{"id":184,"date":"2025-02-18T19:40:37","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T19:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kannect.co\/blog\/?p=184"},"modified":"2025-11-12T14:13:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T14:13:30","slug":"community-participation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kannect.co\/blog\/strategy\/community-participation\/","title":{"rendered":"The 90-9-1 Rule of Community Participation: How to Engage More of Your Members"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#why-do-most-members-stay-silent\">Why Do Most Members Stay Silent?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-the-right-features-encourage-community-participation\">How the Right Features Encourage Community Participation<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#1-make-engagement-easy\">1. Make Engagement Easy<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#2-personalize-notifications\">2. Personalize Notifications<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3-encourage-low-effort-contributions\">3. Encourage Low-Effort Community Participation<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#4-highlight-contributions-from-all-levels\">4. Highlight Contributions from All Levels<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#5-make-it-feel-like-a-conversation-not-a-broadcast\">5. Make It Feel Like a Conversation, Not a Broadcast<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#moving-your-members-up-the-engagement-ladder\">Moving Your Members Up the Engagement Ladder<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#schedule-a-visit\">Schedule a Demo<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever managed an online community, you\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This isn\u2019t just something you\u2019ve imagined\u2014it\u2019s a well-documented trend known as the <strong>90-9-1 Rule of Community Participation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>1% of users create content.<\/strong> These are your most engaged members\u2014the ones posting, hosting discussions, and generating the bulk of the activity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>9% of users interact with content.<\/strong> They like, comment, and sometimes share, but they rarely initiate conversations themselves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>90% of users consume without engaging.<\/strong> They\u2019re present, they read, but they never interact.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Understanding this rule is crucial for any organization looking to build an active, thriving community. The real challenge isn\u2019t just getting people to join\u2014it\u2019s getting them to participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"why-do-most-members-stay-silent\"><strong>Why Do Most Members Stay Silent?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s easy to assume that silent members just aren\u2019t interested, but that\u2019s often not the case. Many people passively consume content because:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They don\u2019t feel like their input is valuable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They\u2019re unsure how to participate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They don\u2019t have time to engage regularly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They don\u2019t feel personally connected to the community.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The key to breaking this cycle is <strong>creating an environment that naturally encourages engagement<\/strong>. A great community platform isn\u2019t just a place where people can participate\u2014it\u2019s a place that makes them want to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-the-right-features-encourage-community-participation\"><strong>How the Right Features Encourage Community Participation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1-make-engagement-easy\"><strong>1. Make Engagement Easy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Many members don\u2019t engage because the process feels complicated or time-consuming. The solution? Remove friction. Features like <strong>one-click reactions, polls, and comment prompts<\/strong> make it effortless for members to interact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, instead of just posting an article, include a simple question at the end:<br><em>&#8220;What\u2019s your experience with this?&#8221;<\/em> or <em>&#8220;Do you agree? Tell us why.&#8221;<\/em><em><br><\/em>This small change gives members a reason to contribute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-personalize-notifications\"><strong>2. Personalize Notifications<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>People are more likely to engage when they feel directly invited. <strong>Personalized notifications<\/strong> 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\u2019re interested in can pull them into conversations naturally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If a member sees a push notification that says, <em>&#8220;Kannect just replied to your message\u2014see what they said!&#8221;<\/em> they\u2019re much more likely to open the app and continue the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Tip! <a href=\"http:\/\/kannect.co\">Kannect<\/a> provides organizations with the tools to personalize communications to each of their community<\/em> <em>members<\/em>, <em>and lets your community choose how they want to receive your updates.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-encourage-low-effort-contributions\"><strong>3. Encourage Low-Effort Community Participation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Not everyone is ready to create full-length posts, but that doesn\u2019t mean they can\u2019t contribute. Features like <strong>polls, quick reactions, and short-form responses<\/strong> lower the barrier to community participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019s engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"4-highlight-contributions-from-all-levels\"><strong>4. Highlight Contributions from All Levels<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019t matter. A great community platform should <strong>showcase diverse voices<\/strong>, whether it\u2019s highlighting comments, featuring top reactions, or rotating content contributions from different members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If members see that even a quick comment or a simple poll response gets recognized, they\u2019ll be more inclined to participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"5-make-it-feel-like-a-conversation-not-a-broadcast\"><strong>5. Make It Feel Like a Conversation, Not a Broadcast<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Many communities struggle because they operate like a one-way street. They push out information, but they don\u2019t invite discussion. Instead of making announcements that feel like static updates, <strong>frame them as conversations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, rather than posting:<br><em>&#8220;Our annual event is next month. Save the date!&#8221;<\/em><em><br><\/em>Try:<br><em>&#8220;We\u2019re planning our annual event and want your input! What\u2019s one thing you\u2019d love to see this year?&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That small shift invites members to contribute their thoughts rather than just passively absorb the message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"moving-your-members-up-the-engagement-ladder\"><strong>Moving Your Members Up the Engagement Ladder<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most communities will always have a mix of content creators, interactors, and silent observers\u2014but that doesn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key is designing an experience that <strong>encourages, rewards, and simplifies engagement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A well-built platform should provide the tools and structure that make participation feel natural\u2014not 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, what can you do today to make it easier for your members to engage? Because a thriving community isn\u2019t built on just numbers\u2014it\u2019s built on participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you agree with the 90-9-1 rule of community participation? Tell us why!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull has-text-color has-background\" style=\"color:#000000;background-color:#ffffff\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div style=\"height:64px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\" style=\"line-height:.9\"><strong><em>See how <a href=\"http:\/\/kannect.co\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"kannect.co\">Kannect<\/a> can help with your community participation!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"schedule-a-visit\" style=\"font-size:59px;line-height:1.15\"><strong>Schedule a Demo<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-499968f5 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-50 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screen-reader-text\">WordPress<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve ever managed an online community, you\u2019ve 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\u2019t just something you\u2019ve imagined\u2014it\u2019s a well-documented [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,29],"tags":[15,6],"class_list":["post-184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-strategy","category-playbook","tag-build-communities","tag-community-engagement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kannect.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kannect.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kannect.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kannect.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kannect.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kannect.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kannect.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kannect.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kannect.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kannect.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}