Skool v Patreon v Facebook Groups: Pros and Cons of Online Community Platforms

Facebook Group Growth

May 12, 2025

Red headed woman in blue dress text reads Skool vs. Patreon vs. Facebook Groups. Pros and Cons of Online Community Platforms. www.sarahbeisel.com

Hello friends!

I’m tackling the growing trend of moving Facebook Group communities off Facebook to other online community platforms like Skool and Patreon.

I understand why people are intrigued. These platforms have unique features and the potential for a more intimate, distraction-free community settings.

But there are also significant drawbacks for business-related groups including marketing challenges and decreased visibility.

So, what’s your best business decision for your group? Facebook where you may be struggling to build your group, or one of the new online community platforms with attractive features?

Sarah

Online Community Platforms: The Next Big Thing?

Many Facebook group owners have moved their Facebook groups to a new online community platform, and many more are thinking about it. Platforms like Skool, Mighty Networks, and Patreon have lots of innovative features, user success stories, and monetizing tools. They also have potential for more intimate community experiences, since members aren’t as distracted by surrounding social media.

Who wouldn’t want that? Because growing a Facebook group isn’t for the faint of heart. You start your group, and it grows. But soon you’re not getting the amount of engagement you want, and are working so hard to get. It’s not growing as quickly as you would like it to, and you’re frustrated. You can’t even figure out why members don’t respond to your content.

Maybe the Facebook platform is the problem, and the solution is an online community platform?

Here’s the thing: moving from Facebook to online community platforms isn’t as easy and simple as some people are making it out to be.

moving from facebook not as easy and simple www.sarahbeisel.com

Online Community Platforms Aren’t the Problem

When you don’t optimize your group for Facebook search and algorithms, the online community platforms start looking awfully good.

You get excited, you invite your group members to move over, you’re thrilled at the cool features and monetization support–and the same thing happens. Not enough growth, or engagement, or sales. Why is this happening to you?

Because the platform isn’t the problem. Here’s a little tough love: it’s not the platform, it’s you.

red-haired woman at table its not the platform its you. www.sarahbeisel.com

The Skillsets and Tools You Need to Optimize Your Group

#1. Your Marketing Skillset. No matter what platform you’re on, you need the skills to optimize your community:

Create dynamic content and repurpose it to attract and engage your members.
Use SEO in every piece of content and their components.
Network to grow your group and stay in touch with your members.
Create paid offers that will excite your ideal clients from the group.

#2. Platform-based tools. This is where your platform really matters. Even with all their innovations, online community platforms have significant drawbacks, including marketing challenges and decreased visibility. It’s true that some of the most influential influencers do very well with membership communities on Skool, Patreon, or Mighty Networks–but they bring their large audiences with them. Their online community platforms don’t help them to grow. The platforms provide an attractive space where community owners can monetize already large follower communities.

Don’t other users and communities exist on these platforms? Don’t some of them make money? Of course they do. But their effort is 100% them.

How Facebook Helps Your Community Grow

Unlike online community platforms, Facebook’s search technology and powerful algorithms combine with your optimized group to multiply your reach.

It’s all about the algorithm, and the algorithm is all about user searches. There are billions of people on Facebook. Millions are searching at any given time of day. Facebook stores individual searches and interests, and organically presents suggestions for new friends, interest-driven ads, and groups like yours.

Facebook does consider group size. But it also considers growth rates and engagement in groups, which means size isn’t everything. The algorithm may identify a 15,000-member group that has had no engagement for months, but rank your active 500-member group higher than the larger one.

Guess which group Facebook presents to more users? Yours. Even better, since you know how to use SEO that matches your ideal client searches, Facebook will present your group to the people you want to join you.

Huge Benefits on the Facebook Platform that Online Community Platforms Don’t Have

This is a huge benefit to business owners using Facebook groups for networking and marketing. This is why I believe Facebook is 100% the best place for your community to be.

You don’t need to move off Facebook to solve your group problem. You solve your problem by getting some help.

If you’re frustrated because you’re not seeing the growth, engagement, or sales that you want in your Facebook group, I want to help you take that frustration away. My Profitable Facebook Group Program will help you optimize your group for you and your members, and for Facebook’s algorithms.

I would love to help you create a group that is successful, growing, engaged, and is the community that you want. My Profitable Facebook Group Program is what you need.

solve your facebook problem by getting some help www.sarahbeisel.com

What’s Your Best Choice: Facebook Groups or Online Community Platforms?

If you have a very large and highly engaged online community and you want to monetize their access to you, online community platforms may be an excellent fit. But if you are growing your community on Facebook, and you want Facebook algorithms to help optimize your group outreach, then Facebook has much stronger marketing and selling benefits for you.

Want to know exactly what steps to take to create an engaged Facebook group that makes you money consistently? Join the Profitable Facebook Group Program now, and learn how Facebook’s giant recommendation tech is waiting to help your group grow! –>

Chat soon!

Sarah

P.S. Listen to the full podcast episode for more of my thoughts on online community platforms and why I’m staying on Facebook.