9 Types of Membership Sites You Can Create Today

4 minute read

A membership is like an online club, where its members get to access exclusive content in exchange for a monthly or annual fee.

Inside a membership, there can be many different types of content, products or services: what you can include in your own membership really depends on what you do.

There could be classes, online courses, workshops, downloadable products, live shows, community spaces, and more.

Membership sites are a great way for entrepreneurs and creators to earn money from their knowledge, create a steady income, and build an engaged online community.

If you're an expert, you can use a membership website to share and make money from what you know.

Different Types of Membership Sites

Let's look at various types of membership sites you can create.

Remember, membership sites are highly flexible, so you can mix and match these models to suit your needs.

Looking for examples of membership sites you can create? Check out this article from our blog: 28 Membership Site Ideas To Start in 2023

Online Course Membership Site

This is a popular model for online learning. Students pay regularly to access educational content structured like an online course.

Unlike regular online courses with a one-time payment, here, members pay a subscription.

The content style might be different, too.

Online courses guide students from point A to B quickly, while membership sites offer ongoing access, so the content is unique.

This model is great for topics needing continuous learning, like fitness, cooking, or languages.

Private Community Membership Sites

This membership type offers access to a private community.

Members pay to be part of an online group that shares common interests.

Inside an online community, like-minded people can discuss the topic they are learning about, share ideas, and create new connections.

Many creators like to offer a community alongside online courses.

If this is something you are interested in, you need a membership and community platform. Heights Platform makes selling community access easy, and gives you all the flexibility to structure your program the way you see fit.

Learn all about the benefits of online communities: Why You Should Build an Online Community of Engaged Customers and How to Do it

Collection of Products Membership Sites

In this membership site type, you offer a collection of digital products to your members.

These products can be digital downloads, online courses, challenges, live events and so on.

Using Heights Platform, you can structure content and offer various products.

This membership site type is also used for physical products, like monthly subscription boxes.

Drip Feed Content

Another common membership site model is the drip-feed one, where members pay for monthly access to new content that gets released gradually.

Content is delivered over time to keep engagement high, and make sure that members get a steady amount of content as opposed to having to navigate a huge amount at once.

Members in this kind of membership site tend to progress together, accessing the same content at the same pace.

As the creator, you can choose to schedule multiple launches for your membership site enrollment over different times, to ensure that new batch of members access the content at the same time. This is one of the features available for creators using Heights Platform.

All-in-one Membership Site

Unlike drip feed, this type gives immediate access to everything upon signing up.

In this membership site model, new members gain access to all of your content together as soon as they enroll in the site.

Depending on the type of content you are delivering, you can choose whether the drip-feed or the all-in-one model works better for you.

Coaching Membership Site

Coaches often use the membership model to sell a package of coaching programs or sessions to their clients.

With this model, members pay a monthly or annual fee to access a certain number of coaching calls you can customize.

As the creator, you can mix and match your offerings as well and potentially deliver a hybrid of coaching sessions, online courses and digital products all inside your membership site.

Fixed Term Membership Site

This model refers to memberships that have fixed end dates or frame times.

For example, you could decide that members who sign up can have access for up to 12 months.

After the period ends, the membership access and perks also end. This model can work well for topics that have a clear goal and deadline associated with it.

Service-Based Membership Site

In a service-based membership site, members pay a monthly fee not to access digital products but to receive a service of some kind.

Examples of service memberships can be a freelance service type, where clients pay a monthly fee to receive a certain amount of work; design sites are another example of this model, where you pay a fee to get a certain amount of designs per month, and so on...

Many times selling a service alone doesn't require a membership site. However, you might want to also offer other perks alongside your services, such as worksheets, a private community or learning resources. This is when it makes sense for creators to set up a membership area for their clients.

Hybrid Membership Site

Thanks to the flexible nature of memberships, you can mix and match the product offerings you provide.

The hybrid membership model is a mix of different membership types, set up in a way that suits you and your business.

For example, a membership site that combines online courses with a community plus live events and digital downloads.

Conclusion

Membership sites offer a flexible way for creators and entrepreneurs to share their expertise, engage with their audiences, and generate a consistent income stream that grows over time.

The types of membership sites described here cater to various needs, whether it's delivering online courses, building communities, offering product collections, or providing coaching services.

By choosing the right membership type or even combining different models, creators can create a unique online platform that fosters learning, interaction, and value for both them and their members.

If you are looking for a membership site and community platform, Heights Platform has all the features you need to build a thriving online knowledge business.

If you need more inspiration on how to create your membership site, check out these other articles:

Create Your Online Course Today

Post Topics: Build and Promote Your Course