When it comes to building successful plugins and products for WordPress or WooCommerce, everyone talks about the importance of “community.” But what does that really mean—and who should you be building community with?
In a recent episode of Woo Product Chat, hosts Katie Keith, James Kemp, and special guest Jonathan Wold dove deep into the evolving nature of community in the WordPress space, and an interesting dilemma surfaced: it’s much easier to build community with your peers than with your actual product’s end users.
The Developer’s Dilemma
As James Kemp shared, most of the direct interactions he has are with other developers, agencies, or freelancers building WooCommerce sites for merchants, not the merchants themselves. Social media and online groups tend to attract “builders,” those comfortable with technical discussions and eager to swap code snippets, troubleshoot integrations, or talk shop about the latest WordPress feature.
But what about the everyday shop owner, the small business merchant who just wants their WooCommerce store to work? Engaging these end users in a product-specific community is a different challenge altogether. As James pointed out, “I haven’t personally found any one place where they all hang out and want to talk about WooCommerce.” These merchants tend not to congregate in online forums or Facebook groups—instead, reaching them often requires direct, one-on-one outreach, customer support, or partnerships with influencers who already speak to that audience.
Marketing to Your Actual Customer
Katie Keith raised another nuanced aspect: sometimes the community you’re most active in isn’t the community that will buy your product. She reflected on her presence among fellow product people online, which brings her immense personal and professional value in terms of learning, networking, and partnership, but doesn’t necessarily result in direct sales.
So, why do we often “miss” our end user audience? For one, technical communities are more visible and accessible. For another, as Jonathan Wold reminded us, the role of advocacy is key. Yes, it’s critical to represent your developer community well—but you also need mechanisms (surveys, direct support, partnerships, influencer relationships) to collect and synthesize the voice of the actual merchants who use your products daily.
Is Community Always the Goal?
An interesting takeaway from Jonathan was that sometimes, you don’t need to force a new community space for your product—sometimes the market is already well-served by existing groups and platforms. His company Guildenberg, for instance, decided not to invest in building a standalone community, but rather to participate and contribute to established ones.
As WordPress evolves and the user base diversifies, this episode highlighted a critical truth: building community isn’t just about numbers or active forums. It’s about intentional advocacy, selecting your audience with care, and using the right channels to listen, respond, and advocate for those who actually use and buy your products.
Takeaways for WordPress Product Businesses
- Identify who you truly want to reach: Is it merchandisers, agencies, or fellow developers?
- Go where your audience already exists: Engage in their communities, even if it’s harder to find or less visible.
- Advocate and listen: Collect feedback purposefully, even if it comes through support tickets or one-to-one conversations.
- Don’t force it: Sometimes, partnering with existing influencers or communities can be far more effective than building your own from scratch.
The next time you think about “community-building” for your WordPress product, ask yourself: Whose community am I actually building? And how can I better connect with the people who need me most?
Inspired by insights from Do the Woo Product Chat (Episode 655) featuring Katie Keith, James Kemp, and Jonathan Wold.
