In this episode of the CLG Journal podcast, David talks with Joshua Zerkel, the author of a brand new book called The Community Code.
Josh is also the Head of Marketing & Community at Gradual.
Here are some of the top ideas from the podcast episode:
1. Community should report to the COO, not marketing: Josh’s biggest “spiky point of view” is that community is a horizontal function that touches every part of a business, but it’s stuck inside vertical silos (marketing, support, etc.).
2. Build community programs top-down, not bottom-up: Most community builders build first and then try to retroactively prove ROI. The better approach: start with the business’s existing goals, workflows, and metrics, then design community programs that slot directly into those. This eliminates the “island” problem where community is always bolting on justifications after the fact.
3. Community as the human counterbalance to AI: As AI automates more of the mechanical parts of business, the need for genuine human connection actually increases. Community is “relationships at scale,” and organizations are only now starting to recognize it as the antidote to automation-driven disconnection, making this a particularly important moment for the profession.
4. Engagement metrics ≠ business outcomes: Metrics like event attendance, positive feedback, and active participation are health metrics for your community program, not business outcomes. The real job is to show how community either saves or makes the company money, using the same language and reporting frameworks that sales, marketing, and success teams already use.
5. Community building takes time: Unlike an email blast or ad campaign with instant results, community requires sustained relationship-building. Many founders want community but expect quick wins. It takes time but it is much more durable and compounding.
And much more that you can listen to here!
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Thanks again to Josh for this conversation, the work you do, and for coming to CLG!
Congrats again on your new book called The Community Code!
-David and Zach
