Starting a membership site can feel a bit like stepping into a maze. The internet is buzzing with all sorts of passive income this and six-figure that. Even when you push down the noise, there may still be doubts about whether you can run a membership site.
“Do I have enough content?” “Is the market too crowded?” “Will it suck up the rest of my precious time?” These are all common concerns and myths that we’re busting TODAY in this blog post.
Myth 1: “I Don’t Have Enough Content to Put in a Membership”
Reality Check: I bet you do! You don’t need a ton of content in your membership as long as it’s valuable to your members. Information overload is real. People want something that will help them solve a problem they’re having. You’re not taking them on a world tour, you’re taking them on a little road trip.
What You Really Need to Know: You already know enough and you probably have content tucked away in your Google Drive that’s never been brought to life. Or maybe you started mapping out a membership and you abandoned the idea. I know, I get it. Happens to me all the time with blog posts, offer ideas, and the like. Open up that Drive and see what’s in there. How can you put it together in a way that follows a path?
Myth 2: “The Membership Market is Saturated”
Reality Check: There is ALWAYS room for memberships. People love having access to various resources and they get that with a membership for a simple monthly fee. For a lot of people, it sure beats having to invest hundreds (or thousands) into courses where they don’t get as much (if any) support.
What You Really Need to Know: You’ve already figured out how to differentiate yourself from competitors so you’ll just take that energy into your membership. What is the end goal of your membership? Are you teaching them something very specific that will give them a new skill? Or are you offering them access to a premium resource library? A monthly subscription to templates? Knowing your end goal will help you figure out how to make your membership stand out.
Myth 3: “A Membership Takes a lot of Time to Run”
Reality Check: With planning, systems, and automations in place, you can run your membership without running yourself ragged. There are a lot of ways to implement systems and automations into your membership. Some platforms have built-in automations and Zapier is always an option to help streamline your processes.
What You Really Need to Know: You will be more hands-on than you typically are with a course but running a membership is supposed to be fun. Think about the big picture. Are you in a season where you can give more of your time and energy to serving your membership?
Myth 4: “This’ll Be Easy Passive Income”
Reality Check: Membership sites can be a tough cookie to scale and are anything but passive. Sure you might be able to continuously enroll if your membership is always open but you still have work to do. There’s a whole lotta work that goes into planning, developing, and running the thing. Because people are investing on a monthly basis, you have to work extra hard for them by keeping content updated, engaging frequently, and planning events that encourage community-building.
What You Really Need to Know: Think of it like a garden. You’ve gotta plant the seeds, water them, and maybe even say nice things to them. It’s the consistent tending that makes it thrive, not just planting and ghosting. You’ll put some systems into place to nurture your membership garden.
Myth 5: “I Need to Be a Techie, Right?”
Reality Check: Not at all. Sure, it can be helpful to have some tech know-how but there are a lot of different membership platforms out there and I can almost guarantee there’s one out there that’s right for you.
What You Really Need to Know: There are tons of resources to make this journey muuuch smoother. Test out some platforms to see which one you feel most comfortable with. Lean into the support center, watch YouTube tutorials, and even hire tech help.
Let’s Set You Up for Membership Success
We’ve busted some myths and maybe you’re feeling it now. Ready to start this membership party. Having a membership site is an exciting time and can be SO rewarding. It’s also quite an adventure that takes thought, care, and continuous effort.
Before you jump in full force, take some time to sit down and map out how you want your membership to look (use my FREE Membership Prep Workbook for space). Start with the end goal in mind and see what you come up with. Once you’ve done that, decide which platform is right for you.
