Onboarding Feedback Loops: How to Keep Improving Your Community

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A thriving Skool community isn’t just built on great content—it’s built on constant iteration and improvement. The best community owners actively seek out feedback from new and existing members, using it to refine their onboarding, improve engagement, and create a better experience for everyone.

Ryan Duncan has seen firsthand how creating feedback loops leads to stronger communities, lower churn, and more engaged members who stick around longer. Instead of guessing what members want, successful Skool owners ask, listen, and iterate.

In this post, we’ll cover:

✅ Why feedback is the key to a thriving community

✅ The easiest ways to collect actionable insights from members

✅ How to use feedback to improve onboarding & retention

✅ Real-world examples of communities that transformed based on feedback

Want to experience a well-optimized onboarding process? Join Ryan’s free Skool community here and see how real-time feedback is shaping the future of online communities.

Why Feedback is Gold: The Key to Community Growth

Most community owners only make changes when things go wrong—but the best communities evolve proactively based on feedback.

The Biggest Benefits of Gathering Member Feedback:

✅ Identifies Bottlenecks in Onboarding – If people aren’t engaging, feedback tells you why.

✅ Boosts Member Satisfaction – When members see you making changes based on their input, they feel valued and heard.

✅ Uncovers New Monetization Opportunities – Many successful Skool owners pivot their offers based on what members ask for.

✅ Reduces Churn & Increases Retention – Members who give feedback are more likely to stay engaged long-term.

✅ Keeps Your Community Competitive – If you’re always iterating based on feedback, your community stays relevant and ahead of the curve.

Pro Tip: Ryan has found that communities that implement feedback loops grow 2-3x faster than those that don’t, simply because they constantly evolve to match what members actually need.

Easy Feedback Methods: How to Collect Actionable Insights

1. Polls & Surveys

The simplest way to gather structured feedback is to create quick polls inside your Skool community.

Poll Ideas to Ask Members:

“What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing right now?” (Helps guide content and coaching topics.)

“What do you wish was covered more in this community?” (Finds content gaps you didn’t realize existed.)

“How can we improve your onboarding experience?” (Pinpoints friction points for new members.)

“Would you be interested in a [specific offer, coaching call, new feature]?” (Great for testing demand before launching something new.)

📌 Example Poll: “If we launched weekly live Q&A calls, would you attend?” (Yes / No / Maybe – depends on timing).

2. Pinned “What Do You Need Help With?” Posts

One of the simplest and most effective ways to gather ongoing, real-time feedback is to pin a “What Do You Need Help With?” thread in your community feed.

How This Works:

Members drop their biggest questions or challenges.

Other members chime in, upvote, and engage.

You get instant insight into what people need the most.

This post acts as a permanent, low-effort way to capture feedback without needing structured surveys.

Pro Tip: Ryan has seen that communities that consistently refresh their pinned “Help Request” posts maintain higher engagement and stay more relevant.

3. Direct DMs & Personalized Outreach

Sometimes, the best feedback comes from one-on-one conversations. If members aren’t engaging in public posts, DM them directly and ask:

💬 “Hey [Name], how’s your experience in the community so far? Anything I can do to improve it for you?”

This small effort builds relationships and surfaces honest feedback that people may not share publicly.

Pro Tip: If multiple people mention the same issue in DMs, it’s a sign you need to make a change.

Incorporating Feedback: How to Iterate & Improve Fast

Collecting feedback is only useful if you actually act on it. The best communities don’t wait months to make changes—they iterate quickly and visibly.

How to Implement Feedback in Your Skool Community:

Summarize Key Themes – Look for patterns in polls, pinned posts, and DMs (e.g., “People are struggling with onboarding” or “Members want more live calls”).

Make Small, Fast Tweaks – Adjust one thing at a time (e.g., simplify the onboarding process, test a new content format).

Announce the Changes Publicly – Let members know their feedback is being implemented.

Follow Up for Results – After a change, ask members if it helped.

📌 Example: If multiple members say onboarding is unclear, Ryan suggests:

✔ Adding a short “Start Here” video to guide new members.

✔ Creating a quick checklist pinned to the community feed.

✔ DMing new members to personally welcome them and answer questions.

Pro Tip: Communities that publicly acknowledge and act on feedback see higher engagement because members feel like they actually influence the space.

Example 1: How Feedback Transformed Communities

Example 1: The Power of Fixing Onboarding

One Skool community struggled with low engagement from new members. After surveying users, they realized people weren’t sure what to do after joining.

The Fix: They added a simple, structured “Start Here” onboarding flow.

The Result: Engagement increased by 67%, and more members upgraded to paid tiers.

Example 2: Live Calls Boosting Engagement

Another Skool owner noticed drop-off after the first few weeks. After asking members why, they found that people wanted more real-time interaction.

The Fix: They launched weekly live Q&A calls inside the community.

The Result: Call attendance grew week after week, leading to stronger retention and higher-paid conversions.

Join a Community That Actually Listens to Feedback

Want to see a real-world example of how onboarding feedback loops improve communities? Join Ryan’s free Skool community here and experience how member-driven improvements make a community stronger, more engaging, and more valuable.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How often should I collect feedback from my community?

At least once a month. The best communities keep a constant feedback loop rather than waiting until engagement drops.

2. What’s the easiest way to get feedback from new members?

A pinned “What Do You Need Help With?” post and automated DM check-ins are low-effort but high-impact methods.

3. What should I do if I get negative feedback?

See it as an opportunity, not a problem. Negative feedback helps you fix issues before they grow—thank the member for sharing and take action where possible.

✔ Make it easy (polls, simple DM outreach, pinned posts).

✔ Acknowledge and implement suggestions publicly.

✔ Reward engagement (feature members who contribute great ideas).

5. Can feedback loops help increase revenue?

Absolutely! Feedback often reveals new monetization opportunities—whether it’s a coaching offer, a paid workshop, or an improved community experience that keeps people subscribed.

Conclusion

A community that actively listens to its members grows faster, retains better, and monetizes more effectively. If you’re not already collecting regular feedback and making iterative improvements, you’re missing out on huge engagement and revenue opportunities.

Want to see feedback-driven community building in action? Join Ryan’s free Skool community and experience a community that constantly evolves based on member insights.

Onboarding Feedback Loops: How to Keep Improving Your Community

Why Feedback is Gold: The Key to Community Growth

The Biggest Benefits of Gathering Member Feedback: