Membership Geeks Podcast with Mike Morrison

Membership Geeks
  • 4.9 (152)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Weekly

Join Mike Morrison - founder of the Membership Geeks - for advice, tips and insight on planning, running and growing a successful membership website plus interviews with existing membership owners and industry experts.

  1. 4d ago

    Here's How to Make Your Member Experience Truly Memorable

    In this week's episode, I break down member experience, the single biggest factor in long-term retention, and why a forgettable, unengaging membership is the fastest way to lose members who never got the result they joined for. I'm walking you through 7 specific ways to make every part of that experience work harder for your members and for your retention. None of them involves piling on more content, and we'll also cover the 5 types of overwhelm that quietly kill memberships from the inside. In this episode:How to apply the AAA framework, Affirm, Acclimate, Advance, to build a 90-day onboarding strategy instead of a one-off welcome sequenceWhy personalizing and segmenting the member experience drives a measurable jump in engagementHow to use gamification without accidentally rewarding busywork instead of real progressPractical ways to deliver value off-platform, from member-only podcasts to newsletters that are the value, not just a summary of itHow to set up automated engagement triggers using the 3 signals that actually predict a member drifting Grab the free Engagement Trigger Cheatsheet to help you take action on this episode, or if you want our dedicated support, head over to Membership Academy. Key Quotes & Takeaways:"Member experience is the single biggest factor in long-term retention." "Members don't need instruction, they need inspiration." "Subscriptions rebill passively, so the fact someone continues paying doesn't instantly mean that they're engaged." "Churn is a lagging indicator. It is the result of problems that set in 3 months ago, 6 months ago, 12 months ago." You might also find useful:Why You Need a Solid Member Onboarding ProcessWhy Membership Owners NEED to Embrace Off-Platform EngagementUse Feedback Loops To Drive Our Membership GrowthHow To Reduce Overwhelm In Your Membership Thank You For ListeningWe really appreciate you choosing to listen to us and for supporting the podcast. We would be eternally grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience and we read each and every one personally! Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast to make sure that you never miss an episode.

    Here's How to Make Your Member Experience Truly Memorable

  2. Aug 25

    Ethically Using Urgency and Scarcity to Market Your Membership

    Fake countdown timers, staged waitlists, closed doors that mysteriously reopen the moment someone hesitates. These tactics work in the short term, and they quietly wreck your retention in the long term. In this episode, I dive into a bit of a hot-button topic for me: how to use urgency and scarcity in your membership marketing without crossing into these manipulative tactics that give this whole area a bad name. I break down why the closed-door model gives you the worst of both worlds, what real, ethical urgency actually looks like, and a simple test you can run on any deadline before you publish it. If you've ever wondered whether the "urgency" in your marketing is doing more harm than good, I'm here for you. In this episode:Why the closed-door model gives membership owners the worst of both worldsHow fake scarcity and staged waitlists quietly destroy member trustWhy positioning your membership as a painkiller, not a vitamin, is the real source of urgencyWhich legitimate urgency levers (launches, price increases, live events, capped bonuses) you're probably not using yetThe simple "day-after test" for checking whether any deadline you're using is actually real Want a tool that tells you exactly which of those legitimate levers fits your situation right now? Grab the free Urgency Lever Decision Tree. And if you'd like a wider view of where the gaps in your growth and retention strategy are, our free Membership Healthcheck is built for exactly that. Key Quotes & Takeaways:"Someone has a raging headache, they don't need a countdown timer to convince them to buy a painkiller." "The right kind of members, the members who are prone to sticking around long term, they don't need countdown timers and fake scarcity to panic them into joining." "If you have a deadline that actually exists, if the offer genuinely ends and goes away, if the bonus is genuinely limited, then there's nothing manipulative about leaning into it." "People who respond to pressure are more likely to crack under it once they actually get in there." You might also find useful:Using Urgency to Promote an Evergreen Membership SiteEverything You Know About Scarcity Marketing is WrongAvoid the Lie of Scarcity Marketing for Memberships Thank You For ListeningWe really appreciate you choosing to listen to us and for supporting the podcast. We would be eternally grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience and we read each and every one personally! Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast to make sure that you never miss an episode.

    Ethically Using Urgency and Scarcity to Market Your Membership

  3. Aug 18

    My Proven Strategies for Consistent Audience Growth

    If your membership signups have slowed down, your first instinct is probably to look at your sales page, your emails, or your pricing. Nine times out of ten, that's not where the problem actually lies. In this episode, I break down why stalled signups are almost always an audience growth problem in disguise, and I share seven proven strategies for keeping new people flowing into your world even after your membership is up and running. In this episode:Why stalled membership sales are almost always an audience growth problem, not a sales problemThe three core levers for growing your audience, and why they work best combinedHow to build a brand and content strategy that reaches people at every stage of the buyer journey, not just oneHow to repurpose your content so more of your audience actually sees itA repeatable framework for landing guest spots, collaborations, and other borrowed-audience opportunities Want the CLEAR framework as a ready-to-use template? Grab the free Collaboration Outreach Swipes, which includes the fill-in-the-blank pitch email, a leverage currency worksheet, and a pre-outreach checklist. And if you want a wider view of where the gaps in your membership business actually are, our free Membership Healthcheck is built for exactly that. Key Quotes & Takeaways:"It is almost always the audience growth that is the main culprit." "Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room." "Paid ads should amplify and accelerate what's already working organically. It's not a fix for a broken system." "Go in there and be a valuable member. Share useful tips, generously answer questions, contribute to discussions." You might also find useful:The 3 Pillars of Exponential Membership GrowthGrowing Your Membership with Joint Venture PromotionsUnderstanding the Customer Journey with Kenda Macdonald4 Tactics for Accelerating the Growth of Your Membership Audience Thank You For ListeningWe really appreciate you choosing to listen to us and for supporting the podcast. We would be eternally grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience and we read each and every one personally! Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast to make sure that you never miss an episode.

    My Proven Strategies for Consistent Audience Growth

  4. Aug 11

    Ask Mike: Should I Drip Content to Improve Retention?

    This episode kicks off a new regular feature on the show: Ask Mike, where I pull real questions straight from our monthly member Q&A archive inside Membership Academy and share the answers with you. First up is a question about drip feeding content. A membership owner running a diet and lifestyle site wanted to know if releasing their courses gradually, rather than giving members full access, would help improve retention. My answer might surprise you, because drip feeding as a retention tactic isn't actually the fix most people think it is. The real issue is almost always something else entirely. If you've ever wondered whether locking up your content on a schedule would keep people around longer, this episode is for you. In this episode:Why drip feeding content to force people to stay is the wrong way to think about retentionWhat to check first before you even consider a drip feed strategy (onboarding and offboarding)How to build a step-by-step content pathway that gives members a reason to stick aroundWhy too many live calls can actually make members feel like they're failingHow milestones, rituals, and habits keep people engaged without artificial gates If you want a wider view of where the gaps in your membership strategy actually are, our free Membership Healthcheck will help you find them fast. And if you're looking to get your questions answered by me in our next Membership Academy Q&A, you can join Membership Academy here to be part of the conversation. Key Quotes & Takeaways:"I'm not a big fan of just arbitrarily drip feeding content as a means of prolonging someone's membership." "Nine times out of 10, people drop off because they never really get started the right way." "If you give them that path, you don't need to drip feed because you're telling them exactly what to do and when you are laying out the journey for them." "I think members should stay members and stay subscribed because they're getting something from it." You might also find useful:Is Your Member Onboarding Missing These 3 Vital Things?21 Quick Tips For Improving Member RetentionHow to Identify Your Membership Drop-Off PointsThe 5 Key Stages of the Member Lifecycle Thank You For ListeningWe really appreciate you choosing to listen to us and for supporting the podcast. We would be eternally grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience and we read each and every one personally! Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast to make sure that you never miss an episode.

    Ask Mike: Should I Drip Content to Improve Retention?

  5. Aug 4

    Marketing to People Who Don't Realise They Need You

    In this episode, I break down the buyer awareness journey, a five-stage framework from Eugene Schwartz's Breakthrough Advertising that maps how someone moves from having no idea they have a problem to being ready to buy. I focus on the very first stage, problem unaware, because it's the biggest, cheapest, and least competitive audience available to you right now (and it's also the one most membership owners have no idea how to market to!). We cover what symptom-first marketing actually sounds like, why diagnostic content and case studies build trust faster than any sales page, and the mistakes that will lose this audience the second you make them. If you're tired of marketing that only seems to work on people who were already going to buy, this episode is for you. In this episode:What the buyer awareness journey is and why every stage needs a different kind of marketingWhy the problem unaware audience is the biggest and least competitive one you're not talking toHow to reframe your messaging from problem aware to symptom aware, in your audience's own wordsWhy diagnostic content, quizzes, and case studies build trust faster than sales copyThe mistakes that make problem unaware people tune you out immediately Want the exact questions to help your audience name their own problem? Grab the free Symptom Discovery Question Bank, full of ready-to-use prompts for your email list, quizzes, and social posts. And if you'd like a wider view of where the gaps in your membership business actually are, our free Membership Healthcheck is built for exactly that. Key Quotes & Takeaways:"Your job at this stage isn't to sell the solution, it's to give a name to the problem." "When you accurately diagnose and correctly name a problem that someone didn't even realize they had, you instantly become a trusted authority in their eyes." "This is someone who understands me better than I understand myself." "That market is saturated, it's expensive to acquire from, it's full of price-centered comparison shoppers." You might also find useful:Understanding the Customer Journey with Kenda MacdonaldBusting The Most Common Membership Marketing Myths9 Membership Marketing Tactics That'll Get You More Members Thank You For ListeningWe really appreciate you choosing to listen to us and for supporting the podcast. We would be eternally grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience and we read each and every one personally! Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast to make sure that you never miss an episode.

    Marketing to People Who Don't Realise They Need You

  6. Jul 28

    Push vs Pull Marketing: Which Works Best For Memberships?

    Every piece of marketing you write is making a choice, whether you realize it or not. You're either talking about the pain your members are running from, or the future they're running towards. Most membership owners never actually decide which one they're doing. They just default to whatever feels natural and end up leaning hard on one side without realizing it. In this episode I break down push positioning and pull positioning: what each one does, why push converts faster but pull retains better, and why the type of member you attract, and what they'll pay, depends on which one dominates your marketing. This isn't about picking a side. It's about using both deliberately, in the right order, so your marketing gets attention without filling your membership with the wrong kind of members. If you've never actually audited whether your sales page, your emails, and your social content are leaning push or pull, this episode is for you. In this episode:What's the difference between push positioning and pull positioning, and why does most marketing lean on one without meaning to?Why does push positioning convert faster, and why does it also carry a higher risk of refunds and churn?What makes pull positioning better for retention and community health, even though it's harder to write?How should you combine both, and in what order, to get attention without attracting the wrong members?Why does the type of positioning you use affect who joins and how much they're willing to pay? Want to work through your own push and pull positioning? Grab the free Membership Messaging Workbook at membershipgeeks.com/484. It walks you through mapping the pain your members are running from and the destination they're running to, then shows you how to blend both into positioning you can actually use. And if you'd like a wider view of where the gaps in your membership business actually are, our free Membership Healthcheck is built for exactly that. Key Quotes & Takeaways:"Push positioning focuses on the things that people are running away from. Pull positioning focuses on what people are running to." "I quite often talk about the notion of being a painkiller rather than a vitamin. Needling on those pain points can really work." "Pull positioning is generally better for long-term retention and community health. Push positioning is typically better for short-term conversions." "Lead with what they're escaping to get their attention and to kind of light a fire under them to propel them into action, but anchor your offering firmly around what they're moving towards." You might also find useful:9 Reasons Why People Aren't Joining Your Membership SiteDo's and Don'ts of Marketing a Membership Website9 Membership Marketing Tactics That'll Get You More MembersCompeting With Established Memberships In Your Market Thank You For ListeningWe really appreciate you choosing to listen to us and for supporting the podcast. We would be eternally grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience and we read each and every one personally! Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast to make sure that you never miss an episode.

    Push vs Pull Marketing: Which Works Best For Memberships?

  7. Jul 21

    Help! Members Are Leaving Because They're Overwhelmed

    In this episode, I'm tackling one of the most misread signals in your cancellation data - people leaving saying that they "didn't have time" Most membership owners write that off. Busy people, can't be helped. But in a lot of cases, that's not what's going on at all. When a member says they didn't have time or weren't using the membership enough, what they're often really saying is that it felt too big, too hard to navigate, or too overwhelming to start. They froze. And members who freeze, fade - and eventually cancel. What looks like a time problem is almost always an overwhelm problem. And unlike time, overwhelm is something you can do something about. If members are leaving and you're not sure why - or if "I didn't have time" keeps showing up in your cancellation surveys - this episode is for you. In this episode:The five distinct sources of overwhelm hitting your members - and why most owners only spot one of themWhy "value overwhelm" (subscriber remorse) is the sneakiest retention killer of allHow NBA (Next Best Action) works and why it's the most powerful single change you can make to your membership experienceWhy your annual content audit is often worth more than any new content you could createHow to shift from "here's everything you could do" to "here's what I'd recommend" - and why that shift matters If you want to score your membership against all five sources of overwhelm - and get a clear picture of where to focus first - grab the free Member Experience Review at membershipgeeks.com/483. It's a self-audit that walks you through each source with scoring and built-in action guidance. And if you'd like a wider view of where the gaps in your membership are across growth and retention, the free Membership Healthcheck is built for exactly that. Key Quotes & Takeaways:"In a lot of cases, what your members are saying is they were just overwhelmed. Your membership felt too big, too busy, too hard to navigate, too much for them to consume. They didn't know where to start, they didn't know what to do next. So they didn't make any progress at all. And when that happens, they just fade away and then they cancel." "Too often we equate volume with value. But your members didn't join because you have the largest content library. They joined to make progress, to move forward. But if the path to progress feels unclear, you've got a big problem." "By reminding them that they're only using 5%, 10%, they start to feel a little bit ripped off and they end up canceling." "Everything in your membership that doesn't serve a clear and current purpose is just noise. And noise is one of the biggest drivers of overwhelm that there is." You might also find useful:How To Reduce Overwhelm In Your MembershipWhat Most Membership Owners Get Wrong About ContentHow to Ensure You're Delivering Results for Your Members21 Quick Tips For Improving Member Retention Thank You For ListeningWe really appreciate you choosing to listen to us and for supporting the podcast. We would be eternally grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience and we read each and every one personally! Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast to make sure that you never miss an episode.

    Help! Members Are Leaving Because They're Overwhelmed

  8. Jul 13

    Breaking Down the Membership Marketing Flywheel

    Most membership owners treat their marketing like a straight line with a finish line at the end. Get the traffic. Build the list. Make the sale. Done. But that model is fundamentally broken for subscription businesses, because the sale isn't the end - it's the beginning. The membership marketing flywheel flips that thinking completely. Instead of treating new members as the end product, it treats your existing members as the fuel that powers your growth. It's a cycle - not a funnel - and once you understand how it works, it changes how you think about every decision you make in your membership business. In this episode, I break down the three stages of the membership marketing flywheel: attract, engage, and delight. More importantly, I get specific about what's happening inside each stage, why most memberships stall at the same point, and what you can actually do to keep the flywheel spinning. If you've been pouring effort into traffic and lead generation but struggling to get real momentum, this episode is for you. In this episode:Why treating the sale as a finish line creates a leaky bucket - and what to focus on insteadHow to build an attract stage that brings in the right people, not just more peopleWhat the engage stage actually requires beyond just having an email listWhy the delight stage is where most memberships fall down, and what fixing it unlocksHow happy members become your most powerful marketing asset and fuel every other stage Want a practical framework for mapping your own flywheel and identifying exactly where it's breaking down? Grab the free Membership Marketing Flywheel Tracker at membershipgeeks.com/482. And if you want a broader view of where the gaps are across your entire membership business, the free Membership Healthcheck gives you a clear picture in about two minutes. Key Quotes & Takeaways:"Marketing your membership successfully is not about getting sales at any cost. That's where so many people go wrong. They chase big numbers, they're constantly chasing more traffic, more signups, more leads, and they end up with the wrong kind of people." "I would gladly take 1,000 highly active, highly aligned people on my email list over 100,000 who only subscribed because we were giving away an iPad. The size of your list is irrelevant." "Member advocacy is the secret weapon to the membership marketing flywheel because when a stranger sees a member talking about your membership, that's worth a hundred times more than anything you could say yourself." "Content fuels traffic, traffic fuels leads, leads fuel sales, sales fuel your member experience, member experience fuels retention, retention fuels social proof, and then social proof fuels everything else at the top of the funnel. It's one big cycle." You might also find useful:Discover the 12 Universal Truths of Membership MarketingHow To Use Content Marketing To Sell Your Online MembershipAvoid These 6 Common Member Retention Mistakes9 Membership Marketing Tactics That'll Get You More Members Thank You For ListeningWe really appreciate you choosing to listen to us and for supporting the podcast. We would be eternally grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience and we read each and every one personally! Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast to make sure that you never miss an episode.

    Breaking Down the Membership Marketing Flywheel
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Join Mike Morrison - founder of the Membership Geeks - for advice, tips and insight on planning, running and growing a successful membership website plus interviews with existing membership owners and industry experts.

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