---
title: 'Create circles: open, invite-only or for paying members'
sidebarTitle: Create circles
description: >-
  Give a cohort, topic or season its own room inside your community, and decide
  exactly who can come in.
audience: luminary
feature: community
type: guide
availability: live
last_verified: '2026-10-13'
keywords:
  - circles
  - sub-groups
  - private group
  - cohort group
  - invite-only circle
  - paid circle
  - topic room
url: 'https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/community/create-circles'
---

# Create circles: open, invite-only or for paying members

> Give a cohort, topic or season its own room inside your community, and decide exactly who can come in.

A Circle is a smaller room inside your community: _"for a topic, a season, or a closer cohort."_ Each circle has its own members, posts, questions, gatherings, materials and chat spaces.

## When to use this

- You run a cohort or program and want those people together in one room.
- You want a space for one topic (grief, motherhood, morning practice) inside a broader community.
- You want a free community with a paid inner room.

## Choose your access

Two settings decide who gets in. They work together.

| You want…                                | Access      | Hold for a paid tier |
| ---------------------------------------- | ----------- | -------------------- |
| Anyone in the community can walk in      | Open        | Off                  |
| Members ask, you approve each one        | Invite only | Off                  |
| Paying members walk straight in          | Open        | On                   |
| Paying members ask, you approve each one | Invite only | On                   |

Open: _"Any member can join, unless you hold it for a tier below."_ Invite only: _"Members ask to join; you approve each request."_ Hold for a paid tier: _"Only members on the right tier can enter. Others see an upgrade prompt."_ This means an active paid membership on your portal.

**Step 1: Create the circle**

Go to [Community → Circles](https://portal.bringsoul.life/community/spaces) and click New
Circle.

**Step 2: Name and describe it**

Give it a Name (for example *"Morning Reflections"*) and a Description: *"A short, gentle line
about what this circle is for."* Add a square image if you like. Without one, the circle shows
the first letter of its name.

**Step 3: Set who can come in**

Choose Open or Invite only under Access, and turn Hold for a paid tier on or off. Click Create
circle.

**Step 4: Bring people in**

Open the circle and click Add Member to place existing community members in it directly. For an
invite-only circle, you can also click Generate invite link and share it.

**Step 5: Approve requests (invite-only circles)**

Requests appear under Requests to join at the top of [Community →
Circles](https://portal.bringsoul.life/community/spaces), and the count shows next to Circles in
the sidebar. Click Approve or Deny on each one.

**Step 6: Fill the room**

Inside the circle you can add materials (Attach a material), link chat spaces, and see the
circle's gatherings, questions and posts. When you
[post](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/community/post-to-your-community), [schedule a
gathering](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/community/host-a-live-gathering) or upload
[materials](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/community/share-materials), choose this circle to keep it inside.

## Invite links

On an invite-only circle, _"Anyone with this link joins [the circle] directly, no request to approve."_

- Copy link copies it.
- Rotate makes a new link and stops the old one working.
- Revoke turns the link off entirely.

Treat an invite link like a key. If it travels further than you meant, rotate it.

## Tips

- Give every circle a clear purpose that members understand before they join.
- Invite-only is for curation, not payment. If the circle is a paid benefit, turn on Hold for a paid tier.
- Keep sensitive material in the smallest room that fits it.
- Tightening access doesn't evict anyone. Switching to invite-only or turning on the paid hold affects future joins. Remove people by hand if you need to.
- Adding someone directly notifies them. They get a message in their community inbox and by email that their access is live. Members who join on their own, or whose request you deny, aren't notified.
- Archive instead of delete. From the circle's ⋯ menu, Archive hides it from members and keeps its posts and members. Unarchive brings it back. There's no permanent delete.

**Warning:** 
Circles need a Soul plan. If you see *"Circles come with a plan,"* choose a plan in [Your Soul
subscription](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/settings/soul-subscription). Everything else on your portal stays as it
is.

## What your members see

Members find circles in your community. They click Join circle for an open circle, or Request to join for an invite-only one (_"Request sent. You'll be notified if approved."_). A circle held for paying members shows Upgrade to join to people without a paid membership.

## Related

- [Your community](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/community/introduction)
- [Chat in your community and circles](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/offerings/chat-spaces/community-and-circle-chat)
- [Make your community members-only](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/community/require-a-paid-membership)