If you’re a yoga teacher attracting local students to your studio, you may be looking for opportunities to generate more income from your business.  You may already have an online presence - a website, Facebook & Instagram postings, maybe even TikTok videos. But an online presence doesn't necessarily equate to an online business.

Never underestimate the impact of a well-crafted teaser on a reader or website visitor. This brief yet informative text can be the deciding factor that compels a reader to fully engage with your content.

Starting an online magazine has never been easier. Whether you are an individual with a passion for a specific niche or a business seeking to expand its online presence, the wealth of affordable and user-friendly tools makes publishing an online magazine achievable for even a solopreneur.

Operating a successful membership website doesn't end with recruiting new members. You need to ensure they keep coming back with engaging and timely content. But if you aren't strategic about it, that content will become a jumble of ideas in your brain -- and will look like exactly that on your site.

As a membership website owner, your primary task is to write content for your members. This is especially important if you are collecting recurring payments from them in return for fresh content. So obviously, you want every article you write to shine!

Writing the perfect article may sound like a daunting task, but with a little planning and some best practices, you can craft content that captivates your members while imparting real information or advice. The steps here are a great start. The only missing piece is to make sure all your content has your distinctive stamp on the voice, tone, and flavour of your articles.

Know Your Audience

This should be easy since your members have already committed to you. Therefore, they already know, like and trust you. But before you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), take a moment to think a little more deeply about who they are, their habits, their needs and wants. You may even know some of them personally. This is a golden opportunity to tailor your piece to answer a question you know they have, or to speak to a particular segment of your group.

Questions to ask yourself:

• What does my audience care about?
• What problems are they trying to solve?
• What kind of tone will resonate with them (formal, conversational, humorous)?

For example, as a nutrition expert, your membership is varied. Some may be vegan, some paleo, some who like everything! They are each going to have slightly different problems day to day. You could answer questions like “is there such a thing as too much protein?”, or “how many carbs is too many?” The list is endless!.

Start with a Strong Hook

First impressions matter. The opening of your article should grab your member’s attention and make them want to continue reading. A strong hook could be:

Examples:

• A compelling statistic: “Did you know that over 90% of Americans fail to meet daily vegetable intake recommendations?”
• A question: “Are you struggling to understand what ‘eating clean’ really means?”
• A personal story: “Last year, I decided to cut out processed sugar. The first week was tough, but the results were life-changing.”

Structure Your Article with Care

A well-structured article keeps readers engaged and ensures your points come across clearly. Follow this basic structure:

• Introduction: Introduce the topic and explain why it’s important (e.g., “Why meal prepping saves time and money while improving health.”)
• Body: Break down the main points into easily digestible sections, using subheadings and bullet points.
• Conclusion: Summarize key takeaways and provide a call-to-action (e.g., “Start your journey to better nutrition by trying these three simple meal prep tips!”).

Using subheadings, lists, and short paragraphs also improves readability, especially for online content.

Write with Clarity and Confidence

Good writing is clear, concise, and confident. Avoid jargon and unnecessary fluff that might confuse or bore your members. Instead (continuing with our nutritionist example):

• Use active voice: “Include leafy greens in your meals” is stronger than “Leafy greens should be included in meals.”
• Be concise: Replace long explanations with direct, impactful sentences.
• Explain complex concepts: Use examples, such as describing how fiber aids digestion by comparing it to a “broom” sweeping out your digestive system.

Add Value with Examples and Data

Readers appreciate actionable advice and real-world examples. Back up your points with data, case studies, or personal experiences. For example:

• Share meal plans, recipes, or client success stories to make your points relatable.
• Share a success story or cautionary tale to illustrate your point.

Example: Rather than saying, “Fiber is important for digestion,” say, “Studies show that increasing dietary fiber can reduce the risk of heart disease by up to 30%.”

Include a Call to Action

Never leave your readers hanging. A strong call to action (CTA) directs them on what to do next. Whether it's subscribing to your newsletter, leaving a comment, or sharing your article, make your CTA clear and compelling.

This is also a great place to upsell your members. Perhaps you are introducing a new program or challenge. Invite your members to apply to get a free pass or fast action discount.

Example CTA: “Ready for the next level? Join my new 90-day no-carb challenge for free!”

Use Gripping Headlines

Your headline is the first thing readers see, so make it count. A good headline is clear, intriguing, and gives a promise of value. Tools like CoSchedule Headline Analyzer can help refine your titles for maximum impact.

• Instead of “Nutrition Tips,” try “7 Science-Backed Nutrition Tips to Transform Your Health.”
• Use power words like “Ultimate,” “Proven,” or “Life-Changing” to add impact.

Use Subheads and Bullet Points

Breaking up your text with subheads and bullet points makes it easier for readers to scan and digest your content. This is especially important for online readers who tend to skim rather than read word-for-word.

• Use subheads to introduce new sections.
• Use bullet points for lists or key takeaways.

Inject Personal Stories and Opinions

Adding personal stories or opinions makes your article more relatable and engaging. Share your experiences, challenges, and insights to build a connection with your readers.

Example: Offer opinions on debated topics, like plant-based diets or intermittent fasting, to spark discussion.

Edit Ruthlessly

This is a phrase that you sometimes here from editors and publishers. What they mean is that you should be ruthless with your editing. You many have just written the cutest, most creative title in the world for your article. But does it tell your member what the article is about?

Consider a cute headline like “You Say Potato, I Say Potahto!”, or “Do You Want Fries With That?”. Do these tell you what the article is about? Not really. It’s usually a good idea to err on the side of the obvious. Something like 5 Ways to Ditch French Fries for Good – With No Regrets”.  Now you have a headline that is still engaging but is also more explanatory.

Your first draft is rarely perfect. Once you’ve finished writing, you should also take the time to edit your article. Look for:

• Spelling and grammar errors.
• Sentences or sections that are unclear or repetitive.
• Opportunities to improve flow and readability.

Tools like Grammarly or Hemingway Editor can help polish your writing, but don’t underestimate the value of a second pair of eyes. Ask a friend or colleague for feedback.

Final Thoughts

Writing the perfect article isn’t about following a rigid formula; it’s about understanding your audience, communicating clearly, and providing value. And don’t forget to be authentic in your writing. Use your writing voice to spark or deepen your connection with your members. They want to hear from you, in your unique style. So give the people what they want!

These days online courses are incredibly popular and can provide an ongoing revenue stream to knowledge experts, coaches, trainers or anyone with niche expertise. It’s a product that you can create once but has the potential to generate sales indefinitely.

Besides offering memberships, the SubHub platform gives you the ability to create and sell online courses - which can be sold individually or included in a membership subscription. This flexibility means you can tailor your offerings to fit different customer preferences and maximise revenue.

If you already have content, it’s easier than ever to repurpose and bundle it into an engaging course. Transform blog posts, webinars, recorded sessions, or even ebooks into structured lessons and modules. This approach not only saves time but also lets you breathe new life into existing materials, creating added value without starting from scratch.

Courses can also be an effective promotional product to use in your marketing and conversion efforts. A free course or mini-course, for instance, makes an excellent lead magnet to attract potential customers and build your email list for your marketing mailing list campaigns.

Beyond revenue, creating an online course is also an opportunity to showcase your expertise and build credibility within your niche. Sharing your knowledge helps build trust, allowing potential customers to experience the value of what you offer firsthand.

By leveraging online courses, you can connect more deeply with your audience, drive conversions, and create a lasting impact in your field.

Some new features in SubHub's course builder

SubHub’s course builder provides the perfect readymade infrastructure to deliver an online course curriculum with an easy-to-follow lesson format.

You can teach your course in any language. Our Language Settings menu lets you translate any English label into your own language whether it be Swedish or Vietnamese.

Individual lesson pages now include a sidebar listing all of that module’s lessons so students can easily navigate to the next lesson.

Choose to display your courses in a 1, 2 or 3 sales page column format. Set up this option in the Settings menu using the Display Options tab.

Create a unique course purchase confirmation email in the Automated Emails menu.

Allow students to comment on lessons. Enable comments on each lesson page in the lesson editor.

With more and more people learning skills online, selling courses is a revenue stream you don’t want to miss.

Now start building your first course with SubHub

Open a free 14-day trial and create your membership website.

Writing effective copy is challenging, but following these guidelines can help you craft engaging and impactful content that resonates with your audience.

Keep it concise

Online readers crave quick access to information. Lengthy titles or articles can overwhelm visitors, causing them to click away. Keep your copy concise and to the point. Capture attention from the first sentence with a compelling, direct opening that hooks readers and encourages them to keep reading.

Keep it simple

Avoid overly complex language. The goal is clarity, so make your message easy to understand for everyone. Simplicity doesn’t mean “dumbing down” your content—it means ensuring your message is accessible to a diverse, global audience. Steer clear of jargon or local slang that may confuse readers.

Vague to specific

Begin with a general overview to attract a broad audience, then gradually delve into more specific details as the article progresses. This way, readers can engage with the content at their own pace. Those seeking in-depth knowledge can stick around, while others can move on when they’ve gathered what they need

Tailor copy for the web

Web copy has entirely different principles to print copy. Digital content needs to cater to both readers and search engines. When adapting print materials for the web, avoid simply copying and pasting. Instead, focus on restructuring the content with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. Read this blog post about SEO best practices.

Smart use of multimedia

AVOID:

• Autoplaying videos or audio
• Using irrelevant or decorative images
• Replacing text with images
• Overloading pages with too many images

DO:

• Use relevant multimedia that enhances the message
• Incorporate images or videos that explain or complement the text
• Ensure every page has at least one multimedia element to increase engagement

Prioritize appearance

A clean, professional website design builds trust with your audience. People will judge a website by its appearance and won't trust websites that haven't had sufficient effort put into their appearance. Ensure that your site uses a consistent and well-structured format.

Break up large blocks of text

Large chunks of text can intimidate readers. Use the following techniques to make your copy more inviting and easier to digest:

• Headings: Use keyword-rich subheadings to boost SEO and improve readability.
• Visuals: Add relevant images, videos, or infographics to enhance the text.
• Hyperlinks: Link to both internal and external sources to add value and credibility.
• Bullet points: A simple way to present key ideas.
• Bold text: Emphasize important points to draw attention.

Master keyword placement

Don’t limit keywords to titles alone - integrate them naturally throughout your copy. Pay attention to keyword density in headings, subheadings and body text. This helps your content perform better on search engines while keeping it relevant to your audience’s interests.

Write for people not just search engines

While SEO is essential for driving traffic, always prioritize writing for real people. Engaging, readable content will keep visitors on your site longer and encourage them to return. Search engines may guide people to your page, but high-quality content is what keeps them there.

Proofread thoroughly

Typos and grammatical errors can undermine your credibility. Always proofread your work carefully, but don’t rely solely on yourself—ask a friend or colleague to review it too. Fresh eyes can spot mistakes you may have overlooked, ensuring your copy is polished and professional.

Be authentic

Write about what you know. Your content will be more valuable and engaging if it’s rooted in your own expertise. Authenticity resonates with readers, and those who share your interests are more likely to engage with and support your work.

Write in your natural voice. Aim for a conversational tone that feels personal and relatable.

The most effective content for a membership website is one that aligns with the needs, interests, and aspirations of the target audience, offering valuable and exclusive resources and experiences that members cannot easily find elsewhere.

The vast majority of the websites we build for our clients include a membership element where visitors have to pay for access to premium content. These sites are thriving, with growing memberships and high renewal rates, proving that selling content, even when free alternatives exist online, is a highly effective strategy.

The Question: Why Pay for Online Content?

The idea of selling content in a free-content world may seem counter-intuitive. And the truth is that most people won't pay for information which they can easily find for free. 

Nor will they pay for great content if they can easily find free content that is almost as good.

This is evident in professional journalism, where high-quality content from sources like The NY Times and The Guardian competes with a plethora of free news sources.

So what kind of content will people pay for?

Here are the most common reasons based on our experience with membership site owners:

1. Access to unique and exclusive information
People join paid membership websites primarily to access information they can't find elsewhere. This includes exclusive research, insider reports, and unique data sources. Curated reports and professional studies are highly valued and difficult to replicate. Other examples are free e-books, videos, short courses, and other 'freebies' provided as a lead magnet.

2. Time efficiency
Searching for information on the internet takes time. People will often prefer to pay someone else to do this work and compile the results in a comprehensive and easy to consume format. If you are doing the research, the user doesn't have to, and that is a reason to pay for content. There are many examples of this kind of website on the web, including SubHub membership websites.

3. Accuracy and reliability
You get what you pay for! A lot of the free content on the web is inaccurate. A lot of it is opinion, or content that is sponsored via affiliate links. Paid-for sites are perceived (usually correctly) as having more honest and accurate information.

4. Community engagement
People who are passionate about a subject like to mix and talk with other people who have the same level of passion. They will pay to be part of a community of peers or fellow enthusiasts, and may be willing to pay for it, especially if the community website is well-organized. If a community discussion group or forum resides on the main website, users don't have to go searching for Facebook groups that may or may not be directly related to the specialty subject they are passionate about. 

5. Exclusivity
People pay for exclusivity! They get pleasure and value out of having access to information and people that other people don’t. It is a similar phenomenon to private member clubs in the offline world. The whole idea of a "club" atmosphere has always been and is still very appealing, especially if it is a unique niche.

6. Avoiding exclusion
On the opposite side of the same coin, people who are not within a community often feel excluded. They want to know what they are missing and are often prepared to pay to get rid of the ‘pain’ of exclusion.

7. Peer pressure and FOMO
Successful subscription websites often grow through word of mouth. People can recommend certain sites to their friends and colleagues, which results in a kind of peer pressure. FOMO (fear of missing out) then sets in, and potential members are motivated to at least check out the website.

8. Association with celebrities
People enjoy being associated with and having access to celebrities in their field of interest. Subscription websites often allow direct access and even live events with the site owner.

9. Expert Advice

People will pay for access to advice and resource libraries that are only available from recognized experts in the field. This can include financial experts, experts on education, religious instruction or specific health-related concerns.

The increasing willingness of people to pay for access to content is borne out by the growth in the market. If you're thinking you may have missed the boat and the membership market is saturated, think again. The membership management software market is expected to reach USD 8.26 billion by 2029.

Conclusion

People won't pay for content if they can easily find free alternatives of comparable quality. However, they will pay for content that is exclusive, offers added value, includes community engagement, and is perceived as the best in its niche.

Given the expected growth in the membership market, now is the perfect time to start your own membership website. Open a free trial today and begin your journey to creating valuable, premium content that people will pay for.

The subscription-based business model is everywhere these days. In fact, it’s rare to find products and services on the internet offered in any other way. While some vendors still offer resources for a one-time fee, many find the subscription model more lucrative and less labor-intensive. Plus, setting it all up is easier than you might think.

There are countless examples of how subscription services are utilized, but the majority can be categorized into four main types:

Product Sales: Subscription Boxes, Software Applications, and Downloadable Resources

Subscription Boxes: Monthly boxes filled with goodies, such as "spice of the month" kits, meal kits, or vitamins.

Software Applications: Programs like Canva and Photoshop are now entirely subscription-based.

Downloadable Resources: Popular items include prayers, lessons, and educational eBooks.

Service Sales: Group or One-on-One Coaching and Financial Advice

Service sales encompass a broad range of professional offerings designed to provide personalized support and guidance to clients. Life, health, business, and investment coaches provide workshops or sessions, either online or in-person, for a monthly or annual fee.

Workshops and one-on-one coaching are ideal delivery methods for coaches. In a workshop environment, participants can learn from each other and practice new skills in a supportive atmosphere. One-on-one coaching offers the highest value to clients as the support is personalized and confidential.

Membership content sales such as access to premium content, videos, publications or courses. 

Premium Content: Access to exclusive content, videos, publications, or courses.

Platforms: There are multiple software platforms on the market geared to setting up subscription-based websites.

Some of these platforms have only recently started offering membership website services. Membership features are often available through an add-on or plug-in, such as Squarespace and Wix.

Others of these platforms are more of a ‘business in a box’ type, such as Kajabi and Kartra. They offer marketing tools as well as membership features.

Still others are more streamlined to focus on courses and member content. Wild Apricot is a membership platform geared to associations. SubHub has been in the membership website arena for over 20 years. It's geared to courses and membership tiers, ease of use, and payment processing.

Community Sharing: Member forums or discussion groups offered by platforms like Mighty Networks and Circle.

Now that we've identified the types of subscription-based businesses, let’s look at the steps to get one up and running efficiently.

Steps to Create a Subscription-Based Membership Website

Choose a Membership Platform

Here are some popular choices:

WordPress:

Offers various plugins for membership sites, including WooCommerce’s subscription extension. However, plugins require more management and might offer minimal support.

Shopify:

Not just for e-commerce anymore, apps like ReCharge add subscription management capabilities.

Squarespace:

Recently added membership functionality, accessible through certain service tiers.

Wix:

Provides subscription functionality through apps like Wix Membership or Wix Stores, at an additional cost.

SubHub:

Dedicated to membership content since its inception, with added functionality for online courses.

Choose a platform that suits your needs, and check its support offerings to ensure you can handle any issues that arise.

Plan Your Subscription Model

Define Your Offerings:

Determine what you are selling and develop a clear business plan.

Decide on Pricing and Billing:

Set pricing tiers, billing frequency (monthly, yearly), and types of subscriptions. Consider offering incentives such as discounts for annual subscriptions or free trials to attract subscribers.

Consider offering incentives such as discounts for annual subscriptions or free trials to attract subscribers. 

Set Up Recurring Payments

Integrate a payment gateway to accept subscription payments securely. The most popular payment gateways for subscription-based website are Stripe and PayPal. Most membership platforms comes with integrations with those processors, making setup straightforward. Ensure that your chosen platform supports your preferred payment gateway and set up recurring billing options for subscription renewals.

Create Your Subscription Website

Design for User Experience: Focus on user experience and conversion optimization when designing your membership website. Ensure your website clearly communicates the value proposition of your subscriptions.

Subscription Management & Tracking

Track Purchases: This is often overlooked - until you start selling your memberships. You’ll have to also handle billing, cancellations and subscription renewals. Use a member management tool to keep track of sign-ups, membership tiers, and payments. Ensure the platform allows subscribers to manage their accounts and update payment details easily.

Develop Subscription Content or Products

Create Engaging Content: Now you can start creating your content, whether it’s video, audio, Zoom calls, coaching services, or products. Always create the most engaging content you can for your audience, and develop products/services that provide value to your subscribers.

Launch and Promote Your Website

Attract and drive traffic to your site. The most effective marketing channels today are still social media, email marketing, content marketing, and paid advertising. Offering promotional deals or collaborating with influencers to generate buzz can also help bring potential customers to your subscription website.

After you’ve launched your site, it’s time to sit  back and have pina colada, right? Well yes, but don’t get too comfortable. After launching your site, your work continues. Deliver on your products and services, ensuring customer satisfaction and long-term business success. Choosing the right platform and planning your subscription model carefully will provide peace of mind and help your business thrive.

If your website attracts good web traffic, then the next logical step to consider is how you can monetize your online content.

What is content monetization?

Content monetization is the ability to convert your website traffic and valuable content into revenue generation.

Some common methods of website monetization are implementing pay per click or cost per impression advertising, putting content behind a paywall and selling access with paid subscriptions, selling single pieces of content, including affiliate links in your content and selling courses. These options can all be leveraged to produce revenue because of the value of your content and the audience it brings to your site.

Is your content worth monetizing?

Before you can investigate possible revenue streams, you'll need to determine if your website meets the requirements necessary to monetize your content.

Does your website meet these four characteristics:

1. You are an expert in your niche subject.
2. You own an established website that receives good and growing traffic.
3. You create high quality content that reflects your expertise - unique content will help you to rank higher in search engine results.
4. You regularly add new content that is of value to your audience and have built a loyal audience.

If your website delivers regular, unique, high-value content to an engaged and growing audience, then it's time to monetize!

How to generate revenue with advertising

One of the most popular methods to create a passive revenue stream from your website is to implement pay per click or cost per impression advertising. There are various networks that facilitate placing advertisements on web pages to benefit from a website’s traffic.

Pay per click advertising or PPC is a strategy where advertisements, targeted by keywords, are placed on a relevant website. The advertiser pays you for every click made on their ad.

Cost per impression uses the strategy where the advertiser pays every time their ad is shown to a user. The ad usually is targeted to a specific audience sector and displays alongside relevant content.

Google AdSense is the most well known of the ad networks. Your website will have to meet some eligibility requirements and hit certain metrics before ads can be placed on it. But if your website is approved, you can get started by simply adding one piece of code to your website.

Create a recurring income using a subscription model

Besides taking advantage of your web traffic, another monetizing opportunity is to sell access to your valuable content through a subscription model.

Don’t give away all your content for free. Leverage your expertise into an income generating product.

By putting your premium content behind a paywall, you can create another revenue stream. The added bonus of the membership model is that, over time, recurring subscription payments can add up to a tidy sum.

The membership website builder, SubHub, is an easy-to-use platform that allows you to quickly create a robust membership website and accept payment for access to your content. You can get started building your website with a free 14-day trial.

A successful membership website does require a time commitment to new and regular content creation. This ensures that members remain engaged and continue to see the benefits of their ongoing subscription.

Besides your padlocked content, always provide free content as well. Free content illustrates to potential members the merits of why your product is valuable. It encourages sign ups and it's good for SEO.

The website, GrowingForMarket, specializes in content relevant to the market farmer. Their free, informative articles highlight the value of a subscription and reinforce their authority on their subject matter.

Selling pay-per-view products

There might be some visitors to your website who aren’t ready yet to commit to an ongoing subscription but do want to access an individual piece of your content. The ability to sell single pieces of content means that you won’t miss the opportunity to earn additional revenue.

Importantly, you’ll also capture the email of a visitor that has shown interest in your content and be able to include them in your future marketing campaigns giving you another opportunity to persuade them to become a member.

The SubHub platform supports both the membership model and the sale of pay-per-view products. All member-only content has the option to be sold as a unique store product.

LovePrayTeach’s membership includes access to all their Sunday School printable lesson handouts. But those users, who just want to purchase a single lesson plan, have the option to visit the store and make a one-off purchase.

LovePrayTeach also grows their email marketing list by offering a free membership subscription that features the benefit of a store discount. Since many visitors may only want to purchase a single lesson, this strategy captures potential paying members with the enticement of a discount.

The member is then exposed to the premium content available to paying members which may persuade them to the value of an upgraded subscription.

Monetize your website content with affiliate links

Affiliate marketing is the process of earning commission by promoting a product or service. You earn commission every time a user makes a purchase through the unique affiliate link. Commissions vary depending on the affiliate network you use.

Amazon Associates is the best known affiliate program and one of the easiest to get started with. In order to qualify, you must own the website and your content must be original with recent posts made in the last 60 days. 

The biggest benefit of being an Amazon Associate is that you earn commission on the buyer’s entire basket.

Being a successful and effective affiliate marketer requires maintaining trust with your website audience. You should only promote products that you genuinely believe in and connect with. You don’t want to diminish credibility with your audience by recommending products you have no personal experience with. Your audience needs to trust you in order to comfortably follow your product advice.

Selecting which products to promote is the first step. The product should be relevant to your audience and aligned to your area of expertise. Your audience needs to connect with what you’re recommending and recognise its value.

How to incorporate affiliate links in your content

There are a number of different forms of content creation that work well in promoting the click through rate on an affiliate link.

1. Create a product tutorial: Before making a purchase, people like to see how the product works and the results it can deliver. A product tutorial, especially one that includes a video, can clearly showcase the value of the product you're promoting. Video demos also provide a greater incentive to the viewer to make the purchase.
2. Post a ‘Best’ list: In this post, you might highlight best selling products in a certain Amazon category. Or this could be a ‘best’ list of products you believe in and recommend.
3. Write an in-depth review: Publish an article based on your personal experience of a specific product. Reviews are a good way to reinforce yourself as an expert.
4. Link to a resource page: Compile a detailed list of your favorite tools or products.  Be sure to include clickable images as they always increase conversion.

Selling online courses

The trend towards digital learning continues to grow in scope and profitability. The value of the eLearning market is expected to grow to $325 billion by 2025. Selling a course can be a rewarding source of a passive income stream. You create the course once then can sell it multiple times.

Any type of expertise or skill can be transformed into a course series from calligraphy to cake decorating. You might even be able to monetize existing content by repurposing it into a series of course lessons. 

An online course can serve multiple purposes. Courses can be sold as individual products, used as a marketing tool in the form of a lead magnet or given as a sign-up reward.

The most successful course creators focus on a niche topic. A niche topic allows you to showcase a higher degree of expertise and concentrate on a topic where there is typically less competition. You’ll also be able to refine your marketing message so that it resonates more strongly with your target audience.

When creating your course, research your potential student base. Understand and address their pain points and teach them how to solve their problems.

HappyYogaCommunity recognised a niche yoga market in offering courses for pregnant women. They used the course builder of their SubHub website to create individually sold courses in additional to their subscription revenue.

While StemSmart, uses the SubHub platform to sell their preschool educational courses and materials.

Conclusion

These are just some of the strategies you can use to monetize your website content. Remember that in order to leverage your content and traffic, you first have to be producing great quality content that is of value to your audience.

No matter how much you may earn by monetizing your content, the best content creators always remain focused on their audience. Delivering an authentic experience to your audience is paramount in retaining and growing your traffic and earning an income from it.

SEE ALSO:

• How To Start a Profitable Online Magazine
• The 17 Most Important Things to Consider When Starting an Online Magazine

Start monetizing your content now with a free 14-day SubHub platform trial.

In a time where free content saturates the digital landscape, the art of selling website content demands a strategic approach. These tactics capitalize on twelve unique selling propositions that can elevate the value of your website content.

This is the number one lesson that continually rises to the top of the list. Go niche!

If you want to sell your content online, you must target a niche audience with information that they would struggle to find for free anywhere else on the web.

By honing in on a specific niche, you can tailor your content to address the unique needs of a defined audience.

The more unique and exclusive your information the greater chance you will have of selling it via a subscription or membership website. Research your market well and create a content plan that provides your audience with content they can’t find elsewhere. Think about research, interviews, case studies, video tutorials and skill building courses.

The membership websites that do best are run by people who are passionate about their (niche!) subject. It is this passion and knowledge that should be used to convince your prospects to join.

People buy people. They want to know what you know so they can decide if you can provide what they are looking for. You must concentrate on conveying you expertise, not giving the impression you are only running the site to make money.

The best way to become perceived as an authority is to participate in the community and discussions about your subject on other websites. The more places you are seen giving valuable advice, the more credible you will become in the eyes of your prospects. Research the most active forums and blogs for your sector and try to contribute to all of them at least once a week.

The only way that you can convey your knowledge and expertise on your website is to give some of your best content away for free. Free content can help establish your website as an authoritative source within your niche. As users engage with your free content and find it valuable, they are more likely to perceive the premium content behind the membership paywall as even more valuable, encouraging conversions.

So few websites are well designed, a professional looking site is a real competitive advantage. If prospects see a professional looking website they are much more likely to believe the site is being run by professionals who will provide high quality content. A great looking site has a well designed logo, simple navigation, relevant colours, lots of white space and a layout that makes it easy to use.

Free membership website giveaways play a crucial role in growing your audience and establishing your platform as a trusted source within your niche. Sign-up gifts could include an ebook, premium reports, video course, templates and resources. Make sure you make the value of these benefits clear.

Free trials are a proven way to increase the number of subscribers. However they are only effective if you get the credit card details BEFORE the trial starts. A trial should be provided on the basis that billing will automatically start at the end of the trial period unless the prospect cancels before then. Also you should offer a 100% money back guarantee. This greatly lowers the perceived risk of signing up.

Many prospects are nervous about signing up to subscriptions online. To reassure themselves that there are real people behind a website they often email questions. You MUST provide quick and accurate response to these queries or you will lose potential subscribers. I emailed ten subscription websites last week and seven days later I’m still waiting for four replies!

Your website statistics are your most powerful ally in understanding your prospects and increasing conversion rates. Study them carefully and regularly. Some examples of what you should look for include:

• Via what page do prospects who sign up for the service enter your site?
• What search term do the highest converting prospects use to find your website?

Website owners rarely pay much attention to choosing a payment processor. However this is an important decision. Renewal payment failures are a real waste of profit. Make sure you select a payment processor who specialises in doing recurring billing.

12. Create a sense of community

• Pick a niche topic which you are passionate about and create unique content.

• Build authority through your expertise by providing free content and participating in the broader online community covering your subject.

• Make sure your website looks professional and is easy to use. Pay particular attention to making the sign up process simple.
• Look after your members by answering their questions and making them feel part of a special and exclusive community.