Ultimate Guide: How to Configure and Customize Your Kajabi Community - Step by Step Tutorial 2025

How to Create a Kajabi Community Step by Step

We will now set up your new Kajabi Community from scratch so you can start attracting members today.

STEP 1: Create your Community

1. Log in to Kajabi.
   (If you don't have an account yet, take advantage of the 30-day free trial).
2. In the Kajabi Dashboardgo to Products → Community.
3. Click on Get Started.
   

   

4. Enter a name for your community (Example: "Digital Success Club").
5. Write a brief description (visible in the sidebar).
6. Upload a cover image (recommended size: 756×279 px).
   

   Pro Tip: Your cover photo is the first thing members will see-use it to reinforce your branding or highlight a special event.

STEP 2: Choose Free or Paid Access

• Decide whether your community will be free (open access) or paid (monetized through an offer on Kajabi).

STEP 3: Create your First Access Group

• Importance: Access Groups function as "rooms" within your community, controlling who has access to each area.
  • Click on "Create New Access Group", assigns a name and defines who will have access.
  • 
  • Use the function Drag & Drop to reorder the Access Groups in the navigation.

If you want a seamless experience without relying on external tools, Kajabi is the best option.

Customizing your Community - Design and Navigation

With the base ready, it is time to customize the design of your community to reflect your brand.

STEP 4: Customize Colors and Appearance

• Access to Settings → Customization.
• Select Preset Colors or Custom Colors.

• Adjusts the Saturation and Brightness.
• Activate the Light/Dark Mode for members to choose their preference.

• Rearrange the sidebar using Drag & Drop.

• Add custom icons for Circles and Access Groups.

Pro Tip: Use Custom Pages to create a welcome flow, link external resources or embed an introductory video.

Configure Circles for Discussion

• Circles are similar to chat rooms or conversation threads.
  1. Click on + New Circle.
  2. Choose from:
     • Feed Style: Similar to a Facebook group.
     • Chat Style: Like Slack or WhatsApp.
  3. Assign a name to the Circle (Example: "Business Tips" or "Course Support").
  4. Link it to an Access Group.

Member Onboarding to Maximize Engagement

The key to a successful community is a good onboarding process. This is how you can make sure that new members feel welcome from Day 1:

• Create a Custom Welcome Page with key instructions.
• Add an Intro Video to explain what to expect.

• Send a welcome email with essential community links.
• Use Challenges & Meetups to encourage participation from the beginning.
• Configure a Leaderboard to motivate and incentivize the most active members.

Pro Tip:
An active leaderboard can motivate members to participate more-use it to highlight top contributors and encourage friendly competition.

How to Increase Engagement - Challenges, Meetups and Leaderboards

Now, let's make your Community interactive and attractive to your members.

STEP 6: Create a Challenge to Gamify Participation

• Go to Community → Challenges.
• Click on + Create Challenge and select:
  • One-Time Challenge (Example: "30-Day Content Challenge").
  • Recurring Challenge (Example: "Weekly Review").
• Assign the Challenge to an Access Group.
• Establish rewards (optional) to motivate members.

"Challenges increase participation and help build a strong, engaged community."

STEP 7: Take advantage of Meetups & Live Rooms

• Meetups allow members to connect through live video calls.
  1. Click on + New Meetup.
  2. Add a title, a description and the time of the event.
  3. Use the function Kajabi Live Room or insert a Zoom link.
  4. Click on "Save & Publish".

Pro Tip:
Set up a Welcome Challenge or Meetup from day one to hook members right away.

Gamify Participation with Leaderboards

• Location: Within Access Groups → Leaderboard.
• Members earn points for:
  • Publications.
  • Comments.
  • Active participation in the community.

Pro Tip:
Use leaderboards to offer rewards such as free coaching sessions or exclusive bonuses.

Monetize your Kajabi Community

There are three ways to earn money with your Kajabi Community:

1. Paid memberships: Charges monthly or annual fees for access.
2. Exclusive Coaching Groups: Offers premium coaching sessions or private masterminds.
3. Hybrid Course + Community Model: Sell your online course together with a private community to maximize engagement.

"Kajabi makes it easy to connect your community to your offerings, whether it's a one-time payment, subscription or upsell."

Ready to launch your own Kajabi Community? Get started today with my exclusive 30-day trial at Kajabi and unlock my course Kajabi Kickstart completely FREE!