Latest / Community Marketing with Fexingo: Discord, Slack Groups, and Brand Communities / How a Brand Community Became Its Own Press Office
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's a moment in every brand community's life when the members stop being just customers and start acting like the press office. And I don't mean that in a bad way. I mean they start writing the headlines, drafting the rebuttals, even fielding questions from actual journalists before the company can get a statement out. Luna: That sounds like a nightmare for a comms team, honestly. Or maybe a dream. Which is it? Lucas: Well, it depends on whether you're ready for it. Today I want to look at a mid-sized software company that found itself in a pricing backlash in spring of this year. The kind of thing that usually ends with a mea culpa blog post and a bunch of angry tweets. But this company had spent two years building a really active community — about twelve thousand members on their own platform — and when the backlash hit, the community didn't wait for the official line. They started drafting their own responses in the forums. Luna: Wait, so they were defending the price increase before the company even said anything? Lucas: Exactly. And not just defending it — they were explaining the rationale, breaking down the cost structure, even answering questions from confused users. The company's community manager told me that within four hours of the announcement, there were three detailed threads that essentially read like press releases. The mods had to pin them. Luna: So what did the company do? Did they lean into it or try to shut it down? Lucas: That's the interesting part. Initially, the comms team wanted to delete the threads and issue a controlled statement. But the community manager argued that these members had credibility — they were long-time users, they knew the product, and their explanations were actually more nuanced than what legal had drafted. So they decided to let the community lead, and the comms team just monitored and offered support where needed. Luna: And did it work? I'm guessing there's a number here. Lucas: There is. According to their internal metrics, negative press mentions dropped by fifty-seven percent within forty-eight hours compared to a similar backlash they'd had two years prior. And the sentiment in the community itself actually shifted from angry to constructive — people were arguing about the details rather than just calling the company greedy. Luna: That's a wild swing. But I have to wonder — what's the risk? You're basically giving up control of your narrative. What if the community had gone the other way? Lucas: That's the million-dollar question. And it's why this isn't a strategy you can just turn on during a crisis. The trust has to be built over years. This company had already given the community real decision-making power — they'd voted on feature priorities, they'd helped write the community guidelines, they even got a say in the merch line. So when the pricing thing happened, the community felt a sense of ownership. They weren't defending the company out of loyalty to the brand — they were defending a platform they helped build. Luna: Okay, that makes sense. But what about the mechanics? How do you actually let a community act as a press office without it turning into chaos? Lucas: That's where the concrete stuff comes in. One of the things they did was create a dedicated channel for media inquiries. Journalists who reached out to the company were redirected to a page where they could see curated community responses — not just one, but multiple perspectives. That gave reporters a richer story, and it took the pressure off the company to have a single polished quote. Luna: So the journalists got more than just a canned statement. They got real voices. That's kind of brilliant — it's like the community became a focus group that was also on the record. Lucas: Right. And the community members themselves were coached on what to say — not scripted, but given guidelines on what they could share and what was still confidential. The company set up a briefing call for the most active members, where they walked through the pricing rationale and answered questions. That call didn't create talking points; it created informed advocates. Luna: I love that. But I'm still stuck on the risk. What if a member says something off-message? Or what if the community splits — half defending, half attacking? Lucas: That's a real scenario, and it actually happened in a different company I looked at last year. A fitness app had a privacy scare, and their community was split — some users were furious, others were trying to calm things down. The company didn't have any infrastructure to support the voices that wanted to help, so the angry ones dominated the narrative. The result was a lot of negative press and a trust deficit that took months to repair. Luna: So what did they learn? Did they change how they do things? Lucas: They did. They realized they needed to identify and nurture what you might call 'community diplomats' — members who are respected, level-headed, and willing to engage in tough conversations. They started a program where these members get early access to information, not to leak it, but to help the company understand how the community will react. That's a proactive version of the press-office model. Luna: So it's not just about reacting to a crisis — it's about building a network of credible voices that can be activated when needed. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the key takeaway for any brand community manager listening. You can't wait for a crisis to start thinking about how your community can amplify your message or defend you. You need to build that capability in advance — through trust, transparency, and giving members a real stake in the company's success. Luna: That's a solid framework. But let's talk about the practical steps. If someone wants to turn their community into a press office, where do they start? Lucas: The first step is to identify your community diplomats. Look for members who are consistently helpful, articulate, and have been around for a while. They're the ones who already answer questions in the forums without being asked. Then, invite them into a private channel where you share context — not confidential info, but the reasoning behind decisions. That builds their understanding and their confidence. Luna: And how do you make sure they don't go rogue? You don't want them leaking the wrong thing. Lucas: You set clear boundaries. You tell them what's okay to share and what's not, and you trust them to use their judgment. In the software company's case, they had a simple rule: members could talk about their own experience and the rationale they'd been given, but they couldn't speculate about future plans or pricing changes. That gives them freedom within a framework. Luna: That's a really smart balance. And it gives the community a sense of responsibility rather than just being a mouthpiece. Lucas: Right. And that's what turns a community from a passive audience into an active partner. They're not just saying what the company wants to hear — they're adding their own perspective, which actually makes the message more credible to outsiders. Luna: So far we've talked about crisis response. But could this work in a proactive way? Like, before you launch a new feature or enter a new market? Lucas: Absolutely. One of the best examples I've seen is a gaming company that uses its community to beta test not just the product, but the messaging. Before a big expansion launch, they share the planned announcement with community diplomats and ask for feedback. The community often catches jargon that would confuse new players, and they suggest better ways to explain complex mechanics. Luna: So they're essentially crowdsourcing their PR strategy. That's smart — you're testing your message with the people who know your product best. Lucas: Exactly. And it doesn't just improve the message — it also builds buy-in. When the launch happens, those community members are already on board, and they'll defend the feature to skeptics because they helped shape how it was communicated. That's a massive asset in a crowded market. Luna: I can see why this show keeps coming back to community power. It's like the ultimate marketing multiplier. Lucas: It is. And it's one of the reasons we're able to keep this show free and without ads. We believe in the power of community, and we want to practice what we preach. If these conversations have sparked something you've actually used in your own work, and you'd like to support that choice, there's a link in the show notes — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a simple way to say thanks, and it keeps us independent. Luna: Yeah, and we appreciate that. It's a nice feeling to know that what we do here is supported by people who find value in it, not by advertisers telling them what to think. Lucas: Exactly. And speaking of value — let's get back to the practical side. We've talked about identifying diplomats and setting boundaries, but there's one more piece that often gets overlooked: measuring the impact. Luna: How do you measure something like 'community as press office'? It's not as simple as tracking conversions. Lucas: You're right, it's not. But you can track things like the number of media mentions that quote a community member, the sentiment of those mentions, and the speed of your response compared to previous incidents. The software company tracked all of those, and they saw a measurable improvement across the board. Luna: And I'd add that you can also look at qualitative feedback from journalists. Did they find the community responses helpful? Did they feel like they got a more authentic story? Lucas: Great point. And that ties into a broader idea — your community is your most authentic marketing channel. When they speak, people listen because they know it's not scripted. That's a currency that can't be bought. Luna: So what's the one thing you'd want a listener to take away from this episode? Lucas: I think it's this: your community is either going to write the story about you, or you're going to write it yourself. If you build trust and give them a real stake, they'll write a better story than you could ever draft. But if you ignore them, they'll write a worse one. The choice is yours. Luna: That's a powerful way to put it. And I think it's the perfect note to end on. Thanks for listening, everyone.