How to Start a Membership Site That Makes Recurring Income (Step-by-Step)
When I launched my first membership site, I didn’t fully understand how powerful recurring income could be. Unlike one-off sales, a membership site allows you to build predictable, stable revenue that grows over time.
In this post, I’ll walk you through exactly how to start a membership site that makes recurring income—even if you’re starting from scratch.
Table of Contents
Step 1: Choose a Profitable Niche
Your membership site needs to solve a problem people are willing to pay for. Think about your skills and expertise. What transformation can you help people achieve?
This could be business coaching, fitness training, personal development, or even a hobby like photography. The key is to focus on a niche where there’s ongoing demand.
Step 2: Decide What to Include
The most successful membership sites balance community and content. You might offer:
- Access to a private community
- Monthly trainings or workshops
- Templates, checklists, or exclusive resources
- Group coaching or Q&A sessions
The value should be clear and consistent each month.
Step 3: Pick the Right Platform
I use Skool because it makes building a membership site simple. It combines courses, community, and payments in one platform.
This means you don’t need to juggle multiple tools or worry about complex tech setups. Members also love Skool’s clean design, which makes it easy for them to engage.
Step 4: Set Your Pricing
Your pricing depends on the value you’re offering. Many membership sites start at $50–$100/month. The goal is to price it high enough to generate meaningful revenue but low enough to be accessible to your target audience.
If you charge $50/month and enroll 100 members, you’re already making $5,000/month in recurring income.
Step 5: Launch to Your Existing Audience
You don’t need a huge audience to start. Reach out to your current followers, clients, or personal network and invite them to become “founding members” at a special price.
These first members will help you refine your offer and provide testimonials for future marketing.
Step 6: Focus on Retention
The power of a membership site comes from members staying month after month. Focus on building relationships, delivering consistent value, and creating an engaging community.
When members feel supported and see results, they’ll stay longer—and your recurring income will grow.
Step 7: Scale With Organic Marketing
Once your membership is running smoothly, start creating content to attract new members. Blog posts, YouTube videos, podcasts, and social media posts can help you grow your audience organically.
Always showcase the transformation your membership offers. Success stories and testimonials are especially powerful.
Ready to Build Recurring Income?
You don’t need complicated funnels or a massive audience. Start small, focus on delivering results, and your membership site will grow month after month.
Click here to create your Skool account and launch your membership site the easy way.
One of the most important parts of starting a membership site is understanding your audience. Take time to research their biggest pain points and goals. The more you know about what they need, the easier it will be to create a membership they love.
Your membership doesn’t have to be complicated in the beginning. Many successful memberships start with just a private community and one piece of content each month. You can always add more resources and perks as you grow.
Another thing to consider is the onboarding process. When members first join, you want them to feel welcomed and know exactly what to do next. A simple welcome video or “Start Here” guide can make a huge difference in retention.
Engagement is key to keeping members long-term. Encourage members to introduce themselves, participate in discussions, and share their wins. When people feel like part of a community, they’re far more likely to stay subscribed.
I also discovered how powerful it is to create quick wins for your members. Give them an easy action step they can complete right away. When members see immediate results, they’ll feel confident in your program and want to stick around.
Choosing the right platform matters, and that’s why I recommend Skool. It makes it easy to deliver content, manage payments, and build community in one place. Plus, its gamification features keep members engaged without extra effort on your part.
When it comes to pricing, test different tiers. Offering multiple levels of membership can help you serve more people. For example, you might have a basic community-only tier and a premium tier that includes coaching or exclusive resources.
Don’t forget to collect testimonials and success stories from your members. These not only boost your credibility but also make it easier to market your membership to new people.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is waiting too long to launch. You don’t need everything perfect. Launch with a minimal version of your membership, get feedback from your first members, and improve as you go.
Once you have a handful of happy members, start creating organic marketing content. Share helpful tips on social media, create blog posts, or start a podcast. Always invite people to join your membership at the end of your content.
Another way to grow your membership is through collaborations. Partner with other creators or businesses that serve a similar audience. You can host joint workshops or share each other’s offers to reach new members.
Finally, remember that the real power of a membership site is the recurring income it creates. Even a small membership can turn into a steady source of revenue if you focus on retention and consistently add value.
One way to grow faster is to implement a referral program. When your current members are rewarded for bringing in new members, your community can scale organically without expensive marketing.
You can also create urgency by offering limited-time bonuses for people who join during your launch period. These could be extra coaching calls, exclusive templates, or discounted pricing that won’t be available later.
Lastly, focus on building a strong culture inside your membership. When members feel like they’re part of a positive and supportive community, they’ll stay for the long term. A thriving culture is what transforms a simple membership site into a movement.