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Open Membership Sites vs. Hidden

by Mark Singletary
5 replies
With the generally accepted idea that long sales letters are the best way to sell, I find it fascinating that many well known IM "gurus" use the open style of membership sites.

The basic setup is that there is free information mixed in with paid. With the paid content you may get a preview (or it may be totally hidden) but then have to login/join to see the full thing. The mixture of previews, sidebar content, and free content is effectively the sales letter.

Some examples:

Exclusive Rumors, Picks, Fantasy Tools, Recruiting and More ESPN Insider - ESPN (non IM of course)
Information Marketer's Zone
Bill Myers Online
Nicheology.com

What are your thoughts on the pros and cons of each style? Is the open type site better outside the MMO arena you think?

Mark
#hidden #membership #open #sites
  • Profile picture of the author Karson
    Looks like these guys have set up theres correctly. Some of those open sites have hidden content below using a code and if you hit view source you can still get to it. They way these guys have it set up is a bit different and probably not as effective. I am building one right now and I think I am sticking to the closed model with a free membership level showing pieces of the upgrade.
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  • Profile picture of the author David-JP
    The freemium model is effective, especially if you are new to a market.
    Once established, or if you have a very good network of high level affiliates on a launch, to do a lot of preselling, you can do a straight to paid model.

    David
    Signature
    Free Report: How IM Gurus Pull in 100k-$2mil A Year (Its Not What They Teach You)
    ---------------------------------
    The Nuts and Bolts of Starting-Up and Running a Successful Membership Site
    ==Membership Academy== aMember/Wishlist Hacks and How To Videos
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
    Thanks for the input so far.

    Any other thoughts about the pros and cons of each method?

    Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author joseph7384
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author roblawrence
      I think the open preview converts more than the sales page approach. People are instantly turned off when they think they're going to be "sold" to. The teaser way builds trust and curiosity. But you have to have good content showing. If the customer can see all your content and there's not much there, then you're not going to be successful. Or, the other option is a freemium model with a free basic membership then upgrade to a premium one. Capture the lead then convert them to a customer.
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