The Community Playbook for B2B SaaS: Driving Acquisition and Affinity

Lessons From Notion, Pocus, and Tightknit ✌️

Dec 03, 2024

Recently, I went through the process of purchasing a new operating system (OS) for Forum Ventures. Every vendor we interacted with commented on how structured and effective our buying process was.

I’m not surprised—we ran a tight process. To kick things off, we developed a detailed product requirements document (PRD) that outlined our objectives, goals, and everything we needed from the product. While we knew no tool would check every box, the PRD gave us a consistent framework for evaluating each option.

To build out our initial list, we identified potential vendors using platforms like VC Stack and tapped our network for recommendations. We started with about 20 and pre-screened each one using the PRD to assess functionality before moving to initial demos. This brought the list down to 10. From there, we demoed each platform and conducted deeper dives the with top five, testing detailed scenarios. Armed with pricing and capabilities, we presented our top two choices to our COO and made the final decision.

But here’s the thing: this kind of buying journey isn’t the norm for most customers. For most, the path is much more meandering—a slow burn rather than a structured sprint.

Even in our case, the vendors experienced the structure sprint; they didn’t see everything that led up to it. This problem has been a pain-point for years. Our first attempt to solve the problem involved purchasing and customizing an adjacent tool, which didn’t work out. Then, we built something in-house held together with duct tape and paper-clips. It got the job done for a while, but was not anywhere close to where we needed to be.

Before I ever decided I needed a product like this, I would have welcomed the opportunity to connect with other operating partners at VC firms who were thinking about how to level up their firms. A company that brought together a community to trade ideas and share struggles would love earned my trust long before I was in buying mode—and it might have even influenced which vendor we ultimately chose.

Setting the Stage: B2B Customer Journey

Most people are familiar with the classic B2B Sales funnel. Traditionally, the sales funnel has been about guiding prospects from awareness to trust and ultimately, to purchase. But the reality is, most people aren’t actively engaging with your funnel—they’re passively observing your brand from the sidelines.

In fact, more than 90% of the people in your ideal customer persona (ICP) aren’t actively looking for a solution like yours. They’re not browsing your product pages, reading case studies, or exploring your blog posts. They’re focused on hitting their KPIs, bringing new ideas into their business, working through challenges, and raising the bar.

This is where community-led growth comes in. It allows companies to build trust and relationships long before prospects are ready to buy. Whether through online forums, events, or shared experiences, communities create a genuine connection that lay the groundwork for long-term loyalty and growth. This shift is similar to what we saw the early 2000s when marketing evolved from being purely promotional to adopting content marketing. The focus shifted from selling to providing value through engaging content, with the assumption that it would attracts and retain potential customers.

“I am convinced that community building will be one of the most important, if not the most important, skill for future founders across industries… Every company has a GTM strategy, and those with enduring impact will also have a GTC (Go-To-Community) strategy.” - Sarah Nöckel, Femstreet: Community Led Growth Nirvana1

According to the Content Marketing Institute, B2B companies are allocating 25-30% of their overall marketing budget to content marketing. With some of the most successful organizations spending closer to 40% on content creation and distribution.2 Content allows brands a way to build relationships with potential customers before they’re ready to engage with the sales process.

Let’s use an example we all know: Shopify. Shopify is the all-in-one commerce platform to start, run, and a grow a business. Their mission is to make commerce better for everyone and they believe that, “the future of commerce has more voices, no fewer, so we’re reducing the barriers to business ownership to make commerce better for everyone.”3

All of Shopify’s content is centered around helping and elevating entrepreneurs:

Marketing Plan & How to Write One (+Template) - Learn all the key elements of a marketing plan, access templates to get started, and get tips on how to write an effective plan
How to Build a Brand in 7 Steps: Get Started in 2025 - Learn how to build your own brand from scratch and create a compelling and memorable brand identity that resonates with your target audience
How to Get More Followers on Instagram: 17 Ways in 2025 - Learn how to create content that wins real followers and increases engagement on your Instagram Posts, Stories, and Reels.

Shopify knows that even before an entrepreneur or creator launches their business, or gets started with Shopify, they’re looking for resources and support. Because their content is tactical, helpful, and thoughtful, Shopify is able to connect with their potential customers and build trust and credibility over time.

Content is the first step—it builds trust by providing value and establishing credibility. Community is the natural progression, and turns passive engagement into a more active relationship. While content informs, community connects, creating a space where your audience can interact with you and with each other.

Community-Led Case Studies

Community has played a major role in the GTM strategies of a number of iconic SaaS companies: Notion, Figma, Hubspot, Airtable, Duolingo, etc. These companies all actively cultivate a strong community of users and potential users, and leverage the engagement, feedback, and advocacy to drive organic customer acquisition, retention, and product development.

At Notion, Ben Lang, employee #15 and Head of Community, ran a number of different programs aimed at engaging and empowering notion’s customer community, like their certified consultant program and ambassador program. Lang saw things happening naturally in their existing customer base and oriented his community efforts to accelerate and elevate what was already happening.

“We saw folks onboard companies to Notion and create services to help them get set up and going. So we thought, why not build a directory around it?”4

The directory started with a handful of consultants, and then turned into a certification program where folks could receive training and enablement before being added to the directory. Today, customers are able to submit their projects or needs and get matched with Notion consultants.

I’m particularly excited about the next-generation of SaaS startups, who are leaning into community from the start. Today, I’ll dive into two of my favorites: Pocus and Tightknit.

Pocus - Unlock the power of data to run your go-to-market

Pocus helps modern GTM teams hit their revenue goals reliably, create repeatability, and future-proof their motion with the help of data, AI, and automation.

In the early days of Pocus, before they had written a single line of code, Alexa Grabell, Co-Founder & CEO, spent a ton of time talking to salespeople about product-led-sales to validate the problem and product. Product-led-sales was still a relatively new way of selling and many companies we’re struggling to operationalize it.

“Everyone was hungry for resources, frameworks, and best practices. They wanted to connect others solving the problem in their organizations. So, my first step was putting smart brains together. I started with a simple Slack group of 20 go-to-market leaders at PLG companies. I wanted to see what topics, conversations, and pain-points emerged from putting these innovative thinkers in one place.”5

The community started with ad-hoc zoom meetings. Sometimes they’d bring in a speaker to share their expertise, and other times they’d have community leaders come and discuss about a certain topic.

Community-led-Category-Creation-Pocus — Image Source: Relay by Chargebee

People loved it; they felt seen, and suddenly had a place to go and connect with other PLG leaders who were trying to figure it out and learn from those who were a few steps ahead. Pocus was the conduit of all this incredible value and as a result build an engaged waitlist of hundreds of companies ready to use the product before it went live in early 2022.

The 10x GTM Community has expanded exponentially over the last two years to 3,300+ members and is still a core part of Pocus’ own GTM. Today, the community is designed to help members become a 10x seller, marketer, or GTM leaders. Members get access to:

Private invite-only slack group
Early-access to free AI tools from Pocus
Workshops on GTM tools and tactics
Exclusive courses and certifications
Unfiltered AMAs with GTM leaders
In-person dinners and happy hours
Annual in-person summit

Tightknit - The community platform built for Slack

Tightknit helps community teams build brand awareness and member activation through tools like SEO, events, gamification, and champion-building, all designed to enhance engagement within Slack communities.

Zach Hawtof, Co-Founder & CEO of Tightknit, began his journey at Salesforce in 2015, where he worked as a product manager for Community Cloud. Interestingly, at the time, Zach didn’t see himself as part of the "community" movement.

“I worked on Community Cloud, but back then, I wouldn’t have considered myself part of the community space,” Zach shared. “Over time, though, I came to realize how critical digital self-service and engagement are to keeping members active and invested. Community plays a massive role in every part of a business—sales, service, marketing, commerce—all of it relies on fostering engagement to succeed.” 6

Instead of replacing human connection with AI-driven solutions, Tightknit focuses on empowering community leaders to facilitate meaningful, people-centered interactions.

Tightknit is still in its early beta days, but Zach has turned to community to build momentum. By bringing together community leaders through thoughtfully designed events, Tightknit has created a space for leaders to network, exchange ideas, and learn from one another.

Image preview — Photo Credit: Zack Hawtof

hese quarterly gatherings, co-hosted with Fabrik—a platform that transforms underused spaces into thriving hubs of connection and activity—help Tightknit deliver value to potential customers, even before the product is ready for a full-scale launch.

Key Takeaways: Why This Works

It Builds Trust Before the Sale
Community-led growth allows brands to establish trust and credibility with their ideal customers long before a sales conversation. By creating a space for connection and shared learning, companies stay top of mind and become the go-to solution when prospects are ready to buy.
It Aligns with Human Behavior
People trust peers more than sales reps or marketing materials. A strong community gives prospects access to other customers who have firsthand experience with your product, making their decision-making process feel more authentic and informed.
It Reduces Acquisition Costs
Engaged communities create organic word-of-mouth marketing and advocacy. Members become your champions, driving new leads and reducing reliance on expensive paid acquisition channels. Community becomes an engine for inbound growth.
It Enhances Retention and Loyalty
Customers who feel connected to a community are less likely to churn. They associate your brand not just with the product but with the value and relationships they’ve gained through the community, creating deeper loyalty over time.
It Scales Intangibles Like Belonging and Advocacy
Unlike traditional GTM strategies, community scales the emotional side of your brand. It makes customers feel seen, heard, and connected, fostering a sense of belonging that no advertising campaign can replicate.

If you’re already investing in content, think about how you can take it a step further. What would it look like to bring your audience together? Whether it’s through a Slack group, workshops, or events, building a community is a powerful way to deepen relationships and drive long-term growth.

Start small, experiment, and let me know how it goes! 🚀 🦄 🤝