Have you been considering whether or not to build a membership site?
Membership sites can be a great way to earn recurring revenue, but how do you know you’ve
got a good membership idea or if it’s even a good fit for you?
In this video I’m going to share real examples of 8 different types of membership models
you can build around your passion.
Let’s get into it.
Hello creators, I’m Ben Toalson from Podia, where we empower creators like you to make
a living doing what you love.
My ten year old son recently taught himself how to solve a rubik’s cube.
And he didn’t just stop at a 3x3, he figured out a 2x2, 4x4, pyramid cube, mirror cube,
magamix cube…
I didn’t know there were so many different kinds.
And when he taught me how to solve the 3x3, I was really excited because I figured he
could teach me how to solve the others.
So I asked him and he said, “Dad.
I’m starting a club to teach people how to solve rubik’s cubes, and if you want
to be a member, it’s $10.”
And that’s when I knew he would be a good salesman.
While his membership model might need a little tweaking to work in the real world, the principle
behind his idea is an important starting place.
Your experience, expertise, ideas, knowledge, and passion are valuable and can be worth
money to the right customer.
The chances are good that there’s something you know, enjoy, or produce regularly that
you could build a membership around.
With that in mind, let’s go over these 8 membership models.
Number 1: Content update
The content update model is perfect if you share valuable content regularly.
This could be in the form of articles, illustrations, videos, music, or in the case of David Delahunt,
author of “5 Ideas a Day,” a weekly email including his top 5 ideas from that week.
David uses his free membership as a magnet for his books which he also sells through
his storefront.
You can charge a monthly fee for access to your content, or you could do something like
David’s model that works more like a free lead magnet for other courses or products
you might sell.
Number 2: Content library
The content library model works great if you’ve already produced a library of content or products
that you can sell access to.
The Eventistry Insiders Membership Group run by Alecia May, offers access to several courses
and bundles she’s already released on her site.
Normally people would pay $17 or $27 dollars for individual products, but she offers access
to all of her products for a $37 monthly subscription.
In this model it’s not absolutely necessary to add future content to your membership,
the promise of more future content can be a powerful driver of sales.
Number 3: Group coaching
If you offer remote coaching and can share your knowledge or expertise through a group
call or webinar, a group coaching membership may be a perfect fit for you.
The stress less ladies tribe offers membership access to monthly webinars and coaching calls.
One of the best things about this membership model is that you can scale it based on your
notoriety or the value of your content.
In the beginning it might make more sense to charge a lower fee and offer a wider session
like a webinar.
But as your time becomes more valuable and there’s more demand for your knowledge,
you can charge more and have smaller, more intimate group sessions.
Or, you can offer both.
Number 4: Professional service
If you teach a skill or offer a service that benefits from one on one instruction over
time, like playing an instrument, gaming, ballet, or athletics, you could benefit from
a membership model similar to Massi’s 1-on-1 personal training.
Through her membership she offers a workout and nutrition plan and accountability for
busy ambitious women who want to lose weight and feel great without limiting their diets.
This type of membership works best if you have a higher level of expertise in a specific
skill and enjoy connecting with people one on one.
Number 5: Product bundle
This model is similar to the content library in that it gives access to content you’ve
already created, but unique in how it’s packaged.
Generally, product bundles are assembled based on a specific category or outcome.
For example, an artist who teaches multiple disciplines may have a product bundle specifically
for watercolor painting and another product bundle specifically for drawing.
Or in the case of software engineer Krishna, he offers two different membership bundles
based on whether his customer is wanting access just for themselves, or for a development
team.
Product bundles can be a great way to provide even more relevant value for your customers,
matching specific courses, resources, and content to their specific needs.
Number 6: Community
Online communities are places where people can connect and interact around shared interests,
industries, hobbies, and more.
If you are passionate about connecting people around a specific topic, the community membership
model could be a fantastic option.
Podia creator Becky Mollenkamp runs The Gutsy Boss Club, a place where small business owners
get encouragement, insights, and accountability from Becky and the other members in the group.
If you watch the member testimonials on her membership page, you get a strong sense of
how meaningful and important this online community is for her members.
While online communities do typically center around a specific topic, members usually get
the best results when the founder of the community is heavily involved, so if you go the community
member route, make sure it’s something you feel passionate enough about to pour time
and energy into others.
Number 7: Path to result
This type of membership is built around creating a specific outcome for its members.
This is similar to how online courses work, but instead of teaching a specific skill that
can be learned within a few weeks, path-to-result memberships typically span a longer time frame
or cover a more comprehensive skill set.
McCoy Buck, a 2D and 3D animator offers courses around specific aspects of animation, but
also runs the Moho Studio academy, a membership designed to help a person become an animator.
This model works great if you enjoy teaching and want to help people learn a more comprehensive
skill over time that wouldn’t be possible through an online course.
Number 8: Hybrid
The great news about membership models is you don’t have to choose just one.
You can mix and match any and all of these to build a hybrid membership model that fits
the unique needs of your audience.
The SEO box membership offers different subscription levels with access to a variety of resources,
custom content, and online training.
This combining of different models does a fantastic job of addressing the specific needs
of his members.
If two or more of the previous membership models sound like a good fit for your customers,
combining them into a hybrid membership could be a great move.
Hopefully this overview of the different membership models gives you some idea of whether or not
you want to build a membership around your passion and how you might set that up to best
serve your customers.
If you have or plan to build a membership, which model works best for you?
Let me know in the comments.
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Thank you for watching.
I’ll see you next time.