# Guide members through the community onboarding process

https://help.circle.so/p/audience/onboarding/guide-members-through-the-community-onboarding-process

Category: [Audience](https://help.circle.so/p/audience) › [Onboarding](https://help.circle.so/p/audience/onboarding)

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_Last updated: May 20, 2024_

After you’ve initiated the onboarding for a member, depending on the method used, they will need to complete the onboarding process and activate the account.

## **Key things to know about member onboarding**

- Members must complete the initial steps of the onboarding, including accepting the invite and creating a password for their account through a **browser** on either a desktop or mobile device.

- If you have enabled the [email verification](/p/audience/onboarding/enforce-email-verification-for-public-community-sign-ups) feature for your public community, members must verify their email with a six-digit authentication code before proceeding to the profile creation step.

- To successfully activate a member account, members must complete the final step of sign up process, which involves creating a profile. This step can be accomplished using either a browser or the Circle mobile app.

- If members leave the onboarding process without completing the final step, their profile will remain in invited status. Members who haven’t started or completed the onboarding show up under the **Invited** tab on the **Manage audience** page. For more information, see [Understanding reasons some members appear on the invited tab](/p/audience/onboarding/understanding-reasons-some-members-appear-in-the-invited-tab).

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## **Onboarding through invitation method**

Let’s take a look at the onboarding flow for members via one of Circle’s built-in invitation methods or an [**integration**](https://help.circle.so/c/zapier-automations/how-do-i-connect-with-zapier) (which essentially happens via the invitation method).

### **Invitations**

If you have sent member invitations using [**invites**](https://help.circle.so/p/audience/onboarding/send-an-invitation-to-add-a-member-to-your-community?locale=en) or [**integrations**](https://help.circle.so/c/zapier-automations/how-do-i-connect-with-zapier), members will receive an email invite. The email invitation includes a CTA button encouraging new members to complete the onboarding. 

> 💡 **Tip:** You can customize the onboarding emails for new members with or without existing Circle accounts by navigating to **Community settings → Onboarding**. For more information, see [Customizing the onboarding experience](/p/audience/onboarding/customizing-the-onboarding-experience).

 ![](https://assets-v3.circle.so/rg5tagwz0lzewsnb3e81jtuok1l6)
### **Invitation links**

If you have shared the [invitation link](https://help.circle.so/p/audience/onboarding/set-up-an-invitation-link?locale=en) with members, they can directly use it in the browser to initiate the sign up process.

### **Complete onboarding**

To start the onboarding process, members need to take the following steps:

1. Initiate the onboarding: 

2. Join community: 

3. When signing up for a public community, you may be asked to verify your email using a six-digit authentication code that will be sent to your email address. Once verified, you will be taken to the profile creation page.

4. On the profile creation page, choose to: 

> ℹ️ **Note:** If you have added custom profile fields that are marked as required, members won’t be able to skip the profile creation.

 ![](https://assets-v3.circle.so/y6wu8mv9t8xgld75mhaxhzlbqn52)

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## **Onboarding via paywall checkout URL**

When potential members would like to subscribe to community membership, they can sign up and check out for the membership via the paywall checkout URL.

📚 For more information about onboarding via a paywall, see the following articles:

- [Understanding the paywall checkout flow](/p/payments/paywall-setup/understanding-the-paywall-checkout-flow)

- [Onboard members to your community via paywalls](/p/payments/paywall-setup/onboard-members-to-your-community-via-paywalls)