Building an engaged online community is one of the most effective ways to grow your business, deepen client relationships, and deliver ongoing value. The Communities feature in Captivation Hub gives you a private or public space where members can interact, access exclusive content, and connect with each other — all under your brand. This guide covers everything from initial setup to managing roles, channels, events, and gamification.
What is the Communities Feature?
The Communities feature in Captivation Hub lets you create exclusive, interactive spaces for your audience. These communities help businesses and entrepreneurs foster engagement, offer valuable content, and build stronger relationships with members. You can create groups, manage memberships, customize your domain, and set permissions to shape the experience your members have.
How to Set Up and Manage Communities
Setting up a community in Captivation Hub lets you centralize conversations, deliver content, and drive engagement in one branded space. This section walks you through each essential step — from creation and customization to managing roles, channels, and gamified experiences.
Step 1 — Create a New Community
Start by accessing the Communities section within your Captivation Hub dashboard. From there, click Create New Community to begin building your space. This is the first step in setting up a centralized hub where your audience can engage, learn, and collaborate. Once created, you'll be able to customize your community's branding, structure, and membership settings.
Step 2 — Create Your Community Group
Define your group's identity by entering a name, URL, and short description. This is the foundation of your community and what members will see when joining. Make it clear, inviting, and aligned with your brand or purpose. Once filled out, save your group to begin customizing and inviting members.
Smarter Group Landing in Communities
Communities now guide users to the most relevant group when they log in, making navigation faster and more intuitive. Instead of landing on a random group, users are redirected to a group they're already a member of, or the group they accessed most recently. This helps members get back to the right place faster, especially in communities with multiple groups.
Step 3 — Customize Community Settings
Community Settings is where you can tailor the look and feel of your community to match your brand. You'll be able to upload your logo, cover image, and favicon, adjust the layout, and fine-tune visual elements to create a consistent, professional experience for your members.
Upload a Community Logo and Cover Image
Branding plays a key role in building trust and recognition within your community. In the Branding tab of Community Settings, you can upload your favicon, cover image, and logo. The favicon appears in browser tabs, the cover image gives your community visual appeal, and the logo reinforces brand identity throughout the portal. Use the recommended dimensions for the best display, and you can update these assets at any time.
Step 4 — Set Up a Custom Domain
A custom domain gives your community a professional, branded touch. Instead of using the default URL, you can connect your own domain. Navigate to Memberships > Communities > Settings to find the custom domain menu. After entering your desired domain name, update your DNS records. Once your records are updated, click Update Domain and wait for DNS propagation to complete — this typically takes 24 to 48 hours depending on your registrar.
Step 5 — Manage Memberships and Roles
Managing access and assigning roles within your community ensures members get the right level of interaction and control. Whether you're running a free discussion group or a gated coaching space, assigning roles like Admin or Contributor gives you flexibility in moderation and collaboration.
Navigate to the Members tab inside your community and click the Invite Members button. If someone needs full administrative access, toggle the Give Administrative Privileges option before sending the invite. After a member joins, you can always update their role from the Members tab using the three-dot menu next to their name.
- Admin — Full control over the community
- Contributor — Limited permissions for content creation
- Member — Basic access to participate
Step 6 — Create and Organize Groups
Groups are the heart of your community, letting you segment conversations, content, and member participation by interest or topic. Navigate to the Groups section in the community panel and click the blue Create Group button. You'll enter the group name, a short description, and select privacy settings to determine who can access the group. You can also assign moderators during setup. Once configured, click Save to publish the group.
Step 7 — Set Up Channels
Channels help you structure conversations within your community group, making it easier for members to find and participate in discussions. Click the + Add Channel button in the left-hand panel to get started. You can create specific channels like Announcements for updates, SOPs for process documentation, or VIP for exclusive member content. Each channel can be customized with unique icons and privacy settings.
Step 8 — Add and Manage Courses
Courses provide structured content that can educate, onboard, or engage your community members. Navigate to the Learning tab within your community and click + Add Course. This lets you attach any existing course from your account to the group. Once added, members will see and access the course directly from the community. You can manage visibility settings or remove courses at any time.
Choose a Course and Set Visibility
After clicking Add Course, you'll choose an existing course from your library or create a new one. Visibility settings let you control access — make the course available to all members, restrict it to certain membership levels, offer it via Buy Now, or unlock it based on time or milestones. Courses linked here are displayed only inside the community group and won't affect your main course catalog.
Step 9 — Create and Schedule Events
Events make it easy to host live sessions like office hours, AMAs, and workshops directly in your community. Go to the Events tab and click Create Event. Fill in the event title, description, event banner or image, and add a meeting link (such as a Zoom URL). You can set the event as a one-time session or make it recurring weekly or monthly. Enabling reminders ensures members get a notification before the event begins.
Step 10 — Implement Rewards and Gamification
Gamification boosts participation by making your community experience more interactive and fun. Head to the Leaderboard section to view or customize member levels like Bronze, Silver, or Gold. Then go to Gamification & Rewards in the settings to assign rewards for reaching each level. Rewards can include course access, promo discounts, or exclusive community roles. For a fully automated experience, use workflows to trigger rewards when members complete actions like submitting a form or finishing a course.
Email Notification Settings for Communities
These settings let you control what emails members receive about activity, role changes, and events — while giving you full control over what gets sent and how it looks. To configure them, go to Sites > Client Portal > Memberships > Settings > Email Settings > Communities.
1. Group Invitation Email
This email is triggered when a user is added to a group. The Joined the Group (User) email sends an invite notifying the user they've been added to a specific community or group.
2. Group Membership Status Emails
These emails manage communications related to approval, rejection, and private channel assignments.
- Approved (User) — Notifies a user that their membership has been approved.
- Declined (User) — Alerts a user that their request to join was declined.
- New Member Request (Admin) — Notifies admins when someone requests to join a group.
- Declined/Removed by Admin (Admin) — Informs admins when they remove or decline a member.
- Added to Private Channel (User) — Lets users know they've been added to a private discussion space.
3. General Group Emails
These keep members informed about interactions within the community: New Comment on Post, New Comment Reply, Like on Post, Like on Comment, Tagged in Post, Tagged in Comment, Content Reported, and New Calendar Event Created.
4. Learning (Courses) Emails
Automated emails related to the learning journey within a group:
- New Courses Added — Informs users when a new course becomes available.
- Join Group Learning Alert — Sent when a user joins a group offering learning content.
- Course Unlocked (Time-Based Unlock) — Triggered when a course becomes available after a set time.
- Course Subscription Cancelled — Notifies both the user and admin when a subscription ends.
- Course Payment Successful — Confirms a successful course purchase or subscription.
5. Role Change Notifications
Keeps members updated about changes to their roles or ownership within a group:
- Member Role Upgraded in Channel — Sent to users when they're promoted (e.g., from member to moderator).
- Group Ownership Changed — Notifies the new owner of their elevated permissions.
6. Customizing Email Templates
Each email type has a Default Template option you can preview using the eye icon and customize to match your tone, brand, and messaging style.
Event Reminder Email
Customizing the event reminder email helps members recognize your brand and improves event attendance. To update it: select Group Event Reminder Email, click Default Template and then Edit to open the template editor. Update the subject and body, insert merge fields as needed, then preview and save.
Note: Community notification emails are sent from your default email address, which is set in the Email Services tab under your account settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I monetize my community?
Yes. You can charge for access by integrating paid membership plans directly within Captivation Hub.
Q: What happens if I delete a community?
Deleting a community is permanent. All content, members, and discussions will be removed and cannot be recovered. Make sure you're certain before taking this step.
Q: How do I troubleshoot domain verification issues?
Double-check that your DNS records match the required settings and allow up to 48 hours for propagation. If the issue continues after that window, reach out to support.
Q: How do I create courses inside the community?
Navigate to the Learning tab within your community group and use the + Add Course option to attach an existing course or start a new one.
Q: How are reward levels determined?
Levels are based on points earned through community participation — posts, comments, and likes. You can also assign points automatically through workflows.
Q: Can I change a group from Public to Private after it's created?
Yes. You can change a group's visibility at any time by going to Group Settings > Details, selecting Public or Private, and saving your changes.
Q: How can I change the slug for a community group?
Go to Group Settings > Details > Discovery, edit the Slug field, and save your changes. Community URLs are case-insensitive, so /Community and /community resolve to the same page. If you had an older URL, visitors will be automatically redirected to the updated one.
Q: Can I change my personal community profile slug?
Yes. Go to Settings > Profile and edit the slug field to personalize your profile URL.
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