How to Build a Community People Trust with Matt Carnevale
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
In this episode, Dave interviews Matt Carnevale, Head of Community at Exit Five, for a deep dive into community building strategies in B2B marketing. (13:48) Matt shares how he transitioned from a sales BDR role into community management and reflects on two years of building Exit Five's thriving community. They explore what community truly means beyond just Slack groups or Facebook pages, discussing how real community building involves creating shared interests around specific topics or industries. (27:07) The conversation covers practical lessons learned, including the importance of curation, onboarding, member matchmaking, and treating community like a product rather than just a marketing channel. Matt emphasizes that successful communities require significant investment in understanding members and fostering genuine connections rather than just generating discussion volume.
- Main themes: The evolution from traditional discussion-based communities to trust-focused, curated environments where quality connections matter more than constant activity
Speakers
Dave Gerhardt
Dave is the founder of Exit Five and host of The Dave Gerhardt Show. He has extensive experience in B2B marketing, having previously worked at companies like Drift where he built audience and community-driven marketing strategies. Dave is known for his expertise in founder brand building and community-driven growth strategies.
Matt Carnevale
Matt is the Head of Community at Exit Five and the second longest tenured employee at the company. He started his career as a BDR making 75-100 cold calls daily before transitioning into B2B marketing. (03:53) Matt joined Exit Five nearly two years ago after being an active community member and sending a creative video pitch to Dan Murphy that landed him the role.
Key Takeaways
Community Requires Significant Behind-the-Scenes Investment
Matt emphasizes that successful community management involves extensive work that members never see. (26:26) This includes detailed member onboarding, collecting information about expertise and interests, strategic tagging of relevant members in discussions, and constant moderation. The key is understanding each member well enough to facilitate meaningful connections. For example, when someone posts a Google Ads question, Matt knows exactly which member to tag based on their background and expertise. This level of personal knowledge and active facilitation is what separates thriving communities from dead Slack groups.
Curation and Saying No Is Essential for Community Health
The most successful communities actively curate their membership rather than accepting everyone. (29:03) Matt explains how Exit Five has learned to say no to certain prospects, particularly those who might treat the community as a sales channel rather than a learning environment. Even one bad actor who mass DMs members can destroy trust that took months to build. The goal is creating an environment where members trust that everyone in the room has relevant expertise and similar professional challenges.
Treat Community Like a Product, Not a Marketing Channel
Most B2B companies fail at community because they treat it as just another marketing channel expected to generate immediate pipeline. (18:01) Matt argues that community building requires treating it like a standalone product with dedicated resources, long-term thinking, and success metrics beyond direct sales attribution. This means having someone whose full-time job is community management, investing in proper tools and processes, and measuring success through engagement, retention, and member satisfaction rather than just sales meetings generated.
Focus on Peer Connection Over Content Consumption
While educational content attracts people to join a community, peer connections keep them engaged long-term. (39:47) Matt notes that Exit Five's stickiest feature isn't the expert content or virtual events - it's when members actually make friends and professional connections with each other. The community's matchmaking program and in-person events serve this purpose. Members join for the learning opportunities but stay because they've built relationships with other marketers facing similar challenges.
In-Person Events Amplify Online Community Connections
Matt discovered an unexpected benefit of hosting in-person events: they dramatically improve the online community experience. (37:58) When community members meet face-to-face, their subsequent online interactions become warmer and more meaningful. About 50% of event attendees already know each other from online interactions, creating an immediately welcoming atmosphere. These real-world connections then carry back into the digital space, with members feeling more comfortable engaging because they can put faces to names.
Statistics & Facts
- Matt was making 75-100 cold calls per day as a BDR before transitioning to marketing, highlighting the grind of early sales roles. (03:37)
- Exit Five has doubled revenue three years in a row, demonstrating consistent growth in their community-driven business model. (06:13)
- Exit Five's community now has nearly 5,000 members, showing significant scale for a private, paid B2B community. (64:13)
