7 Types of Membership Sites You Can Start Today Explained (with Examples)

With so many types of membership programs, how do you know which is the right membership model for your online business?

Regardless if you are building a free membership or a paid membership site, understanding the types of membership and subscription sites is one of the first steps you’ll need to take when making your membership site.

7 Types of Membership Sites Model To Start

Start a membership site includes a few main steps:

• Finding the best membership site niche ideas to get started.
• Deciding the type of membership site and type of content you want to create.
• Choosing the right online membership platform or membership plugin to build your membership site.
• Coming up with the pricing strategy and pricing model that increase your conversion rate.
• Market and grow your online community into a successful membership site.

Deciding on the right type of membership site to create is one of the first few “right” decisions you’ll need to make when creating a membership site.

Here we will explore the 7 types of popular membership website to get started.

1. Content-Based Membership Sites

Content-based membership sites offer exclusive content like articles, videos, webinars, or downloadable resources to their members.

Subscribers pay a fee for access to this premium content, which includes:

• Online courses, digital libraries, and premium blogs. 

The key advantage here is the recurring income generated from a steady stream of content updates, making it an attractive choice for creators and educators.

Pros

1. Recurring Revenue: Content-based sites generate recurring income through subscription fees.
2. Valuable Content: Members access exclusive, high-quality content, such as articles and videos.
3. Monetization: Opportunities exist to monetize content further with premium courses or e-books.
4. Membership Retention: Engaging content can help retain members over time.

Cons

1. Continuous Content Creation: Consistently creating and updating content is essential to keep members engaged.
2. Quality Maintenance: Content quality and relevance must remain consistently high.

Examples of Content-Based Membership Sites

1. Netflix: Offers exclusive movies and shows for a monthly fee.
2. Medium: Provides premium access to high-quality articles.
3. MasterClass: Delivers online courses and videos on various subjects.

Insights

I personally like this kind of membership sites, as it allows you to share valuable content to your members while letting you build a decent online membership business.

2. Community-Based Membership Sites

Community-based membership sites focus on creating a sense of belonging and interaction among members. They provide platforms for like-minded individuals to connect, discuss common interests, and share knowledge.

These sites often have features such as:

• Forums for discussions, private groups for people with common interest to gather and live chat for direct community and building stronger rapport.

These features make them ideal for networking and discussions. 

Members join these sites for the community experience and valuable networking opportunities, making them particularly popular among hobbyists, professional associations, and social networking enthusiasts.

Pros

1. Community Building: These sites foster a sense of belonging and interaction among members.
2. Networking: Members benefit from networking opportunities and idea exchange.
3. Engagement: Strong potential for member retention and engagement.
4. Supportive Atmosphere: Positive atmosphere contributes to member satisfaction.

Cons

1. Moderation: Requires moderation to ensure a positive and respectful atmosphere.
2. Community Building Effort: Building an active community may take time and effort.

Examples of Community-Based Membership Sites

1. LinkedIn Premium: Offers networking and career-focused features.
2. Reddit Premium: Provides an ad-free experience and a private subreddit.
3. MyFitnessPal: Connects users pursuing fitness goals and progress sharing.

Insights

For the past 10 years I find myself joining quite a few of these membership site myself, and I think this is a great way to build your membership site if you already have a large group of followers who are highly vocal and are happy to interact with each other.

3. Resource-Based Membership Sites

Resource-based membership sites offer access to valuable resources such as templates, tools, databases, or software. These resources are typically in high demand by a specific audience, and members pay for ongoing access. 

The appeal lies in the convenience and time-saving benefits of having access to specialized resources all in one place, making it a practical choice for professionals and businesses.

Examples include design asset libraries, legal document templates, and marketing toolkits.

Pros

1. Valuable Resources: Members gain access to specialized, valuable resources.
2. Loyal Membership: Often, a loyal member base forms due to the practical value offered.
3. High Perceived Value: Resources are perceived as highly valuable, allowing for premium pricing.

Cons

1. Resource Maintenance: Maintaining and updating resources is necessary to justify ongoing subscriptions.
2. Competition: Competition can arise from free or cheaper alternatives offering similar resources.

Examples for Resource-Based Membership Sites

1. Canva Pro: Access to design templates and graphics.
2. LegalZoom: Offers legal document templates and guidance.
3. HubSpot: Provides marketing tools and templates.

Insights

I myself have subscribed to a few of these companies to use their tools for my online business. It is a balance between value and cost, as long as the company provide more value then the cost it take to subscribe for the membership, this can be a good type of membership site to build and grow

4. Online Training and Certifications Membership Sites

Online training and certifications membership sites provide structured learning programs and certification opportunities to members.

These sites often include courses, assessments, and certificates upon completion.

Members join to acquire new skills, advance their careers, or gain recognized certifications, making this type of membership site a valuable educational resource.

Pros

1. Structured Learning: Members benefit from structured learning programs and certification opportunities.
2. Skill Advancement: Ideal for acquiring new skills, advancing careers, or gaining recognized certifications.
3. Educational Resource: Valuable resource for education and skill development.

Cons

1. Content Creation: Developing and updating courses requires ongoing effort and resources.
2. Quality Assurance: Ensuring high-quality educational content is essential.

Examples on Online Training and Certifications Membership Sites

1. Coursera Plus: Access to a vast library of courses and certifications.
2. Udemy for Business: For employee development with online courses.
3. edX: Offers university-level courses and certifications.

Insights

One-fifth of all students age 18 to 39 have taken at least one online course, some of those have taken multiple online trainings. This membership type is gaining in popularity and can be a good way to start your membership site. 

5. The Drip Feed Membership Sites

Drip feed membership sites release content to members incrementally over time.

This approach keeps members engaged and subscribed for longer durations as they anticipate and receive fresh content regularly.

Drip feed sites are suitable for creators who want to provide ongoing value and maintain a stable income stream.

Pros

1. Engagement: Incremental content releases keep members engaged and subscribed for longer durations.
2. Stable Income: Provides a stable income stream as members anticipate and receive fresh content regularly.
3. Member Loyalty: Members tend to remain subscribed to access ongoing content.

Cons

1. Content Planning: Requires careful planning to release content effectively.
2. Member Expectations: Meeting member expectations for regular content updates is crucial.

Examples for Drip Feed Membership Sites

1. Audible: Monthly audiobook releases.
2. Daily Burn: Regular workout content to keep users engaged.
3. The New Yorker: Fresh articles and stories for subscribers.

Insights

Drip feed is usually combined with other types of membership site making this a hybrid. If you just started in building your membership site, this can be a good approach to get started.

6. Product Model Membership Sites

Product model membership sites offer members access to a range of products or digital goods. These can include software, plugins, e-books, or other digital products.

Members benefit from a curated selection of products, often at discounted prices or exclusive access, making it an attractive proposition for product enthusiasts and professionals.

Pros

1. Product Variety: Offers members access to a range of products or digital goods.
2. Discounted Access: Members may access products at discounted prices or enjoy exclusivity.
3. Convenient Access: Provides convenient access to a curated selection of digital products.

Cons

1. Product Curation: Requires ongoing curation of product offerings.
2. Competition: Faces competition from other platforms selling similar products.

Examples for Product Model Membership Sites

1. Amazon Prime: Includes free shipping, Prime Video, and deals.
2. Adobe Creative Cloud: Access to Adobe’s creative software.
3. Shopify Plus: Offers advanced e-commerce features and support.

Insights

How many of you reading this have subscribed to Amazon Prime, or other types of membership subscription that offers some form of exclusivity or benefits?

I guess, the answer is a lot. 

Subscription ecommerce grew 65% last year and this is after the Covid pandemic.

Convenience, good discount and exclusive access are the main driving force. As more people work from home, the price of goods increases and more people becoming wealthier this type of membership will keep growing for years to come.

7. Service Model Membership Sites

Service model membership sites grant members access to various services or consultations. These services can range from:

• Coaching sessions like life coaching, business coaching, investing coaching. 
• Professional advice like legal advisory, dietary advisory, health advisory
• Specialized services like website design, digital marketing, SEO services

Members join to access expert assistance and support, making this type of site valuable for service providers and those seeking professional guidance.

Pros

1. Access to Expertise: Members gain access to various services or consultations.
2. Professional Support: Offers professional advice or specialized services.
3. Guidance: Valuable for those seeking expert assistance and support.

Cons

1. Service Delivery: Ensuring high-quality service delivery is crucial.
2. Competition: Faces competition from other service providers offering similar services.

Examples for Service Model Membership Sites

1. Upwork Pro: Premium features and support for freelancers.
2. LinkedIn Premium Career: Career-related services like interview preparation.
3. Grammarly Business: Advanced grammar checking for professionals.

Insights

Sites like what you are reading right now can offer service model membership where we can provide specialized coaching and advice that help guide clients towards their goal.

Just a word of warning, this will take a lot of time and energy to build and maintain.

Basically, these form of membership site is quite common in the online landscape, the key is to build authority in the industry, and trust with each of the members.

Regardless of which service you are providing, always aims to provide value and a desire to help your members.

Membership Site Types Compared

I know choosing the right type of membership site to build can be tough, thus I’ve curated the all the 7 types of membership sites and compared them in a nice looking table so you can make the best decision for your online membership business.

Business Opportunity Compared

Going through the different companies listed on the stock exchange as well as the online business database, I’ve analyze each of the types of membership site and look at read life examples to see what are the different types of business opportunity you can get from creating a certain type of membership site.

Member Engagement and Appeal Compared

Different membership site requires a different level of engagement with each of the members, looking through hundreds of membership sites on the internet (Yes, I spend lots of time on research, so you have to to do so, and yup you can thank me later.), here are the engagement requirement for the each types of membership sites.

Effort Required to Build and Maintain a Successful Membership Site Compared

As the membership site owner, you will probably want to know how much effort you need to put into your membership site business to build a membership site and keep it running. Here is a simple chart which you can take for reference before you choosing the right type of membership site to launch.

7 Different Types of Membership Site Business Compared

Want more info on each types of membership types?

Here is a complete table where we compare each aspect of the 7 types of membership, helping you to gain a further understanding on the different aspect that is expected for each types of membership:

• Business aspect
• Member appeal aspect
• Effort to build and maintain your membership site

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Antony C.

Founder & Financial Writer at Income Buddies | Website | Posts by Author

Antony C. is a dividend investor with over 15+ years of investing experience. He’s also the book author of “Start Small, Dream Big“, certified PMP® holder and founder of IncomeBuddies.com (IB). At IB, he share his personal journey and expertise on growing passive income through dividend investing and building online business. Antony has been featured in global news outlet including Yahoo Finance, Nasdaq and Non Fiction Author Association (NFAA).

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