This week I want to focus on membership sites.
You keep hearing the same thing about them:
“They don’t work anymore.”
And I can see why people think that.
Because a lot of them don’t.
But it’s not the model that’s broken.
It’s how they’re being run.
A few years ago, you could put together a membership like this:
A few recordings….A monthly call. Maybe a Facebook group nobody really used.
Charge $27 a month and people would just… stay.
That’s the bit that’s changed.
Now people join something and within days they’re asking themselves:
Is this actually going to do anything for me?
If the answer isn’t obvious, they leave.
What I’m seeing now is that the memberships that are working don’t feel like memberships at all.
The first big change – build around a result, not a topic.
Instead of:
“Join my email marketing membership”
It becomes:
“Get your first 100 subscribers”
There’s the same underlying content but a completely different pull.
The second change is speed.
People don’t want something open-ended anymore.
They want to feel they’re getting somewhere quickly – not in theory, but in practice.
That’s why a lot of what’s working now looks more like short sprints, tight challenges and small, focused groups.
You join, you do something and you get a result.
Then you decide whether to stay.
The third change is the one most people miss.
It’s not about the content but about who’s leading it.
People aren’t paying for information anymore. There’s too much of it around.
They’re paying for how you see things. What you would do and what you’d ignore.
That’s why some memberships feel flat and others feel like you’re there with someone who knows what they’re doing.
There’s a useful TED talk from behavioural economist Dan Ariely on this:
His research shows that people aren’t primarily motivated by money – they’re driven by progress, meaning and being seen to make a difference. Worth 20 minutes of your time if you’re thinking about member retention.
Where people get this wrong is very predictable.
They create everything first.
Weeks of content, modules, bonuses…you name it.
Then they try to sell it.
That’s backwards.
If no one wants the result, the content doesn’t matter.
If you were going to set one up now, I’d keep it very simple.
Pick one outcome – something someone would genuinely pay to get faster.
Then ask: What would I have them do in the first 48 hours?
Not watch. Do.
That’s what will get them buying and, more importantly, staying in your membership.
If you want to look at platforms, these are the ones most people are using right now:
Kajabi – everything in one place (site, email, payments)
Circle – stronger if you want interaction, not just content
Mighty Networks – built around engagement and events
https://www.mightynetworks.com
Skool – very simple, very focused on activity
Podia – clean, straightforward, easy to use
Teachable – still widely used for structured content
Thinkific – flexible if you want more control
Kartra – heavier, but strong on funnels
MemberPress – if you want it on your own WordPress site
Uscreen – if everything revolves around video
If you want to go deeper into how people are structuring memberships now, these are useful:
- Mighty Networks: Top E-Learning Platforms of 2026
- 7 Best Community Platforms in 2026 (LinoDash)
- 25+ Best Online Course Platforms (SchoolMaker)
- 12 Best Membership Site Platforms – Creator’s Guide (Spotlightr)
- Best Community Platforms for Coaches 2026 (CommuniPass)
- 11 Best Circle Alternatives (Fourthwall)
- Best Online Course Platforms to Sell Courses 2026 (Rosie Parsons)
- 14+ Top Membership Site Platforms 2026 (BloggingX)
If I was starting again with this now, I wouldn’t build a membership as such – I’d build something small that gets a result quickly.
Then let people stay because they want to progress to the next level and so on.
The question to ask yourself before you even start is this:
What would someone pay you monthly to actually get done – not just learn?
That’s where this either works… or doesn’t.
