A membership site is a great online business that can help you generate a recurring income. However, creating high-quality membership site content can seem challenging at first.
The solution is to develop a content strategy and plan that works for your membership site. Once you have that, you can build a successful membership site with an active online community that generates recurring passive income for your business.
In this article, we’ll share our best tips for creating high-quality membership site content.
What are membership sites?
A membership site is essentially a subscription website meaning it contains content that’s gated. Users who sign up or pay to become members can access the gated content. In most cases, membership sites give members access to premium content and an online community.
The content you share on your membership site can be a mix of blog posts and articles, guides, ebooks, checklists, worksheets, videos, infographics, or downloadables. Membership sites can also have more in-depth content like online courses, podcasts, interviews, and webinars.
For more information, check out these 12 Types of Content To Include In Your Membership Site – #10 is a favorite!
Building a membership site lets you increase your revenue, build an online community, establish yourself as an authority in your niche, and enhance value. However, it’s important that you create high-quality membership site content to encourage people to sign up in the first place.
Ten tips for creating high-quality membership site content
Here, we’ll share some tips for creating high-quality membership site content to share with your members.
#1: Use the right tools
The first thing you want to ensure is that you’re using the right tools.
If the type of content you’re producing requires a lot of writing work, you might want to use a content writing tool that comes with a spelling, punctuation, and grammar checker. If you plan on writing blog posts, you can use a tool that helps generate blog ideas.
It’s also a good idea to use a headline analyzer tool to come up with unique titles that are catchy and compelling. In addition to this, you might also consider using an SEO tool to make sure your content is optimized for search engines.
#2: Do your research
Before you start developing any content for your membership site, make sure you do your research. At the minimum, this includes researching your target audience and the competition. You should also do keyword research to see which topics your target audience is most interested in.
Once that’s done, you should also figure out which types of content your target audience is most interested in. One way to tell is by seeing the different types of content they share. For example, your target audience might prefer video content over written content. You can then see which types of video content (online courses, podcasts, or video tutorials) would be most feasible for you to create.
#3: Think about your linking strategy
Now that you have some keywords to go off of, you can start putting together outlines for the different content pieces you’ll create. This is a great time to think about your linking strategy i.e. your internal and external links.
For example, if your plan is to write 20 blog posts and tutorials, you can see where you’ll include links at the outlining stage. You might be able to link to Topic C from Topic A and vice versa. This is a great way to encourage members to stay on your membership site longer. You should also link to high-quality content on external sites.
You can also check out our tutorial on How to Create a Clear and Engaging Content Outline for Your Online Course for more information.
#4: Proofread your content thoroughly
Once you’ve written your content, it’s important to proofread it thoroughly. You can do this yourself using tools like Grammarly that check for spelling mistakes, punctuation, and grammar. Best practices suggest reading over content at least three times before hitting the publish button.
If you have more people on your team, it might help to have someone else read the content before you publish it. The more rounds of editing, the better!
#5: Create a publishing checklist
You know everything you need to do before publishing content on your membership site. So, why not jot it all down in a publishing checklist to make sure you don’t accidentally miss any steps?
Here’s a sample publishing checklist for inspiration:
- Catchy headline
- Internal links
- External links
- SEO requirements are met
- Author bio
If you’re creating an online course, you’ll want to make sure the lessons are structured correctly and that you’ve set it up correctly for content dripping.
#6: Schedule content ahead of time
If you’re scrambling to create a new blog post or lesson each week, you’ll have a hard time producing high-quality content for your membership site. Instead, you should plan content a few months ahead of time.
Let’s say you want to publish blog posts, articles, and tutorials on your membership site. You should do keyword research to come up with a bunch of topic ideas your target audience would be interested in learning about and create content around them. Once you have enough content for a few months, start publishing.
The key benefit of this approach is that you give yourself plenty of time to create high-quality content, and you don’t have to worry about running out of ideas later on. In addition to this, you can ensure you release content to members on time.
#7: Repurpose and refresh older content
If you’re creating an in-depth online course around a topic, then you can repurpose some parts of it. For example, a particular lesson in the online course might do well as a blog post of its own or an infographic.
By repurposing older content, you’ll have even more content to share with your members and keep them engaged with your membership program.
Another way to generate new high-quality content is by refreshing older content to reflect recent updates. This is particularly useful if you’re teaching people how to use a tool or software. Each time the software is updated, you might have a few content pieces that need a refresh.
#8: Partner with other businesses
As a membership site owner, you might consider partnering up with other business owners in your industry. The partnerships might range from link swap opportunities to guest posts and referrals. This will depend entirely on your industry and target audience.
For example, if you have a membership site for people who are interested in learning how to organize events, you might partner up with a business that sells event management software. You can also partner up with other membership site owners and tap into each other’s audiences to boost member registrations.
It also helps to look for opportunities to get the word out about your membership site. These might include podcasts, interviews, or guest posting opportunities.
#9: Promote your membership site
As a business owner, you probably already know how important it is to have an active social media sharing strategy in place. At its simplest, it means posting about your membership site, what members can expect to learn, and when registrations open. There are plenty of social media marketing tools out there that can help you put together a great social media strategy for your membership site.
If you already have a sizable email list, you can use that to inform subscribers about your membership program and why they should sign up for it. These are people who are already interested in the content you publish, so you’ll have a pretty good chance of converting them to paying members. You can use this space to talk about recent updates to your membership program, upcoming content, and your growing online community.
Also, be sure to check out our article on Campaign Planning, Strategy, and Execution in 5 Steps for a step-by-step tutorial.
#10: Outsource content production
If producing high-quality content for your membership site feels like a daunting task, you might consider outsourcing it. For this, you’ll need to hire content writers, editors, and a content marketing team.
The key benefit of outsourcing content production is that you’ll have time to focus on core business functions. This way, you can spend your time growing your membership website and maximizing revenue while a team of professionals produces high-quality content for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the importance of creating high-quality content for a membership site?
A: Creating high-quality content is important because it will attract and engage your audience, establish your expertise, and differentiate your membership site from others. It is crucial for building trust and driving member retention.
Q: How can I create high-quality content?
A: To create high-quality content, you need to focus on providing value to your members. Research your target audience, understand their needs and interests, and then create content that addresses those needs. Use your expertise and offer unique insights to provide the best possible content.
Q: What are some content creation ideas for a membership site?
A: Some content creation ideas for a membership site include creating tutorials or guides, conducting interviews with industry experts, offering exclusive case studies, hosting webinars or live Q&A sessions, and curating valuable resources or tools for your members.
Q: How can I promote my membership site content?
A: There are several ways to promote your membership site content. You can utilize social media platforms to share your content, engage with your audience, and drive traffic to your site. You can also leverage email marketing, guest blogging, influencer partnerships, and search engine optimization techniques to reach a wider audience.
Q: What are the best practices for content creation on a membership site?
A: Some best practices for content creation on a membership site include conducting thorough research, providing original and valuable insights, using a mix of content formats (such as written articles, videos, or podcasts), maintaining consistent branding, and regularly updating your content to keep it fresh and relevant.
Q: How can a content management system help me in creating high-quality content for my membership site?
A: A content management system (CMS) can simplify the process of creating, organizing, and updating your content. It provides tools and features that enable easy content creation, editing, and publishing, making it more efficient for you to produce and manage high-quality content for your membership site.
Q: How can I ensure that my content is valuable and relevant to my members?
A: To ensure that your content is valuable and relevant, you need to continuously analyze your member’s needs and preferences. Collect feedback, conduct surveys, and engage with your members to understand their challenges and interests. Use this information to tailor your content to their specific needs.
Q: How frequently should I update my membership site content?
A: The frequency of content updates depends on your membership site’s niche, audience, and content production capabilities. However, it is generally recommended to update your content regularly to keep it fresh and provide new value to your members. Aim for a consistent publishing schedule based on the demands and expectations of your target audience.
Q: How can I use my content to attract new members to my site?
A: You can use your high-quality content to attract new members by offering a taste of the value they can expect from your membership site. Allow non-members to access selected content, create enticing lead magnets, optimize your content for search engines, and promote your content through various marketing channels to showcase the benefits of being a member.
Q: Can I create high-quality content for my membership site without prior content writing experience?
A: Yes, you can create high-quality content for your membership site even if you don’t have prior content writing experience. Start by conducting thorough research on your niche, study successful membership sites, and learn from other experts in your industry. Practice writing and seek feedback from trusted peers or professionals to improve your content creation skills over time.
Wrapping up
Creating high-quality content membership site content is a great way to get people to stick with your membership program in the long run. In addition to this, you can also use it to encourage new users to sign up for your membership site.
We shared some tips to help you create high-quality content for your membership site. Hopefully, you’re in a good position now to take the next steps.
Do you have any questions about how to create high-quality content for your membership site? Let us know in the comments section below.
