Membership Websites

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I am in the very early process of moving to a membership site for one of my relatively new website projects. Right now I am just publishing free content to rank and build an audience, but once that process is going well I want to add a membership component to the site.


I am trying to find some resources for learning how to build a membership site, more towards the marketing and management vs. the technical. I think I have a reasonable grasp on the technical stuff needed, but the marketing, promotion and how membership sites are constructed from an operational point of view is what I am searching for.



I have found no books on the topic and the only training I have found is staggeringly expensive. I want to see if anyone can suggest other more affordable resources besides $2,500 webinars.
#main internet marketing discussion forum #membership site
  • Since my original post I have found out there are probably as many ways to do this as there are stars in the sky. How one person sets up a membership site vs. another can be completely different. I notice some people like to build communities and some just put content in there and never worry about the community aspect.
    • [2] replies

    • You don't actually need to understand the technical aspects
      of setting up a membership site.

      Back in the olden days, people set up memberships using
      AWeber and just sent emails.

      Now you can use platforms such as Kajabi, Thinkific or
      StanStore. Or you can figure out how to set up something
      that doesn't cost you anything, although memberships are
      easier to manage when you use somebody's platform.

      There are hundreds of books about memberships and
      membership sites. I wonder where you were looking.
      • [1] reply
    • I have never heard it put better!

      Long ago when I started, there were very few solid options, I wish there were as many back then as today.

      It really depends on if you want to host the backend and maintain it or use a ready to go service [link removed by moderator]

      If I were going the "host my own", would use WordPress and Wishlist Member. Wishlist pretty much covers all the bases and will allow you a broad range of options.
      • [1] reply
  • I would go with community management software, such as Mighty Networks, etc. They are reasonably priced, and come with a lot of helpful guidance on how to run a successful membership site.
    • [1] reply
    • I have Wishlist and another product called ProductDyno. Both look really good to do membership sites with from a purely technical perspective, i.e., it has all the functionality I think I will need for this.
      • [1] reply
  • Why do you ask the questions - and then quickly discard the answers given?
  • Profile picture of the author max5ty
    Technically, a lot of different scenarios can be called a membership site.

    An app could be considered a membership site since users create an account and often pay monthly etc.

    From your OP it sounds like you're talking about a site with content like articles?

    Maybe I'm reading your post wrong.

    If it is about content, Beehiiv is where you can easily build a newsletter. People subscribe and pay depending on what your goal is.

    You can build a site on there, have affiliates, sign users up, take payments, send emails, and all that.

    You can have content posted, or require a membership to read the content.

    Lots of possibilities.

    That's if you're talking about a content site...it may be something for you to look into.

    They also have a ton of articles on how to get started and keep going.

    My thought is why reinvent the wheel if you can use one that is already built?

    Just a thought.
    • [1] reply
    • Yes, you read my OP correctly. I am thinking of the content to put in there. What types of content work best, how often it needs to be added to, are courses (text and video) the right way to go, etc.

      I will look into the Vbulletin software. I had not heard of that before. However, I am not sure I want to do the community part of a membership just due to the moderation issues. I am thinking I would like to focus on just content that I put in there that people get access to by paying a monthly price and then I add to it and make more stuff accessible the higher tier you purchase.
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  • have u considered skill share
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Yes, I have a Skill Share membership, and I learn a lot of great stuff there, but they are a bit light on membership-specific courses.
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  • Start with resources like the Membership Guys Podcast and Membership Economy where you can get a good basic knowledge. Udemy and Skillshare offer budget-friendly courses, so check them out. Also, analyze successful membership sites in your niche to learn from their strategies.
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
  • The success of a membership site has zero to do with the script or platform that runs it. Many/most people spend far too long on this aspect, which adds zero dollars to the bottom line, including me more than once.

    The success also has zero to do with how you set up your content. For example, what are the categories I need?

    What success has to do with is having a group of people that know/like/trust you to the extent that they will pay you to help them overcome/achieve something in their lives or business. That's it. There is nothing more.

    I have known very successful gurus that will have a "membership" site where they send out an email one time a month or one time a week. There is no website/blog/membership script/categories/SEO/etc. It's an email. That's it. There are no videos (even though they are a MUST some say). There are no audio snippets. It's an email. And people pay $20 or $88 or whatever a month to get the emails because they know/like/trust this person to help them overcome/achieve something in life or business.

    I can think of several people who I would (and have) paid for their advice in a similar non technical manner. For example, Allen Says the original and successful owner of this forum. Jimmy D. Brown. Sean Mize. And others.

    Is the audience you are building with the free content you are providing now taking the bait? Do they want more of your information? Do they read it? Would they be willing to pay you? Do they have money to pay you? How do they perceive you on the expertise scale? Are you building a list of these people so you can follow up and ask them these questions before you spend one more day or dollar worrying about which script to use?

    Memberships can be tough, but there are many successful businesses that have gotten that way due to recurring income. Good luck to you.

    Mark
    • [ 4 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Mark,

      Thank you for the well-thought-out post. I see your point about the know, like, and trust aspect. Like you, I have subscribed to newsletters and other stuff where I never logged into a site but continued to pay for information because I liked the newsletter and trusted the person writing it.

      As I think about your post and the stuff I subscribe to now, they are the same. I know, like, and trust the person and appreciate their material. I believe I have been thinking about this the wrong way. You posed some good questions I need to ask myself and get the right answers to before embarking on this any deeper.
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    Membership Websites

    I am in the very early process of moving to a membership site for one of my relatively new website projects. Right now I am just publishing free content to rank and build an audience, but once that process is going well I want to add a membership component to the site.