The appeal of a membership site is that it offers content that’s not available anywhere else. People join membership sites to access material that benefits them in some way.
The type of content you offer creates exclusivity and entices users to join your site. Creating exclusive content needs to form the crux of membership site-building efforts. Your gated content needs to be more in-depth, attractive, and comprehensive than open content on your website.
So, how do you ensure that your site’s fundamental value proposition – content – draws people in to subscribe and stay subscribed?
You do that by creating exclusive and special types of content for your audience. Let’s check the different types of exclusive content that can support your membership site.
1. Checklists
Checklists are valuable because they offer your members a concise list of helpful points. They can use it a quick way to refer to your material.
Some examples are a checklist for WordPress SEO, a list of habit-building tactics, a travel checklist and more.
Authors and online teachers often provide checklists as exclusive content for readers or site members. This can be a checklist of things learned in a book or a course. Checklists are a great type of unique content that can increase membership rates.
2. Summaries
Summaries of books and courses save users time and effort. Writers and online instructors can get readers to join their membership sites by offering summaries. Once they have a membership base they can create repeat purchases.
Summaries help people refresh their knowledge of a book or a course. It saves them time and keeps them in touch with the information they’ve already paid for. This is extremely useful exclusive content that will drive up membership rates.
3. Reports and Statistics
Many people are looking for facts and figures that can support their business or studies. Reports, case studies, and statistics are exclusive types of content that you can use to get more B2B members.
Reports and news on technology and different markets are very valuable. This type of content supports your members’ own business activities. They are also useful for researchers and other academic professionals.
4. Bonus Content
Giving people ‘bonus content’ makes people feel as if they are being rewarded with something free and valuable. It’s a type of exclusive content that acts as a follow up to content that users have already consumed.
Authors, businesses, online teachers, and others can offer bonus content. This can be in the form of an extra chapter, case studies, resources, checklists, and discounts. Health sites can offer recipes and cooking tips as an addon to their core information.
Framing your content as bonus material creates excitement and builds a positive impression of your business. People are more willing to sign up to your site for such exclusive material.
5. Sneak Peeks
Offering sneak peeks of upcoming videos, podcasts, online courses, and books drive excitement. A sneak peek of unreleased content will make people feel like they’re getting material ahead of others.
You can offer sneak peeks of content like:
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Chapters of a new book
Exclusive song tracks
Limited podcasts
Early access to online courses
Limited list of jobs
Access to new products in advance
6. Networking and Industry-Based Content
Membership site platforms are great for sharing information about specialized content. They can revolve around hobbies, professions, technologies, and other domains.
You can offer exclusive content that’s valuable because it’s for a specific niche. Here are some ideas:
A professional directory: A directory of people that belong to a specific profession is a hard-to-find resource. You can do this for specialist hobbies too.
Networking opportunities: Create a space where clients, businesspersons, hobbyists, and others can find each other for partnerships, jobs, and more.
Niche jobs and gigs: Build exclusive content such as a list of job openings in a specific niche. Many people look for jobs that help them travel or let them work from home. These are some examples of exclusive job content.
Events: You can create a database of events related to a hobby or an industry.
Business associations: You can bring together businesses in a specific field so they can share news and technology updates in their area.
The type of content mentioned here is difficult to find online. B2B companies, professionals, and hobbyists will be more than happy to become members to access such content.
7. Professional Level Content
If you teach skills to your members you can create a type of exclusive content that is at a professional level. If you have a hobby site for baking or teach coding, you can offer exclusive content at a ‘professional’ level. This is where your users can launch their independent careers in your field.
Such exclusive content is compelling and rewarding. It creates newer opportunities for you and builds your online brand.
8. Multimedia Formats
You can leverage your current content to rework it into other forms. Users who have access to your written material will value videos and infographics. Offering transcripts of podcast content is useful for people who like to read.
Vary your content so that you can offer videos, webinars, presentations, ebooks, and videos.
9. Offers and Discounts
Offering a discount, a trial version, or some other benefit, creates a real opportunity for your customers. They will be willing to join up with your site to take advantage of these discounts to save money.
Such offers are one of the most potent types of exclusive content you can make. Drive-up the scarcity by making them available for a limited time to take advantage of it.
10. Online Communities
Being part of an online community creates a sense of belonging and shared identity. You can offer access to exclusive communities on your website. You can also allow people to be a part of your Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, and others. Here, people will answer each other’s questions and discuss relevant topics.
It creates support and informative user-generated content. This drive membership sign-ups as people often have specific queries that need input from their peers.
For example, members interested in fitness can benefit from the stories and advice of their fellow-members. You can create an online community by using a plugin like MemberPress for WordPress sites.
Drive Conversions With Exclusive Content
Content is at the heart of any website’s success today. For membership sites, providing their users with exclusive content fuels their growth.
You can support people’s goals and help them get the benefits they seek by providing them with rich exclusive content. This keeps your website thriving and creates strong brand loyalty.
Syed Balkhi is an award-winning entrepreneur and online marketing expert. He is the co-founder of OptinMonster, WPBeginner, MonsterInsights, and WPForms.
