---
title: Launch your community
sidebarTitle: Launch your community
description: >-
  Go from an empty community to a welcoming room with its first members, in one
  sitting.
audience: luminary
feature: community
type: guide
availability: live
last_verified: '2026-10-13'
keywords:
  - launch community
  - start a community
  - first members
  - community setup
  - invite members
  - empty community
url: 'https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/community/launch-your-community'
---

# Launch your community

> Go from an empty community to a welcoming room with its first members, in one sitting.

By the end of this guide your community has a name, a tone, a first gathering on the calendar and its first members inside.

## When to use this

- You're opening your community for the first time.
- Your community exists but nobody has joined yet.
- You want to relaunch a quiet community with a fresh start.

When your community is brand new, [Community → Overview](https://portal.bringsoul.life/community) shows a checklist called _"Let's set the room"_: Set your guidelines, Write a welcome, Schedule your first gathering and Invite your first members. The steps below follow it.

**Step 1: Name it and add a tagline**

Go to [Community → Settings](https://portal.bringsoul.life/community/settings). Under Identity,
give your community a name and a one-line tagline (for example *"A quiet place to reflect,
together."*). Click Save changes.

**Step 2: Decide who can join**

Still in Settings, look at Membership. Leave Require a paid membership off for a free community,
or turn it on to keep it for paying members. See [Make your community
members-only](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/community/require-a-paid-membership).

**Step 3: Set your guidelines**

Go to [Community → Onboarding](https://portal.bringsoul.life/community/onboarding) and open the
Guidelines tab. Write a few lines on how this community is held. Members read them before they
enter. Click Save.

**Step 4: Write a welcome**

On the Welcome steps tab, click Add a step and write the first words a new member reads. Steps
land as drafts, so click Publish on each one when you're happy. See [Set up onboarding and
guidelines](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/community/set-up-onboarding).

**Step 5: Schedule your first gathering**

Go to [Community → Gatherings](https://portal.bringsoul.life/community/gatherings) and click
Schedule a Gathering. A first gathering gives new members a reason to show up. See [Host a live
gathering](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/community/host-a-live-gathering).

**Step 6: Post something**

Go to [Community → Posts](https://portal.bringsoul.life/community/posts) and click New post. A
short hello from you means the first member doesn't walk into an empty room.

**Step 7: Invite your first members**

Go to [Community → Overview](https://portal.bringsoul.life/community) and click Invite Members.
Copy *"Your community link"* with Copy link and share it by email, in your chat spaces or on
social media. *"Share this link and anyone can join your community."*

**Step 8: Show it on your portal**

Go to My Portal and turn on the Community section so visitors can find it. See [Your
portal](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/portal/overview).

## Tips

- Start with one or two people. _"A community begins with one or two."_ Invite a few people you know personally before announcing it widely.
- Welcome new members by email. On Community Members, the _"Welcome new members automatically"_ banner offers Set Up Welcome Email. It sends a friendly email whenever someone joins.
- Tell your existing audience. Send an [announcement](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/audience/send-an-announcement-to-a-segment) to your subscribers and leads with your community link.
- Keep guidelines, access and lifecycle aligned before you invite. It's much easier than changing the rules once people are inside.

**Warning:** 
Your community link includes your portal handle. If you change your handle later, links you've
already shared stop working.

## What your members see

People who open your link land on your community and click Join the community (or Subscribe to join for a paid community). They read your guidelines, step in with Enter the community, and see your welcome steps, your first post and your upcoming gathering.

Your community appears as a card in Soul's discovery once you've written a tagline or guidelines and someone besides you has joined or there's something inside.

## Related

- [Your community](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/community/introduction)
- [Set up onboarding and guidelines](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/community/set-up-onboarding)
- [Share your portal](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/portal/sharing)