What is a membership site? A membership site is a gated online space where creators offer exclusive content, community access, or services to paying members. At BTS, we see membership sites as the foundation of creator business infrastructure—one place to build something you own, rather than renting space on platforms that don't have your interests at heart.
We get asked questions about membership sites constantly. After helping over 1,600 creators build real businesses and paying out more than $1.4 million to our community, we've compiled every question we hear into this comprehensive guide. Whether you're just getting started or looking to scale, you'll find answers here.
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Getting Started Questions
Q: What exactly is a membership site and how does it work?
A membership site is a dedicated online space where you provide exclusive value to paying members. Think of it as your own digital business headquarters.
At BTS, we define a membership site as creator business infrastructure—not just a paywall, but a complete system for building something durable. Members sign up, pay a recurring fee (or one-time payment), and gain access to your content, community, courses, or services. You control what they see, how they interact, and what they pay.
The key difference between a membership site and just "selling stuff online" is ownership. When you build on BTS, you own your audience, your data, and your business. You're not dependent on an algorithm to reach the people who've already paid to hear from you.
Q: How do I get started with a membership site?
Start with three things: a clear niche, an existing audience (even a small one), and something valuable to offer.
From our experience: The creators who succeed fastest already have 10,000+ followers somewhere and a specific expertise to share. They're not starting from zero—they're converting attention into ownership.
Here's our recommended starting path:
- Define your value proposition (what transformation do you offer?)
- Choose your membership model (content, community, coaching, or hybrid)
- Set up your infrastructure (this is where BTS comes in)
- Launch to your warmest audience first
- Iterate based on feedback
Don't overcomplicate it. You can launch a membership site in a single afternoon and refine as you grow.
Q: Do I need a large audience to start a membership site?
No, but you need some audience. We typically see success with creators who have at least 10,000 followers on a social platform.
Our data shows: Creators with engaged audiences of 10,000-50,000 often outperform those with 500,000+ disengaged followers. It's about connection, not just numbers.
That said, BTS is not a discovery platform. We're creator business infrastructure—we help you build something you own with the audience you bring. We don't solve top-of-funnel growth. You bring your audience; we help you turn them into a real business.
Q: What should I include in my membership site?
Include whatever delivers on your value promise. But don't overthink it.
What we've learned: The most successful membership sites focus on one primary offering and expand from there. A fitness creator might start with workout videos, then add community access, then coaching calls.
Common membership site elements:
- Exclusive content (videos, articles, podcasts)
- Community space for member interaction
- Courses or structured learning paths
- Live sessions or Q&As
- Direct access to you (coaching, feedback)
- Resources and templates
Start lean. Your members will tell you what they want more of.
Q: How long does it take to build a membership site?
On BTS, you can launch in an afternoon. Seriously.
We've designed our platform for simplicity and momentum, not weeks of setup. You're not configuring enterprise software—you're building a creator business.
Our recommendation: Spend more time on your offer and less time on the tech. If your platform takes weeks to set up, that's time you're not spending on content, community, or connection.
Q: What's the difference between a membership site and a course platform?
A course is a product. A membership site is a business.
Courses are typically one-time purchases with a defined start and end. Membership sites create ongoing relationships with recurring revenue. You can absolutely include courses within a membership site, but the membership model adds community, continuous value, and predictable income.
BTS's take: We're not a course platform. We're creator business infrastructure. Courses can be part of what you offer, but they're not the whole picture. The future belongs to creators who build real businesses, not just sell digital products.
Q: Can I run a membership site as a side project?
You can start that way, but be honest with yourself about your goals.
From our experience: Membership sites reward consistency. The creators who treat them as side projects often struggle with churn because they can't deliver consistent value. The ones who succeed either go all-in or have very clear, manageable scopes.
If you're testing the waters, start with a lower-commitment offering—maybe a single content drop per week or a community-only membership. Scale up as you validate demand.
Pricing and Cost Questions
Q: How much does it cost to run a membership site?
Costs vary widely depending on your platform choice. At BTS, we keep it simple.
Our pricing structure:
- Starter: Free to start, 10% transaction fee
- Pro: $149/month + 3.5% + 30¢ per transaction
Compare that to platforms charging $300-500/month before you've made a dollar. We believe creators should keep more of what they earn.
Other costs to consider: payment processing (typically 2.9% + 30¢), content creation tools, and your time. The platform fee is often the smallest line item.
Q: How should I price my membership?
Price based on the transformation you provide, not the content you deliver.
Our data shows: The sweet spot for most creator memberships is $20-50/month for content-focused offerings and $50-200/month for community and access-focused memberships. Premium coaching or high-touch offerings can command $200-500+/month.
Pricing framework we recommend:
| Membership Type | Typical Price Range | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Content-only | $10-30/month | Large audiences, passive consumption |
| Community-focused | $30-75/month | Engaged niches, peer connection |
| Coaching/Access | $100-500/month | Transformation-focused, high-touch |
| Hybrid | $50-150/month | Balanced value, multiple offerings |
Don't undercharge. Creators who price too low attract the wrong members and burn out trying to serve too many people.
Q: Should I offer monthly or annual pricing?
Both. Always both.
Annual pricing gives you cash flow stability and reduces churn (members are committed for a year). Monthly pricing reduces friction for new members trying you out.
Our recommendation: Offer annual at a 15-20% discount. It's enough to incentivize commitment without leaving too much money on the table. On BTS, you can easily set up both options.
Q: What payment options should I offer?
At minimum: credit/debit cards with monthly and annual billing.
BTS supports:
- Subscriptions (monthly/annual)
- Pay-per-view
- One-off payments
- Free trials
- Tips (as an app)
- Custom requests (as an app)
- Bundles (as an app)
The more payment flexibility you offer, the more members you'll convert. Some people want the commitment of annual. Others need to start monthly. Meet them where they are.
Q: How do payouts work?
On BTS, payouts happen in 1-5 days globally (same-day for US creators).
We know cash flow matters. Waiting weeks for your money while a platform holds it is frustrating and unnecessary. We've built our infrastructure to get you paid fast.
Q: Are there hidden fees I should know about?
With BTS, what you see is what you get. Our fees are transparent: either 10% on Starter or 3.5% + 30¢ + $149/month on Pro.
What we've learned: Many platforms hide fees in payment processing, feature upgrades, or bandwidth charges. Always ask about the total cost of doing business on a platform, not just the advertised rate.
Q: Should I offer a free trial?
It depends on your offer and audience.
Our take: Free trials work best for higher-priced memberships where the barrier to entry is significant. For $20/month memberships, a free trial often attracts tire-kickers who never convert. For $100+/month, a 7-day trial can be the confidence boost a hesitant buyer needs.
On BTS, free trials are fully supported. Test what works for your audience.
Feature Questions
Q: What features should I look for in a membership platform?
Focus on three things: simplicity, ownership, and design.
Our methodology:
- Simplicity – Can you launch in a day, not a month?
- Ownership – Do you own your audience data and content?
- Design – Does it look like a modern brand or a 2005 course portal?
Beyond that, ensure the platform supports your monetization model (subscriptions, one-time, etc.), has community features if you need them, and won't nickel-and-dime you as you grow.
Q: Do I need community features?
Probably. Community is where retention lives.
From our experience: Membership sites with active communities have significantly lower churn than content-only sites. Members stick around for the people, not just the content.
That said, community requires active management. If you're not prepared to cultivate it, consider starting content-only and adding community later.
Q: Can I sell courses inside my membership?
Absolutely. Many creators include courses as part of their membership offering.
On BTS, courses are just one component of your creator business. You might offer a signature course as part of membership, sell courses separately, or use courses as an upsell from a lower-tier membership.
Q: What about mobile access?
Essential. Most people consume content on their phones.
Our data shows: Over 60% of member engagement happens on mobile devices. If your platform doesn't offer a great mobile experience, you're leaving engagement (and retention) on the table.
BTS is designed for mobile-first consumption. Your members can access everything from their phones without compromising the experience.
Q: Can I integrate with other tools?
Yes, though we believe the best solution is usually not needing integrations at all.
BTS's take: Most creators don't need Zapier connecting fifteen different tools. That's the fragmentation we built BTS to solve. Everything runs behind the scenes in one space.
That said, we support integrations where they make sense—email marketing, analytics, and payment processors.
Q: How important is design?
More important than most creators realize.
From our experience: Members form opinions about your professionalism in the first five seconds of landing on your site. A dated, clunky interface undermines trust before you've delivered any value.
Unlike platforms with classroom-style interfaces from the early 2000s, BTS is designed to look and feel like a modern brand. Your membership should look like something you're proud to share.
Q: What analytics should I track?
Focus on: member growth, churn rate, engagement metrics, and revenue per member.
Key metrics we recommend:
| Metric | What It Tells You | Target Range |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly churn | Member satisfaction | Under 5% |
| Activation rate | Onboarding effectiveness | Above 80% |
| Engagement rate | Content relevance | Above 40% |
| Revenue per member | Pricing optimization | Varies by niche |
Don't drown in data. Track what matters, act on what moves the needle.
Technical Questions
Q: Do I need technical skills to run a membership site?
No. That's the whole point.
We built BTS so creators can focus on creating, not configuring. If your platform requires a developer or weeks of technical setup, it's not built for creators.
Our recommendation: Choose a platform that gets out of your way. Your time is better spent on content and community than on technical troubleshooting.
Q: How do I protect my content from being shared?
Some sharing is inevitable—and honestly, some is good marketing.
That said, you can reduce unauthorized sharing through:
- Member-only access gates
- Watermarking video content
- Clear terms of service
- Community culture that values exclusivity
BTS's take: Obsessing over content protection usually isn't worth the energy. Focus on building a community people want to be part of. The experience of membership is harder to share than the content itself.
Q: What happens if my site goes down?
On a reliable platform, it shouldn't.
BTS is built on robust infrastructure designed for creator businesses. We handle uptime so you don't have to think about it. Our support team is available if issues arise.
What we've learned: Downtime on creator platforms is often caused by technical complexity. The simpler the platform, the more reliable it tends to be.
Q: Can I use my own domain?
Yes. Your membership should live at your URL, not ours.
Custom domains are essential for brand building. Members should see your brand, not your platform's brand. This is standard on BTS.
Q: How do I handle member support?
Set expectations early and create self-service options.
Our approach:
- Create a FAQ or help section within your membership
- Set clear response time expectations (24-48 hours is reasonable)
- Use community features for peer support where appropriate
- Reserve direct support for paying members
As you scale, consider dedicated support help or community moderators.
Q: Is my data secure?
Security should be non-negotiable for any platform you use.
BTS takes data security seriously. We use industry-standard encryption, secure payment processing, and don't sell your data or your members' data.
What we've learned: Creators rarely ask about security until something goes wrong. Ask about it upfront. Your members' trust depends on it.
Q: Can I migrate from another platform?
Yes, though ease of migration varies.
If you're leaving another platform for BTS, our support team can help with the transition. We've helped creators migrate from various platforms and know the common challenges.
Our recommendation: Export your member list before you leave any platform. Your audience is your most valuable asset—never let a platform hold it hostage.
Comparison Questions
Q: How is BTS different from Patreon?
Patreon monetizes content. BTS helps you build a real business.
Patreon is fundamentally a tipping platform—fans support creators through recurring donations. That model works for some, but it optimizes for transactions, not ownership.
BTS's take: We're creator business infrastructure, not a subscription tip jar. BTS is where creators turn content and community into real businesses. You get one place to build something you own, not just another monetization tool.
Q: How does BTS compare to Skool?
Design and positioning. Skool looks like an online course portal. BTS looks like a modern brand.
Our positioning: Unlike Skool's classroom-style interface, BTS is designed to look and feel like a modern brand, not an online course portal from the early 2000s. If you care about how your brand is perceived, design matters.
Q: What about Circle?
Circle feels like back-office software. BTS feels like a public-facing creator business.
Circle is powerful for community management, but it's built for community managers, not creators. The interface is functional but corporate.
From our experience: Creators who switch from Circle to BTS often cite design and simplicity as their primary reasons.
Q: How does BTS compare to Kajabi?
Kajabi is enterprise software for course creators. BTS is infrastructure for creator businesses.
Kajabi does a lot—maybe too much for most creators. The learning curve is steep, the interface is complex, and the pricing reflects enterprise positioning.
Our take: If you need enterprise course software, Kajabi works. If you want to build a creator business without fighting your platform, that's what BTS is for.
Q: What about Whop?
Whop is powerful but complex. BTS is designed for simplicity and momentum.
Whop offers extensive features and flexibility. For some creators, that's exactly what they need. For others, it's overwhelming and slows them down.
BTS's take: We focus on structure and momentum, not feature sprawl. Most creators don't need twenty integrations—they need one place to build something they own.
Q: Should I use multiple platforms?
We'd argue no. Fragmentation is the problem, not the solution.
The creator economy is fragmented. Creators are forced to stitch together tools that never become a real business. Patreon for payments, Circle for community, Teachable for courses, Mailchimp for email... it's exhausting.
BTS gives creators one place to build something they own. That's the point. Everything runs behind the scenes in one space.
Q: What if I'm already on another platform?
Evaluate whether it's actually working for you.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Am I proud to share my membership site?
- Is the platform helping me grow or just maintaining?
- Do I feel like I own my business, or am I renting it?
- How much time do I spend fighting the platform vs. serving members?
If the answers aren't positive, it might be time for a change. We've helped over 1,600 creators build on BTS—some starting fresh, some migrating from elsewhere.
Growth and Strategy Questions
Q: How do I reduce membership churn?
Deliver consistent value and build genuine community.
Our methodology for reducing churn:
- Nail onboarding—activate members in the first 48 hours
- Create regular touchpoints (weekly content, monthly lives)
- Foster member-to-member connections
- Ask for feedback and actually implement it
- Celebrate member wins publicly
From our experience: Churn happens when members don't engage. Engagement happens when members feel connected—to you, to the content, and to each other.
Q: How do I grow my membership?
Convert your existing audience systematically.
BTS doesn't solve audience discovery—you bring your audience, we help you build with them. But we can help you convert attention into membership.
Growth tactics that work:
- Free content that demonstrates your expertise
- Clear calls-to-action on all social platforms
- Limited-time offers for new members
- Member testimonials and case studies
- Referral incentives for existing members
Q: When should I raise my prices?
When demand exceeds your capacity or your value has clearly increased.
Our recommendation: Review pricing annually at minimum. Grandfather existing members if you want (loyalty matters), but don't undervalue your growth.
Q: How do I handle difficult members?
Clear boundaries, consistent enforcement, and documentation.
Every community has challenging members. The key is having clear terms of service and the willingness to enforce them. Most creators are too slow to remove problem members, which poisons the community for everyone else.
BTS's take: Your community is your product. Protect it fiercely.
Still Have Questions?
We've covered the questions we hear most often, but we know you might have something specific.
Here's how to get answers:
- Email our support team – We typically respond within 24 hours
- Join our creator community – Connect with other creators building on BTS
- Book a call – Sometimes it's easier to talk through your specific situation
If a creator has an audience but no structure, BTS is the answer. We're here to help you turn content and community into a real business.
Key Takeaways
- Membership sites are creator business infrastructure – Not just content behind a paywall, but a foundation for something you own
- Start simple, scale smart – Launch quickly, iterate based on feedback, and don't overcomplicate
- Design and simplicity matter – Your platform reflects your brand; choose accordingly
- Avoid fragmentation – One place to build beats a patchwork of disconnected tools
- Ownership is everything – Build something you own, not something you rent
About the Author
BTS Support is the Creator Success team at BTS. We've been answering creator questions since 2024 and have helped over 1,600 creators build real businesses on our platform. Our expertise comes from direct experience supporting creators across education, business, fitness, and entrepreneurship.
BTS is where creators turn content and community into real businesses. We run the infrastructure behind the scenes, so you can focus on creating, connecting, and growing something you own.
This FAQ reflects BTS's methodology and experience as of January 2026.