The 90-9-1 Rule of Community Participation: How to Engage More of Your Members

If you’ve ever managed an online community, you’ve probably noticed a familiar pattern. A handful of members are highly active, posting updates, starting discussions, and creating content. A slightly larger group likes, comments, and interacts occasionally. But the vast majority? They stay silent, observing but never engaging.

This isn’t just something you’ve imagined—it’s a well-documented trend known as the 90-9-1 Rule of Community Participation.

• 1% of users create content. These are your most engaged members—the ones posting, hosting discussions, and generating the bulk of the activity.
• 9% of users interact with content. They like, comment, and sometimes share, but they rarely initiate conversations themselves.
• 90% of users consume without engaging. They’re present, they read, but they never interact.

Understanding this rule is crucial for any organization looking to build an active, thriving community. The real challenge isn’t just getting people to join—it’s getting them to participate.

Why Do Most Members Stay Silent?

It’s easy to assume that silent members just aren’t interested, but that’s often not the case. Many people passively consume content because:

• They don’t feel like their input is valuable.
• They’re unsure how to participate.
• They don’t have time to engage regularly.
• They don’t feel personally connected to the community.

The key to breaking this cycle is creating an environment that naturally encourages engagement. A great community platform isn’t just a place where people can participate—it’s a place that makes them want to.

How the Right Features Encourage Community Participation

If you want to move more of your members from the 90% who just observe into the 9% who engage (or even the 1% who create), your platform needs to be designed with participation in mind.

1. Make Engagement Easy

Many members don’t engage because the process feels complicated or time-consuming. The solution? Remove friction. Features like one-click reactions, polls, and comment prompts make it effortless for members to interact.

For example, instead of just posting an article, include a simple question at the end:
“What’s your experience with this?” or “Do you agree? Tell us why.”
This small change gives members a reason to contribute.

2. Personalize Notifications

People are more likely to engage when they feel directly invited. Personalized notifications that let members know when their favorite organization has replied to their message, invited them to an event, or posted an article on a topic they’re interested in can pull them into conversations naturally.

If a member sees a push notification that says, “Kannect just replied to your message—see what they said!” they’re much more likely to open the app and continue the conversation.

Tip! Kannect provides organizations with the tools to personalize communications to each of their community members, and lets your community choose how they want to receive your updates.

3. Encourage Low-Effort Community Participation

Not everyone is ready to create full-length posts, but that doesn’t mean they can’t contribute. Features like polls, quick reactions, and short-form responses lower the barrier to community participation.

Imagine asking a question with multiple-choice answers instead of an open-ended response. Someone who might have skipped the post entirely is now likely to tap and vote. That’s engagement.

4. Highlight Contributions from All Levels

When only the 1% of content creators get visibility, the 9% who engage (and even some of the 90% who observe) may feel like their voice doesn’t matter. A great community platform should showcase diverse voices, whether it’s highlighting comments, featuring top reactions, or rotating content contributions from different members.

If members see that even a quick comment or a simple poll response gets recognized, they’ll be more inclined to participate.

5. Make It Feel Like a Conversation, Not a Broadcast

Many communities struggle because they operate like a one-way street. They push out information, but they don’t invite discussion. Instead of making announcements that feel like static updates, frame them as conversations.

For example, rather than posting:
“Our annual event is next month. Save the date!”
Try:
“We’re planning our annual event and want your input! What’s one thing you’d love to see this year?”

That small shift invites members to contribute their thoughts rather than just passively absorb the message.

Moving Your Members Up the Engagement Ladder

Most communities will always have a mix of content creators, interactors, and silent observers—but that doesn’t mean the 90-9-1 rule is set in stone. With the right approach, you can shift those numbers, moving more members from passive observers to actively engaged community participants.

The key is designing an experience that encourages, rewards, and simplifies engagement.

A well-built platform should provide the tools and structure that make participation feel natural—not forced. The more intuitive and inviting your community feels, the more likely members are to contribute, making your space more vibrant, active, and valuable for everyone involved.

So, what can you do today to make it easier for your members to engage? Because a thriving community isn’t built on just numbers—it’s built on participation.

Do you agree with the 90-9-1 rule of community participation? Tell us why!