If members get a discount for referring friends, does that count as a paid recommendation that needs disclosing?

As soon as the person recommending gets something in return, such as a rent credit, free meeting room hours, or a cash reward, the recommendation carries a material interest. When members mention it privately to friends, encourage them to say that they receive a referral reward; if a member posts the recommendation publicly on social media or a blog, disclosure matters even more. The space can write suggested disclosure wording directly into the description of the referral program, which makes it easier for members. In addition, never tie a referral reward to leaving a good review; reviews should be kept completely separate from the referral program.

Our space is small and has few members. What if nobody comes to our community events?

Make the event smaller rather than promoting it harder. Small spaces suit formats that are easy to join, short, and close to everyday work, such as a weekly shared lunch, fifteen-minute member introductions, or one member sharing a problem they are currently working on. Designing events together with two or three members who want to take part draws more people than the space planning them alone. Avoid the hours when most members are busiest, and invite people in person on the day, which works better than an announcement in the group chat. Holding events regularly builds participation more than an occasional large one.

How should we reply to reviews where members complain about the internet or noise?

Internet and noise are the most common complaints about coworking spaces and also the two things prospective members care about most, so be specific in your reply. Acknowledge the problem first, then explain what you have done or are about to do, for example "We have added wireless access points and separated the guest network" or "We have redrawn the phone call and quiet zones," and say who members can go to when there is a problem. Avoid an empty reply that only says "We will improve." If the problem has already been fixed, you can also show it in a Business Profile update or in photos, so later readers can see the change.

Word-of-Mouth for Coworking Spaces

Word-of-mouth marketing for coworking spaces often ends up as local advertising: attractive photos of the space, an emphasis on convenient transport, a list of pricing plans. All of that is needed, but it only gets people in the door for a tour. What actually makes members renew, and makes them tell friends “You should come and see my place,” is something else: whether work goes smoothly there, whether they have met people worth meeting, and whether someone deals with problems when they come up.

The audience for coworking is unusual too. Freelancers, startup teams, small local offices of foreign companies, and remote workers are themselves each other’s potential clients and partners. A recommendation from one member often brings in the next member more effectively than an advertisement does.

This guide sets out four priorities for building word of mouth at a coworking space: how to run community events, how to design member referrals, how to arrange the tour, and how to manage Google reviews and map photos. It ends with a list of common mistakes.

Go through members’ reviews and the reasons they give for recommending you, and what they mention falls roughly into three layers:

The basics: stable internet, comfortable seating, easy-to-book meeting rooms, air conditioning temperature, how quiet it is
Service: whether the front desk accepts packages, how quickly problems are dealt with after they are reported, access control and cleaning
Community: who they met, what collaborations they found there, whether events were worth attending

Get the basics wrong and you get negative reviews, but get them right and they are rarely singled out for praise. Getting the community layer right is what makes members recommend you unprompted. So when you check the structure of your reputation, ask one question: what share of your positive reviews mention people? If nearly all of them talk about the interior and the transport links, the space has not yet built a community that people remember, and it is easy to replace with a newer or cheaper space.

Community events: small and regular beats large and occasional

Many spaces turn community events into large talks or holiday parties. They cost a fair amount, few people come, or the people who come are outsiders with no connection to the members.

The events that build loyalty usually share a few features:

A fixed rhythm: the same time every week, so members get used to it being there
Short and easy to join: lunchtime, or half an hour before the end of the workday, with no preparation needed
Members at the center: members share their work, the partners they are looking for, the problems they are facing
One person responsible for connecting people: a community manager or front desk staff member who remembers what each member does and introduces them to each other at the right moment

Formats to consider

New member introductions: once a month, new members spend a few minutes introducing themselves
Problem-sharing sessions: one member presents a problem they are working on, and everyone offers suggestions
Skill swaps: members from different backgrounds, such as design, law, finance, and marketing, take turns sharing the basics of their field
Themed events open to the public: held occasionally, so prospective members have a reason to walk into the space

Photos and write-ups of events make good word-of-mouth material, but get participants’ consent before taking and publishing them, especially where faces or company names can be identified. For the overall logic of event planning, see Event Marketing and Word of Mouth.

Member referrals: designed well, they are not awkward

Referrals among members come in two kinds: introducing new members to the space, and business collaborations between members. Both strengthen word of mouth, but they are handled differently.

Referring new members

Referral programs are common, and typical rewards include rent credits or meeting room hours. When you design one, keep these in mind:

Simple rules: who can refer, what conditions the referred person has to meet, and when the reward is paid out
A disclosure suggestion: the person referring gets something in return, so they should say so when sharing publicly. The space can include suggested wording in the program description
No link to reviews: keep referral rewards completely separate from leaving reviews, and never make a good review a condition of getting a reward
Something for both sides: when the referred person also gets a discount, the referrer finds it easier to bring it up

Business collaborations between members

This is the most distinctive source of word of mouth in coworking. Member A needs a designer, and member B happens to be one; if the job goes well, both will remember that the space introduced them.

What the space can do:

Set up a member wall or member directory (listing members only with their consent)
Have the community manager watch for needs in everyday conversation and make introductions
Offer a regular slot in the group chat for “I’m looking for” and “I can offer” posts

The common mistake: opening the member directory to outside vendors for sales pitches. Members join a community to be introduced to the right people, and being bombarded with cold sales calls damages that trust directly.

The tour: the thirty minutes that decide the contract

Almost every prospective member comes for a tour before signing. Those thirty minutes decide whether they sign, and they also shape how the person later describes the space to others.

A tour process you can follow:

Ask about needs when they book: how many people, whether they need a fixed desk or a flexible one, how often they hold meetings, and whether they need to register a company address
Plan the route around those needs: show them the area they care about most first, for example the focus zone for someone who needs quiet
Let them try it out: sit down, connect to the internet, test the soundproofing of a phone booth
Introduce people, not just facilities: if members happen to be around, introduce one or two in a relevant field, with their agreement
Explain pricing and terms clearly: plans, deposit, contract length, how meeting rooms are charged, guest rules, how to end a membership
Offer a trial day: letting them actually work there for a day is more persuasive than any explanation
Follow up within a day or two of the tour: send the plan details and the points you discussed during the visit

The thing that most often causes negative reviews after a tour is a term that was not made clear at the time, such as how meeting room allowances are calculated or the rules for ending a contract early. Explain these on the tour and there is one less dispute later.

Google reviews and map photos

Many people first learn about a coworking space by searching a map for “coworking space” or “workspace near me.” The information and photos on your Business Profile are the first gate they pass through before deciding whether to book a tour.

Photos should answer prospective members’ questions

Real shots of each area: open seating, private offices, meeting rooms, phone booths, the kitchen
Real light and real use: shots of people working (with their consent) are more believable than empty showroom photos
The entrance: where the building entrance is, which elevator to take, how access control works
Event photos: to show the community atmosphere, again with participants’ consent

Update photos regularly. When the interior has changed, furniture has been replaced, or areas have been redrawn, old photos left on the map make visitors feel the place does not look like the pictures.

Information fields

Opening hours and member access hours (some spaces let members come and go around the clock)
Services: day passes, monthly memberships, private offices, meeting room rental, business registration address, mail handling
Questions and answers: whether there is parking, whether pets are allowed, how guests register

Managing reviews

The number of member reviews is usually small, so each one counts. Good times to ask for a review are after a member is clearly satisfied, such as when they renew, after they land a collaboration through the space, or after an event. Do not attach any reward or exchange to the invitation; for how to ask, see How to Ask Customers for Reviews.

For the full order of work on the profile fields, see The Complete Google Business Profile Optimization Guide. For raising your rating, see The Complete Guide to Raising Your Google Maps Rating. If your space also rents out meeting rooms or event space to outsiders, see Word-of-Mouth Marketing for Venue Rentals for how that side works.

Common mistakes

Photographing the space but never the people. There are plenty of spaces with attractive photos. What prospective members want to know is what it feels like to work there.

Turning over community managers too quickly. Community is built on people knowing each other, and when the person who connects members keeps changing, the connections between members break too. If staff changes cannot be avoided, at least keep handover notes: what each member does, who they know, and what needs they have mentioned.

Apologizing for negative reviews without explaining anything. For complaints about internet, noise, or cleaning, explain specifically what has improved so readers can see the change.

Trading free hours for reviews. It strips reviews of credibility and breaks platform rules.

Publishing event photos without consent. Members may not want to be shown publicly at a particular space, or may not want their company name exposed.

A coworking space’s word of mouth eventually comes down to one simple sentence: “Who I met there.” Desks and internet decide whether members leave; community and people decide whether they recommend you.

If you want to pull your community events, referral program, and tour process into one system and make sure your space can be found on the map, talk to NETVANA about your space and your members, or start with our word-of-mouth marketing services.

Further reading: For planning events that generate word of mouth, see Event Marketing and Word of Mouth. For renting out meeting rooms and event space, see Word-of-Mouth Marketing for Venue Rentals. For how recommendations work among professionals, see Word-of-Mouth Marketing for Professional Services. For Business Profile and photo settings, see The Complete Google Business Profile Optimization Guide. For when and how to ask for reviews, see How to Ask Customers for Reviews.