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Membership site myths

by Canuckystan
3 replies
For those considering a membership site, this is a great article:

Are You Being Fooled by These Membership Site Myths?

My own experience having launched a membership site 2 months ago is that it is a LOT harder to get paying members that many people make it out to be.

I've got a long-standing blog, known in my field, and offer huge value in a specialized area, yet getting people to pay is very hard. I'm going to run a site that sells all the materials in my membership site on a one-off basis to compare results.

A lot of the membership hype is driven by people/affiliates wanting to sell you membership software.

I know there will be responses to this thread that say, "Hey, I've got 2 gazillion members paying me $100/month" (or whatever). Look, if you're not willing to post your popular membership site here so we can have a look, don't bother mentioning what a success you are at selling memberships, because talk is sooo cheap.

This post is meant for people considering membership sites - just take a realistic view before you leap. Sure they can work, but extracting money from people for a recurring payment is very tough no matter what you are offering. I'm thinking a one-off sale at a higher price with no commitment is an easier route.
#membership #myths #site
  • Profile picture of the author prostarprofitsdotcom
    There is a lot to be said about the experience of a membership it is not only that you get access to this online site or what ever but also that you get stuff in the mail.

    I get multiple package each month from Dan Kennedy as part of his inner circle. I get access to the online stuff but I get excited about getting something in the mail.
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  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by Canuckystan View Post

    My own experience having launched a membership site 2 months ago is that it is a LOT harder to get paying members that many people make it out to be.
    The critical point of any community - paid or not - is the registration of 200 active members. The faster you can do this, the more likely your community is to survive.

    You can expect roughly a 50% response rate if your community is free, and a 5% response rate if it is paid. Half of the respondents will be active members. So doing the math, starting a free community requires you to have about 800 people waiting in line to get in, and starting a paid one requires about 8,000.

    A lot of the membership hype is driven by people/affiliates wanting to sell you membership software.
    These people don't really understand how or why communities form, which has been something of a specialty for me over the past two decades. I still don't run membership sites myself, but I have a major one in the works for this summer. Doing it right doesn't happen overnight by running the "install" script and configuring some subscription levels.

    Sure they can work, but extracting money from people for a recurring payment is very tough no matter what you are offering. I'm thinking a one-off sale at a higher price with no commitment is an easier route.
    Most people will remain interested in a membership site for 90 days before you have to "reset" their interest with something big and cool. If you can do this twice, they will usually remain members indefinitely - provided you have enough content to keep them coming back on a regular basis.

    Earn 1K a Day has a special, larger download archive that you have to be a member for four months to access. Dennis Becker also provides new content every week in the download area. This combination is usually enough to keep people on the site for seven or eight months, which - if I were Dennis - is when I'd start suggesting perhaps they want the lifetime membership. (He didn't have this option when I reached that point, so I don't know when he first introduces it now.)

    E1KaD is a great way to see how a good membership site runs - it's all about community and content, not software or slick presentation. I can give you an affiliate link if you want one, but it's not cool to post it in the open forum, so PM me or use the email address in my title.
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    • Profile picture of the author Canuckystan
      Those are great points for sure.

      Before the membership site, I was able to sell ebooks without even trying that hard. I thought, hey, why not package everything and offer them as a membership site for increased revenues.

      Well there is a big difference between people buying and downloading a one-off product and signing up for a membership, even if the initial cost is the same or lower on the membership site.

      I think your numbers are good, but even then maybe a little optimistic at 5%.
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