There is no "one-size-fits-all" answer to this question, and I think that is why so many people feel unsure about what to choose. Most people are trying to make this decision based on what they think they “should” or are “supposed” to do, instead of what actually makes sense for their niche, their goals, and the type of community they want to build. Including whether they even have a real plan for getting members. 👀 And a big part of the stress around this choice comes from thinking it is final. Like once you pick public or private, you are locked into it forever. That is not actually how I look at it. 🤷‍♀️ You have way more flexibility than you think. You are allowed to test. You are allowed to change your mind. You are allowed to treat this like an experiment and collect real data instead of trying to make the perfect decision upfront. Whatever you choose is going to show you how people actually respond. What they engage with, what they ignore, and what needs to change. Don't forget to track it! ✍️ You have way more flexibility than you think. In fact, you should be testing. You should be changing your mind when you get more information. And if you needed someone to tell you, you are allowed to have more than one community serving different purposes. Especially if one of them is meant to help you get discovered. It does not have to be complicated or add a "massive" amount of work. Because I will tell you one big myth that is still floating around out there.. you know the one.. "If you build it, they will come." No. 😐 That is not how it works. So much good work never gets seen. Not because it is bad. Not because the person is not smart or capable. But because nobody ever sat them down and said the simple truth. You have to get traffic. * hello * Please read that again.. PLEASE! lol This is not me trying to sell you on a traffic package. Yes, I have found people that can help you like @Eric Howell and his upcoming Free community Traffic Lounge and then even @Matthew Burns with his ProveWorth community that is essentially the community Trust Pilot or Yelp. Two people I trust a lot, because I know traffic is needed for you to even get the business help.

Over the next few days, I am going to be sharing a series of posts about public Skool communities. Public communities rarely get the spotlight they deserve for how powerful they can be. It has been a long time coming, and I have gotten a lot of questions about this decision from people building on Skool, people considering it, and people trying to decide what direction to go. So instead of making one long post that could turn into a novel, I wanted to break it down into a series of posts so we can cover everything properly and answer questions as they come up. ✍️✅ Here is what we will cover: Why I made my Skool community public Should you have a public Skool community or a private one? Things to make sure you do if you go from private to public What will help your public Skool community Skool tips for a public community, including how to prevent spammers and low quality posts And the Skool strategy I personally recommend and will lead by example with After that, I will shift back to what this community is here for: - Resources and templates you can use. - New Skool videos and podcast episodes. - Highlighted communities that are worth checking out. - Posts about new Skool features and platform changes. - Breakdowns of how different Skool communities are structured and what is working. - Plus, little things I find across Skool that most people miss, like features, pages, or tools you might not know exist. Yes, I did say a podcast! 🎤 I finally can announce that my podcast host Eric and I are launching a new one together! We had one when we first started on Skool two years ago, took a break, and now we are starting fresh with a new one focused on online communities and what actually works in practice. So… who is @Eric Howell? If you are building a Skool, it is really easy to feel like you should be able to do everything yourself. Content, community, offers, systems, traffic. And the truth is, you probably can.. I know I felt like that.

Being considered a Skool "Power User", I'm in a lot of communities.. But I don't see that as a bad thing. One of the signs that someone is going to stick around on the platform is when they get plugged in and are a part of several communities! There are a mix of people in here.. some OGs, some who have been around a bit, & some brand new. I want to know how many communities you're in and what makes you join and stay in a community? Be as specific as you want to be :) This will be helpful for those who are wanting and working on creating a community worth joining and investing time to really become a member. 🫶

EDIT: To honor the privacy of everyone, I'm cleaning the community up first. It takes a bit of time to do so, but I'm about 1/2 way there. I want to give everyone plenty of time and transparency around an upcoming change. Starting December 1, this group will shift to a public setting. This means anything posted inside will be viewable to anyone, so please take time now to remove or edit anything you would not want visible publicly. This is also your chance to post about your community while I still have posting open for members. After December 1, only commenting will be available. There may be a name change as well. Still undecided on that. If being part of a public space no longer feels aligned for you, this also gives you time to leave without pressure. No hard feelings whatsoever. This decision connects directly to how I recommend using Skool. A free public community supports SEO and AI discoverability, which helps the right people find practical guidance when they need it most. From there, they can choose to go deeper through paid or tiered communities. What you will continue to see here is focused, practical content that breaks down Skool features, community building strategies, announcements, and new updates in a way that supports you in making smarter decisions for your own community. The goal is for you to clearly understand what to do and why it matters for your growth and visibility. There will also be special things I do here for my paid members (yes, there is a paid community, but that is getting some changes as well.. which is why it's hidden from my profile til changes are made), such as featuring their communities under specific circumstances, while still keeping this space valuable and educational for everyone. Why now? Things shifted when I became a Skoolers moderator. My goal is to make learning more open and more accessible so more people can build stronger communities, avoid common missteps, and feel more confident navigating this platform.

In order to prep for Black Friday visibility and conversions, I’m offering a limited number of 30-minute strategy sessions to help Skool community owners prep for their own Black Friday offers. Pick ONE focus area: 🧩 About Page — Make it clear, not clever 👀 Traffic Flow — Find your people and get them in the door 💬 Engagement Plan — Shift the ghost town vibes 🛠️ Or… bring whatever you’re stuck on ⚡ This is a focused, action-oriented session ❌not a vibe check ❌not a discovery call You’ll walk away with clarity and a plan you can implement this week. 🔗 MORE INFORMATION HERE OR TO BOOK YOUR SESSION @Jenna Ostrye THANK YOU for giving us the opportunity to share. #sellingseason #BlackFriday