Being a community manager in 2025 is both rewarding and relentless. Whether you're running a member forum for a fitness app, moderating a creator network, or managing user chats for a marketplace, the challenges are strikingly consistent. Platform fatigue is real. The pressure to maintain presence across every social channel and engagement tool has led to a growing sense of “always on” exhaustion.
Meanwhile, burnout is reaching critical levels. 63% of community and social media professionals report experiencing job-related burnout. Teams are stretched thin and the constant push for visibility feels increasingly disconnected from their core purpose.
Part of the issue lies in the metrics themselves. For years, community success has been measured through surface-level numbers: follower counts, likes, impressions. But high visibility doesn’t guarantee meaningful connection. A large member count means little if few are truly engaged. Today, success is shifting toward depth. The new benchmarks are not likes or shares, but engagement, advocacy, and conversion. Community professionals want real conversations, not vanity stats. And the industry is finally starting to catch up.
Why Relying on Third-Party Platforms Costs You Ownership and Impact
One of the most pressing concerns for community teams is lack of control. If your entire community lives on platforms like Facebook, Discord, or Slack, you’re building on rented land. Your access, your visibility, and your ability to grow can be throttled at any time.
Policy updates, algorithm shifts, and pay-to-play models can all undermine hard-earned engagement overnight. What works today could disappear tomorrow. And beyond that, third-party platforms limit the data you can see.
Owning your community space changes that. When you bring engagement in-app, you control the experience from end to end. You set the rules. You own the data. You can organize content, manage visibility, and measure real participation. Most importantly, your community becomes an asset you fully own.
The Rise of Community-Led Growth (and Why It Matters)
Amid these challenges, a promising trend has emerged: community-led growth. Forward-thinking brands across industries are realizing that an engaged community isn’t just a feel-good add-on but a growth engine.
Companies that lead with community are seeing measurable results. Customer retention is higher. Acquisition costs are lower. Members who feel part of something are more likely to stay, refer others, and advocate publicly. That shift has put community teams in the spotlight. In 2023, 67% of B2B SaaS companies had dedicated community roles; up from just 28% five years prior. And the trend is expanding well beyond tech.
We’ve seen fitness brands build loyal “tribes” inside their apps. Edtech platforms create student communities that extend well beyond coursework. Creator platforms that prioritize peer support see stronger creator retention and higher content output. In each case, the outcomes are clear: stronger loyalty, higher LTV, and more organic growth.
Some teams now attribute over 30% of total revenue to their community. Others report 90% of renewing users had engaged with their community experience at some point. And for community managers, it validates the long-held belief that authentic relationships, not vanity metrics, drive sustainable success.
In-App Communities: From Channel to Ecosystem
So how do you reduce burnout, regain control, and unlock real engagement? The answer starts with shifting from external networks to owned, in-app communities.
An in-app community is not just a forum. It’s a social layer woven directly into your core product. Imagine fitness app users sharing milestones, wellness customers trading routines, or learners discussing course topics, all inside the product they already use. These moments drive connection and retention. They create a sense of place.
Bringing community in-app eliminates the scatter. No more bouncing between Reddit, Telegram, Instagram, or Slack to monitor engagement. No more hoping algorithms work in your favor. You get one centralized space, one set of tools, and one integrated view of user behavior.
When users are interacting within the product, their contributions are more relevant and valuable. They aren’t drive-by likes. They’re asking questions, sharing feedback, and helping others succeed.
Ownership matters here too. In an in-app environment, you manage the tone, the features, the flow. You capture meaningful first-party data, connect it to product usage, and make informed decisions about what to build next. And because you're not competing for attention with cat videos and ads, the engagement is focused and aligned with your brand.
This also gives your team a privacy-first environment. You can design safe, curated, purpose-built spaces that reflect your brand’s values.
Looking Ahead: Take Back Control and Build What Lasts
As a community manager, you have a front-row seat to the power of belonging. You’re shaping a space where trust, connection, and growth happen every day. But to sustain that impact, you need tools and spaces that support you.
If your current setup feels fragmented or exhausting, it might be time to bring your community closer to home. An in-app space gives you more control, clearer data, and a more focused environment for meaningful engagement.