How to Choose the Right Online Community Platform For Your Knowledge Business

Building a thriving online community is a great way to grow your business and foster engagement among your audience.

Many creators and business owners are aware of the power that comes with growing an online community: what they don't know is how to build an online community that benefits both their customers and their business.

Many times entrepreneurs choose social media platforms, such as Facebook groups, as their place for an online community. While social media platforms are easily accessible and can help you be seen by more people, they are not the ideal solution for harnessing engagement and keeping your members within your own space.

This is where private online community platforms come in and offer a tailored solution for creators and digital entrepreneurs who want to build a customizable, branded and secure place for their members to interact with each other and build a feeling of community.

Related article: Best Online Community Platforms for Creators [2025]

This is why at Heights Platform we combined everything you need to run an online knowledge business and sell online courses and digital products, while also having your own built-in branded community platform.

So keep reading below because in today's blog post we will explain what an online community platform is, why you need one, and what to look for when you are in the process of choosing the right online community platform for your needs.

What is an Online Community Platform?

As the name suggests, an online community platform is an application or software that allows you to run an online community and offers all the tools you need to create a space where members can discuss certain topics, share ideas and more.

These tools are essential for building a successful creator community platform where your audience can engage on a deeper level and feel more connected to your brand.

Generally speaking, online community platforms include the "leader" of the community, or host, and the members, or guests. The community leader can be the business owner, a company, or even anyone who wants to build a community around a topic of interest.

There are two main types of online communities: free and paid. Most social media platforms leverage the concept of free online communities, where anyone can join a certain group or discussion.

Paid online communities are spaces where members are required to pay a fee or purchase a product in order to gain access. Most specialized online community platforms leverage this model to accommodate the needs of business owners and companies.

Depending on your goals and needs, you can choose to offer a free community or a paid one. Many online course creators offer an online community aspect to their students, so members get access to the community only once they purchase an online course or join a coaching program.

Why Do You Need an Online Community Platform?

An online community platform can have many benefits for your business, and for your customers. The most obvious benefit of online community platforms is the fact that they eliminate physical and geographical barriers so anyone in the world can join and can interact with other individuals who share the same interests, no matter where they are located.

For an online business, this means having the opportunity to attract new customers easily and grow a business on a larger scale. Some creators use their community as the main hub to increase engagement with existing customers and even revive relationships with dormant followers.

Another important benefit is that a community offers a powerful way to build trust and improve retention. Community members who feel heard and valued are more likely to stay, share, and buy again. Your community becomes your most authentic marketing asset.

And if you're using a creator-first platform like Heights, you can even create public posts inside your community that are indexable by search engines—meaning your own community can help you grow organic traffic.

Building a Community with AI

Thanks to advancements in AI technology, creators can now build and manage a community more efficiently than ever before. Heights Platform’s new AI tools are designed to help you automate, engage, and grow your online community without having to spend hours moderating it yourself.

Heights AI helps you by suggesting community post ideas, drafting weekly roundup emails, and even moderating discussions. This saves you time while maintaining a high-quality, engaged space for your audience.

With features like AI-generated community channels, automatic onboarding, and personalized engagement emails, Heights AI allows you to scale your branded community platform while keeping it personal and intentional.

Learn more: How to Launch an Online Community With AI in 6 Steps

Using Community as a Lead Generation Strategy

Modern online communities are not just support spaces—they’re top-of-funnel growth tools. A well-structured community can serve as a powerful lead generation strategy for your business.

You can create public channels that allow visitors to see value before signing up, offer free community trials, or use the community to capture feedback and develop more targeted offers. 

Inside Heights Platform, you can even bundle communities with digital products and coaching programs using Heights AI to create entire offers for your audience.

When designed strategically, your community becomes a lead magnet, a conversion tool, and a customer success engine—helping you attract the right audience and nurture them into loyal customers.

Learn more: How to Grow Organic Traffic With Public Community Posts

Tips to Choose the Best Online Community Platform

#1: How Easy is the User Experience?

Your online community platform of choice should be easy to use. Members in your community should be able to easily navigate the platform and find what they are looking for in an intuitive way.

#2: Can You Customize the Look and Feel of the Platform?

Customization is extremely important when it comes to a creator community platform—especially the paid, private ones. You want your online community space to look like an integral part of your brand.

This means that you should be able to customize your logo, match the design of the space with your brand colors and fonts, upload images and so on...

By creating an immersive brand experience within your online community, your members will be able to visually recognize your brand and clearly understand your value proposition.

#3: Is it an All-In-One Platform?

Most online community platforms only focus on the community aspect and possibly offer a way to process or accept payments. But what if your online community could exist directly alongside your other digital products like online courses, coaching, and challenges?

This is how Heights Platform structures its community area, so you can sell digital products and online courses and your customers have access to the built-in community right inside your program.

#4: Can You Monetize Your Online Community?

If you want to monetize your online community by either asking your members to pay a monthly fee in order to access the community or by offering extra products and services through the community, then you need a platform that lets you do this.

In Heights Platform, the online community is directly inside your program, so you can sell your online courses, membership sites, coaching programs and digital products to the members of your community and vice-versa.

What is a branded community platform?

A branded community platform allows you to host your own private space for your audience with full control over branding, content, and member access. Unlike Facebook groups, you own the experience and member relationships.

Learn more: How to Build a Brand Community That Thrives

Can I build a private community for free?

Yes! Some platforms like Heights Platform offer free trials so you can start building your community without upfront costs. You can begin with free channels and scale as your business grows.

How do I choose the right community platform?

When evaluating community platforms, look for ease of use, customization options, monetization features, and integration with your courses or products. All-in-one solutions like Heights make management easier and more effective.

How does AI help grow a community?

AI tools like those in Heights AI help you suggest new posts, manage moderation, and send weekly engagement emails—helping you stay consistent and grow without manual effort.