How to Create a Profitable Membership Site with WordPress

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Are you looking to turn your passion, knowledge, or community into a reliable source of recurring revenue? Creating a membership site with WordPress could be the perfect solution.

Membership sites allow you to gate premium content behind a paywall and charge your members a recurring subscription fee for access. This model provides predictable income and helps you build a loyal tribe around your brand.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to plan, build, and grow a profitable membership site using WordPress. Let’s dive in!

Why Build a Membership Site with WordPress?

WordPress powers over 43% of all websites on the internet, making it the most popular content management system (CMS) in the world. There are several compelling reasons why WordPress is an ideal platform for creating membership sites:

Flexibility: WordPress is highly customisable, allowing you to build any type of membership site imaginable, from online courses to private forums to exclusive content libraries.
Ownership: With WordPress, you have full control and ownership over your site and content. You’re not at the mercy of a third-party platform that could change its rules or pricing.
Affordability: WordPress itself is free and open-source. You’ll need to pay for hosting and a domain name, but overall it’s a very cost-effective solution compared to all-in-one membership platforms.
Extensibility: There is a massive ecosystem of plugins and themes that extend WordPress’ core functionality. This includes many powerful membership and learning management system (LMS) plugins.

Community: Given its popularity, WordPress has a huge global community of developers, designers, and users. This means extensive documentation, resources, and support are readily available.

Planning Your Profitable Membership Site

Before you start building your membership site, it’s crucial to get crystal clear on your strategy. Thorough planning upfront will save you a lot of headaches down the road.

Find Your Niche and Unique Angle

The riches are in the niches, as they say. To stand out in a crowded market, you need to specialise and serve a specific target audience. Aim to be the go-to resource in your particular niche.

Ask yourself:

What topics am I knowledgeable and passionate about?
What specific problems can I help my target market solve?
How can I deliver unique value they can’t easily find elsewhere?

For example, instead of creating a generic fitness membership site, you could niche down and focus on “yoga for surfers over 50”. The more specific, the better.

Determine Your Content Mix

What types of content and resources will you offer to your members? Common options include:

Premium blog posts/articles
Video tutorials and courses
Downloadable resources like ebooks, templates, checklists, etc.
Live or recorded webinars
Private community forum
Group coaching calls
1-on-1 coaching/consulting
Software tools
Member discounts or perks

You don’t need to include everything, but aim to provide a variety of valuable content that caters to different learning preferences.

Consider what content you already have that could be repurposed, as well as what you’ll need to create from scratch. Prioritise quality over quantity.

Choose Your Revenue Model

There are several ways to monetise a membership site:

Recurring subscriptions: Charge a weekly, monthly, or annual fee for ongoing access to your content and community. This provides reliable, predictable income.
One-time payment: Charge a single fee for lifetime access. While you’ll get an influx of revenue upfront, you’ll need to keep selling to sustain your income.
Tiered memberships: Offer multiple membership levels at different price points (e.g. Silver, Gold, Platinum). Higher tiers get access to more content/perks.
Paid courses: Sell online courses individually, bundled together, or include them as part of a membership package.
Coaching/consulting: Offer your services to members in a group or 1-on-1 setting, either as an upsell or included in higher-tier plans.

You can mix and match these models to create your ideal membership structure. Consider your audience’s preferences and price sensitivity.

Price Your Membership Profitably

Pricing your membership can be tricky. You don’t want to charge too little and leave money on the table, but you also don’t want to overprice and deter potential members.

Some factors to consider:

Value: How much value are you providing? What tangible results or transformations can members expect?
Audience: What is your target market willing and able to pay? Are you serving hobbyists or business professionals?
Competition: What are similar membership sites or alternatives charging? How does your offering compare in terms of value?
Costs: What are your expenses to run the membership site (e.g. hosting, software, content creation, support, etc.)? Make sure your price covers these costs.
Profit margin: What profit margin do you need to make the membership site worth your time and effort? Don’t forget to factor in your desired salary.

A good rule of thumb is to start with a price that feels a bit uncomfortable and then increase it until you hit resistance. You can always run promotions or offer payment plans to reduce friction.

Building Your WordPress Membership Site

Now that you have a solid plan in place, it’s time to build out your membership site. Here’s a step-by-step walkthrough:

Get WordPress Hosting and a Domain Name

First, you’ll need to purchase WordPress hosting and a domain name. We recommend using a reputable managed WordPress host like WP Engine, Flywheel, or Kinsta. They offer fast, secure hosting optimised for WordPress.

When choosing your domain name, aim for something short, memorable, and brandable. Ideally, it should include keywords related to your niche. Use a domain registrar like Namecheap or Google Domains to purchase your domain.

Install WordPress and Choose a Theme

Once you have hosting and a domain name, you can install WordPress. Most managed WordPress hosts have 1-click installers that make this process quick and easy.

Next, choose a WordPress theme as the foundation of your site’s design. You can use a free theme from the WordPress repository or invest in a premium theme for more features and flexibility. Some popular membership theme options include:

MemberPress Theme: Designed specifically for membership sites using the MemberPress plugin. Includes a course builder, community features, and landing page templates.
BuddyBoss Theme: Pairs with the BuddyBoss Platform plugin to power online communities with social network style features.
Astra: Multipurpose theme that integrates with many popular LMS and membership plugins. Offers starter templates to help you get up and running quickly.

When evaluating themes, consider the features you need, the design aesthetic, and ease of customisation. Install your chosen theme and configure it with your branding.

Install a WordPress Membership Plugin

To turn your standard WordPress site into a membership site, you’ll need a membership plugin. This will handle features like user registration, login, content restriction, payments, and more.

Some of the top WordPress membership plugins include:

MemberPress: All-in-one membership plugin that makes it easy to gate content, sell courses, manage subscriptions, and grow your community. Offers a robust feature set and integrates with many third-party tools.
Restrict Content Pro: Powerful yet lightweight membership solution. Handles unlimited subscription packages, discount codes, prorated upgrades/downgrades, and integrates with popular payment gateways.
Paid Memberships Pro: Free membership plugin with premium add-ons available. Supports unlimited membership levels, content dripping, recurring payments, and member management.
LearnDash: Popular LMS plugin that also includes membership functionality. Ideal if online courses will be a significant part of your membership offering.
LifterLMS: Another WordPress LMS plugin with built-in membership features. Offers a course builder, quizzes, certificates, gamification, learning paths, and more.

Choose the membership plugin that best fits your needs and budget. Install and activate it on your WordPress site.

Configure Your Membership Settings

With your membership plugin installed, it’s time to configure your settings. This will vary depending on the specific plugin you’re using, but generally you’ll need to:

Set up your membership levels and pricing.
Configure your payment gateway (e.g. Stripe, PayPal)
Customise your registration and login forms
Set up your email notifications and automations.
Create your membership pages (e.g. pricing, account, login)
Restrict access to your premium content.

Refer to your membership plugin’s documentation for detailed instructions. Take your time to thoroughly test your setup before launching.

Create Your Content and Populate Your Membership Site

Now the fun part – creating your membership content! This will likely be an ongoing process, but aim to have at least your core content ready before launching.

Organise your content in a logical manner and consider using categories, tags, or a learning path to help members navigate. Use a variety of content formats to keep things engaging.

If you’re creating online courses, use an LMS plugin like LearnDash or LifterLMS to structure your course content. Include multimedia elements, quizzes, and assignments to boost engagement and retention.

As you create your content, be sure to restrict access to the appropriate membership levels using your plugin’s content protection settings.

Set Up Your Payment Processing and Pricing Plans

To accept payments and automatically grant access to members, you’ll need to connect your membership plugin to a payment processor. The specific steps will depend on your plugin and chosen processor, but the most common options are Stripe and PayPal.

Stripe is generally the preferred choice for its ease of use and robust subscription management features. It allows you to accept credit card payments directly on your site without redirecting users to an external page.

To set up Stripe:

Create a Stripe account at stripe.com.
Obtain your API keys from your Stripe dashboard.
Enter your API keys in your membership plugin’s payment settings.
Configure your pricing plans and subscription settings.
Test your payment flow to ensure everything is working properly.

Be sure to also set up any applicable taxes and configure your invoice and receipt emails.

Integrate Your Email Marketing Platform

Email is a powerful tool for engaging your members, delivering content, and driving retention. To make the most of email marketing, you’ll want to integrate your membership site with an email marketing platform like ConvertKit or ActiveCampaign.

This will allow you to:

Automatically add new members to your email list.
Tag members based on their membership level or actions.
Trigger automated email sequences
Send targeted broadcasts to specific segments of your list.
Track key email metrics like opens, clicks, and unsubscribes.

Most popular email marketing platforms offer a WordPress plugin or direct integration with top membership plugins. Follow the instructions provided by your email platform and membership plugin to set up the integration.

Customise Your Member Onboarding and Experience

The initial onboarding experience sets the tone for your members’ long-term satisfaction and retention. Take some time to customise your welcome emails, getting started guides, and new member orientation.

Some ideas:

Send a personalised welcome video introducing yourself and orienting members to your site.
Provide a quick-start guide or checklist to help members get the most out of their membership.
Offer a special bonus or discount for new members.
Invite new members to book a welcome call or join a live orientation session.
Check in with new members after a week or two to see how they’re doing and ask for feedback.

You can automate much of this process using your email marketing platform and membership plugin.

Growing Your Membership Site

Launching your membership site is a major milestone, but the work doesn’t stop there. To build a sustainable and profitable membership business, you need to continuously attract new members and retain existing ones.

Here are some strategies to help you grow:

Optimise Your Marketing and Lead Generation

To attract new members, you need a steady stream of qualified leads. Some effective marketing channels for membership sites include:

Content marketing: Publish valuable blog posts, videos, podcasts, etc. that attract your target audience and demonstrate your expertise. Use calls-to-action (CTAs) to drive visitors to your membership landing page.
Email marketing: Build your email list by offering a lead magnet (e.g. free ebook, mini-course, checklist) related to your membership topic. Nurture your leads with valuable content and promotions for your membership.
Paid advertising: Use platforms like Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, or Google Ads to reach new audiences and drive targeted traffic to your site. Retarget visitors who don’t initially convert.
Partnerships and affiliates: Partner with complementary businesses or influencers in your niche to cross-promote to each other’s audiences. Offer an attractive affiliate commission to incentivise partners to promote your membership.
SEO: Optimise your site and content for search engines to attract organic traffic. Target relevant keywords, build high-quality backlinks, and ensure your site is fast and mobile-friendly.

Experiment with different marketing channels and tactics to see what works best for your audience and budget. Track your key metrics (e.g. traffic, conversion rate, customer acquisition cost) and double down on what’s working.

Build and Engage Your Community

One of the biggest benefits of a membership site is the sense of community and belonging it fosters. Actively work to build connections among your members and make your site a valuable networking hub.

Some ways to build community:

Member directory: Create a searchable member directory where members can view each other’s profiles and connect.
Private forum or group: Use a tool like bbPress or BuddyBoss to create a private forum or social network where members can ask questions, share wins, and support each other.
Live events: Host regular live Q&A calls, webinars, or workshops exclusively for members. Record these sessions for those who can’t attend live.
Member spotlights: Feature individual members on your blog, podcast, or newsletter. Highlight their stories, successes, and unique perspectives.
Challenges and contests: Run periodic challenges or contests to encourage members to take action and engage with your content and community.
Gamification: Use points, badges, or leaderboards to reward members for completing certain actions or milestones. This can boost engagement and retention.

Aim to be an active participant and leader in your own community. Respond to comments and questions promptly, ask for feedback, and make members feel heard and valued.

Retain Members with a Great Experience

While attracting new members is important, retaining existing members is even more critical for long-term success. It costs far more to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one.

Some key retention strategies:

Regularly update content: Consistently add new content and resources to keep your membership fresh and valuable. Survey members to find out what topics and formats they’re most interested in.
Improve your product: Invest in making your membership site faster, more user-friendly, and mobile-responsive. Fix any bugs or technical issues promptly.
Provide excellent support: Offer multiple support channels (e.g. email, live chat, knowledge base) and aim for fast response times. Hire additional support staff as your membership grows.
Offer annual plans: Annual membership plans typically have higher retention rates than monthly plans. Offer a discount for annual billing to incentivise members to commit long-term.
Reduce churn proactively: Analyse churn data to identify common reasons members are cancelling. Reach out to at-risk members proactively to address their concerns or offer an incentive to stay.
Gather feedback: Regularly survey your members to gauge their satisfaction and gather ideas for improvement. Act on this feedback to show members you value their input.

Continuously work to deliver an exceptional member experience, and you’ll build a loyal tribe of raving fans who stick around for the long haul.

Conclusion

Building a profitable membership site with WordPress takes hard work and strategic planning, but the rewards can be significant. By niching down, creating valuable content, engaging your community, and focussing on retention, you can turn your expertise into a thriving recurring revenue stream.

Remember, your membership site is a living, breathing entity that will evolve over time. Embrace a spirit of continuous improvement, and don’t be afraid to experiment and iterate as you grow.

With the right strategy and execution, your membership site can become the backbone of a fulfilling and financially successful online business. You’ve got this!

If you’re looking for expert guidance to bring your membership site vision to life, check out our WordPress development services in the UK. Our team would be happy to help you plan, build, and grow your dream membership site.

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