Membership Perks: Low Effort, High Value
One of the hardest things I've ever done physically was run a half marathon. I did a couple of them between 2015 and 2018. And the thing about training for a half marathon or a marathon is that you don't start with the full distance. If you don't run regularly, you can't run 13 miles the first time you try it. You start with a mile, then you work up to 3, then 5, then 8, and, eventually, you get to 13.
Having a membership is the same way. When you create a membership, you don't want to start out the gate by offering everything under the sun. And that's what I want to talk to you about today.
Welcome to Podcast Workflows, where you get daily tips to improve your process, grow your show, and maybe even make some money. Each week, I also do a daily dive into the process of the world's most successful podcasters and reveal their tools, processes, and systems to help you simplify the production of your own show and reclaim hours in your day. You can improve your own podcast production process by seeing how the pros do it.
I'm your host, Joe Casaubona. And today, I wanna talk about what to think about when you're offering memberships. Membership, that is charging a listener monthly for bonus content, is a great way to make money with your podcast. But you need to be cautious. It's tempting to offer a ton of bonuses to make the membership seem more valuable over deliver as they say. But what if no one, or even worse, one person signs up? If one person signs up, you're on the hook for all of those extras for what is likely not a lot of money. Instead, take this approach.
First, test the waters. Ask your mailing list or listeners what they want to see more of. Don't ask them if they would pay. Most people would say yes to theoretical spending. Just ask what they want to see more of. Then gauge a response. If no one responds, focus on building your audience first. But if a good number of people respond, it's time to start thinking about your perks. Start with low-hanging fruit. I like to call those things low effort, high reward.
In my membership, The Podcast Foundry, for the podcast bonus, it's an extra 10-minute conversation with my guest that's only for members. It's also removing ads. It could also be an extra video or episode. These are raw but they are behind-the-scenes looks that only my members get. Come up with 2 to 3 of these perks that won't take a ton of your time then email the people who responded with a special price. If you wanna price it at $6 a month, offer it to them for 4 or $5 a month for a limited time. Tell them you'll even extend it to friends and coworkers. and then see how many of those people buy in.
After that, announce it to the world, to your mailing list, on your podcast, and on social media. And most importantly, make sure you deliver because you want your members to tell other people that they need to become a member.
Remember, low effort and high reward perks make it easier for you to deliver a great experience for your members. And who knows, as the membership grows, maybe you can add more perks in the future. But you definitely wanna make sure it's worth your time.
If you like this episode and want more content, like it as well as bonus episodes, newsletter, my automation database, and monthly workshops. You can become a member of the Podcast Foundry over at [podcastworkflows.com/join]. Or you can connect with me on just about any social network, X, Threads, Instagram, LinkedIn, or even TikTok. I am @jcasabona on all of those networks.
Thanks so much for listening. And until next time. I can't wait to see what you make.
Hey. Before you go, I want to tell you about a free resource I have called My Podcast Process Templates. They are a set of Notion documents that give you a full podcast planner, a show planner, and even some AI prompts to help you get the creative juices flowing. You obviously want to improve your podcast workflows and save time, and these templates will give you a basis for all of your other processes. Through my Notion and Airtable templates, I am able to automate a number of things as well as stay organized so that I am using my podcasting time more efficiently.
If you wanna get your hands on these templates completely for free, you can head over to [podcastworkflows.com/templates]. That's [podcastworkflows.com/templates] to get your free podcast process templates, today.
