Questions and answers
Direct answers about advertising in gated communities, getting paid as an admin, and how Harbor’s payment protection keeps both sides safe.
For brands
Can brands advertise inside Facebook Groups?
Not with ads. Facebook's ad system does not place ads inside groups. The way in is a sponsored post arranged with the group's admin. Harbor is the marketplace for exactly that: it lists vetted groups, verifies the admin, and holds payment until the post is delivered and approved.
What is a gated community in marketing?
A gated community is an audience that lives behind a join barrier: a private Facebook Group, a Discord server, a WhatsApp group. Members opt in, trust is high, and standard advertising can't reach inside. Brands reach these audiences through the admin, with a sponsored post the admin approves and publishes.
How much does it cost to sponsor a community post?
Rates are set by each community's admin, shown as "from $X" on listings, and negotiated in the Deal Room. The brand pays a 5% fee on top of the agreed price, with the exact figures shown to both sides before anyone commits.
How is this different from influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing buys a person's reach. Community marketing buys the room's trust. A gated community is interest-specific, opted-in, and moderated by an admin its members already trust. Harbor lists communities, not influencer profiles, and verifies the audience behind every badge it shows.
How do I know a community is real?
Harbor checks. Ownership Verified means the person genuinely controls the community. Audience Verified means a Harbor review confirmed the audience. A count is marked (verified) only where Harbor has confirmed it, and a badge renders only when its underlying check is true.
Do I get the admin's contact details?
No. Every conversation, negotiation, and payment happens inside the platform. That protection is what keeps admins willing to hear brand offers at all.
What happens if the post never goes up?
The money never moves. The payment releases only after the admin delivers proof and the brand approves, or after the grace window on an approved delivery. A missed deadline or a pre-delivery cancellation refunds the full charge, including the brand fee.
What kinds of communities can I reach?
English-language communities focused on the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, at least 1,000 members, across verticals including Parenting, Gaming, Health and Wellness, Software, Apparel, Crypto, Weight Loss, Pets, Travel, Beauty, and Home and Lifestyle. Platforms: Facebook Groups and Pages, Discord servers, WhatsApp groups.
For community managers
How do community admins make money on Harbor?
You claim your community's listing, verify you run it, and set your rates. Brands send offers. You approve only what fits your community, post it yourself, and get paid from funds held securely with Stripe, our payment partner. Harbor is free for admins; a platform fee comes off only when you're paid, and you see your exact payout figure before accepting.
Will this spam my group?
No. Brands never get posting access to your community. You post, and only for deals you accepted. Nothing runs without your explicit approval.
What if a brand doesn't pay?
They already did. The brand’s money is held securely with Stripe, our payment partner, before you post. Delivery and approval release the money to you. If a brand goes quiet after you deliver, an automatic grace window releases it anyway.
How much work is it?
About three minutes to claim and verify. After that, offers come to you, and each deal is a short negotiation in one Deal Room: accept, post, upload proof, get paid.
My community is already listed on Harbor. Why?
Harbor pre-builds its directory of quality communities so brands can find yours before you have signed up. Until you claim it, a listing carries no trust badges. Claiming it makes it yours: you control the profile, the rates, and every offer.
What does Harbor charge admins?
Nothing to join, claim, verify, list, or negotiate. Harbor's platform fee is deducted only when a deal pays out, and you see your exact payout figure before accepting.