YouTube Channel Membership vs. Membership Sites: Which is Right for you?

The World Of Video Business: What could a Membership offer?

A “membership site” is the best way to form an online business. And if you’re wondering how to run a successful online business, then this is for you.

A membership site is a website that offers users access to protected content as they sign up. Protected content on a membership site is made available for free or for a fee. It can also include the whole site or just a few “gated” parts that members can log in and access.

YouTube Membership – Explained

YouTube channel memberships vs Membership sites is a vast topic that can uncover the striking differences between both worlds.

YouTube Channel Membership was launched to allow creators to offer exclusive benefits to their loyal fans. Members can get access to behind-the-scenes footage, Q&As, and merchandise discounts for a monthly fee.

Members can also support their favorite creators by contributing to their success on YouTube.

Channel Membership Perks in YouTube

The main selling point of YouTube Channel Memberships is the fact that die-hard fans can access additional content that is not accessible to non-paying members. The various perks of a YouTube Channel Membership include
Custom emojis, badges, members-only community posts, members-only live streams, members-only live chat, and access to exclusive content.

How to qualify for YT channel membership

You have to be an adult and a part of the YouTube Partner Program. You must have over 1,000 subscribers and zero policy strikes due to copyright infringement, inappropriate content, or bullying.

Pros of YT Channel Membership

The main selling point of YouTube Channel Memberships is the fact that die-hard fans can access additional content that is not accessible to non-paying members. The various perks of a YouTube Channel Membership includes
Custom emojis, badges, members-only community posts, members-only live streams, members-only live chat, and access to exclusive content.

Custom emojis

Channel members can access customized emojis created by their favorite YouTuber.

Badges

There are six badges that can be given to new members up to those who have been a member for two years.

Members-only community posts

A Channel Membership allows creators to post updates that only members can see, creating a niche community.

Members-only live streams

A channel membership enables influencers to make live streams that can only be watched by paying members.

Members-only live chat

In this option, anyone can view a creator’s live stream, but only members will be able to post chat messages.

Access to exclusive content

Creators can post videos just for their most devoted subscribers, offering a more personalized experience.

Cons of YT Channel Membership

Channel memberships are free to use but the catch is: YouTube takes 30% of your profits.
If your membership tiers cost $4.99. For 100 members that will be around $500 in revenue. So you get $350 and
YouTube gets $150.

And once you hit 1000 subscribers, you’ll be giving YouTube $1500 a month.

What is a Membership site:

Membership sites are those that offer access to different types of content according to the user’s subscription, such as free, paid, and/or tiered subscriptions or as one-time, annual, or lifetime access.

Benefits of Membership sites

The top six benefits of the membership model for a membership website owner are:

A Reliable Stream of Income

Your members will pay a fee, monthly or annually for your exclusive content. This is a great revenue strategy as many sign-ups.

Promotes a Strong Community

A well-run membership site builds a strong community of members who communicate on different levels, in forums or direct member messaging. This increases your opportunity to vet other content ideas, test out new content, get feedback, and more.

An Audience for Marketing and Upselling

Here are some ways to upsell other offerings to your channel members:

⦁ Offer one-on-one coaching or mentoring.
⦁ Host exclusive webinars.
⦁ Provide access to downloadable products for continued education.
⦁ Extend access to premium versions of products.

An Opportunity to Refine Your Content

A membership site makes your paying audience push you towards growth and gives you new ideas as a content creator. Utilize this to refine your content and improve the way you conduct business.

How to create a Membership site

Here are a few amazing tips to choose the right membership:

Step 1: Plan out Your Membership Model

A membership model denotes how much people pay to join your membership, and it reveals how often they pay, and what benefits they get in return.

1. Determine your value. Analyze what you can offer your members and how you can serve them in a way that aligns with your mission, vision, and goals.
2. Get clear on your offerings. Brainstorm your ideas and note the specifics about what content you can offer to your members.
3. Create a membership structure. Typically, membership models have at least two tiers. And you can divide yours by the number of benefits, payment schedule, or type of member.
4. Finalize your benefits. Decide on the level of access and the benefits that go with it.
5. Set your prices. Estimate the spending that you will have to do to get new members and maintain your programs.

Step 2: Create a Website Task Force

Simplify the process by creating a detailed plan and sticking to it.

1. Choose the people in charge. If you need help, form a team of staff members or volunteers. Identify their areas of expertise and leverage their strengths when assigning roles.
2. Decide on a budget. Calculate all of your anticipated expenses such as membership site builder, hosting fees if any, marketing tools, operating costs, etc.
3. Create a timeline. Choose a date for your membership site to go live and create a task list while assigning the deadline for tasks.
4. Define your board’s involvement. If you’re an NGO, get board approval for software purchases.

Step 3: Clean Up Your Database

A membership site connects with your contact database to automate payments, registrations, and much more.

Cleaning your database rewards you later. Organizations failing to do so end up spending hours removing duplicate entries, and double-checking dates and payments.
Step 4: Choose Your Membership Site Builder

There are many ways to build a site – building it from scratch, hiring a freelancer, or using plugins for WordPress. But our recommendation is to use a good membership management software (MMS) like GUDSHO.

Choose the right MMS for your organization by following the steps:

1. Create a shortlist and review. List your top 3 options and conduct in-depth reviews. Utilize demos and free trials to know more.
2. Make a decision. Choose your top pick and leave the rest to your leadership and/or board of directors to get approval.

What are some popular Membership sites for Monetization

Fortunately, YouTube channel membership is not the only option and there are several Premium YouTube alternatives.

GUDSHO

Gudsho gives you the opportunity to shine as a creator by building a good rapport among a close community while keeping you engaged with fans & monetizing your content among premium audiences.

With GUDSHO you can:

⦁ Get branded Video Channel
⦁ Select your own monetization plan
⦁ Get the right revenue model
⦁ Fix a competitive pricing
⦁ Broadcast content across the world

Memberful

It is a top membership software for independent creators. And built for creators & members of all kinds, Memberful has all you need to run your membership program.

Podia

Podia helps you to launch your content and grow your reputation
Podia memberships offer a wholesome website builder, with marketing tools, and secure hosting and payment processing.

Teachable

Teachable equips you by leveraging your course bundle to sell subscriptions. It helps you:

⦁ Get your membership site content in order
⦁ Sell content on subscription
⦁ Secures access to paid content
⦁ Manage content round-the-clock

Patreon

Patreon is free for beginners and only a small percentage of earnings goes on Patreon along with an industry-standard rate to process payments, which covers the cost of all the things done behind the scenes to collect payments from your patrons securely.

Key Takeaways

A membership site is both a powerful business model with great earning potential and also an opportunity to grow, adapt and refine your business.

To start your WordPress membership site, download and install GUDSHO. It gives you the freedom to build a professional, fully-functioning membership site that has the potential to take over.