Two level membership website model
23. Feb, 2010 
7 Comments
I occasionally take on new clients that want membership websites setup. Many people want a membership website because of the appeal of continuity income or just as a mechanism to deliver all of their digital content securely. The problem is that few people have a firm grasp on how membership websites work or how they should structure their content, offer, etc. to be most effective.
To answer the question of structure, offer and content I’ve put together the video and a PDF below showing one of my favorite models. I’ve seen components of this model used tons of times by loads of people, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a single diagram that outlines the entire process and helps you plan your content, email lists and so on. I hope this is useful. Here’s the video:
Click the full-screen button on the video so you can follow along better…
In this video and PDF I can’t possibly tell you everything you need to do, but here are some of the most important concepts to keep in mind.
- List segmentation is crucial (separate lists for prospects and buyers (thanks Jeff Walker))
- Free content should be an extract of the most valuable gems you offer in your paid content (thanks Eben Pagan and John Reese)
- your autoresponder sequence should focus on consumption of your content, whether paid or free
- Use downsell and retention (before you go) sales letters to increase margin
Download the PDF here:
My current favorite platform for membership websites is WordPress using MemberWing and Aweber. It’s a no brainer for me since I can have a new membership website up and running in an hour, with all the bells and whistles.
There are other models that I can put together if there’s enough interest. This one is super easy and can work very well since it uses reciprocity by giving them access up front to your best material and reducing their risk since they get to see some of the content before buying. One other model that I really like is the 30-day free trail, or $1 trail. Frank Kern is a master of that model and I recommend you follow one of his launches to get an idea. Mike Filsaime is also fantastic at the upsell/downsell on offers like this.
After you’ve watched the video and read through the PDF, let me know what you think and if you have any questions by posting a comment below.
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Great post Dan, I am going to check out member wing, I have been testing wish list membership plug in that is similar to what your talking about. I have been building the framework for a membership site, and I am glad that I saw this post, it will be very helpful. here is a link to wishlist membership plug in http://wordpressmembershipplugin.net/
Thanks Dan!
I have seen your video and it is very interesting. I am interested in setting up a membership site. What is your quote for taking me on has a client.
I just sent an email to you… I’m glad you’re interested.
Thanks for the comment Jeremy,
When I was trying to decide between wishlist and memberwing, I didn’t get a very good response from wishlist support. They were much less accommodating and less interested in what I was trying to accomplish. The MemberWing developer, on the other hand, was very accommodating and quick to respond. I’ve also found his code to be well written and easy to adapt to specific needs (I’ve done some development on this plugin).
I can’t really say anything about the code for wishlist member, but I like the structure that sites take on with MemberWing. I’ve got two membership sites going right now with it and I love it.
Comment back if you decide to use WishList and let me know how you like it and if it’s really as easy to use as they say.
You’re talking utter [crap] here. Is this model proven that you’re talking about? Silver membership for opt-in.. c’mon dude..
Also..
“Frank Kern is a master of that model and I recommend you follow one of his launches to get an idea.”
Another load of rubbish – the only continuity Kern has done is $297 per month pay up or go away. Simple as that.
Hey Paul,
Most of my clients struggle to know what to do with the shiny new membership site I just built them. They know have expertise and wanted a membership site, but they’re not sure exactly how to go about it. I put this model together to give them an idea of what type of content could go where to get them started.
As far as your take on Frank Kern, I haven’t seen him launch a continuity program in the last two years that either didn’t have a free or ultra low cost trial associated with it. In fact, he usually gives you some hard copy content for the cost of shipping (he may make a dollar or two on that) and a 30-day free look. If you stick around past the 30 days then he starts billing you. You can argue against that but it won’t do any good since I’ve taken him up on a couple of those offers and I know how they work.
As with any model, it’s up to you to figure out which components are a fit and how to best use them.