As a community manager, you are the captain of the ship and the onus is on you to continually build authentic connections and to nurture relationships with your members both inside and outside of your community.

The benefits of community reactivation

If you’ve noticed fewer people spending time inside your community then emails or newsletters are an easy way to:

• Keep members engaged and on track with what’s happening
• Bring your community to the front and center of your members' minds
• Ensure that you retain your members

Emails let your members know that you’re thinking of them and that they’ve made the right choice by signing up to your community. These emails could include a weekly digest of what’s going on in the community, updates on new offerings, or personalised emails which are targeted to those who are more or less engaged.

Email best practices

Before we get into some examples, here are some best practices for writing a winning email:

• Be informative and clear
• Be friendly and warm
• Have a Call to Action (CTA)
• Share your value proposition
• Have a way to contact you (or someone from your team)
• Be enthusiastic and welcoming

Cut and paste reactivation email templates:

Conversation thread

Hey [name],

We’ve missed you. Our community just isn’t the same without your presence :(.

Here’s what’s been going down in the past week:

X created this trending thread about X. We’d love to hear your feedback based on your own personal experience. Be sure to get involved in the conversation and let X know your thoughts.

See you on the other side!

[Your name]

Meditation/resource

Hey [name],

I haven’t seen you pop up in the community recently so I wanted to check-in and make sure you’re still getting your zen on.

Meditation has been such a game-changer for me which is why I created (insert community name) in the first place, so I wanted to make sure you’re not missing out on the awesome benefits.

I just uploaded a powerful new meditation in the resources section of the app, you can listen to it here.

I’d love to know what you think about it and whether there are any other meditations you’d love for me to create.

Be sure to let me know inside the app.

[Your name]

Event/Livestream

Hey [name],

We have an epic event coming up, inside [insert community name] and you’re invited.

We’re going to be sharing some key insights about X [insert topic bullet points].

We’ll also be answering your burning questions, so make sure you add anything you want me to answer on this thread so that I can make sure I answer it :).

You can RSVP here. [Insert link]

Can’t wait to see you!

[Your name]

New group

Hey [name],

I’m so excited to let you know about a new [xx] group that I've set up in [insert community name].

In this group, you’ll be able to buddy up with other members and coach each other every week.

I’ll be putting in a set of questions each week for you to ask one another so that you can get more clarity about [insert topic].

Make sure you join the group so you can find your accountability buddy before I publish the first set of questions on Friday.

See you in the new group,

[Your name]

New lesson/course

Hey [name],

I am so excited to let you know about a new course I've put together inside (insert community name).

A lot of you were asking for more content on X, Y, Z so I thought I'd create a course that covers all of this and more.

In this course, i’ll also go over (insert bullets of topics)

• Bullet 1

• Bullet 2

• Bullet 3

(Insert course image or GIF)

I can’t wait to hear what you think and what you found most helpful. Check out the course here and let me know your favourite takeaway from module 1.

[Your name]

Updates

Hey [name],

So much has been happening inside (insert community name).

I wanted to make sure you don’t miss a beat so here’s a quick summary of this week’s highlights.

• Highlight 1 - text + image
• Highlight 2 - text + image
• Highlight 3 - text + image
• Highlight 4 - text + image

Be sure to log in and get involved in the chat here. [Insert link]

[Your name]

Monthly newsletter

Hey [name],

Welcome to your monthly dose of [insert niche topic]. Each month I’ll share [Community name] top news and highlights so that you don’t miss a beat.

Highlight of the month

• Top highlight + photo

Trending threads

• Share bullet points of the top threads and include links to them

Upcoming events

-  Share links or embed linked images with upcoming events/Livestreams

New resources

-  Share links to any new resources you’ve created

That’s it for this month. See you in [insert community name]

[Your name]

Final words

Reactivating your member's attention plays a huge part in the long-term success of your community so having a strategy that you can implement on a regular basis and keeping some go-to reactivation strategies in your back pocket will help you to ensure your members are continually engaged with your community and all the benefits it offers.

If you’d like more inspiration on reactivation, be sure to check out the following Livestream recordings over in The Collective.

• Reinvigorating existing communities - Jono Bacon
• How rewards and swag can help grow your community - Mark Birch