You want rules, but you do not want your community to read like the back of a software license. That tension is the whole problem. Write nothing, and a few loud members set the norms for everyone. Write too much, and the warm space you were building starts to feel like a customer support portal.
This template solves that. Below you get the core sections every guidelines doc needs, a fill-in version you can copy, and three fully worked examples written in three different voices: a course or membership community, a local in-person-leaning group, and a creator audience community. They are not the same doc with names swapped. Each one sounds like the kind of place it describes.
What community guidelines are for
Guidelines exist to protect belonging, not to police behavior. That distinction changes how you write every line.
When the goal is policing, you list everything someone might do wrong and attach a consequence to each. The document gets long, defensive, and cold. When the goal is protecting belonging, you describe the kind of place you are building and the small number of things that would break it. The document gets short, warm, and clear.
Good guidelines do three quiet jobs:
- They set expectations before anyone needs them. New members read the room faster. They know what counts as normal here.
- They give you something to point to. When you need to step in, you are enforcing a shared agreement, not your mood that day. That is a big part of how you moderate without killing the vibe.
- They tell people who this space is for. A clear "this is for X, and we keep it focused on X" filters out mismatched expectations on its own.
What guidelines are not: a substitute for showing up. The document does not enforce itself. Norms are set far more by what you and your early members actually do than by what the doc says. Treat the guidelines as the floor, and treat your own behavior as the example.
The core sections every guidelines doc needs
You do not need a long policy. You need a handful of sections that cover the essentials in plain language. Here is the structure the template uses, and what each part is doing.
- What this community is for. One or two sentences. The purpose and who it serves. Everything else hangs off this.
- How we treat each other. The behavior norms. Keep these as positive descriptions ("we assume good intent") rather than a wall of prohibitions where you can.
- What belongs here (and what does not). Topic scope and content fit. This is where you handle off-topic posts, promotion, and spam.
- Self-promotion and links. Almost every community needs a clear line here, so it gets its own section. Be specific about what is welcome and what is not.
- Privacy and safety. What stays inside the group, how members protect each other, and where to go if something feels wrong.
- How we handle problems. What happens when a guideline is broken. Keep it simple and humane.
- You can leave anytime. A short, genuine line. Healthy communities make leaving easy and never punish it.
That last section matters more than it looks. Guidelines should never read as coercive. No rules that shame people for stepping away, that demand loyalty, or that treat disagreement as betrayal. A community people stay in because they want to is stronger than one people feel trapped in.
The fill-in template, section by section
Copy the block below and replace the bracketed prompts. Aim for short. If a section runs past a few sentences, you are probably policing instead of protecting.
Welcome to [community name].
What this is for. [Community name] is a space for [who it serves] to [the main thing they come here to do]. We keep things focused on [core topic or goal] so it stays useful for everyone.
How we treat each other. [State 2 to 4 behavior norms in plain, positive language. Examples: assume good intent, give specific and kind feedback, make room for beginners, keep it constructive.]
What belongs here. Posts about [in-scope topics] are always welcome. [Off-topic categories] tend to pull focus, so we keep those out or move them to [a designated space, if you have one].
Self-promotion and links. [State your stance plainly. For example: share your work in [the designated thread/day]; outside of that, keep promotion light and relevant. No affiliate spam, no mass DMs, no posting the same link everywhere.]
Privacy and safety. What's shared here stays here unless the person says otherwise. Don't screenshot or repost members' private messages. If something or someone makes you uncomfortable, [tell us how to reach you].
How we handle problems. Most issues we'll just talk through. If a guideline is broken, expect a friendly heads-up first. Repeated or serious problems [your escalation: a pause, removal of a post, or removal from the group]. We aim to be fair and to explain why.
You can leave anytime. No hard feelings, and you're always welcome back. [Optional: how to rejoin or stay loosely connected.]
A note before you ship it: if your community touches sensitive areas (health, finance, legal, minors, regulated industries) or you plan to include any binding or liability-style language, have someone qualified review the wording. Guidelines are not legal documents, and this template is not legal advice. A short conduct or legal review is worth it before you publish anything that members might rely on.
Example set 1: a course or membership community
A learning community has a specific job: help people make progress and feel safe asking "dumb" questions. The tone leans supportive and structured. Promotion gets a tighter leash here, because the value is the learning, not the marketplace.
Welcome to the [Course] member community.
What this is for. This is the place to ask questions, share what you're working on, and get unstuck on the course material. Whether you're on lesson one or applying it to a real project, you belong here.
How we treat each other. No question is too basic. We answer like we'd want to be answered when we were starting out: clearly, kindly, and without making anyone feel behind. When you give feedback, be specific and encouraging.
What belongs here. Course questions, wins, work-in-progress, and "here's what I tried" posts are the heart of this group. General industry chat is fine in the lounge thread, but let's keep the main channels focused on the work.
Self-promotion and links. This isn't a place to sell. You're welcome to link to your own project when it's part of a question or a win you're sharing. Please don't pitch members, run affiliate links, or DM people to promote anything.
Privacy and safety. People share rough drafts and early ideas here. Don't repost someone's work or screenshots outside the group without asking. Treat what you see as said in confidence.
How we handle problems. If something's off, we'll usually reach out privately first. Selling, spamming, or being unkind to someone asking for help is the fast way to lose access. We'd much rather coach than remove, so talk to us if you're unsure.
You can leave anytime. Finished the course or just need a break? All good. Your access [stays / pauses] per your plan, and the door's open if you come back.
Example set 2: a local, in-person-leaning community
A local group, say one organized around a neighborhood cafe, a city running club, or a regional small-business meetup, has different stakes. People might meet in person. Safety, real names, and respectful disagreement carry more weight. The voice is plain and neighborly.
Welcome, neighbors.
What this is for. We're [group name], for people in and around [area] who want to [shared activity or goal]. This space is how we plan meetups, share local tips, and stay in touch between gatherings.
How we treat each other. We're a real community of real neighbors, so we act like it. Disagree without making it personal. Welcome newcomers the way you'd want to be welcomed. What works in person works here.
What belongs here. Event plans, local recommendations, questions, and post-meetup photos (with permission). Citywide drama, partisan arguments, and outrage posts tend to split a neighborhood, so we keep those out.
Self-promotion and links. Own a local business or run an event? Share it in our [weekly local thread]. Outside of that, please don't blanket the group with promotions. Neighbors helping neighbors is welcome; constant advertising isn't.
Privacy and safety. Because we meet in person, look out for each other. Don't share members' home addresses, photos of kids, or contact info without clear permission. If anyone makes you feel unsafe at an event or here, tell an organizer right away at [contact].
How we handle problems. We'll talk it through first, the way you would with a neighbor. Harassment, threats, or sharing someone's private info crosses a line and means removal. We take in-person safety seriously.
You can leave anytime. Moving away or just stepping back? You're always welcome to rejoin, and we hope to see you at a meetup down the road.
Example set 3: a creator audience community
A creator's community gathers around a person and their work: a newsletter writer, a YouTuber, a podcaster. The energy is more conversational and fan-adjacent, but that brings its own risks. You want enthusiasm without entitlement, and you want the creator to stay a person, not a vending machine. The voice is warm and a little informal.
Hey, glad you're here.
What this is for. This is the hangout for people who follow [the work]. Come to talk about the latest [episode/issue/video], swap ideas, share what it sparked for you, and meet others who are into the same stuff.
How we treat each other. Be generous. Half the fun is people sharing their own takes and projects, so cheer each other on. Strong opinions are great; tearing people down isn't.
What belongs here. Reactions, questions, recommendations, and your own related work. Off-topic threads are fine in [the off-topic channel]. Keep the main space about the things that brought us together.
A note on access. I love that you're here, and I read what I can, but I can't promise to answer everything or take every request. That's not personal. It just keeps this sustainable so the community stays good for everyone.
Self-promotion and links. Made something? Share it in [the share-your-work thread]. Outside of that, no link-dropping, no affiliate spam, and please don't DM members to promote things.
Privacy and safety. Don't screenshot or repost what people share here without asking. If someone's harassing you or it stops feeling fun, message me or a mod at [contact].
How we handle problems. Most stuff we'll just sort out with a quick message. Harassment, spam, or treating people badly gets you removed. I'd rather keep this a good place than keep everyone.
You can leave anytime. No guilt, no hard sell to stay. If this isn't your thing anymore, that's completely fine, and you're welcome back whenever.
Notice the extra "note on access" section in the creator version. That is the one risk specific to community-around-a-person: the founder becoming a bottleneck or an object of entitlement. Naming it early, kindly, protects both you and the room.
How to roll guidelines out and revisit them
Writing the doc is the easy part. Making it live takes a little more.
Put it where people will see it. Pin it, link it in your welcome message, and reference it when you onboard someone. Guidelines no one reads do nothing. This is part of why it pays to set up everything before you open the doors, so the doc is ready on day one rather than written reactively after a problem.
Model it yourself. The fastest way to teach norms is to live them. If you want kind, specific feedback, give kind, specific feedback. Your early behavior is the real guideline.
Introduce it, don't just publish it. A short post helps: "Here's how we keep this place good. Two-minute read." People engage far more with a friendly note than a wall of fine print.
Revisit it on a schedule. Communities change as they grow. A rule that fit ten members may not fit a few hundred. Put a recurring reminder, maybe quarterly, to reread the guidelines and ask: is anything missing, anything we never enforce, anything that now feels too strict? Edit openly and tell members what changed.
Let members shape it. When a recurring issue comes up, ask the group how they'd like to handle it. Guidelines members helped write are guidelines members defend.
In Plain English
Community guidelines are a short, plain-language agreement that describes the kind of place you are building and the few things that would break it. They protect belonging; they are not a legal contract or a list of punishments.
This template helps any founder, creator, coach, or organizer who needs structure without sounding corporate. Use it the moment you open a community, or sooner if you can, so the norms are set before problems arrive rather than after. Pick the example closest to your community type (course, local, or creator), keep the voice that matches your room, and resist the urge to make it longer.
Two things to remember. First, the doc does not enforce itself: your own behavior and your early members set the real tone, and consistent, kind moderation does the rest. Second, if your community touches anything sensitive or you add binding language, get a qualified conduct or legal review before you publish. Guidelines are the floor. You are the example built on top of it.
Next step: grab the community guidelines template, fill in the section that fits your community, and pair it with the community launch checklist so everything is ready before you open the doors. For more on building a healthy space from the start, the Community Building hub and the Resources library are good next stops, and the pillar guide on community building frames where guidelines fit in the wider lifecycle.