If you're involved in an online business, you've likely encountered the idea of a membership site. Whether you're an internet entrepreneur or a digital nomad, a membership site offers a powerful way to monetize your content or community, build recurring revenue, and deliver ongoing value through courses, resources, and engagement.
In LearnWorlds, membership sites are built using subscription-based Learning Programs, allowing you to offer continuous access to content through simple or tiered subscription models.
This article will explore the following areas:
- Understanding membership sites
- Benefits of utilizing a membership site
- How to create a membership site using LearnWorlds
Understanding Membership Sites
A membership site provides gated content that is accessible only to subscribed members. Instead of selling one-off courses, you allow learners, clients, or fans to maintain an active (paid) subscription in exchange for ongoing access to content, offers, and community features.
Subscription: Membership sites operate on subscriptions. In LearnWorlds, subscriptions are created through Learning Programs and support recurring payments via Stripe. You can offer subscription-only schools or combine subscriptions with other pricing models, such as one-off course purchases.
Subscriptions can be:
- Simple subscriptions, one plan with the same access for all members
- Tiered subscriptions, multiple plans with different access levels and pricing
Subscription-only schools:
If your business model is fully membership-based, LearnWorlds allows you to create a subscription-only school. When this setting is enabled:
- Learners can access content exclusively through an active subscription
- One-off course purchases are disabled
This setup is ideal for creators who want a clear, predictable recurring revenue model without mixing subscriptions and standalone course sales.
Key Features of Membership Sites
1. Different levels of access: Not all members need the same level of access. With tiered subscriptions, you can offer multiple plans under a single membership, each unlocking different content or benefits.
For example:
- Bronze tier: Access to introductory courses
- Silver tier: Access to intermediate and advanced courses
- Gold tier: Full access to all courses, premium content, or exclusive resources
Each tier can include different courses, pricing, and perks, all managed within one Learning Program.
2. Community and Networking: Another option to enhance your school's subscriptions is creating a community and giving them premium privileges. A strong community enhances the value of a membership site. With LearnWorlds, you can enable a built-in community where members can participate in discussions, form groups, share updates, and network with one another.
This allows you to turn followers into engaged subscribers while offering added value through interaction, exclusive content, and special offers.
3. Drip Content: Drip content lets you release material gradually over time, helping maintain engagement and prevent content overload. In LearnWorlds, each newly unlocked section can trigger automated email notifications, keeping members informed and engaged throughout their journey. You can learn more about setting up drip content in this article.
Benefits of Utilizing a Membership Site
Opting for a membership site offers several benefits:
- Consistent, recurring income.
- Enhanced loyalty through community building.
- Opportunities for networking and social learning among members.
- Improved engagement levels.
By embracing a membership model, businesses can create a stable revenue stream while fostering a dedicated community and encouraging active participation.
Subscription Types in LearnWorlds
When creating a membership site, you’ll need to choose your subscription type:
- Simple subscription: One subscription plan with the same access for all members.
- Tiered subscription: Multiple subscription plans with different access levels, pricing, and included content.
The subscription type is selected during creation and cannot be changed later. To switch from a subscription to another pricing model (or vice versa), you must create a new Learning Program.Create a Membership Site using LearnWorlds
Creating a membership site is quick and straightforward. You can even start selling subscriptions while still developing your content. Here are the steps to efficiently create a membership site using LearnWorlds.
- Choose Stripe as your payment gateway.
- Create a subscription-based Learning Program (Path or Collection).
- Select the subscription type (simple or tiered).
- Add courses and define access rules for your subscription or tiers
- Enable the Subscription-only school setting if you want learners to access content exclusively through subscriptions. (Optional)
- Customize the subscription related emails of your school.
- Enable and set up your school community, A built-in community where your members can chat, form groups, and create posts and polls for knowledge exchange and further interactions.