Launching a Membership Site from Scratch: How to Make Passive Income Online

Starting a membership site can be an excellent way to generate passive income online. With the right strategy, you can build a site that provides ongoing value to members while earning income for you. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through the entire process of launching a membership site from initial planning to growing your member base.

Crafting the Perfect Membership Site Offering

The first step is determining what you’ll provide members. To attract paying subscribers, you need a compelling offering. Consider these tips for developing the perfect membership:

Conduct Market Research

Research your niche to see what gaps exist and what subscribers are willing to pay for. Survey existing sites to identify shortcomings and opportunities.

Ideas may include access to:

• Premium tools and resources
• Educational courses
• Coaching and mentoring
• Community and networking
• Discounts and perks

Pick a Niche With Demand

Choose a niche with an existing audience willing to pay. Some lucrative niches include:

• Business, marketing, and entrepreneurship
• Health, fitness, and nutrition
• Personal growth and self-improvement
• Finance and investing
• Hobbies and crafts

Offer Premium Value

Provide exclusive access to products, services, and resources that improve members’ lives. Consider:

• Downloadable tools, templates, and guides
• Video tutorials and courses
• 1-on-1 coaching and mentoring
• Member forum and community
• Discounts on partner products

Develop Recurring Revenue Streams

Recurring revenue through subscriptions provides predictable, passive income. Offer:

• Monthly, annual, or lifetime access
• Auto-renewing subscriptions
• Multiple membership tiers

Craft a Compelling Brand and Messaging

Create positioning that sells the transformation your membership provides. Communicate the pressing problems you solve and benefits members gain.

Selecting the Best Membership Site Platform

With your offering defined, the next step is choosing a platform to build and host your membership site. Key factors to evaluate include:

All-in-One Functionality

Opt for an option like MemberPress that handles membership management, payments, email marketing, and more in one place.

Customizable Design and Branding

Ensure you can fully customize the look and feel to match your brand.

Marketing and Automation Capabilities

Choose a platform with built-in marketing features like email autoresponders, landing pages, and promo codes.

Payment Processing and Account Management

Select a platform that seamlessly handles payments, subscriptions, and account management.

Membership Access and Protection

The platform should gate access to members-only content and easily manage membership levels.

Support for Growth

Pick a scalable platform equipped to support a growing member base and increasing traffic.

With core functionality defined, you can narrow down the best platform for your membership site. Leading options include:

• MemberPress
• Kajabi
• Thinkific
• Wishlist Member
• Memberful

Research each thoroughly before deciding.

Building Out Membership Site Pages and Layout

Once you’ve selected a platform, it’s time to start structuring your membership site. Follow these steps for setting up your pages and layout:

Set Up Logo, Branding, and Navigation

Use your logo and consistent branding across all pages and site navigation. This establishes familiarity and professionalism.

Create the Homepage

This is your opportunity to communicate your value proposition and hook visitors. Include an eye-catching header, emotional messaging, a content overview, testimonials, and a lead magnet.

Add an About Page

Help visitors get to know you and build trust by sharing your story, passion for your niche, and experience. Include a professional headshot.

Build Out Membership Pages

Create dedicated pages for each access level that outline membership details, benefits, and pricing. Allow visitors to easily join.

Set Up Account and Profile Pages

Let members manage their subscription, billing, and profile from a central account dashboard.

Establish a Member Forum

A forum encourages community and engagement between members. Facilitate discussions and connections.

Develop Content Delivery Pages

Structure pages and navigation to provide access to courses, downloads, and other gated content based on membership level.

Thoughtfully organizing your pages helps visitors navigate your site and members access valuable materials.

Creating Engaging Membership Site Content

Content is the backbone of a successful membership site. Well-researched, high-quality content establishes you as an industry leader and keeps members engaged.

Outline Content Topics

Brainstorm a list of potential topics that appeal to your audience and tie to your niche. Identify keyword opportunities.

Produce New Content Regularly

Set a consistent content production schedule to publish new blog posts, videos, courses, etc. This gives members reasons to return.

Deliver a Mix of Formats

Combine written content with videos, podcasts, worksheets, quizzes, and more. Cater to different learning styles.

Stay On-Brand

All content should reflect your positioning and messaging. Maintain a consistent look, tone, and voice.

Optimize Content for SEO

Follow on-page SEO best practices including meta descriptions, alt text, headings, and keyword integration so content attracts organic traffic.

Gate Some Content for Members

Offering exclusive content only available to paying members provides value. Share snippets publicly and gate the full piece.

Repurpose Content

Repackage content into different formats like video transcripts, infographics, and podcast episodes to maximize resources.

Collaborate with Industry Experts

Invite relevant guest experts to contribute content like interviews, guest posts, and videos to provide members additional perspective.

Solicit Member Feedback

Survey members to find out the types of content and topics they find most valuable. Let feedback inform your production schedule.

Well-planned, relevant content distributed on an ongoing basis is the key to retaining engaged, loyal membership site subscribers.

Optimizing Membership Site Pages for SEO

Driving organic traffic from search engines can significantly grow your member base. That makes SEO a crucial strategy. Follow these tips to optimize pages for higher rankings:

Perform Keyword Research

Identify high-volume, low-competition keywords and phrases related to your membership to target. Tools like Ahrefs, SEMRush, and Google Keyword Planner help.

Include Target Keywords Naturally

Use keywords in page titles, headers, content, image alt text, meta descriptions, and URL slugs. Don’t over-optimize.

Create Title Tags That Entice Clicks

Write compelling, benefit-focused title tags 60–70 characters long incorporating keywords to signal relevancy and drive clicks.

Structure Pages with Headings

Break content into scannable sections with H2 and H3 tags around keywords to improve accessibility and SEO.

Boost Page Speed

Minify code, compress images, cache pages, and optimize coding to decrease load times. Google factors page speed into rankings.

Enhance User Experience

Ensure easy navigation, readable fonts and designs, working links, and consistent branding for the best visitor experience.

Build Links from Relevant Sites

Earn backlinks from industry websites through guest posting, outreach campaigns, and influencer partnerships to build domain authority.

Create Member Resources Pages

Optimize pages that list membership downloads, tools, and resources with keywords so they rank highly in search and attract leads.

By optimizing for organic traffic, you can multiply the reach of your membership site significantly.

Marketing Your Membership Site for Growth

Attracting a steady flow of new members is essential for growing a profitable membership site. Layer in these marketing tactics:

Launch with a Free Trial

Offer an initial 7–14 day free trial so prospective members can sample benefits before committing. Require a credit card to reduce drop-offs.

Run Lead Ad Campaigns

Run pay-per-click, social media, and display network ads targeted to your audience guiding them to opt-in pages to build your email list.

Develop Irresistible Lead Magnets

Give away highly useful free tools, templates, or trainings in exchange for emails to build your list and prime leads.

Automate Email Sequences

Set up autoresponder workflows that deliver a pre-written series of emails to convert new subscribers into members.

Promote Through Affiliate Programs

Recruit influencers and companies to promote your membership and pay commissions on referrals. Offer custom landing pages and promo codes to track results.

Partner with Complementary Brands

Reach new audiences by collaborating on content, cross-promotions, and giveaways with non-competing but relevant brands.

Double Down on What Works

Pay close attention to metrics for all marketing efforts. Double down on tactics that prove effective for acquiring members.

Foster Word-of-Mouth Buzz

Deliver so much value that satisfied members can’t help but organically rave about you, driving referrals.

Remarket Past Site Visitors

Upload your site visitor list to display networks to serve ads across the web to visitors who left to entice them to return and join.

Executing the right blend of strategic marketing delivers a steady influx of new members over time. Test and iterate to refine the formula that works for your site.

Fulfilling Membership Benefits and Perks

To retain subscribers long-term, you must deliver on the promised membership benefits. Here are tips for fulfilling expectations:

Onboard Thoughtfully

Welcome new members with a personalized email outlining how to access benefits, connect with the community, and achieve their goals.

Facilitate Meaningful Interactions

If you offer a community, actively participate in discussions to foster connections. Host live Q&As and AMAs with experts.

Make Help and Support Readily Available

Have multiple avenues for members to get questions answered like self-serve help docs, email support, chatbots, or call center assistance.

Send Relevant and Timely Emails

Keep members engaged through scheduled emails with newest content, motivation and education related to their goals, and community updates.

Recognize and Appreciate Loyal Members

Identify consistent contributors to your community and long-term subscribers and recognize their dedication through badges, prizes, or special access.

Survey for Feedback

Regularly survey members asking what they value most, what else they need, and feedback on their experience. Use insights to refine and enhance the membership.

Address Churn Proactively

Pay attention to non-renewals. Reach out through emails and surveys to understand why they left and recover lapsed members with incentives to rejoin.

Share Success Stories

Collect and share inspiring member success stories and testimonials. This builds credibility while demonstrating what’s possible.

Delivering exceptional membership experiences earns loyalty, boosts satisfaction, and reduces churn to grow lifetime member value.

Scaling Your Membership Over Time

Once you’ve built initial traction, it’s time to scale your membership to the next level. Strategies for expansion include:

Diversify Your Offerings

Add new content formats, tools, expert interviews, certifications, and other benefits over time so there’s always something new for members.

Introduce New Membership Levels

For example, add premium tiers with additional benefits beyond the base level to appeal to bigger spenders.

Organize In-Person Local Meetups

Host local events to help members network. Start in one city and expand based on demand.

Create Client Success Managers

Appoint dedicated team members as single points of contact to provide elite members 1-on-1 support and assistance.

Develop New Revenue Streams

Sell ads, sponsorships, digital products, or merchandise to diversify beyond just subscription revenue.

Expand to New Customer Segments

Identify underserved demographics or buyer personas to create tailored offerings that attract new segments.

Localize Content for New Markets

Adapt content and marketing to resonate in countries beyond your home market. Appoint contributors familiar with each locale.

Explore Strategic Partnerships

Partner with complementary brands to co-create content, cross-promote, or even merge memberships to accelerate growth.

Automate for Efficiency

Automate as many tasks as possible like emails, customer service, payments, and content creation to scale efficiently.

While growing your membership, stay focused on over-delivering value to avoid dilution. Growth for growth’s sake won’t necessarily maximise your impact or profits.

Key Takeaways and Next Steps

Launching a profitable membership site takes strategic planning and execution. The keys steps covered in this guide include:

• Determining your membership offering and niche
• Selecting a membership platform
• Structuring your site’s pages and navigation
• Producing high-quality, valuable content
• Optimizing for SEO and organic reach
• Marketing deliberately to attract members
• Delighting members by over-delivering
• Scaling your business over time

If you methodically work through each step outlined above, you’ll be well on your way to building a thriving membership site from the ground up. We invite you to start with signing up for our free membership startup kit below. It includes worksheets, checklists, and guides to help apply this information. Let us know if we can help answer any other questions about launching and growing your online membership empire!