This morning my Garmin watch buzzed with a reminder from one of my clients' leadership communities. A perfectly timed, small nudge to set the scene for the rest of the day.
And it's a great example of what good engagement design looks like. Not coincidental, but intentional. And yet it's the most overlooked aspect of the digital product and online learning industry.
When I speak to people about their plans to create training courses or communities, they've usually only considered the main product and its content. The tunnel vision is often just: create the content, launch the offer, automate the delivery. The end.
But your customers don't experience your program as a "product". They experience it as an ecosystem, and a relationship with you.
That ecosystem and relationship equates to how supported, guided, challenged and seen your customers feel, which in turn determines their definition of success, how long they stick around, and whether they spread the word to others.
Why engagement matters (beyond 'feel-good' metrics)
When I work with clients, whether it's helping them create a leadership academy, a professional membership or an impactful community, the focus isn't just on sales and engagement, but on the wider business outcomes too. Because when members succeed, it has a ripple effect:
- Retention and recurring revenue. Engaged members renew, upgrade and refer.
- KPIs and reporting. Visible participation and progress data shows measurable impact.
- Sponsorship and future funding. Proven results attract investment and partnerships.
- Community legacy. Empowered members create impact in their own teams, clients and networks.
I ran a poll recently in a local business group and found that most digital product business owners genuinely care about their members' success, not just the ping of a payment each time someone buys, or checking off CPDs. Which is great news, because success isn't just numbers and checklists. It's business sustainability.
How I work with clients to build for engagement
When I consult on courses or communities, we don't start with "what content will you teach?" We start with "what does success look like for your members, and what ecosystems and style of communication support that outcome?"
From there, we design wrap-around support systems, everything that lives around the content to help people actually use it, apply it, and keep coming back. Here's what that might include:
Onboarding support
- Clear step-by-step guidance for joining and navigating the experience.
- Automated welcome sequences that set expectations and early wins.
- "Tech confidence" prep for non-technical participants.
Ongoing engagement
- App notifications or emails delivered at meaningful moments.
- Accountability prompts or "check-in" automations that reignite momentum.
Progress milestones
- Visible progress dashboards, quiz assessments, certificates and recognition posts.
- Monthly or quarterly success summaries for both members and stakeholders.
- Gamification, leaderboards and incentive prizes (seriously, you should see what people will do for a branded mug or tee).
Community connection
- Member spotlights and discussion threads with real relevance.
- Facilitated spaces that encourage shared learning and peer accountability.
- Live sessions to accompany the on-demand learning or online community.
Flexible learning
- Replays, transcripts and audio versions for accessibility and convenience.
- Mobile-first layouts for on-the-go engagement.
"Set and forget" might work for automation, but it doesn't work for humans or outcomes.
If you want members who stay, succeed and create ripple effects of change, build systems that support them long after enrolment. Because when your members thrive, your KPIs, funding and long-term impact do too.
