Membership Geeks Podcast with Mike Morrison

Much of what we do as membership site owners involves experimentation. Regardless of what some people may try to tell you, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy or magic formula for membership success; you have to test and figure out what works for you. We recently pulled back the curtain inside Member Site Academy to share our own experiments and tests with our members as part of the new 'Membership Lab' - and feedback has been incredible. In this episode, I give an overview of 3 of the most recent tactics we've been experimenting with ourselves. In this episode you'll learn: Why we decided to have full transparency by documenting and sharing new tools and tactics we're experimenting with How we're able to provide a personal touch even with a large scale member base Our spin on offering a trial period to entice new sign-ups, and how it's performed so far The methods we're using to keep members updated about new content

I'm going to let you in on a little secret... Everyone - even us - makes mistakes with their membership website. In fact it's often from those mistakes that we learn the most important lessons about what works and what doesn't for our own particular product. Most "membership mistakes" are harmless and go by unnoticed; but there are some whoppers that can do real damage to the potential success of your membership website - so let us save you from the biggest boo-boo's a membership site owner can make.

Social media marketing has changed dramatically over the past few years. From the rise of live video, to the huge drop-off in organic reach for Facebook pages. New platforms launching and disappearing seemingly overnight. It can be hard for the busy membership owner to keep up. Mike Stelzner is a man with his finger on the pulse of social media marketing. As founder of Social Media Examiner and the man behind the largest conference in the industry - Social Media Marketing World - he's the first port of call for experts and influencers worldwide when it comes to whats working right now in social media. In today's episode of The Membership Guys Podcast - I talk to Mike about the current state of social media marketing, and chat about how he uses social media and content marketing for both his conference and Social Media Examiners own membership website.

When charging a monthly payment for access to your membership site, member engagement is key. It’s not enough to have static content that never changes, as once that’s been consumed by your members they’ll have very little reason to stick around. Many membership site owners set out with the intention of continuously adding new courses and premium content to their site; however this typically proves easier said than done, and often the logistics of doing so can be too great an undertaking. Fortunately there are a number of types of content you can produce that will add value to your membership site and give your members something to get their teeth into without requiring a huge amount of effort on your part and on this episode we explore these.

We often talk about how crucial community is to long term membership success. In many memberships, even though members join for the content it's actually the community that they stick around for. However that's not always the case, and in this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast I dig into ways in which adding a community to your membership may not be all it's cracked up to be. In this episode you'll learn: Why having a community is generally better for engagement and long term member retention. The downsides of having a community that most people usually don't tell you. Specific situations and scenarios where having a community might actually be a BAD thing! Ideas for keeping members engaged if you don't have an online forum or member group.

Trying to pick the right WordPress membership plugin can be a painstaking process. It's harder still if your expectations and understanding of what a membership plugin will and won't do are unrealistic. Too many people expect their membership plugin to check off every single requirement they have, without understanding that they're simply one piece of the puzzle when it comes to building a membership site. In this episode I go through the 5 things you need to understand before you even start shopping for a membership plugin, in the hopes that it will make the whole process easier and save you some frustration. In this episode you'll learn: Why it's so important to have realistic expectations from your WordPress membership plugin How WordPress plugins work in tandem with themes, and how this affects your membership The challenges of changing your mind on which membership plugin to use What functionality won't typically be included with most membership plugins and what you'll need to do instead.

Sales and marketing are crucial parts of your role as a membership site owner. Even the best membership website in the world will fade away into obscurity if you’re not doing anything to attract new members. However when selling your membership offering, there are certain tropes and cliches that you want to avoid to ensure you’re not lumped in with the sleazier elements of online businesses. Here are our top tips for attracting new members without feeling like a scumbag…

Producing membership content can be taxing. Especially if your members expect something fresh on an ongoing basis. And if you’re also creating free content as part of your marketing strategy you can quickly find yourself buried in writing articles and recording videos day in, day out. They key is working smarter with your content strategy. In this podcast, I dive into 9 simple tactics for leveraging the things you’re already doing in your business as a way to more effectively create new content for your members. In this episode you’ll learn: The difference between creating content and delivering value How to add massive value to your members by selling them your other products and services Best ways to leverage your blog, podcast and even live events Why you might already be sitting on a wealth of potential member content

There's a single, absolute truth of memberships, and indeed business in general: there is no 'one size fits all' approach. What works like gangbusters for one membership, can end up completely flopping for another. However it’s hard to deny that there are certain norms when it comes to memberships; conventional wisdom that extols the importance of community, retention being more important than acquisition, memberships being a value exchange and so on. If you've been following us for a while then you’ve heard us bang those drums on numerous occasions. So in this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast I wanted to talk about doing things differently - things that go against the grain, break the norms and in some cases contradict what is typically considered best practice in the membership space. In this episode you'll learn: Why a "one size fits all" approach is a fallacy. Scenarios in which it makes sense to not charge a recurring fee. Whether you actually need an online community, and situations where it could actually be a bad thing. The importance of context when it comes to how you position and run your membership.

Choosing which domain name to host your membership site on should be a simple decision. But it’s easier said than done – as evidenced by the fact that this question comes up perhaps more than any other in both our free Facebook group and our own paid membership. Essentially it comes down to hosting your members: On your main domain name On a separate website On a subdomain And when you dig into it, it’s understandable why people struggle with this choice – as where your membership lives has greater implications than you might realise. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast – I drill down into the pros and cons of each of these choices and give you all of the info you need to make your decision. In this episode you’ll learn: The main implications of where you choose to house your membership site Pros and cons of hosting on your main domain name vs a separate site vs a subdomain Example situations that will affect your choice of where to host your membership How this applies if using a hosted third-party platform like Thinkific or Kajabi

Keeping your members engaged and happy is key to maximizing your member lifecycle and, as a result, ensuring the long-term success of your membership site. When members aren't engaged, that's when they'll start to question whether it's worth sticking with your site and whether they're getting what they're paying for. Ultimately that path leads to only one place - cancellation. Fortunately there are a variety of things that you can do in order to encourage your members to stick around. Here we identify 4 key ones.

One of the biggest reasons memberships never get off the ground is that the initial idea for the product just wasn’t right. While you can research the market and survey your audience until the cows come home, it’s extremely easy to allow your bias towards what you think is a winning concept to sway your analysis of that research or - even worse - to ignore warning signs that you’re heading down the wrong path. If you want to be successful, you need to truly test and validate that your idea is worth pursuing, and one of the best ways to do this is with an MVP. Join me for the latest episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, where I deep dive into what an MVP is, why they're important and how to go about actually creating one. In this episode you'll learn: What is an MVP and why creating one is the best way to test whether your idea will work Characteristics of an effective MVP specific to membership sites 6 core types of MVP that you can create, with examples and tips for each Why it doesn't matter that you're already selling services and products

Just like that, another year is over. As we reach the 2nd anniversary of Member Site Academy, we have some insights and lessons to share from the past 12 months. In what is sure to become a tradition, I’m joined on this very special episode of the podcast by the real brains behind The Membership Guys, the one and only Callie Willows, to discuss year two of running the Academy. In this episode, Callie and I discuss: Picking up where we left off on last year’s episode and looking at where things went from there. Changes we’ve made to our strategy and the reasons and circumstances behind those decisions Our highlights from the past 12 months, what’s worked, what hasn’t and what challenges we’ve faced A sneak peek at our future plans for the Member Site Academy and the business in general

So you've toiled for weeks and months - planning the perfect membership, wrestling with tech to turn those plans into reality; and now that you've finally opened the doors you can take a big sigh of relief that the hard work and headaches are over. Right? Wrong! Once your membership is up and running, that's when the real work begins! And during those initial few months as a new membership owner, you'll have a whole mess of new challenges to deal with. Fortunately, those challenges are pretty common across the board, so we can help you prepare to tackle them. In the latest episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I dive into the 6 most common challenges that every new membership site owner faces; and give you my insight and advice so that you don't have to face them alone. In this episode you'll learn: How to control your start-up costs and avoid paying for stuff you really don't need Solving the "chicken and egg" problem when starting a new community My recommendation to avoiding early tech headaches Why the post-launch "hangover" can drain your motivation (and what to do about it)

How regularly you charge your members has an effect on generating sales, engagement inside your membership as well as member retention. Not to mention the implications on your business itself in terms of stability, cashflow and more. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I dig deep into the pros and cons of each type of subscription frequency; as well as present some additional and alternative options for membership billing. In this episode you'll learn: Pros and cons of monthly versus annual membership pricing Psychological triggers involved in the decision to join your membership Why offering both pricing options works even better than choosing just one Other options for membership billing

Deciding on your membership pricing is often easier said than done. You'll always be too expensive for some people, and too cheap for others. And until you launch your membership and actually get people signing up you have no real reliable way of testing which price-point will work best for your audience. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, you'll learn the 4 key areas to factor into deciding what to charge for your membership, as well as my advice for hitting the "sweet spot" with your pricing strategy. In this episode you'll learn: The 4 key factors to consider when setting your membership site pricing Why you should NEVER compete solely on price The "rule of thumb" range for membership pricing and how it differs for B2B and B2C memberships How to find the "sweet spot" for what to charge for your membership

An active online community can play a huge role in getting your members to stick around long term. However even just a small negative element can quickly turn your community into a toxic place that nobody will want to be involved in, unless you keep on top of things and implement steps to ensure a positive environment. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I delve more into managing your community dynamic and how you can ensure your online group or forum is one that members enjoy being part of. In this episode you'll learn: Why the dynamic of your membership community is crucial for member retention The importance of setting and enforcing community guidelines What your role as community leader involves, and how you should set the tone Why it's a good idea to use real names and profile pictures

Momentum plays a huge part in your membership growth. In fact you’ll often find that there’s a snowball effect which kicks in once you achieve a certain level of growth, where everything seems to pick up speed. But what if your membership has slowed down recently and started to stagnate? What can do you to reignite that momentum and get back on track? In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, we look at how to reignite your membership growth and regain momentum. In this episode you'll learn: How to research and identify the core problems that have caused your membership growth to stall Two ways to relaunch your membership, and whether you should close your doors The honest questions you need to ask yourself about whether you're actually delivering value to your members Ways of re-engaging your existing members

One of the most effective ways to position yourself as an authority in your industry is through public speaking, and done right it can be a great way to grow your membership business. However for many the idea of standing up and speaking in front of a room full of strangers is the stuff that nightmares are made of! And even if you're comfortable with public speaking, then there's the question of how you actually get booked, how do you make sure your presentation is good and - importantly - how do you make it a worthwhile activity for you and your business. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, we speak to Grant Baldwin from The Speaker Lab about how to get started with public speaking and use it as a platform to grow your business.

With our community of thousands of membership site owners, we see the same patterns emerging when it comes to wrestling with membership tech. People starting their site build and then 6 months later they're still stuck, spinning their wheels, trying to get everything perfect and making no progress! Often they'll blame this on the technology being too tough, but more often than not it's because of their own unrealistic expectations. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I give a kick up the backside to anyone stuck.

We've all come across the concept of the "starving artist" - the notion that to pursue creativity and artistry is to sacrifice any hope of making money. Jeff Goins is on a mission to dispel this myth. Many successful memberships are built around the skills and passions of their founder; however we've seen time and time again in our community that in more traditionally "creative" industries there can be a little resistance to the idea of monetization - almost as if to do so would be "selling out." In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, Jeff Goins breaks down where this whole idea came from and how you can shake this mindset and effectively monetize your "art." In this episode you'll learn: Where the whole idea of the "starving artist" originated from; and the surprising truth about how wrong it is! How you can shake limiting mindsets around monetizing your creativity How Jeff Goins uses his books to sell digital products The 3 steps anyone can take to start monetizing their skills

When you either have a large amount of content inside your membership, or you’re continuously adding new content on a regular basis – there’s a real risk of overwhelming members. And when members are overwhelmed, they're less likely to stick around. This is where having a smart approach to your membership content strategy is crucial. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast; we look at the most common causes of member overwhelm, and the tactics you can employ to avoid it. In this episode you'll learn: Why overwhelm is a dangerous thing for your membership site A breakdown of the main kinds of overwhelm common in memberships and what causes it The "Four S's" you need to focus on in order to reduce overwhelm Managing your own workload so that you don't become overwhelmed too!

Chris Ducker is the founder of the YouPreneur membership community and the man the man behind popular events such Tropical Think Tank and the upcoming YouPreneur Summit. It's through these live events that Chris has been able to help his community to build connections and develop relationships way beyond what's possible online; and this has been a key factor in the success of his membership. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, Chris shares his insights into the benefits of running live events as a membership site owner; plus his advice on how you can orchestrate your own events. In this episode you'll learn: How Chris Ducker has used live events to grow his membership community The 3 most important things to consider when organising your own live event How to choose speakers for your event and - more importantly - get them to agree Specific ways to make events extra special for your community members (and get more signups from other attendees!)

Looking to increase your membership sales? Who isn't, right?! We often find that rather than huge complex sales strategies and eye-watering ad budgets, it's usually a culmination of minor tactics and little details that end up moving the needle in terms of attracting new members. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I dish out 5 specific, quick and actionable tips that you can implement right away in order to increase your membership sales. In this episode you'll learn: What tools should you add to your sales page in order to increase conversions? The small tweak you can make to your checkout page that stops you losing sales How to use your membership content to get more qualified leads A simple risk reversal technique to increase membership sales

Podcasts have made a significant resurgence in recent years, having never quite hit their full potential back when they first became “a thing” in the mid-2000’s. This growing popularity, coupled with it being easier than ever to start your own podcast, makes for a great opportunity for membership site owners to really get ahead by incorporating podcasting into the content marketing strategy. In this episode, I discuss the main reasons you should consider using a podcast to promote your membership site, and the 5 steps you can take to get started.

We made it! 100 episodes! To celebrate our centennial, I invited 16 fellow membership site owners to share insights, experience and advice from their journey so far. I asked my guests to answer 3 questions: What's the one piece of advice you'd give anyone starting a new membership? What impact has having a membership site had on your life or your business? What would you do differently if you were starting your own site again from scratch? The answers they shared are packed with golden nuggets for anyone planning or running a membership website. In this episode you'll get insights from: Nathan Chan - Foundr Heather Crabtree - The Savvy Community Scott Devine - Scott's Bass Lessons Chris Ducker - Youpreneur Janneke den Draak - Learn Dragon Online Andrew and Pete - Atomic Colin Gray - The Podcast Host Chris Marr - Content Marketing Academy Marisha McGrorty - SLP Now Janet Murray - Soulful PR Bjork Ostrom - Food Blogger Pro Christina Peters - Food Photography Club Shannon Rogers - Hand Tool School James Schramko - Superfast Business Ben Adam Smith - House Planning Help Avalon Yarnes - Avalon Cake School

To the uninitiated, money-back guarantees can feel a bit like those scenes in cartoons when someone puts a freshly baked pie on an open windowsill. Someone is bound to come along and grab a slice – it’s just too tempting.But in all our years of running our membership site and helping others run their own, we’ve learned that money-back guarantees are not an easy option for people to exploit. In fact, they can be an essential part of persuading people to join who end up becoming long-term members.In this episode of the podcast, I do a bit of money-back myth-busting and explain the ins and outs of why you should embrace offering a money-back guarantee (with a few caveats…) Essential Learning Points:What money-back guarantees are and why they are actually an important part of your marketingAnswering some of the most frequently asked questions about money-back guaranteesThe fatal flaw in one of the most common objections to money-back guaranteesImportant Links & Mentions:Advanced Tips and Tactics for Offering a Membership TrialKeeping Your WordPress Membership Site SecureHow to Deal With Payment Disputes in Your MembershipWhy You Should Keep Things Simple with Your MembershipKey Quotes:“A money-back guarantee shows confidence in your product. You’re essentially saying: ‘we know that our product is so good that you’re not going to regret buying it, but if you do, we’re confident enough that we’ll give you your money-back.’”“If you find yourself struggling to communicate the terms of your guarantee, then you are probably heading down the wrong path.”“Have as few conditions as possible, have as few hoops, as few ‘gotchas’ within your money-back guarantee.”

Offering a membership trial can help you take people from sitting on the fence to joining your membership, by giving them a risk-free test-drive of your membership.But it isn’t as simple as adding a new option to your sales page, creating a great membership trial system is a fine art that will take some time and consideration to get right.This episode of The Membership Guys will fast-track you to becoming the Michelangelo of membership trials, sharing advanced tips and tricks to create high-converting trial sequences that will help you grow your membership with less stress and better results.Essential Learning Points:The key things everyone offering a trial for their membership NEEDS to make sure they’re doingWhy charging a nominal fee is often better than making your trial completely freeWhat to do about the people who don’t actually make use of their trialSpecific tactics for taking your trial to the next level and improving conversionsImportant Links & Mentions:5 Things to Include in Your Member Onboarding SequenceTrial periods and risk reversal6 ways to use onboarding to make new members feel welcomeHow to level up by creating a membership ecosystemCalendlyIntercomActive CampaignKey Quotes:“Trials get people over the initial hurdle of signing up, get them into the habit of logging into your website and consuming your content, and expose them to the quality of your membership.”“You don’t want to have the mindset of assuming everyone signing up for a trial is only looking to stick around for that free period. You need to have the confidence in your product.”“There are two sides to this coin – really making sure that people get off to a good start in their trial and get plenty of value from it, but also future pacing and signposting future value beyond the trial so it becomes a no-brainer for them to join your membership full-time.”“Once you get people in your ecosystem consuming the basic level of membership content, it becomes so much easier to prompt them to upgrade to full membership.”

So many membership owners live in fear of their members cancelling. It kind of makes sense, because the goal of a membership site is to retain its members for as long as possible and so when someone leaves - whatever the reason - it's hard not to see that as a negative. However when a member cancels, it doesn't have to be the end of the road. In this podcast I talk about why cancellations don't mean it's all over, and how implementing a 'win-back' strategy is essential for getting lapsed and cancelled members to return. In this episode you'll learn: Some of the main reasons why your members leave (and why cancellations aren't always a bad thing!) How to create effective win-back campaigns to tempt your cancelled members Dos and don'ts of planning win-back campaigns that work A walkthrough example of email sequences and promotions that will get your cancelled members to return

A membership launch isn't as "do or die" as with other types of products such as online courses, software or services. But getting your launch right is important for giving you the initial influx of members that will help you to build momentum within your membership site. In this episode I talk about how to ensure your launch is successful. In this episode you'll learn: Ways to build excitement and anticipation for your membership launch How launching a membership differs to other types of online products The key strategy that will make your membership launch successful Planning your launch offers and promotions

The right idea can make or break a membership website. Far too often, people steamroll ahead into worrying about which membership plugin they're going to use or how much content they need without actually doing the research necessary to make sure you're on the right track. But how do you know if your idea is a winner? In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I take you step by step through the process of choosing, research and validating your membership idea. In this episode you'll learn: Why it's important to research and validate your membership idea 5 questions to ask yourself to determine whether your idea is a good one The biggest mistakes people make in their research, and how to avoid them Specific steps you can take to validate that people would be willing to pay for your membership

Amazon have just announced the launch of a new digital subscription marketplace called "Subscribe With Amazon". This will enable people to tap into their sales tools and, of course, their huge audience in order to sell digital products for a recurring fee such as - you guessed it - membership websites. Make no mistake, this is a potential game-changer for the membership space. In this "hot off the presses" episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I explain exactly what this means, how it works and what you need to do to capitalize on this opportunity. In this episode: What exactly "Subscribe With Amazon" is and how it works Why membership site owners need to be excited about this new development Technical and logistical considerations for adding your membership to the Amazon marketplace Restrictions and financial implications of joining "Subscribe With Amazon"

In many ways, launching a new membership website is one of the biggest marketing opportunities you'll experience as a membership owner. So it makes sense why some people may advocate for constantly closing and re-opening your membership in order to recapture that opportunity over and over again. But it's not quite as simple as that. In this episode, I cut through the hype and talk about why I strongly dislike "closed door" marketing tactics and why it might not be the best thing for your membership strategy.

Running a membership site is the best job in the world… but it’s still a job.Some days you wake up and just aren’t feeling it. Your motivation is AWOL and you’ve not got a colleague to complain to, a different project to focus on, or anywhere to turn.Well, that was until we recorded this episode of the podcast. Because we have felt that lack of motivation and almost every membership site owner we have worked with has felt the same.You are not the only person who feels this way and there are some tried and tested ways to get over your slump and stay motivated. We’ve shared our favorites in this episode.Essential Learning Points:Why membership site owners are especially likely to have moments of demotivation5 great ideas for rekindling your motivation and getting back on the horseOne of our secrets for staying positive that we have practiced since starting Membership AcademyImportant Links & Mentions:How to Deal with Problem Members Inside Your CommunityWhy It’s Important to Take Time Away from Your MembershipCarrie Green on Conditioning Yourself for Membership SuccessHow to Set Boundaries with your MembersKey Quotes:“Once the day-to-day running and operation of your membership really kicks in, it’s easy to fall into habits and routines and sometimes the shine comes off the apple a little bit.”“Being a membership site owner can be quite an isolated role because you don’t actually see your members. When you’re working one-to-many, the downside is that you don’t develop relationships that are deep enough for you to draw from to pep yourself up.”“Even if the people you are comparing yourself to do actually have it all figured out, the chances are it’s because they’re a lot further along in their journey than you are.”“If you decide to check out for a day or two, the world won’t stop turning. Your members don’t expect you to be in the membership serving them ASAP every single day, 24/7.”

Like it or not, your members won’t stick around forever, losing members is just part and parcel of operating a membership site. However there’s plenty that you can do to make sure that you’re not losing members for the wrong reasons. In this episode, I discuss the most common reasons people typically leave membership sites, and provide tips for improving your retention strategy to prevent them.

Getting someone to join your membership site is great, but it’s just the beginning. Before you have time to celebrate, you really need to figure out how you are going to get that member to stay month after month, year after year. Hanging on to your paying members is crucial to the long term success of your membership site; so you need to make sure that you have a strategy for keeping members engaged. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I dig into how to craft your member experience in order to develop the habits and interaction that will keep members engaged and subscribed for longer.

Great memberships are never truly finished. That’s actually one of the best things about the membership site model. If you are writing a book, creating a course, programming your piece of software; then there’s a lot of pressure to have a polished completed end product. But with a membership site, some of that pressure is off because people understand that they are boarding a moving train. That when they join a membership, it’s going to change, it’s going to evolve and that as members they could be a part of shaping it's future. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I look further into why embracing change is key to the long term success of your membership site, and give examples of how adapting over time has played a role in the progress of 6 and 7 figure memberships.

Member retention is key to the long term success of a membership website; however if you offer both monthly and annual billing people often end up so focused on keeping monthly subscribers that they take annual renewals for granted. Or worse - they assume people joining on annual plans aren't likely to stick around beyond their first year, so they don't even try to retain them. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast we're focusing on how to handle annual renewals in order to increase the chance of members sticking around for years to come.

As founder of the Female Entrepreneur Association, Carrie Green credits investment in personal development and conditioning herself for success as the keys to having the right mindset to grow her membership to over 4,000 members. In this interview, we discuss how FEA came to be and the challenges Carrie faced along the way; and we also dig deeper into the strategies Carrie uses to keep members happy and continue growing her membership.

Gamification is a technique that has gained huge popularity in enhancing user experiences and the effectiveness of e-learning within online courses and membership websites. And as lifelong videogame geeks, it's right up our street! In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I hand over the reins to Callie, who talks more about what exactly gamification is and how you can use it in your membership site to increase member engagement. In this episode, I discuss: An introduction to what gamification actually is and how it works in the real world The importance of taking measures to ensure people actually consume your content and participate Ways to use game theory to encourage behaviours that will ensure members stick around long term

One of the best things about running a membership website is that we can market and position it in a way that we attract the sort of members that we most want to work with. However no matter hard you try to get only the "right type" of people in your membership, you will inevitably experience problem members. Sometimes it will be a personality clash, where certain members just rub you up the wrong way; however there will be instances where you need to deal with potentially toxic elements among your member base. So how do you deal with them? I address that question and more on the latest episode of The Membership Guys Podcast. In this episode, I discuss: The questions you need to ask yourself before dealing a 'problem' member How to implement a two-tier "strike" based approach to dealing with issues When it's the right time to kick out difficult members The process and steps to take when removing someone from your membership

When inspiration strikes and you come up with an idea for a membership website or some other product or service that you're convinced is a winner, all too often it's easy to get carried away in trying to make it a reality without every stopping to really examine whether your idea is actually as solid as you're convinced it is. Before you invest countless hours and immeasurable quantities of blood, sweat and tears into your new project, it's highly worth taking the time to validate your big idea. Here are my top tips for doing just that...

Are you worried that your membership website kind of sucks? Hopefully not. I'm sure you’ve got plenty of happy members who are giving you great feedback and showing you that your hard work is actually making a positive change in their world. But there are unfortunately a lot of membership sites out there that do - to be frank - completely suck. So if you're someone who is running one of those websites, then in this episode I'm going to share some of the reasons why your membership sucks. In this episode, I discuss: Six reasons why your membership website sucks How to turn things around and make your membership great again Core principles you need to remember if you want your membership site to be successful. Mistakes that even well-meaning membership owners typically make

Is the fact that someone continues subscribing to your membership really a sign of loyalty? So much of our time as membership site owners is spent trying to attract new members, and worrying about those who cancel, that it's easy to take for granted the ones who continue paying us month after month. We tend to assume that those members are happy, content and loyal; but quite often that couldn't be further from the truth. In this slightly different episode of The Membership Guys Podcast I riff a little on the subject of member loyalty and how it's not as straightforward as you might think. In this episode, I discuss: A story illustrating the nuances of member loyalty Why it's not important to make assumptions about our paying members Understanding the difference between inertia and loyalty How to determine whether a member is actually engaged with your site

Membership owners have a lot on their plates in the day to day running of their website. There's more than enough to think about without piling onto your worries by concerning yourself with situations and things you perceive as problems, that you either have no control over or that you really shouldn't be occupying your time with. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I look at the 6 most common culprits when it comes to things which membership owners let trouble them, keep them up at night and weigh on their mind; and I'm going to share why they're really not a big deal and how to put them out of your thoughts. In this episode, I discuss: The negative mindsets that membership site owners need to change What "huge problems" are truly irrelevant and what you need to STOP focusing on Why trying to follow what your competitors are doing is one of the dumbest things you could do What should you focus on in your membership rather than worrying about this sort of stuff?

There's no "one-size-fits-all" approach to marketing a membership website. However there are a number of tactics and strategies that are proven to work well, or that take advantage of some of the unique elements that come with running a membership website. In the concluding episode of a two-part podcast series, I discuss a variety of different marketing tips that you can use for your own membership in order to increase sales and have a steady stream of new members joining your site. In this episode, I discuss: How to approach affiliate and influencer promotions to increase membership sales The importance of segmentation when it comes to making your marketing efforts more targeted and, as a result, more effective The part that our podcast plays in growing the Member Site Academy, and the approach you could model How a simple contest could accelerate your lead generation and membership sales

Sales are the lifeblood of a successful membership business. While being able to hang onto those members is critical to the long term health of your site, the best retention strategy in the world is useless if you're not bringing in any members in the first place. In the first of a two-part podcast series, I discuss a variety of different marketing tips, strategies and tactics that you can use for your own membership in order to increase sales and have a steady stream of new members joining your site. In this episode, I discuss: Why social proof is so effective and how you can use it when marketing your own membership Two of the best ways of using Facebook in your membership marketing Splintering off aspects of your membership in order to give you more sales and marketing options How to use webinars to attract new members to your membership site

It's a new year, time for resolutions and focusing on new projects; and for many that means deciding to start a membership website. However rather than joining the countless people out there dishing out motivational platitudes and encouragement by the bucket-full; I've decided to take a different approach for this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast. Instead, I'm going to try to talk you out of it, by giving you the 9 signs that it might be a bad idea to start a membership site. In this episode, I discuss: Why it's important to figure out whether starting a membership is a good idea before you dive right into it The day to day realities of running a membership, and how they likely differ from what you've been told How to figure out whether you're the right person to run a membership The mindset you need as a membership site owner

As 2016 draws to a close, we're in a reflective mood here at The Membership Guys HQ. It's been a great year for us and for many within our community; and a particular highlight has been the growth and evolution of The Membership Guys Podcast. We've had the great privilege of being joined by a number of great guests, and it's been humbling that many of our most popular episodes feature only Mike and, well, a mic! In this special holiday edition of the show, I'm counting down the 10 most popular episodes according to download numbers during 2016, and revisiting some of the biggest gems and value-bombs from them all. Visit themembershipguys.com/episode77 for links to each of the full episodes mentioned in the show.

As the holiday season approaches, it's a good time to remind ourselves of the value of taking time away from your membership. In some circles, working every hour under the sun and being so busy that you're eating your Christmas lunch with your laptop on your knee, is seen almost as a badge of honour. Evidence that you're "hustling" harder than anyone else and as a result your business will be more successful. It doesn't work like that. Working hard is not the same as working smart; and neither you nor your paying members benefit from you being so tethered to your business that you can't take a little time out. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast we talk about why taking a break is so important, and I share a story about when I first realised that the world doesn't stop spinning if you step away from your business. In this episode, I discuss: The main reasons why people are afraid to take a break from their membership, and why they're all nonsense The first time I realised that my business wouldn't fall apart if I had some time off Why spending too much time on your membership is actually bad for your members The importance of setting boundaries, managing expectations and making sure you control your business rather than it controlling you.