Skool by Sam Ovens is a community platform where you can join groups, and set up your own paid membership. A standout feature of Skool is its gamification tools. You can customize your group with unique level names and rewards. Skool also has a user-friendly dashboard for easy navigation. Community members can take part in forums, vote in polls and complete courses to level up. Skool have group management tools such as:
- automated DMs for new members
- membership questions
- webhooks
- Zapier integration
Skool received mixed reviews from Quora, Reddit, and YouTube. Some reviews say Skool is good for monetizing courses or communities. Many commend its unique gamification features. However, others claim that Skool resembles an MLM strategy and is a waste of time. Some reviewers suggest Kajabi and Teachable instead.
I've been generating passive income online for over a decade. I created a course with my mentor and has 7,500 students. I've done it without relying on platforms like Skool. Also, note that many of the most successful course creators don't sell their course on Skool. This Skool review will give you an overview of the platform as a user and a creator. It'll also cover the pros, cons and pricing information. By the end, it'll introduce a low-cost business model with recurring but passive income.
Skool Review: Pros And Cons
Pros
Skool allows you to join free communities with ease. It includes free courses, discussion and resources.
Skool offers you a 14-day trial to assess if it fits with your offerings.
You can earn recurring income by creating a paid community on the platform.
Cons
Skool doesn’t offer video hosting.
Skool has limited tech support. The primary method of contacting support is via email. It might operate slower compared to live chat support.
Skool lacks built-in features essential for interactive learning and resource sharing. You can't create quizzes and upload files like PDF.
Price
Skool costs $99 per month.
Refund Policy
Skool doesn't have any refund policy, but has a 14-day trial you can cancel anytime.
Origin
Sam Ovens created Skool in 2019.
Reputation
The Skool community by Sam Ovens alone has already 43.8k members.
1. Skool Has a Straightforward Dashboard
Skool has a straightforward dashboard to freely discover communities on the platform. Also, the dashboard shows basic info about the communities. You can see their sizes, if they're public or private, and if they're paid or free. You can access your messages, notifications and settings in the upper right corner. The dropdown in the upper left corner is all about communities. You can search, discover, or create your own. It also lists the communities you joined.
2. Skool Allows Filtering Results
Skool allows filtering results when discovering communities. To give you an idea, Skool has 19 categories and over a thousand communities. Ankur Tiwari from Thoughtlytics reports that Skool currently hosts approximately 1,000 communities. Unlike Discord and Facebook groups, Skool communities earn revenue from paid memberships.
The filter feature is helpful to avoid feeling overwhelmed. It narrows your choices to communities that fit your needs. If you are looking for a free and public community, you can simply select 'Public and Free.' Then, Skool will show you all the communities that are open to the public and have free access.
3. Skool Has Free Programs
Skool has free programs accessible for all. After filtering out the results, you can choose any community. For example, I clicked one of the top 5 communities in Skool, which is A.I. Power Accelerator. After that, the platform will direct you to the community profile. To join, just click JOIN GROUP. Some of the free community asks some basic questions such as your name and email address. You can click SUBMIT and then your membership will be pending. The admin of the community will review your request.
Skool provides you the opportunity to become a member and access free communities on their platform. After filtering out the results, you can choose any community. For example, click the top 5 communities in Skool, which is A.I. Power Accelerator. After that, the platform will direct you to the profile of the community. To join, just click JOIN GROUP. Some of the free community asks some basic questions such as your name and your email address. You can just click SUBMIT and your membership will become pending. The admin of the community will review your request.
Once the admins approve your request, you can access the community fully. In the Community, you can see all the discussions between the creator and other members. You are free to post in the community. You can add files, a YouTube, Vimeo, Loom, or Wistia link and create a poll. Communities can require you to select a category for your posts
4. Skool’s Community Discussions Are For Everyone
Skool’s community discussions are for everyone which you can filter by category. For example, in the Adonis Gang community, you can select the 'Ask For Advice' category. You can like the posts or share advice to co-members in the comments. You can also take part in polls from the members of the community.
5. Skool Has Community Features
Skool has community features such as Classroom, Calendar and Leaderboards. In the Classroom section, you can find some free courses from the creator. Once you click 'Open,' you can watch the video lessons from the creator. It also lets you monitor your progress in the course, so you can come back to it anytime. However, not all courses in the classroom are free. Some classroom resources require you to pay for the creator's course or membership.
The Calendar section of Skool features upcoming events, workshops, and important community dates. You can click on each event for information and set reminders or add it to your personal calendar. Skool Calendar keeps you informed for activities like:
Skool's Leaderboards section ranks members by their community contributions. The metrics used for the rankings are usually number of posts, comments and reactions. Members rank based on their community contributions. This ranking depends on metrics, such as number of posts, comments, and reactions. So if you join discussion and challenges, or give advice, you may rank higher on the leaderboard. This feature boosts competition and achievement. Highlighting active, influential members encourages others to increase their engagement.
6. Skool Lets You Create Your Own Community
Skool lets you create your own community based on specific interests or educational themes. You can manage and customize your community space. You set the rules, moderate discussions, and manage memberships. It helps educators, experts, and enthusiasts share knowledge and collaborate. Also, Skool lets creators monetize their efforts through paid membership.
7. Skool Has Low Barrier To Entry
Skool has low barriers to entry because creators can create their own community for free. You can start a 14-day free trial with a card number and build your community. After clicking 'Start Free Trial', the system will direct you to your own dashboard. If you decide to continue afterwards, it will cost $99 per month. To create your community, all you need to do is pick a catchy group name, which you can change later.
8. Skool Offers Customization Options
Skool offers customization options for a unique and tailored group experience. You can customize:
9. Skool Has Gamification Features
Skool has gamification features which let creators assign rewards to performing members. Points, badges, leaderboards, and achievement tracking features are all at a creator's disposal. Skool's gamification features make dynamic and interactive communities. Members can earn points for activities like posting, commenting, or attending events. Creators can reward them through access to courses when they reach higher levels. This makes community participation active and rewarding.
10. Skool Has A Referral System
Skool has a referral system which incentivizes current members to get others to join. A Skool community creator who referred another community creator will earn a monthly commission. The recurring income will be available for as long as the referred group is active. This referral system promotes Skool and makes it an income stream for its members.
11. Skool Has Community Analytics
Skool has community analytics which you can access on the Metrics menu. It gives you data on:
It has detailed and daily graphs which can help you understand your member's behavior. Metric's data is invaluable for planning content and events, and boosting participation.
12. Skool Offers Useful Plugins
Skool offers four useful plugins to help you manage your community:
13. Skool Lets You Link Your Resources
Skool lets you link your resources directly into your community space. External platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube can be linked. So, members can share visuals and engage across platforms. They will also get easy access to your videos. Integrating relevant resources like blogs and websites enriches community experience.
14. Skool Hosts The "Skool Games"
Skool hosts the "Skool Games" which is a community building and monetization challenge. Anyone can join and create their community. Winners who successfully grow their communities win a trip to Las Vegas. Skool Games will track your community growth on the Leaderboards. Participants who get 3 people to join their paid membership get access to video lessons. On top of that, they also get recognized and gain more visibility on the Skool platform.
Skool Games is a monthly event motivating creators to grow niche communities via healthy competition. Skool Games participants share skills and experiences to help each other. The program also teaches how online communities work as businesses.
The goal of Skool Games is to help people build online business communities. They provide the tools, training, and a helpful community to achieve this. The program teaches participants to make money online. It also covers how online communities work as businesses. Winners of the Skool Games win a trip to Las Vegas. There, they can meet the mentors and other entrepreneurs and share their strategies. On top of that, they also get recognized and gain more visibility on the Skool platform.
What Is Skool?
Skool is an online platform for creating and managing:
It helps you build interactive communities to share knowledge and resources. Skool has tools for creating and sharing online courses. It also has features for seamless communication, like forums, messaging, and event scheduling. Some of highly ranked communities in Skool are:
Sam Ovens also created the Skool App for smartphones. It has a 4.0-star rating on the Google Play Store and over 100,000 downloads. It is user-friendly and sends push notifications, so you're engaged in the community on the go. It offers a range of features accessible to various devices, such as:
Who Is Skool For?
What Does Quora Say About Skool?
Quora users commend Skool for coaches and online course creators. Mila Jefferis says its user-friendly design and gamified features enhance user engagement. She appreciates the platform's intuitive interface. Its tools, like single sign-on and leaderboards, make community management easier. The Quora user also highlights Skool's premium memberships feature for better content monetization. However, she notes that Skool is not suitable for businesses with physical products. You need to assess your specific needs and read reviews before deciding to join Skool.
What Does Reddit Say About Skool?
Reddit says mixed reviews about Skool. Some Reddit users think it’s like a pyramid scheme, especially with the Skool Games. However, others recommend it as a great platform to monetize a community. One Redditor said it's better than using Instagram or YouTube because “you own it.” They also suggested checking other platforms like Circle and Heartbeat. But, they still find Skool useful for bundling products and creating paid communities.
Another Reddit user criticized Skool and called it a "massive pyramid scheme." They felt it missed the chance to become a trillion-dollar company. The redditor also doubts the sustainability of Skool’s business model. There is a limit to how many courses people will take. And, the Reddit user says the only valuable course is Cody Sanchez's how to buy a business. They argue, based on their experience, that most paid courses and communities are not worth the time and money. The user warns that no paid community is ready for the big changes coming in a few years.
What Does YouTube Say About Skool?
YouTube reviews for Skool are mostly positive. Community owners recognize its downsides, but the positives outweigh them. Romney Nelson started his own Skool community focused on self-publishing 2 1/2 months ago. Romney says Skool lets you create free and paid communities. People can join, engage, and access content there. A key feature is the Classroom tab, where you can upload courses and tutorials for your members. The platform's gamified system rewards members for participating, which encourages interactions.
However, Romney points out a few downsides. The main challenge is the $99 monthly fee, no matter how many members are in the group. He also notes that running a Skool community requires constant attention. This includes responding to questions, updating content, and hosting live Q&As. Skool can help create a steady income, but it requires ongoing effort to maintain. Romney thinks Skool is great for recurring revenue. Although you must stay active and engaged with your community.
Meanwhile, Nate McCallister of EntreResource moved his 55,000-member Facebook group to Skool. The main reason is Facebook’s declining engagement with no control over his reach. The Skool group had only 68 members. Still, its engagement nearly matched that of the huge Facebook group.
Nate highlighted one of Skool’s standout features—gamification. It encourages members to be more active by earning points and unlocking rewards as they level up. He also liked Skool's minimalist design. It keeps users focused on content, without the distractions of social media. Nate noted a few downsides, like no onetime payment option or custom domains. Still, he recommends Skool for building engaged communities.
Is Skool Worth It?
Skool is worth it for course creators because it enforces member engagement. It has discussions, polls, and chat rooms for your students. They can talk, have fun, and make learning interactive. Plus, with useful analytics on your community, you can improve your courses. And at $99 a month, Skool offers a lot of helpful features without being too expensive. It's a good choice for those wanting to build a strong online learning community.
Take Dan Henry's example. He's a YouTuber who's nailing it on Skool. By offering a paid community membership, he's making a whopping $100,000 a month. His community, Get Clients University, has about 1,200 members that are each paying $97 monthly. Dan uses Skool's gamification, events, and marketing to engage and upsell his members.
Then there's Ted Carr, another big success on Skool, pulling in $50,000 a month. Ted's strategy is to create content that people love. Then, he spreads it on TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. This content draws people into his low-ticket subscription funnel.
Daniel says Skool is worth the investment. It helps build or grow online communities and courses. He appreciates Skool's focus on community, simplicity, and ease of use. It's a great choice for course creators, coaches, and online business owners. The platform is new, and it has unique features. Daniel likes its gamification and simple interface, since they boost engagement. Although Skool lacks features like video hosting and quizzes, he says it has great value. It is for those seeking an all-in-one platform to manage content and communities.
3 Indistinct Features That Skool Lacks
Who Is Sam Ovens?
Sam Ovens is a successful entrepreneur from New Zealand. He is best known for his skills in business consulting and digital marketing. He was born on August 10, 1989, in Auckland, New Zealand. Ovens founded Consulting.com and SnapInspect. They are worth an estimated $10 million as of 2024, according to Commission Academy. Sam invested in real estate and owns luxury cars like Bentley Mulsanne and Range Rover Autobiography. He sold his e-learning business to focus on Skool.
Sam Ovens has a strong online presence. He has 162K YouTube subscribers, 99.8K Instagram followers, 2,000 LinkedIn followers, and a 43.8K-member community.
Consulting.com by Sam Ovens is an online learning platform for aspiring consultants. It offers specialized training, like Wetube and Quantum. They help coaches, course creators, and agency owners increase income and gain freedom. Sam Ovens sold Consulting.com to Rian Doris to focus on developing Skool.
Conclusion: Create Recurring Income Stream With Local Lead Gen Biz
Local lead generation biz enables you to create a recurring income stream, like a paid membership on Skool. However, local lead gen offers low investment, less competition, and high income potential. Instead of a paid Skool membership for steady income, you create lead gen websites for $500. And it only costs up to $30 to maintain every month.
Local lead gen use local SEO to rank high on Google. Once ranked, you can rent them to local businesses needing leads. You can earn a passive monthly income of $500 to $3,000. With Skool, you must engage to keep your community. Answer questions, join forums, and update your free resources. In contrast, once a local lead gen website ranks, it requires minimal ongoing effort. You can set it and forget it and still earn monthly income from your happy clients.
In terms of competition, local lead gen businesses are a champion. There are 1,000+ communities in Skool. You must make a big effort in your offerings, events, and membership pricing to stand out. Meanwhile, local lead gen means competing with just 10-15 local firms. That's far fewer than on Skool. Also, lead gen biz has high profit margins, from 80% to 95%. Thus, local lead gen is the better option if you want recurring income.
