Membership Geeks Podcast with Mike Morrison

Most memberships are focussed on helping people to reach a goal or achieve some sort of positive outcome. Whether you enable this with courses, worksheets and tools, community or something else - it's the result that matters. Running a free online challenge as part of your audience building and lead generation strategy taps into this in a big way and as a result can be one of the most effective tactics for attracting new members. If you run a challenge that helps people get a specific outcome; then not only are you delivering value but you're also proving that you're capable of helping them to get results; and that's an extremely compelling motivator for joining your membership for anyone wanting to take the next step towards achieving their larger goals. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I share a lesson taken directly from our Building an Audience course where we talk specifically about running an online challenge to grow your membership. In this episode, I discuss: What makes free challenges such an effective way of promoting your membership How to plan and deliver your own free challenge Strategies for generating membership sales from challenge participants How you can REALLY leverage your challenge content and use it to create additional marketing assets

Live video is hot right now, and it's only set to become ever more powerful as a marketing tool. A lot of memberships we see are centered around an authority or expert of some type; and it stands to reason that one of the most effective ways of demonstrating your expertise, establishing your credibility and truly connecting with your audience is to get in front of a camera and share your message. Live video removes many of the barriers to doing that and enables you to connect with your audience at the click of a button. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast I'm joined by Luria Petrucci from LiveStreamingPros.com. These guys are absolutely nailing live broadcasting, and Luria has brought her years of experience in online video to the show to give you the steps and strategy you need to follow to make live video work as part of your membership marketing strategy. This is a very actionable episode, so if you've been contemplating how to use live video for marketing your membership website then you'll want to grab a pen and pad... In this episode, we discuss: Whether Facebook Live is the only game in town, or whether there are other live video platforms you should be using Do you need to be polished and professional in order to start using live video How to avoid blending into the background by creating a regular live show Where to start when planning the structure and format of your live show How to get more people to watch your live video ...and much more!

Growing your membership audience can be a slow, painstaking process. Ultimately when all things are equal, people will buy from people they know, like and trust; and that sort of relationship takes time to develop. However there are ways to speed up the process; and in this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast I look at 4 of the tactics you can use to accelerate your audience growth. In this episode, I discuss: How event-based marketing tactics are one of the best ways to drive people to action Ways to make it more compelling for people to join your email marketing list Strategies for getting other people to promote your membership and grow your audience What to do next if you want to see real growth in your membership audience.

Building an audience is essential to the success of your membership. After all if you have no audience to speak of, then who are you going to sell to? Where are your members going to come from? “Build it and they will come” is, unfortunately, a myth – so you need to invest time in growing your own audience in terms of your email subscribers, website visits, podcast listeners, social followers and, of course, paying members. But where do you start? How do you actually find your audience? In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I talk about the main places to look when it comes to figuring out where your audience are hanging out so that you can start engaging with them and getting them onboard with what you’re doing. In this episode, I discuss: Why your existing email list and social followers might not be worth engaging with The importance of building an audience when launching and growing your membership What are the best places to research if you’re trying to find where your audience are currently “hanging out” What to do once you’ve found your audience and how to use your research to improve your marketing

When starting a membership, you have to be in it for the long haul. However despite your best intentions the time may come when you're considering shutting down your membership site. However if that is an option you're considering; it's important to handle it careful to avoid upsetting your members and ruining your reputation. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I discuss the best approach to take to shutting down your membership site without burning your bridges or causing yourself unnecessary problems. In this episode, I discuss: The 2 questions to ask yourself before you finalise your decision about shutting down your membership Possible alternatives to closing the doors on your membership forever The one thing you absolutely should NOT do in this situation How to create an exit plan for shutting down your membership that minimizes the pain for everyone.

Typically the type of membership sites we talk about here involve an expert using their skills, knowledge, experience and expertise to teach other people and help them achieve their goals. But what if you're not an expert in any one thing, can you still start a membership? In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I discuss the 4 different strategies and models you can take to start a membership where you're not the expert authority, as well as the one approach you should absolutely avoid at all costs. In this episode, I discuss: Why it can be tougher to sell a membership where you're not an expert in a particular subject Should you "fake it 'til you make it?" How leveraging other peoples expertise can make for an attractive membership offering Do all memberships need to teach something?

I think it's fair to say that we're pretty big fans of the membership model. You don't call yourselves "The Membership Guys" and dedicate yourself to teaching this stuff if you're not... But for all we love the whole world of running membership sites, as with any type of business there is an ugly side that you'll undoubtedly encounter at some point when running a membership of your own. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I talk about 3 "ugly" issues that we've recently had experience with for our own membership and our advice for dealing with it should those same problems come up for you. In this episode, I discuss: How to deal with "copycats" who take immitation too far and cross the line into plagiarism Why you shouldn't take attempts to prevent piracy too far What to do if your membership content is pirated, and your options to have illegal links removed Disputing false chargeback claims with your payment processor

Creating membership content can be one of the most time consuming parts of running a paid membership website. If you're billing people on a recurring basis, you need to deliver value on a recurring basis; and often delivering that value involves some form of content. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I discuss how to approach content strategy for your membership, and the steps to take in order to ensure your production process is streamlined so you're not constantly grinding to put out new content. In this episode, I discuss: Two key mindset shifts to embrace that will change how you approach your membership content What content you should be creating, and how to deliver more while actually REDUCING your workload The steps you need to take before hiring someone to help you to produce content The one thing that will make a monumental difference to your content production process

Creating a membership website involves a lot more work than most people expect. Memberships have a lot of moving pieces; not just on the technology front, but also when it comes to strategy, marketing and the day to day logistics too. It's not surprise then, that so many people get "stuck" when trying to figure out which software to use, what features their site should have and how to implement them, how often to release content, what content to create and so on, and so on... and so on! In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I discuss the steps you need to take in order to overcome "Paralysis by Analysis" - the situation where you're so bogged down in overthinking every little thing that you get stuck in the mud, not making progress.

Most of the strategies, principles and tactics we cover here and inside the Member Site Academy apply across the board regardless of which niche or market your membership website is in. However when it comes to B2B and B2C memberships there are some key differences that you need to be aware of when it comes to positioning, marketing and pricing your offering. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I dive into what those differences are and ways in which you can adjust your strategy accordingly. In this episode, I discuss: What are the 4 main differences to consider between business-to-business and business-to-consumer memberships? How these 2 distinct member types will each perceive things like value, cost and priorities Why important thing you need to consider when planning your membership content depending on your customer profile Ballpark price ranges for both B2B and B2C memberships, and the one factor that may enable you to increase your prices

It's easy to fall into the trap of playing the "numbers game" when it comes to creating your membership content. Taking pride in having more courses, more tools, more bells and whistles than the next guy. However as I cover in this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, it's a foolish game to play and one which not only leads to you failing your members but also puts your entire membership business at risk. In this episode, I discuss: What you REALLY need to be focusing on when it comes to creating membership content Why putting too much content into your membership site is a bad thing How relying too much on content as your selling point puts your business at risk of being wiped out by your competitors The question you need to ask yourself to re-align your thinking about your membership offering

When it comes to creating membership content, it can be easy to get sucked into the "numbers game", focusing on churning out quantity rather than quality. Your members join because they have a result they want to achieve, a problem that needs solving; so it's important to make sure that the content you create helps them to get to where they want to go. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast I'm joined by Colin Gray from ThePodcastHost.com. Not only does Colin help to teach people how to get the most from podcasting, but he's also got a PhD in Online Education; so I really enjoyed discussing how to make your membership content effective and truly educational.

Every topic and every industry has its fair share of bad advice, outdated information and dubious “best practices”; and there’s certainly a lot of that out there when it comes to the subject of membership sites. As with most subjects it can be a bit of a minefield trying to maneuver around the misinformation – so to help you out we’ve broken down 8 of the most common ‘myths’ about creating and running a membership site.

If you've been selling one-off courses for a while, then deciding to transition to the membership model is a big move with more things to think about than you may realise. We've worked with plenty of people who have successfully made the switch, but there are some definite considerations in terms of cashflow, marketing and how the complexion of your day to day business can change. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I discuss the main implications of moving from selling courses to running a membership, how to ease the transition and my advice for deciding whether it's the right decision for you. In this episode, I discuss: The main things to consider when deciding whether to switch to the membership model How to deal with past customers who have purchased your courses The biggest thing most people don't think about when moving into memberships Advice on deciding whether this is the right decision for your business.

While running a membership site can highly profitable on its own, it doesn't have to be the only piece of your business puzzle. Complementing your membership website with a diverse range of products and offerings can not only give you increased income from multiple revenue streams but also enable you to better serve a greater proportion of your audience. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I discuss ways in which you can add multiple revenue streams to an existing membership business. In this episode, I discuss: 7 ways you can add additional revenue streams to your existing membership Why you should be careful about affiliate commissions and joint ventures The importance of clarity when you have multiple product offerings How to leverage your other revenue streams to add value to your membership

This past year has been an exciting one for us, and as we reach the 12 month anniversary of the opening of the Member Site Academy we're feeling a little reflective. To celebrate this milestone I'm joined once again on the podcast by the other (some say better) half of The Membership Guys, the one and only Callie Willows, to discuss our first year of running the Academy. In this episode, Callie and I discuss: What aspects of running the Academy we each found to be most surprising or unexpected Changes we've made to our strategy and the reasons and circumstances behind those decisions What we each enjoy most about running the membership What the future holds for Member Site Academy

When you're running an online business like a membership website, the idea of going to live events as a way of growing that business may be counterintuitive when you're spending so much time behind your computer screen. However for membership site owners; conferences, workshops, mastermind days and other such events hold potentially even greater opportunities than for other kinds of businesses; and in this episode I talk a little more about how you can extract huge value from regularly attending live events. In this episode, I discuss: - The main reasons for attending live events that you may not have thought of - How networking and meeting new people can open doors that will add value to your membership offering - Why meeting up with your members and peers at events is a game changer - Creating your own opportunities you simply won't get when you're in front of the screen

When trying to attract new people to your membership site, giving potential members a taste of what's on offer before asking them to part with their cash and invest in your product is a great way of overcoming any doubts they may have about joining. With this in mind it stands to reason that hosting free webinars can be a fantastic way of winning new members by demonstrating your expertise, proving your credibility and showing why joining your membership is worthwhile. When it comes to using webinars to sell digital products, there are few people quite as knowledgeable as Amy Porterfield. Webinars are fundamental to Amy's success, and in this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, she shares with us her top tips and insight on how you could use webinars to promote and grow your membership site.

While in a lot of cases people will have joined your membership to get the benefit of your particular expertise; bringing in experts in complimentary topics can add a lot of additional value to your offering. Not only does inviting guest contributors increase the value and variety you provide to your members; but it's also a smart strategy for minimizing the workload involved in creating all content yourself. In this episode, I discuss: The benefits of inviting other experts to contribute to your membership How best to approach your guests and convince them to get involved Examples of the types of content you might ask a guest to contribute How to make it easier for your potential guest to say "yes"

I regularly talk about how your members will join for the content, but they'll STAY for the community; and that's something we see reflected in every successful membership site we've been part of. But what options do you actually have for creating your community from a technical standpoint? How do you add an online forum to your membership? In this episode I talk more about the importance of community, forums in particular, and discuss the various routes you can go down to add one to your website. In this episode, I discuss: How adding a forum gives your passionate members a space to engage with others Why community is a vital asset for membership sites Examples of Wordpress plugins and stand-alone software you can use to set up your forum Why a Facebook group isn't an adequate replacement for building your own community

As membership site owner, the ability to protect our premium content is at the heart of how your business functions. And when that protection is threatened you, naturally, start to panic. So it stands to reason that you'd want to take action to prevent "hit and run" members who sign up, download everything you have to offer, and then cancel straight away. However before you batten down the hatches, make sure you listen to our advice on how to handle this sort of situation... In this episode, I discuss: Preventing the fear of temporary members discouraging you from providing your best experience Pros and Cons of limiting your membership-only content as online only Examples for how to keep your subscribed members engaged over time Why you shouldn't focus your energies on preventing piracy

It's easy to see why the strategy of offering lifetime memberships is a divisive one. Unquestionably the biggest benefit of the membership model lies in recurring revenue, so the notion of providing unlimited access to your site for a single one-off fee may seem counter-intuitive; however as we discuss in this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast there are definite pros and cons to this strategy... In this episode, I discuss: Pros and Cons of offering a lifetime membership option Examples of the type of sites or situations where a lifetime option could work very well Why it's important to define what a lifetime membership actually is How to decide on what to charge for lifetime access

Most memberships will consist of two things - premium content (such as courses and tutorials) as well as community. While the quality and depth of those elements will vary greatly from site to site; it does mean that when your potential member is considering several options for sites to join it can be hard to tell the difference between memberships which appear to essentially be offering the same thing. This is where going that extra mile to provide added value to members is key to standing out from your competition - and one of our favourite ways of doing this is to offer exclusive member-only perks and offers. In this episode I discuss this further as well as provide my tips on how to approach vendors to negotiate deals for your membership.

It's easy to assume that mainstream media coverage is the domain of celebrities, huge businesses and crazies claiming to know where the aliens took Elvis. As such, most membership site owners don't even think about trying to use PR to get their story out there, as they see traditional media as out of their reach. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I'm joined by Janet Murray who not only explains why this isn't the case but also gives advice and tips from her 15+ years in journalism on how you can attract media attention for your membership site. Many membership sites revolve around their founder or founders positioning themselves as an authority on a given topic or in a specific market; and attracting media coverage can be invaluable to establishing and strengthening that credibility. Even if you're not running an authority-based membership, chances are you have a story to tell that it would benefit you to share with the world. This interview is packed with actionable advice and tips that work, from someone who not only has been in the industry for a decade and a half, but also helps countless businesses and individuals to get media attention too. If your business would benefit in any way from media coverage, then this really is a can't-miss episode.

One of the more challenging changes that comes with moving to the membership model is dealing with the increase in how many people are contacting you and vying for your attention. Supporting hundreds or thousands of members can certainly take its toll and becoming uncontrollable without procedures and a solid approach for dealing with handling communication. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast I talk about how you can set boundaries and expectations in order to ensure your membership remains manageable. It should go without saying that if you think a membership isn't going to involve work that you're mistaken - but that doesn't mean that handling member communications has to take over your life! Having a solid strategy for supporting members and enabling communication is key to the long term success of your membership site. Establishing boundaries enables you to better and more effectively serve your whole membership base, so it's key to put these into place early.

To celebrate the 50th episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, we decided to do something a little different. Not only did we bring Callie onto the podcast (for only the second time!) but we did so as part of a live Q&A we hosted on Blab.im all about our favourite subject - membership websites! We had audience questions, a guest appearance, and a pretty epic rant from Mike that you're really going to want to hear (unless you can't handle the occasional curse word.. or twenty!) In this Q&A we discuss: What most appeals to Callie about the membership model Can you create a membership if you don't have knowledge, skills or experience? Why snake-oil salesman and lazy marketers are doomed to fail When it would be the wrong situation to create a membership The future of live video and what it could mean for membership owners How to organise your activity and plan content Which membership plugins are best to use with LMS platforms ...and more!

The launch of a new membership site can be a nerve-wracking time, and adding to that anxiety is the question of whether you have enough content to open your doors. Is there a set amount of content that a membership site needs to have before you release it to the public? What content should you be creating and how do you know when to say "when"? In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast I tackle this question, and provide my top tips for approaching content creation as you gear up for launch.

In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast I'm joined by Amy Schmittauer from Savvy Sexy Social to talk about how you can build authority by incorporating online video into your marketing strategy. Amy has built a huge audience for her own business, with over 3 million views across the 600+ videos on her own Youtube channel, where she teaches others to effectively use video marketing in their own business. Amy specializes in using video to build brand and personal authority - something which many of us as membership site owners are trying to do as we carve out our spot as the "go-to" people in our market; and that's something which we talk about during this interview. In this episode, Amy Schmittauer and I discuss: Where video marketing should fit in terms of the bigger picture of your overall strategy, and how important it is to focus Amy's top tips for getting started with your first online video How to overcome the fear that your business or topic simply isn't interesting enough create videos about Tips for improving the videos you create for your membership content Amy's thoughts on the recent rise of live video and where this fits in the overall strategy ... and a whole lot more!

Finding the right web designer is like navigating a minefield. With so many people out there claiming to know what they're doing - and often no real way for the typical prospective membership site owner to know whether those claims are legit or BS - it's unsurprising that pretty much everyone and their dog has a horror story about that one web designer who screwed them over. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I share my top tips on finding and hiring the right web designer to create your membership site.

In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, it's the concluding part of my interview with Nathan Chan of Foundr Magazine in which we discuss marketing your business and growing your brand on Instagram. As part of his marketing for Foundr Magazine, Nathan managed to explode their Instagram following to hundreds of thousands of highly engaged fans in a short space of time. In this episode, he discusses how you can get started on building your own following as well as how to leverage them as part of your list building and sales funnel for your membership site. In this episode, Nathan Chan and I discuss: How "boring" non-visual companies and brands can use Instagram as part of their social media marketing strategy Where to start when trying to build your Instagram following Leveraging influencers and figuring out what to actually post Strategically planning your content and campaigns to generate leads and sales Nathan's thoughts on how the recent algorithm change affects people marketing on Instagram

In this episode we discuss the importance of giving new members a warm welcome and ensuring that they feel part of your community from the instant they join. This is an area so sorely missed when it comes to memberships, because as online business owners we're conditioned to focus solely on getting the sale. But what happens in the minutes, hours, days and weeks following a new member joining are often what will determine the long term success of your membership website. Listen to this episode to get my 6 tips and tactics for ensuring that your new members get off to the right start.

If you want to make an impact and grab a lot of attention for the launch of your membership site, then running an online summit can be a great strategy to use. This is especially true if you need to accelerate your visibility, quickly grow an audience and build a huge amount of momentum going into your launch. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I talked to Yann Ilunga about how he's making a splash with his upcoming Podcast Success Summit, and the strategy he's using to launch his own membership off the back of it. One of the biggest fears of any new membership site owner is that they'll open the doors to their shiny new website, only to be met with the sound of crickets; and if you don't already have a following or an established audience then there's a real risk of that happening. While organising and running an online summit is a lot of work, as Yann described; the pay-off can be huge in terms of getting peoples attention, building a highly targeted email list and generating positive momentum.

In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I'm joined by Nathan Chan of Foundr Magazine. The founder of Foundr. And yes, I made that joke 30 seconds in. He'd heard it before. What was originally intended to be a discussion about Instagram turned into a value-packed chat about the background of Foundr magazine, how Nathan started it from scratch, without an existing audience to speak of and ultimately grew it into a successful brand that now offers several products including a recently launched membership site.

Fresh on the back of attending Social Media Marketing World 2016, we're sharing our top takeaways from the event for creating content and promoting your membership site through social channels. PLUS - you guys asked for it... after 8 months, the elusive Callie Willows finally joins me on The Membership Guys Podcast! Listen to the latest episode to hear us discuss our 4 biggest lessons from the event... In this episode: 2016 is the year of ____ _____ Organic reach is dead? You need to be more ________ with your content Stop focusing on _________ and _____

During the course of running your membership site, there will inevitably come a point where you want to increase your pricing. Maybe your offering has changed, perhaps you're responding to increased demand or maybe you just want to earn a little more for your efforts. Rather than simply raising your prices overnight, check out this latest episode of The Membership Guys Podcast for my tips and strategies to help you to get the best results from increasing your membership pricing...

Podcasting is a fantastic way of promoting and growing amembership website. Not only does it help you to establish you as an authority anddemonstrate your expertise - things that are particularly importantif your membership is largely based on your being an expert in yourfield - but it also gives a human voice to your brand andestablished connections that most other mediums simply cannot. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I'm joined byJohn Lee Dumas from Entrepreneur On Fire, who shared some ofhis insight and experiences in not only building a wildlysuccessful business podcast; but also how that fits with his ownmembership communities. In this episode, John and I discuss: The role podcasting has played in developing and growing John'smembership community Tips for turning his podcast listeners into members How John creates extra member-only value from his freepodcast content What activity helps John manage the hectic schedule ofreleasing a daily podcast ...and loads more!

When that burst of inspiration for a membership site starts turning into a fully fledged idea and plan, it's easy to think that you've stumbled onto something truly unique. However as Mark Twain once said - "There is no such thing as a new idea", and this often rings true for membership website concepts. So what do you do when you discover that there's someone else out there with the same idea for a membership site as you? Check out this latest episode of The Membership Guys Podcast for my advice...

One of the biggest benefits of running a membership website is the ability to tap into a truly global audience. However that does present the problem of having to decide which currency to use when it comes to pricing your membership. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I give my opinion on how to decide on which currency to use as well as some other factors you need to consider when setting your pricing for a multi-currency market...

Membership websites come in all shapes and sizes; but the type we primarily deal with here on The Membership Guys consist primarily of content and community. Given that content marketing is, without doubt, one of the best ways to promote your membership site; then it can be a real challenge trying to figure out which content should be free - via blogs, podcasts and the like - and which content should comprise your paid membership. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I tackle this subject and look at some of the things to consider when deciding whether your content should be free or paid...

Facebook groups are a fantastic way of cultivating a community of like-minded people, all interested in a particular topic, product or problem. It's little wonder, then, that running such a group can be a highly effective strategy for membership site owners, for a wide variety of reasons. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I'm joined by Jill Stanton from Screw The Nine to Five, who shares her insight into not only running a popular, highly successful free Facebook group; but also how she leverages this to benefit her paid membership community. (Warning: this one gets a little bit sweary, so those of a sensitive disposition may want to give it a miss!) In this episode, Jill and I discuss: Running a free Facebook group vs using a group for your paid membership Advice on how to get people engaged and active in your group Tips and techniques for attracting new members to your Facebook group The specific strategy that Jill uses to get people from her Facebook group to join her membership website How Jill manages her time keeping on top of a 10,000 person strong free group as well as her paid community ...and loads more!

You’ve got plenty of loyal members who continue to pay for your membership – but are you taking member retention for granted?Some members may be paying for your membership without any delays or issues, but that doesn’t mean that they are happy and satisfied. You can’t assume that just because somebody is continuing to pay, that it means they are 100% pleased with their experience. The truth is that inactive paying members probably don’t even realize they’re still paying for their subscription!So, what’s the best course of action if you think you’ve got paying members who could be getting closer to the exit door? On this episode of the podcast, I reveal exactly what you should do, and I share three main reasons why you shouldn’t take member retention for granted. Essential Learning Points:The real reasons why members who are not engaged with your membership continue to pay for itThree reasons why you should never take member retention for grantedWhy you need to make sure you deliver constant value with your membership siteImportant Links & Mentions:Creative ways to improve your member experience with Andrew & Pete Try these tactics to pre-empt and prevent member cancellationsThe Membership Economy with Robbie Kellman Baxter4 simple but effective ways to deliver massive value to your membersHow to increase engagement within your membership siteKey Quotes:“It's very easy to mistake somebody sticking around on your membership or the fact that someone continues to be a member, as an indicator that they're happy that they're engaged, that they're satisfied with what they're paying for.”“You need to make sure that you're always looking for ways to continuously add value, that you have that ongoing dialog with your members that you're regularly getting feedback.”“Some people will be paying you and will be continuing subscription without even realizing it.”

Cancellations are the one things most membership site owners hate and fear, but are also something we can't avoid - no matter how hard you try to hide the "cancel" button! Your onboarding, engagement and retention strategies are key to prolonging the member lifecycle - however another key thing to consider is that often your members will have common "drop-off points", where you're most at risk of losing them. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I discuss how you can identify your common member drop-off points, and more importantly what you can do to deal with them.

Running an online membership removes the barriers for doing business around the world. Regardless of where you're based, your members will come from far and wide. This represents a huge opportunity for membership website owners to build a global brand. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I'm joined by Chris Ducker - founder of Youpreneur - to talk about his experiences in launching a membership site that is truly global. In this episode, Chris and I discuss: Refining how you position yourself and an authority, and how to escape the "pigeon hole" The important of "serving" your community How launching a membership site has changed Chris' approach to live events and speaking gigs Chris' top tips for building a global brand with your membership site. ...and loads more!

With Valentines Day just passed, love is in the air, and in this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast I'm professing my deepest feelings for my one true love... the membership model. Tune in and find out why we're so enamoured with membership websites, and why they appeal to us far more than any other business model out there.

We've had countless people approach us over the years in need of help in figuring out why their membership site launch hasn't quite gone to plan; and in almost every case it's because they jumped head first into wrestling with membership plugins and creating content - skipping past the crucial task of actually evaluating and validating their idea. I'm joined on this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast by Pat Flynn, founder of the extremely popular Smart Passive Income blog and podcast; and author of the brand new book Will It Fly, which teaches you how to test your next business idea so that you don't waste your time and money. In this episode, Pat and I discuss: Why idea validation is so important for membership site owners Where to start if you have an idea and you're not sure how to figure out if it's worth pursuing What to do when you simply have more ideas than you can handle How to 'course-correct' if you've skipped the idea validation stage and you're now regretting it

Should your membership site always be open, or only open for limited periods throughout the year? It's a question that comes up frequently; and while we tend to fall on the side of having an "evergreen" membership that's always open, it's hard to deny the appeal of using the urgency and scarcity that are only typically effective with a limited-opening approach. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast, I discuss some ways in which evergreen membership site owners can utilise urgency and scarcity in their marketing strategy without having to close the doors of their site.

Retention is crucial for a successful membership site. It costs more to win a new member than it does to hang on to an existing one; so it stands to reason that you should have a strategy in place for ensuring that your members stick around. In this episode of The Membership Guys Podcast I discuss 3 specific tips and techniques that you can use to keep your members hooked and subscribed for longer.

As a recognised authority in your field, gaining access to you can be a major reason why people will join your membership website. This introduces a whole host of additional challenges when trying to run and grow your community. In this episode, I'm joined by James Schramko from SuperFastBusiness, who shares his insight and experience from years of running a successful membership site that leverages his own authority as a highly regarded expert in online business and marketing. In this episode, James and I discuss: How James went from managing a Mercedes Benz dealership to running a successful membership community The roadblocks that get in the way of people turning their ideas into reality Handling access to him and managing member expectations across multiple "tiers" of membership Building a larger business with your membership site at its core ...and a lot more!

If a membership site launches with no audience to notice, has it truly launched? In this episode we answer the much asked question of whether it's possible - or advisable - to launch a membership site when you do not have an audience. I also discuss why audience building is particularly important for membership website owners, as well as my top tips for how you can get started on building an audience for your site, fast.

As more and more businesses start focusing on memberships and subscriptions, what can you do to set up your membership website for long term success? In this episode, I'm joined by Robbie Kellman Baxter - author of the bestselling book 'The Membership Economy' and a leading strategist helping big name businesses such as Netflix and SurveyMonkey to perfect the membership model. In this episode, Robbie and I discuss: Common mistakes businesses make when they attempt to transition to the membership model Robbie's top tips for member retention The core differences between transactional businesses and membership businesses The keys to surviving and thriving in The Membership Economy What the future holds for the membership model