The Role of Community in Early Traction
We want to get plenty of traction, expecting most of it to come after we get to P-M fit stage. The difference in our approach will be in how we get that traction. Flashy ad campaigns funded by massive budgets are unlikely to do any good, as history shows. We are not a corporation. Instead, we seek to get the natural traction, that is organised and driven by people that use our products. This is a secondary reason as to why we are building a community (with the primary one being - creation of new and long lasting relationships between users). At RUNOGAMES, we believe community is the engine of early traction and the foundation of everything we want to build.
Why Community Matters in the Early Stage
Early users will be our collaborators that actually shape and decide which kind of features we will build and add. They will be involved with helping us shape the product, test assumptions, and refine our vision. The actual process will be delivered through the following three methods:
Faster feedback loops → Honest, unfiltered input from people who are invested.
Word-of-mouth growth → Nothing is more powerful than a recommendation from someone who loves what you’ve built.
Credibility → When you don’t yet have a household name, community trust becomes your reputation.
This is why community is not an afterthought for us — it’s central to how we grow and ultimately, we our only true goal is to make sure that the community is satisfied with what we create.
What Community Actually Means to Us
Community isn’t just a Discord server or a social following. For us, it means a group of people who believe in the mission and feel part of the journey.
Our community will be made up of:
Players who share what excites them and what frustrates them.
Educators who want good sources of fun learning for their students to try outside the classrooms.
Supporters who advocate for us, tell friends, and amplify our story.
In this sense, it is hopefully clear that we do not just look at community as an audience. For us, it’s an equal partnership.
How We’re Building Community at RUNOGAMES
It may be useful to show how we intend to build this kind of partnership based community.
Transparency: We share our development openly — progress, challenges, and learnings.
Engagement: Spaces like Discord, Reddit, and Twitter (X) where people can interact directly with us and each other.
Recognition: Spotlighting feedback, giving early adopters a voice, and showing users they matter.
Partnerships: Working with nonprofits, educators, and creators who share our vision.
Why This Approach is Defensible
Anyone can buy installs. Anyone can throw money at ads. But no one can copy a loyal, engaged community that genuinely cares. As we mentioned in the introduction, this is a secondary reason as to why we will be building a real community. Still, it is very important as well.
Communities create network effects — each new member adds value for others.
Communities build trust that money can’t buy.
Communities make products harder to replace, because users feel they belong.
In Conclusion
Supportive and encouraging communities are fantastic in real life. Why shouldn’t a startup have the same?
See you next time!