Creating a membership site - best templates or services?

[Jim2131]

Hey guys,

As my list grows I'm looking to create a membership site filled with high value products and info to create some recurring monthly income.

Any suggestions or recommendations on pre-existing packages or services available to get a membership site up and running quickly? Reply in thread, or DM me or email jimwilliams2 (at) gmail.com

I've got money to spend if you've got solid suggestions or advice.

Thanks

[sirtiman]

Find the membership scripts or templates that integrated with affiliate programs, not just ordinary payment only.

[DianaHeuser]

Jim,

May I suggest that you get hold of Sal64 or Celente. They are both experts in membership sites.

Di

[ebusinesstutor]

I recommend that you use WordPress for your membership web site. You can manage it easily yourself and there are lots of great plugins to help, including ones to run an affiliate program in conjunction with your membership one.

I have several web sites set up in WordPress and it is awesome.

[SuppaDave21]

I would recommend using word-press as well, For a membership plugins you can find a couple of free one's by searching the wordpress plugin page for them. Or if you would like to purchase a membership script the WP-wishlist is a pretty good one Ive heard.

[Chris Cole]

Jim,

I use a mixture of software to run my wordpress members area.

DAP - Digital access pass, this protects your content and access to it. Only registered members are allowed into the members area. It also has it's own inbuilt affiliate system and integrates into many different payment methods.

EVP2 - Easy video player for displaying my videos, though you can use the free branded version from flowplayer

Amazon S3 - This is for my file storage and video streaming, their costs are very low. Plus you do not use up your domains allotted bandwidth.

OptimizePress - This is a wordpress theme, but it really has it all in terms of what you are looking. OP has inbuilt shortcodes and templates that are amazing. You have from sales pages, squeeze pages, member templates and even a blog template. For me it is the best theme I have bought

[NickSway]

Are you looking for a simple membership site, or one with an affiliate program, member profiles, etc.? Are you looking to drip feed content? e.i. 1st day, 1 download. 7th day, 2 downloads. 10th day, 3 downloads...

I've done all types of membership sites, so if you're a little more specific I should be able to suggest the right one for you.

[spiker12]

I am considering a membership site too for a sports blog/news site. I also heard someone suggest s2member as a good plugin for Wordpress. Does anyone have experience with that?

I'd be interested in talking to someone privately about how to roll out a membership site, strategically, since we have good traffic, just looking to improve revenues. Also how to increase the value of the memberships to make them more attractive...

[JennyBizz]

I'm looking at s2member right now, too. The site I want to set up will be very simple with only one level of membership. The main reasons that I'm looking at it is because it is free and it easily integrates with JVZoo.

[Jeanne Lovely]

Here is my recommendation

Wishlist member - easy to setup and integrates with payment centers and affiliate programs very easily.

WishList Member | Membership Site Software

$97 for one site $297 for unlimited - one time payment - worth every penny

[spiker12]

Someone said to check out Ning for membership sites (changed I guess since a few years ago and perhaps has some membership tools???). Has anyone looked at it recently? Can it integrate with a Wordpress blog? How does it differ from Buddypress?

[Anonymous Affiliate]

Wordpress + Amember = perfect.

For all my membership sites, I simply install an independent WordPress instance in a separate folder of my site (like "XXXX.com/premium" or XXXX.com/private"), and then I protect that folder with Amember, which is in my opinion the best membership management script in the market.

[John Rogers]

My recommendation is to not look for a script until you wargame the hell out of what you want the site to do, then see what best meets your needs. If you buy a script without knowing up front what you need now and in the future, you may very well end up with something that doesn't meet your needs, or you may pay for a bunch of features that you will never use.

[bassem]

if you never build a membership ste before , i would recommand you to use wordpress to get an deep insight of how things are going on , then you can scale it up

Bassem Jaber

[Jeremy Stephens]

I've been trying to make a members only site with Wordpress for three days, this has just answered alot of my questions.

Thanks

[SiteSmarty]

The easiest and fastest way to build a membership site is to integrate PayPal and aWeber, then deliver your products using autoresponders. No hassles and you can start right now. Using a script you'll have to customize it, learn it, upgrade and all that stuff.

I use aMember, Wishlist and others, but the autoresponder is hands down the best way to go if you're into making money with memberships.

Learn more here ... How Do I Integrate PayPal With AWeber? :: AWeber Knowledge Base

[Matt Red]

Check out magic members for wordpress, it's pretty sick and protects payments etc.

Also i've heard awesome things about ammemberpro..

[Rich Struck]

We use amember and it is great. The support is absolutely fantastic.

[TexasNative]

Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate

Wordpress + Amember = perfect.

For all my membership sites, I simply install an independent WordPress instance in a separate folder of my site (like "XXXX.com/premium" or XXXX.com/private"), and then I protect that folder with Amember, which is in my opinion the best membership management script in the market.

Just curious, will Amember allow access to certain pages/posts in WordPress? Since we use WordPress the entire web site so some pages will be members only, others will be for the general public. Currently using S2member for this, but the billing system can not do what we need it to do.

[matrixmgmt]

Take a look at Memberspeed.com They have an excellent membership script

[Josh880]

For Easy Setup Try Kajabi or Optimize Press

[Kim Standerline]

Try www.easymemberpro.com I'm biased cos I now own it again, (just bought it back a couple of days ago).

It's brilliant if you're not very good with html etc (I designed it originally for Newbies)

We've got a lot of changes in the pipeline, and even though I do say so myself, my support team is pretty damn awesome. (we're already in the midst of making a lot of changes)

Cheers
Kim

[Tony Grant]

Hi, I use Wishlist Member and it is pretty easy really. It doesn't take so long to configure and get to grips with but of course there are lots of features under the hood which make it more impressive. Like I read before, it is WP based so that is a deciding point and if not WP, then I too would go with amember.

Another good feature of WLM is the monthly subscriber group that costs $20 per monthy but gives you new plug ins and features to use each month to enhance your wlm and it gives you access to a far greater range of videos so if you are taking memberships serious, it is a good option.

I have heard a great one is about to be released by a fellow Warrior that will bring all this membership integration into an easy place to manage but I have told him to get on here and post so I am hoping he has something great to tell you all.

[BeechHill]

Originally Posted by Kim Standerline

Try www.easymemberpro.com I'm biased cos I now own it again, (just bought it back a couple of days ago).

It's brilliant if you're not very good with html etc (I designed it originally for Newbies)

We've got a lot of changes in the pipeline, and even though I do say so myself, my support team is pretty damn awesome. (we're already in the midst of making a lot of changes)

Cheers
Kim

That's good news. I have a copy of this and had pretty much given it up for dead. First thing I would recommend is to fix your web site and lay out your plans.

[BobbyTn]

Hi Jim
As Tony said, I am releasing my new WordPress Theme, which has a membership built in it and you do not need any Plugin or Script...
It is testing and debuging statges at this point, I also am in the final stages of completeing the training that shows you how to create a Membership site with ZERO cost! all free resources!
so be on the look out! in the mean time I would be more than happy to answer any question you might have on membership sites and platforms etc...
Cheers

[Eleanor]

In my opinion S2Member is the best value for money in that it does a lot for free and the pro version (which does even more) is cheap - cant remember how much but definitely cheaper than alternatives!

However, if you're looking for quick setup then I wouldn't recommend it. It's more suited to long term single projects than multiple quick turnaround sites.

For quick turnaround I've heard good things about amember and wishlist member but I haven't used them myself.

Hope that helps

Eleanor

[Kim Standerline]

We've just got the whole thing moved over to my servers last night, what you suggest is next on the list.

Can you pm me and let me know why you gave it up for dead, (dont want to hijack the thread), we may be able to help

Kim

Originally Posted by BeechHill

That's good news. I have a copy of this and had pretty much given it up for dead. First thing I would recommend is to fix your web site and lay out your plans.

[allink13]

Hi Kim,

It's awesome that you reacquired EasyMemberPro! I was one of the early adaptors and had to abandon the script since it was not being updated after Anthony took over the script.

Do you currently have any discounts available in the pipeline? You can PM me if you like.

Thanks,

-DJ

Originally Posted by Kim Standerline

Try www.easymemberpro.com I'm biased cos I now own it again, (just bought it back a couple of days ago).

It's brilliant if you're not very good with html etc (I designed it originally for Newbies)

We've got a lot of changes in the pipeline, and even though I do say so myself, my support team is pretty damn awesome. (we're already in the midst of making a lot of changes)

Cheers
Kim

[MariusPrice]

I have a lot of knowledge creating membership sites and if you looking for long therm business i suggest you to stay AWAY from DAP and WISHLIST, do not waste your money because users can pass your registration and get your product for free .

If u look for professional membership site use Wordpress + Amember if you do not have technical knowledge or use Drupal.org for everything.

Marius

[Kim Standerline]

Thank you so much, yes I'll pm you

Kim

Originally Posted by allink13

Hi Kim,

It's awesome that you reacquired EasyMemberPro! I was one of the early adaptors and had to abandon the script since it was not being updated after Anthony took over the script.

Do you currently have any discounts available in the pipeline? You can PM me if you like.

Thanks,

-DJ

[ravijayagopal]

Marius,

Your statement is dangerously close to being considered libel. So unless you wish to get sued by us, you may want to think before making statements like that.

It's one thing to state an opinion (your like or dislike for a product), and it's another thing to write as if what you're saying is a fact.

Our site DigitalAccessPass.com is powered by DAP itself. And we sell and deliver DAP using DAP.

I challenge you to to get to our software product for free without paying for it. Up for the challenge? I am guessing not.

And for your information, and I speak for DAP only: No, you cannot easily by-pass the user registration form and get to the product for free. Because guess what - DAP doesn't even have a "registration" or "pre-registration" process for products.

- Ravi Jayagopal

Originally Posted by MariusPrice

I have a lot of knowledge creating membership sites and if you looking for long therm business i suggest you to stay AWAY from DAP and WISHLIST, do not waste your money because users can pass your registration and get your product for free

[spiker12]

Anyone have a service to set these up for a fee on Wordpress sites? Particularly interested in S2 member.

[Discreetmarketer]

Originally Posted by John Rogers

My recommendation is to not look for a script until you wargame the hell out of what you want the site to do, then see what best meets your needs. If you buy a script without knowing up front what you need now and in the future, you may very well end up with something that doesn't meet your needs, or you may pay for a bunch of features that you will never use.

This is definately a good advice. I've found myself in that situation in numerous occasions, so I totally agree that one should try to think thoroughfully about his needs in order to know what's the best option.

But it's not that easy. You rarely knows exactly what you can or can't do with a tool before you buy it.