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This guide takes you from nothing to a live community: a Slack workspace set up the right way, Tightknit installed, and your first members invited. Budget about 10 minutes.
Already have a Slack workspace with a few channels? Skip to Install Tightknit.

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The 10-Minute Checklist

Everything you’ll do on this page, at a glance: Set up Slack
  • Create a dedicated community workspace
  • Pick a clean, memorable workspace URL
  • Make the workspace invite-only
  • Create 3 to 7 starter channels (with an admin-only #announcements)
Install Tightknit
  • Install the app from tightknit.ai/start
  • Star Tightknit in your Slack sidebar
  • Open the App Home and start the guided setup
  • Create your community site and activate a channel
  • Apply your logo and branding
Invite your first members
  • Write a welcome message
  • Set up a founding-member Journey
  • Personally invite your first 10 people

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Part 1: Set Up Your Slack Workspace

If you don’t have a dedicated community workspace yet, create one now. Keep it separate from your internal team Slack.
1

Create the workspace

Go to slack.com and select Create a new workspace. Sign in with your work email. That account becomes the workspace owner.
2

Pick a clean URL

Choose a memorable workspace URL (for example yourcompany-community.slack.com). It is hard to change later, so get it right the first time.
3

Make it invite-only

Under Settings & administration → Workspace settings → Invitations, require admin approval for new members. Don’t leave joining open to anyone.
4

Create 3 to 7 starter channels

Start small. A common starting set:
  • #announcements for admin-only posts
  • #introductions for new members to say hello
  • #help or #support for questions
  • #random for off-topic chat
Set your admin-only #announcements channel up early. Some Slack plans limit how many channels can be restricted to admin-only posting, so configure it before you fill the workspace.
Don’t over-build. Add channels only when members ask for them.

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Part 2: Install Tightknit

You must be a Slack admin or an authorized user to install apps in a workspace. If you can’t install, ask a workspace owner to install Tightknit or grant you permission.
1

Install the app

Visit tightknit.ai/start. Make sure the correct workspace is selected in the top-right dropdown, review the permissions, and click Allow.
Selecting your Slack workspace

Selecting your Slack workspace

If you don’t have this link, reach out to the team.
2

Star Tightknit in your sidebar

Find Tightknit under Apps in the left sidebar, then right-click it and select Star so it stays within easy reach.
3

Open the App Home and start the guided setup

Open Tightknit and select the Home tab. This is your control center inside Slack. Work through the modules, starting with the Community section, to configure your community without leaving Slack.
Tightknit App Home in Slack

Tightknit App Home in Slack

4

Create your community site

In the Community Site module, click + Create Community Site to launch the guided setup for your public-facing community site. Choose your site URL, then activate the channels you want to sync and connect each one to a Feed.
Tightknit community site

Tightknit community site

Smoke test: send a message in an activated channel and confirm it appears on your site. Only messages sent after a Feed is created sync automatically.
5

Apply your branding

Add your logo and colors so the site and Slack Home match your brand. See the Branding Guide for every asset, recommended size, and where to set it.

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Part 3: Invite Your First Members

1

Write a welcome message

In the Member Engagement module, open Onboarding Message and write a message that greets new members and points them to your key channels. To send it from your own account instead of the Tightknit bot, authenticate when prompted. For small communities, a personal welcome drives more engagement. See New Member Onboarding.
Onboarding Message button in the Member Engagement module of the Tightknit App Home

Onboarding Message in the Member Engagement module

2

Set up a founding-member Journey

In the Gamification module, open Journeys and create a short onboarding path with a few Milestones, such as:
  • Join the workspace
  • Post an intro
  • Reply to a few threads
  • Register for an event
Attach an Award so members earn a badge when they finish. Set a completion window so only early joiners can earn the founding-member badge. See Journeys.
3

Invite your first 10 people

Start with your warmest contacts: customers, early users, or close colleagues. DM them personally before sending the Slack invite link. A heads-up dramatically improves join rates. Aim for around 10 members to start rather than opening the floodgates.

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You’re Live. What’s Next?

  • Post an easy question every day or two to seed engagement.
  • DM key members to prompt replies on specific threads.
  • Plan your first community event, even a simple office-hours session.

Community Site

Turn Slack conversations into a searchable public site.

Branding Guide

Every logo, color, and image asset in one place.

Journeys

Reward members for completing onboarding milestones.

Reinstalling the App

Get the latest features safely, without touching your data.

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Reinstalling the Slack App

To get the latest features from Tightknit, you may occasionally need to reinstall the app. This is safe to do at any time and does not affect your community data. Tightknit warns you in the Slack App Home and in Studio when the app is out of date. Reinstall from the App Home warning, or visit slackapp.tightknit.ai/slack/install.
Re-install link in the App Home

Re-install link in the App Home