The Art of Designing a Monthly Membership Model (Step-by-Step)

Focus on strategic growth instead of constantly chasing the next client. 

Clients who invest in a recurring membership aren't just customers. They're committed partners in their own success. For you, it means higher retention and lifetime customer value.

With a membership model, you can offer exclusive content, personalized support, and a thriving community of people who are supportive of one another. You're not just delivering a service, you're creating an ecosystem where your clients feel deeply connected and engaged. It's the ultimate leverage, turning your expertise into a powerhouse of recurring revenue and lasting impact.

Building this new model requires shifting from a transactional approach into building a scalable, loyal enterprise. 

But, how do you go about designing a membership? Read on...

Step 1: Define Your Audience

Start by identifying the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your ideal members. Consider age, gender, occupation, interests, and pain points. Their behaviors, preferences, and motivations will drive decision-making. 

WHO will be invited to be a part of your membership...

#1 Hobbyists

Your audience has the common interest of a shared hobby. This type of community will have people coming and going, often due to their own time constraints and interest in the subject matter.

#2 Business Owners

An audience of business owners, on the other hand, have a drive to make more money as their side business or main business. As long as they are implementing your strategies and their business is growing, they will likely maintain in your membership.

If you're currently offering a hobbyist community, could you also help those hobbyists become business owners in this niche?

Step 2: Clarify Your Membership’s Purpose and Focus

Identify the core objectives of your membership. What problems are you solving? This involves understanding the unique needs and aspirations of your target audience and aligning your membership benefits to fit them. 

Clarifying the mission and goals of your membership helps ensure that your membership offerings are aligned. 

Which of the following fits your membership...

a. Entertainment

b. Community

c. Mastering a Skill

Step 3: Determine Your Role and Responsibilities

As a leader, your primary responsibility is to set the vision and direction for the membership. 

Your role involves strategic planning, content creation, and engagement with the community as well as delivering value through exclusive content, resources, and events. Additionally, you'll have administrative tasks such as managing subscriptions, tracking metrics, and analyzing feedback for improvement.

Which of the following describes your role in the membership...

a. Subject authority or teacher

b. Facilitator of bringing in guest authorities

c. Community leader over group discussions

d. Coach or therapist

Step 4: Choose Your Membership Style

Each membership style offers unique benefits and caters to different audience needs. 

For instance, a tiered membership can provide various levels of access and benefits. An all-inclusive membership might attract those looking for all encompassing value. A content-specific model could cater to niche interests or specialized expertise. 

Consider what aligns best with your business goals and the preferences of your target audience. Think about the type of content and resources you can consistently provide to maintain engagement. 

a. Regular Content Publications: This would be similar to a monthly magazine subscription, but instead could take the form of a monthly paid podcast, video, blog or PDF packed within current information.

b. Mailed Box: Each month, a package arrives full of tangible products, all with a central theme.

c. Group Coaching: Once monthly or bimonthly group coaching is over Zoom during which you either present new information or coach individuals in a hot seat format.

d. Community: Connect like-minded people into one group for discussion, either as an ongoing chat model or weekly/monthly meetup, creating a bonded gathering.

e. Drip Content: Evergreen content works well if dripped one stage at a time, from beginner content to more advanced as the member grows into what they need to move along in their journey.

Step 5: Inclusive or Exclusive?

Despite today's movement of inclusivity, a private membership is exclusive by definition.

You've designed your membership for a particular audience with a similar interest, problem to solve, or demographic. Those not fitting the membership requirements are not invited to join.

That said, it helps your member retention if you're able to specifically define the purpose of the community. How will they become different (or undergo a mini transformation) from the moment the join? What will they be left feeling that was not the case prior to joining?

Give your community a name that defines the group. 

Give it a single rule that defines the group.

Is there a NEED for this type of group?

Is there a DESIRE for this type of group?

You're creating a space for others to connect inside a private community. Their transformation begins once they feel they've found "their people" because you've defined the purpose of the group.

Step 6: How Much Info to Provide, choose 👇

Striking the right balance between quantity and quality is key. 

Too much information can overwhelm members, making it difficult for them to find and digest valuable content. On the other hand, too little information can leave them feeling short changed and questioning the value of their membership. 

Focusing on delivering high-quality, relevant, actionable content that directly addresses the needs and interests of your members is the answer.

Consider organizing the information into manageable segments, such as weekly or monthly updates to prevent overload. Use member feedback to gauge the effectiveness of content delivery and make adjustments as needed.

a. Weekly Lesson: Deliver one lesson a week that doesn’t exceed 60 minutes; do not overwhelm

b. Weekly Template or Project of the Month: deliver one template a week that includes a tutorial; could also be "project of the month"

c. Weekly or Bimonthly Coaching: a course shows what to do and how to do it; coaching membership is about support and/or implementation with coaching calls or live Q&As

d. One-Time Creation for Drip: content is laid out for months, then dripped out so information is received a little at a time to avoid overwhelm

e. Community Membership: groups with common experience come together for support, though there’s often some teaching in this type of membership

The #1 Reason Why People Leave a Membership is Overwhelm. The only way you're going to know if the members are feeling overwhelm is to ASK. Design regular surveys requesting feedback.

Step 7: Consider the Membership Structure

Will your membership be open for members to join at anytime? Or will it be only open once or twice a year to new members?

Will the members be in one cohort together or will there be a different group each season?

Will they have access to the membership as long as they maintain their subscription? Or will they only have access for a limited time period?

Step 8: Choose the Perfect Membership Pricing Model

Various models, such as tiered pricing, flat-rate subscriptions, and pay-per-use, each offer unique advantages and cater to different customer needs. 

Tiered pricing allows you to offer multiple levels of access and benefits, appealing to a broader range of members with diverse budgets. 

Flat-rate subscriptions provide simplicity and predictability, making it easy for members to understand the value they receive. 

Pay-per-use models, on the other hand, can attract members who prefer flexibility and only want to pay for what they use. 

How will your membership be priced?

a. Annual membership or Monthly membership (or both)

b. 7-day free trial or 30-day free trial (or no trial)

c. Initial set-up fee, then monthly membership fee (or no setup fee)

d. Ongoing free membership with limited content or a paid membership with more extensive content and interaction (or two memberships - free and paid levels)

Step-by-Step of a Membership Launch

Setting up a membership program can be a transformative move for your business, providing a steady stream of recurring revenue and a loyal community of engaged customers. 

However, the process requires careful planning and strategic execution to ensure success. 

By following this step-by-step guide, you'll be well-equipped to create a membership program that not only attracts members but also delivers lasting value and builds long-term loyalty.

#1 Design your membership model - pricing, content release timing, open all the time or only once a year, define your target market

#2 Write down point A, where you audience is now, and point B, where they want to be. Next, outline all the micro-steps in between. This is where you will pull all your content ideas.

#3 Schedule your content planning and content creation days.

#4 Determine how you will market the membership.

#5 On an LMS platform (such as Kajabi), design a password-protected area for content to include sections for onboarding, foundational information, and regular monthly or weekly content posting.

#6 Set up community to include onboarding, regular challenges, meetups, and resources.

#7 Schedule launch date of cart open for founding members and set up the offer, welcome email, and thank you page.

#8 The membership is now available for purchase.

#9 Design regular surveys and polls to assess the membership model and content delivery.

#10 Continue to refine based on feedback.

Do you need help setting up your community?

Here's what's included in the new "Build Your Community" Offer...

• Branded Kajabi Community product
• Branded welcome page with onboarding instructions, community monthly schedule, FAQ, contact form, instructions on how customers can self-update billing, and more
• Any accompanying course or membership resource area will be branded
• Community and course linked together
• Recorded video tutorial on how to use the features of your community
• Two branded checkout pages designed (one each for monthly and annual subscriptions)
• Thank you for your purchase page and thank you email will be automated
• 40-page eBook on membership engagement, marketing, and retention strategies
• Learn More >>

👉👉👉Was this helpful? Did it spark new inspiration and excitement about designing your own Membership Model?

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Disclaimer: I am not an employee or representative of Kajabi, LLC. I am an independent Kajabi Partner and I receive referral payments from Kajabi in this role. All opinions expressed herein are my own and are not official statements of Kajabi or any party affiliated with Kajabi.

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