Build A Profitable Membership Program
Membership Mastery CEO Ryan Carruthers discusses how to use your podcast to build a profitable membership program. Listen to hear about the different types of membership programs you can launch, the benefits of having a podcast as a membership site owner, and how to leverage your show to get new members.
What a Membership Program Enables You to Do
There are several things that running a membership program can enable you to do.
By having a membership site, you get to teach a subject you love and earn the money you deserve to earn for the skills you have spent years mastering.
Additionally, it gives you freedom. Like in Ryan’s case. Because of his membership program, he was able to take 6 weeks off for the birth of his daughter.
It Isn’t a 24/7, 365 Days a Year Thing
As Ryan shared, there are preconceptions when it comes to being a membership site owner. One of the most recurring ones is the idea of having members getting in touch with you 24 hours a day.
But that isn’t necessarily the case. In fact, you can schedule the publishing of your content, posts and messages, and you can set your availability so that members know that you’ll be available in the community only between specific hours.
Three Types of Membership Programs
When it comes to membership sites, there are plenty of types but they all sort of fall into a few categories.
The first one is a Netflix-type membership platform, where members pay for content or pay someone to get access to them and to be part of a community. Typically, this type of membership sites go more in the direction of coaching-style information and educational content.
Then, there are the box-type membership sites. Here, subscribers receive a box each month – that can contain a different book, a type of tea, or any other product the subscription box revolves around.
The third category are gyms, where users pay to get access to a building.
How Paying Members Have Heard About Ryan
Ryan manages a couple of different membership programs and communities. When it comes to one of them, which has 600 members and has been going for 11 years, every single person has been clear when it comes to how they heard about Ryan’s community. It’s either been through his podcast or YouTube channel.
Why Have a Podcast as a Membership Program Owner
For Ryan, having a podcast is a unique way to establish a real connection with your listeners. They get to see your personality, hear your quirks and the way you talk.
But it’s also a sort of “try before you buy” for your audience. When you’re building a membership, one of the things you’re trying to do is to develop the so-called Know, Like, and Trust factor with your audience – and a podcast lets you do that. It lets you consistently showcase what you do and are good at.
How Ryan Gets New Membership Site Members Through His Podcast
Ryan doesn’t always mention his membership program on the podcast, he focuses on its members instead. He mentions their names and some of the wins they have had.
In fact, some of Ryan’s most successful podcast episodes have been the ones where he has invited members of his membership program on the show.
One of the reasons why this strategy works is because these guests share their success stories, discuss why listeners should work with you and invite them to join your membership program.
Listeners get invited by current members of your community who talk about what they have been able to achieve by working with you.
In addition to that, Ryan uses email marketing too. He directs podcast listeners toward a landing page where they can download something of value. After that, they go through an email sequence that invites them to the membership platform.
Keeping Things Simple
This strategy can also be used whenever you are a podcast guest, without the need of over-complicating things. You have been a guest and have provided value, listeners got some takeaways. Now, you can direct them toward your email, then you can make the offer to convert them into members of your membership site.
After that, it’s just rinse and repeat.
Another excellent way to attract new members is to give them access to a free training like an email challenge.
The Best Performing Email Email
Ryan believes in keeping things simple, and what he describes as his best performing email is a good example of that. The subject line simply says You + Me = Dynamic Duo and it’s the first email subscribers get and that delivers a lead magnet.
‘Don’t immediately go for the sale’, says Ryan. Focus on getting to know your subscribers and the biggest challenge they’re facing. Knowing that will provide you with ideas for your podcast, email list, and membership program.
How to Write Emails That Get Read
If you’d like for your emails to come across as personal, then write them the way you text a friend.
You can use apps like Hemingway and Grammarly to check your style and proofread everything. And remember, if you use Hemingway, that nothing with a readability score greater than 5 will work.
Finding Ideas for Your Podcast, Email, and Membership Program
Asking your email subscribers for the biggest challenge they’re facing is one very good way to come up with ideas for your podcast, email, and membership program.
But it isn’t the only way you can do that.
Another thing you can do is to find your competitors, sign up for their email list and look at what they cover. Or join their Facebook group – you can ask and answer questions to demonstrate your authority straight away. And you can even create a podcast episode on specific questions as well.
You could consider adding more info about your podcast to your Facebook profile because, you know…people are snoopy! Some of those whose answers you’ve answered will be curious about who you are and what you do. They will look at your profile and check your podcast out.
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