#162 Community Lessons From Jessi Jean's $6M Yap Challenge (My Notes From Joining)
I am way too pregnant to be joining a program right now but the FOMO went way too hard with Jessi Jean's YAP Challenge... so I joined.
I've finished watching the trainings through day three, and I want to share a few takeaways that are super relevant for community builders, whether you know who Jessi Jean is or not.
For context, her YAP Challenge is a $297, 40 day program, all about talking directly to the camera and building content on Instagram. Her first launch did $1.23 million (in like one week), and she opened a second cohort before the first one even ended and did over $5 million. Over 22,000 customers... truly incredible.
I joined because I love her takes on communication & psychology, and I want to get better at creating content. My entire podcast premise is me yappin' in a voice note for 10 minutes so if I can make that even better, that's really exciting.
So as I was watching the trainings I found myself nodding along to all the points she was making that community builders need to know.
Here's a breakdown of my notes + a reflection question for each. Grab your journal!
Nervous System Regulation
Jessi talks a lot about nervous system regulation and grounding herself. She used to be really breathy, speaking up in her throat, ending every sentence on a question. Now she's grounded and she speaks with conviction. Before she records, she takes five deep breaths and speaks from her diaphragm.
Here's why this matters for community. When you're grounded, when your energy is regulated, it makes your viewer, or your member, feel safe. And when people feel safe, they stick around. If you're the one bringing people together, your energy impacts everyone connected to you.
Are you grounded before you show up for your community, or are you running on empty?
Attracting The Right People
Jessi talks about attracting the people she wants to "kick it with". Your community is so much more likely to be successful if you actually want to be part of it.
I've talked to so many community builders who are burned out on their own community. They don't want to go in there, they don't want to answer messages. If that's you, ask yourself if you're attracting the right people. If you're not, you have to stop and pivot.
Are you attracting the people you actually want to be in the room with?
Lead With The Heart
Jessi says to be a friend, talk like a real person, listen, and respect your members' intelligence. Make them the hero. The worst communities I audit put their leaders on a pedestal instead of actually connecting with the people in them.
She's also been honest about wanting to earn money while serving her audience, and that resulted in over $6 million in revenue in a month. You can be of service and make a lot of money. Where people get tripped up is when they're thinking about how much money they can make instead of how they can serve.
Are you leading with service, or are you focused on what you'll get out of it?
Your Why Has To Be Strong
Your why has to be strong enough to sustain your community building work, because there will be days you want to give up. For me, the why has to be about really caring about solving a specific problem for the people you're serving. That's the only reason you get up on the days you're laying on the floor wanting to quit.
Is your why strong enough to keep you going on the hard days?
Make It Fun
Jessi says we're here to have fun, and when you're having fun, you're a lot more likely to keep going. I think about this with member journey design constantly. When you bring on a new member, how do you make sure they're having fun? If it just feels like paperwork and homework, they're not going to keep going.
Is the experience you've designed for your members actually fun, or does it feel like homework?
I'm loving the challenge and content so far. If you liked this issue, check out the latest episode of the podcast (linked below) where I dive deeper into this.
It's funny, I promo'd this episode on Instagram with a voiceover reel and the performance is nutty... 17 saves? Yap challengers go hard!
If you're in the challenge reply and let me know! I'd love to hear what you think so far and how you plan to participate in the challenge.