30-Day Action Plan: Micro-Community Management

What You'll Accomplish in 30 Days

By the end of this month, you'll have the skills, portfolio, and connections to land your first paying community management client.

Week 1: Master platforms & study successful communities

Week 2: Build your own practice community

Week 3: Create portfolio & positioning

Week 4: Land your first client

Platform Mastery & Market Research

Learn the tools and study what makes communities thrive

Create accounts on Discord, Slack, and one niche platform (Circle, Mighty Networks, or Geneva)

Join 5-10 active communities in different industries (gaming, crypto, SaaS, creator economy, professional networking)

Study what makes them engaging: How do moderators interact? What types of events happen? What bots/automations are used? Take detailed notes.

Document best practices and red flags you observe (create a simple Google Doc or Notion page)

Complete free course: Discord Moderator Academy (2-3 hours)

Set up a simple portfolio site or update LinkedIn profile highlighting "Community Management" services

📚 Resources for Week 1:

🔗 Discord Moderator Academy - Free certification course
🔗 Slack Community Building Guide
🔗 Circle.so - Niche community platform
🔗 Mighty Networks - Alternative platform
🔗 CMX Hub - Community management resources

💡 Pro Tip: Don't just lurk! Participate actively in communities you join. Ask questions, help others, and observe how good moderators handle different situations. This hands-on learning is invaluable.

Build Your Own Community (Practice Lab)

Hands-on experience managing a real community

Create your own Discord or Slack server on a topic you're passionate about (hobby, professional interest, local group)

Invite 10-20 friends, colleagues, or online connections to join

Set up channels, roles, and basic moderation rules (create a welcome channel, rules, and 3-5 topic channels)

Install and configure 2-3 bots (MEE6, Dyno, or similar for automation and moderation)

Create welcome messages, channel descriptions, and clear community rules

Practice moderating: Post engagement prompts, handle questions, organize one small event (Q&A, discussion, game night)

Document what works and what doesn't - track engagement rates and member feedback

📚 Resources for Week 2:

🔗 MEE6 - Popular Discord bot
🔗 Dyno - Moderation and automation bot
🔗 Top.gg - Discover more Discord bots
🔗 Community Club - Newsletter with best practices

💡 Pro Tip: Take lots of screenshots during setup and throughout the week. Document before/after stats (member count, engagement rates). This becomes portfolio content later!

Portfolio Development & Positioning

Create your professional presence and case studies

Take screenshots of your community setup: before/after channel organization, engagement metrics, event participation

Write 2-3 "case studies" based on your practice community: "How I increased engagement 40% in a 20-person community" or "Setting up automated moderation that saved 5 hours/week"

Create a one-page "Community Management Services" document listing what you offer: daily moderation, event planning, bot setup, engagement strategies, reporting, onboarding systems

Record a 2-3 minute video explaining your approach to community building and showing your Discord/Slack setup

Post on LinkedIn: "I help brands build engaged communities on Discord/Slack. Here's what I've learned building my own community from scratch..." (include key lessons and metrics)

Update your LinkedIn profile headline and about section to emphasize community management skills

📚 Resources for Week 3:

🔗 Case Study Builder Template - Free tool
🔗 Canva - Create professional graphics for LinkedIn posts
🔗 Loom - Free screen recording for demo videos

💡 Pro Tip: Actual numbers matter! "Increased engagement 40%" is way more compelling than "improved the community." Even if your practice community is small, percentage improvements look impressive.

First Client Acquisition

Time to find paying work!

Identify 10 potential clients: Small Discord servers (500-5,000 members) that look chaotic, Web3/crypto projects in early stages, Gaming communities needing help, Creator communities (podcasters, YouTubers starting Discord), SaaS companies with new community initiatives

Reach out with personalized messages (not copy-paste): "I noticed your Discord has X members but low engagement in channels. I specialize in [specific improvement]. Would you be open to a 15-minute chat?"

Offer first 2 clients a discounted rate ($500-800/month) in exchange for detailed testimonials and permission to use as case study

Apply to 10-15 job postings on Indeed, LinkedIn, Web3 Career, and ZipRecruiter for community manager roles

Join "Community Manager" groups on LinkedIn and Facebook - network actively and engage with posts

Follow up with anyone who showed interest in your Week 3 LinkedIn post

Post in relevant subreddits, forums, or communities: "I'm offering community management services - happy to do a free audit of your Discord/Slack setup"

📚 Job Boards & Resources:

🔗 Indeed - Discord Community Manager Jobs
🔗 LinkedIn - Community Manager Jobs
🔗 Web3 Career - Discord Jobs
🔗 ZipRecruiter - Community Manager Positions
🔗 Upwork - Community Management Projects

💡 Pro Tip: When reaching out to potential clients, lead with observation, not sales pitch. "I noticed your announcements channel gets lots of posts but few replies - I've found that..." shows you actually looked at their community.

Days 31-60: Deliver & Scale

Turn your first client into a portfolio and referral engine

Over-deliver on first client: Create weekly engagement reports, surprise them with extra events or bot features they didn't ask for

At 30-day mark: Ask for video testimonial and permission to create detailed case study

Post results on LinkedIn with specific metrics: "Increased community engagement 67% in 30 days" with before/after screenshots

Raise rates 20-30% for next clients (if you started at $600/month, go to $750-800 for next client)

Build referral system: Offer existing clients $100 credit for successful referrals or 10% discount on next month

Continue applying to 5-10 new opportunities per week while serving existing clients

💡 Pro Tip: Your first client's testimonial and case study are worth more than they paid you. Invest extra time to make them wildly successful so they become your best marketing tool.

✅ Success Metrics: How to Know You're On Track

End of Week 1: Accounts created on 3+ platforms, joined 5+ communities, completed Discord certification
End of Week 2: Own community created with 10+ members, at least one event hosted, bots configured
End of Week 3: Portfolio/LinkedIn updated, 2+ case studies written, demo video recorded
End of Week 4: At least 1 paid client OR 3+ serious conversations with potential clients
Day 60: 2-3 paying clients at $800-1,500/month each, testimonials secured
Day 90: 4-5 clients generating $4,000-7,500/month, raising rates to $1,200-2,000/month for new clients

🎯 Final Tip: Community management is all about consistency and genuine care. Show up every day, engage authentically, and solve problems quickly. Your reputation will spread through the communities you manage.