WHY START A MEMBERSHIP WEBSITE

Don't give away your knowledge for free

You've built an online following for your niche content. A membership website solution lets you generate revenue by putting your premium content behind a paywall and only accessible to paying members.

 

What is a membership website?

 

A membership site is a website where users have to sign up to a subscription in order to access exclusive content that's protected by a paywall.

It lets you monetize your content and create an income stream from recurring subscriptions.

This business model is popular with all types of creators, coaches, instructors and experts because it delivers an opportunity to diversify and increase their earning potential with recurring subscriptions.

How to create a successful membership website

While all-in-one solutions offer less flexibility in design and functionality than a self-hosted option like WordPress, the positives of lower cost, ease-of-use, customer support and security far outweigh the limitations.

target niche

Choose a focused topic

Choose a niche topic that you are both knowledgeable and passionate about. It should be a topic that will sustain the regular creation of new content.

ideal member

Define your ideal member

Identify the ideal member that your site is targeted at. By understanding their pain points and how your site will benefit them. This will improve your marketing efforts.

post new content

Regularly post content

Keep your members engaged with new content. Show your committed to them by staying consistent and focused in regularly delivering valuable content.

Costs of membership website development scale with members, storage & features

While all-in-one solutions offer less flexibility in design and functionality than a self-hosted option like WordPress, the positives of lower website development costs, ease-of-use, customer support and security far outweigh the limitations.

 

CHOOSING THE BEST MEMBERSHIP PLATFORM

How to decide what membership website platform to use

Choose a platform according to the membership model you plan to offer, the content you will publish and your member needs.

Every platform has a best use case.

How to Choose the Right Membership Website Platform?

> Determine what type of membership site you want to launch.

> Decide what type of content you want to offer.

> Consider the features you need for the content you plan to publish.

> Make sure the platform is easy to use with responsive customer support.

> Read user reviews.

> Test drive the platform by opening a free trial.

Cost comparison of six of the best all-in-one membership software solutions

We highlight the positives and negatives of each platform, their best use cases and hidden costs.

KAJABI

Basic Plan $149/mo

 

While Kajabi has membership and course functionality, they are positioned as a coaching platform.

Kajabi features a full suite of built-in tools to streamline your coaching business.

Create packages, market your services, process payments, schedule meetings, host live calls, share resources and send follow-up emails are just a few of things you can do.

🖥 Best platfom for online coaching

SQUARESPACE

Personal Plan $16/mo

 

Squarespace websites do NOT include membership which must be added at an additional cost starting at $10/mo.

The Starter Member Area plan provides one member area and charges a hefty 7% transaction fee on sales in addition too  the payment processor fees.

Squarespace is an option if all you need is a basic membership program with limited video storage.

🖥 Best platform for basic membership

SUBHUB

Starter Plan $47/mo

 

SubHub specializes in membership and turning all forms of content into income. Its Starter plan lets you create unlimited subscription tiers and member levels to segment your audience and the content they can access.

Besides membership, SubHub has a course builder, e-commerce store, forum and landing page creator for your lead generation and marketing campaigns.

🖥 Best platform for robust membership

USCREEN

Growth Plan $199/mo

 

Uscreen lets you create a Netflix-style membership website to monetize your video-only content.

The Basic plan provides 100 hours of video storage, built-in marketing tools, analytics and email-only support.

Live streaming up to 1 hour.

There is also a monthly fee of $1.99 per paid member/mo.

🖥 Best platform for video-only content

TEACHABLE

Basic Plan $59/mo

 

Teachable is a course creation platform that also lets you bundle and sell your courses in a membership model.

The basic plan lets you create 5 courses but adds a 5% transaction fee on sales.

Teachable is a good option if you plan to sell only courses. However, realistically, you will need to upgrade to the Pro plan $119/mo which allows unlimited courses.

🖥 Best platform for course creation

WILDAPRICOT

Personal Plan $60/mo

 

WildApricot is perfect for managing the membership of clubs, organizations and non-profits.

The Personal plan allows for up to 100 members.

There's a hefty 20% Payment System Servicing Fee for US and Canadian based organizations who want to use a payment system other than Wild Apricot Payments/AffiniPay.

🖥 Best platform for non-profits

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