Membership Geeks Podcast with Mike Morrison

In this episode, I dive into the concept of "off-platform engagement" and why it's becoming essential for membership owners.

I discuss how member behaviors have evolved and why relying solely on getting people to log in to your site is no longer the only—or even the best—way to deliver value.

I share practical strategies for removing friction and ensuring your membership stays relevant and engaging by meeting members where they already are.

You'll walk away with ideas to broaden your engagement approach and make your membership more resilient for the future.

• Why is it no longer realistic to expect members to visit your website every time they want to engage or gain value?
• How does "off-platform engagement" help reduce friction and improve the member experience?
• What are actionable ways to deliver value to members outside of your membership platform (such as email and private podcasts)?
• How can rethinking engagement strategies help your membership thrive in an increasingly distracted and competitive world?

I really appreciate you choosing us and for supporting the podcast.

What's your next step?

Whether you're looking to launch your very first membership or scale and grow an existing one, come and join me inside Membership Academy - where I'll give you everything you need to succeed at every stage of your membership journey.

And if you found this episode valuable, I'd be eternally grateful if you would leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience, and I read each and every one!

"We're talking about something that I'm calling off-platform engagement. So By this I mean embracing the notion that not everything about getting your members engaged means getting them to come to your website, getting them to log in, getting them to post in your community hub, or engage and consume stuff within your learning portal."

"We can start looking at ways that we can push our value, push the benefits, push the value of being a member into the spaces that are in their world, onto their turf, taking our value to their inbox, to their podcasting app, to their daily workflow, to the systems and the environments that they are operating in."

"We embed the value in those emails. Yes, we still want to get people back to our website. But if they don't have time, if they are consuming on the go, just by reading the email, on their email app, on their phone, they're still getting some value from being a part of your membership."

"Private member-only podcasts are a fantastic way of doing that. So having a podcast that is only available to your paying members,. So they're the only people who can subscribe, they've got private subscription URLs that only work when they are active and paying. This gives you a channel for off-platform engagement that is ripe with potential."

In this episode, I dive into the crucial role member onboarding plays in the overall success and retention rates of your membership business.

I share why retention efforts need to begin from the very moment a new member joins and not just when cancellation looms.

We’ll explore the three essential pillars every onboarding process must include to supercharge your members’ long-term engagement.

If you want your members to stick around and love being part of your community, this episode is for you.

• Why is member onboarding so critical for retention, and when should it actually start?
• What are the three core components every successful member onboarding process needs?
• How can you structure your onboarding to support members throughout their first 90 days, not just the first few days or weeks?
• What practical steps can you take to affirm, acclimate, and advance your members to maximize their satisfaction and results?

I really appreciate you choosing us and for supporting the podcast.

What's your next step?

Whether you're looking to launch your very first membership or scale and grow an existing one, come and join me inside Membership Academy - where I'll give you everything you need to succeed at every stage of your membership journey.

And if you found this episode valuable, I'd be eternally grateful if you would leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience, and I read each and every one!

"Retention starts day one, minute one. The second someone joins your membership, the clock is ticking and the first impression is absolutely vital."

"So first and foremost, if you don't have an onboarding process in your membership, this is your top priority. So many memberships have horrendous churn and the reason is because they do not have member onboarding."

"Truly effective member onboarding goes way beyond just those first 30 days. Ideally, you want to have a strategy in place that is mapped around at least the first 90 days that someone is in your membership."

"It's about us thinking, okay, where are the knowledge gaps? What does someone need to understand how to do in terms of functionally using this membership in order to get the best from it."

In this episode, I dive into the two fundamental strategies for increasing the revenue of your membership business.

I break down why making more sales and boosting the lifetime value of each member are the only real ways to grow your income, and share actionable tips for improving both areas.

From smart marketing adjustments to retaining your members for longer, I offer proven, practical advice you can implement right away.

If you’re looking to ramp up your membership profits, this episode is packed with insights to help you get there.

• What are the only two ways to make more money from your membership?
• How can you refine your marketing and sales strategies to attract more new members—and even win back former ones?
• What practical steps can you take to increase the lifetime value of each member, including improving retention?

I really appreciate you choosing us and for supporting the podcast.

What's your next step?

Whether you're looking to launch your very first membership or scale and grow an existing one, come and join me inside Membership Academy - where I'll give you everything you need to succeed at every stage of your membership journey.

And if you found this episode valuable, I'd be eternally grateful if you would leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience, and I read each and every one!

"If you're not bringing people into your world, you're not getting traffic, you're not building your followers, you're not building your email list, then there's fewer people to sell to, and by virtue of that, fewer people who join your membership."

"If you are bringing people into your world, your list is growing steadily, but they're just not joining. We need to reach out and survey those non buyers, find out why they've not joined, find out the main obstacles, and then tailor your marketing in order to preempt those and to overcome some of the issues that might be keeping people from becoming members."

"At Membership Academy, around about 25 to 30% of people who leave ultimately return within a 12 month period. On average. When we've done our survey, that is tending to be around about 15% across the thousands of memberships that we surveyed, about 15% of people in memberships where they conduct win back campaigns, about 15% of those X members come back. That's one heck of a conversion rate."

"So once they've been in there for three to six months and they start to get some wins, they've start to feel integrated into the community, they start to feel that sense of belonging, then they might be more receptive to upgrading to annual."

In this episode, I dive into what it really means to try and be a good boss to my membership team.

I share my personal experiences, challenges, and the mindset shifts that have shaped my approach to leadership in a growing and virtual business.

You'll get a behind-the-scenes look at how I balance flexibility, accountability, and compassion with my team, plus the practices and policies that keep us running smoothly.

Whether you already manage a team or are just curious about what goes into building a positive work environment, this one’s for you.

• How do I balance being a leader without falling into the trap of thinking I have all the answers or micromanaging my team?
• What approach do I take to measuring and rewarding team performance—do I value outputs over hours worked?
• How can flexibility and compassion be integrated into daily team management while still maintaining high standards and results?
• In what ways do I foster a transparent, supportive, and growth-oriented environment for my team members?

I really appreciate you choosing us and for supporting the podcast.

What's your next step?

Whether you're looking to launch your very first membership or scale and grow an existing one, come and join me inside Membership Academy - where I'll give you everything you need to succeed at every stage of your membership journey.

And if you found this episode valuable, I'd be eternally grateful if you would leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience, and I read each and every one!

"I focus almost entirely on outputs rather than inputs. I don't want people showing up for their 35 hours, being chained to their desk from nine till five every day, and me using that as the measure of them doing a good job."

"I very openly encourage people if they've got questions about anything, even if it's not related to their particular area and the business, to just come, just ask."

"You shouldn't be reaming someone out ruining their day, making them fearful for their job because they made an honest mistake. And I think defaulting to the stance that nobody wakes up in the morning thinking, I'm going to screw up today."

"Every time I do a staff review, I always end up making the comment of like, this feels like it should be harder. It feels like I should have stuff to tell you off for or stuff to tell you you need to improve, but you're doing incredible work. You're such a great asset to the team."

In this episode, I share some of the coolest and most innovative ideas I've recently encountered in the world of memberships.

I dive into real-life examples from other membership sites that have inspired me, highlighting creative ways they’re engaging their members, improving onboarding, and making their communities stand out.

Whether you’re looking to refresh your own membership or just want some creative inspiration, these ideas are sure to spark new possibilities.

Tune in to hear what’s working—and what you might want to test out for yourself!

• How can leveraging the voices of real members during promotional events boost social proof and trust with potential joiners?
• What creative onboarding tactics can help new members feel understood, engaged, and set up for success from day one?
• Why is personalization in the onboarding process essential, and how can tools like interactive video assessments be used effectively?
• What does a truly hybrid (online/offline) membership look like, and why might this model become increasingly important in today’s landscape?

I really appreciate you choosing us and for supporting the podcast.

What's your next step?

Whether you're looking to launch your very first membership or scale and grow an existing one, come and join me inside Membership Academy - where I'll give you everything you need to succeed at every stage of your membership journey.

And if you found this episode valuable, I'd be eternally grateful if you would leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience, and I read each and every one!

"I like to join other memberships to see what they're doing well, see what could be improved, see what cool new trends they've been implementing, new innovations and ideas. And yeah, like, I make that a regular part of what I do."

"You are so confident that the things people say when you're not in the room are so powerful and compelling that you are willing to step away from for something that could actually be a significant sales event as part of this promotion."

"The way in which Maggies use videoask to create what feels like a personal, real time, almost intimate, actual physical assessment that just blew me away."

"Andrew and Pete, I feel, are the first people I've seen like really properly put the flag in the sand with their new membership that this is a hybrid membership. And by hybrid membership I mean online and offline."

In this episode of the Membership Geeks Podcast, I dive into the world of personal branding, exploring why it's crucial for membership owners and online experts to show up intentionally and authentically.

Joined by personal brand strategist Bob Gentle, we have an honest conversation about the human side of building your brand—dealing with confidence, comparison, and imposter syndrome—while navigating today's noisy online landscape.

We break down the practical steps you can take to start shaping your brand, especially if you've never given it much thought.

Whether you're already visible or just getting started, you'll find actionable advice to help your business and membership thrive.

• What does “personal branding” really mean beyond logos and social media presence?
• How do you overcome fear, imposter syndrome, and comparison when building your personal brand?
• What practical steps can you take to start taking control and direction of your personal brand?
• Which platforms and strategies should membership owners focus on to get visible and build authority in a sustainable way?

I really appreciate you choosing us and for supporting the podcast.

What's your next step?

Whether you're looking to launch your very first membership or scale and grow an existing one, come and join me inside Membership Academy - where I'll give you everything you need to succeed at every stage of your membership journey.

And if you found this episode valuable, I'd be eternally grateful if you would leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience, and I read each and every one!

"It's going to take an awful lot more for me to rally behind a logo than it is for me to rally behind a person."

"That's probably the direction you should be going, reframing imposter syndrome, not as an alarm, but as a beacon, because it's only going to be triggered by the things that are genuinely thought leadership."

"A lot of people will tell you you should, you should, as an expert business, position your business for somebody that's a bit like you or perhaps a step behind. And I think that's terrible advice."

"I would look at the platform that I feel most aligned with, most comfortable, and that has already demonstrated some embers of success for me."

In this episode of the Membership Geeks Podcast, I pull back the curtain on the major changes happening inside Membership Academy this year.

After a decade of running our membership, I want to share how we're shifting our focus to better serve a rapidly evolving market and meet the needs of membership owners looking not just to launch, but to grow and thrive.

From streamlining our content and embracing new technology to diversifying our offerings and making an important pricing update, I walk you through the thinking and strategies behind every big move.

If you're interested in how to keep your membership business ahead of the curve, this episode is packed with actionable insights.

• How is Membership Academy shifting its focus from launching memberships to prioritizing growth and ongoing success?
• What prompted the decision to remove tech walkthroughs, and how does this change benefit members today?
• In what ways is Membership Academy diversifying its offerings beyond the core membership program?
• Why is Membership Academy increasing its price, and what does legacy pricing mean for current and prospective members?

I really appreciate you choosing us and for supporting the podcast.

What's your next step?

Whether you're looking to launch your very first membership or scale and grow an existing one, come and join me inside Membership Academy - where I'll give you everything you need to succeed at every stage of your membership journey.

And if you found this episode valuable, I'd be eternally grateful if you would leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience, and I read each and every one!

"Most of the members of the Academy tell me that a lot of the things that have helped their business, they picked up from just looking at what we're doing, what has worked for them as a member of our Academy."

"But that now means that we can look at what's next because there's always a portion of your audience who need more, want more, and are willing to invest in something that will get them either more access, something that will deliver a higher level of results, something that will get the more support and all of that sort of stuff."

"So your membership is highly unlikely to cover absolutely every inch of grass on the field within your market. And so having a real top down understanding of where you fit, what isn't covered, what opportunities there are for you to diversify your offering or to just rule out, you know, I never want to work with this demographic, not because I don't like them, not because they're too basic or too advanced, just I don't feel this is a part of my market I want to serve."

"If you've been thinking about a price increase for your membership, just do what we're doing. Make sure you're utilizing that legacy pricing because not only does it work as a marketing strategy, it's also the fairest thing to do for your existing members."

In this episode, I dive into what it really means to be a productive membership owner with special guest Louise Miller.

We explore why traditional approaches to productivity might be missing the mark and how to create more space and intention in your day-to-day operations.

This conversation is packed with practical insights for redefining productivity, regaining focus, and helping both yourself and your members achieve more—without the overwhelm or burnout.

1. What does productivity actually mean for membership owners, and why might traditional definitions be holding us back?
2. How can you shift your mindset and daily habits to focus on what’s truly important—instead of just getting more “stuff” done?
3. What practical steps can you take to create more space, clarity, and effective action in your business, even amidst daily chaos and unexpected challenges?
4. How can you support your own members’ productivity and implementation, reducing churn and helping them achieve the transformation they joined your community for?

I really appreciate you choosing us and for supporting the podcast.

What's your next step?

If you haven't launched your membership yet, I've made my signature Membership Roadmap Course completely FREE, walking you through exactly how to get set up for success!

Already have a membership and looking to grow and scale? Join me inside Membership Academy where I'll help you take your membership to the next level.

And if you found this episode valuable, I'd be eternally grateful if you would leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience, and I read each and every one!

"I had to redefine productivity for myself before I started doing the work that I do, because the definition I've been carrying around with me, which I think is probably what a lot of other people carry around with them, actually made me ill."

"Was it taking a moment to just stop and get a bit of perspective? And that's where I think productivity starts in understanding that when you're in. I call this a kind of frantic and frazzled overwhelm loop of maybe sitting down at your desk going, oh, my God, I've got all this to do, man, your brain immediately starts going into overdrive."

"I was putting my own business development at the end of the week and I was doing it on Fridays, thinking, oh, Friday, a nice day to do my business development, by which time I was knackered and. Or mopping up stuff that I hadn't managed to get done during the week, which meant the signal I was sending to my brain was that my stuff, not a priority."

"And what I see quite a lot is memberships are really good with the inspiration and the information, but can fall down a little bit when it comes to the implementation piece."

In this episode, I get on my soapbox about one of the most persistent myths in the membership world: the idea that scarcity marketing and closed-door enrollment are absolutely necessary to grow a successful membership.

I break down why this notion is misleading, how it can harm your business in the long run, and why good marketing should never rely on manipulative gimmicks.

I share real-world examples, challenge some of the loudest voices in the space, and lay out the facts so you can make the best decision for your membership business.

• Do you really need scarcity or closed-door enrollment to sell and grow a membership?
• What are the long-term consequences of relying on scarcity tactics for membership sales?
• When (if ever) does a closed-door model actually make strategic sense for a membership business?
• How can you create genuine urgency and attract committed members without resorting to manipulative marketing gimmicks?

I really appreciate you choosing us and for supporting the podcast.

What's your next step?

Whether you're looking to launch your very first membership or scale and grow an existing one, come and join me inside Membership Academy - where I'll give you everything you need to succeed at every stage of your membership journey.

And if you found this episode valuable, I'd be eternally grateful if you would leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience, and I read each and every one!

"A handful of tacky Internet marketers have been pushing this narrative that you need scarcity to sell a membership and that the closed door model is the one true way."

"Closed door can and does work for numerous memberships, and for many of those memberships it's absolutely the right model, based on their audience needs, based on their business structure, based on the topic they're teaching, and so on."

"The overwhelming majority of successful memberships are open door and they always have been. 12,000 members in membership academy, 60,000 in SBL. Same sort of numbers with Drumeo memberships, like Digital Marketer memberships like Masterclass. These are always open doors. We get sales. We don't have to close the doors to give people a reason to join because our memberships are good enough to give people the reason to join in and of themselves."

"If any part of your marketing relies on being sneaky, relies on not being found out, then you're doing it wrong. If you're misleading your audience into thinking something is scarce and trying to use that scarcity to pressure them into a buying decision that they're not ready for, but then even worse, it turns out that it's all a ruse, it's all bs, then you absolutely suck on every level imaginable."

In this episode, I dive into the ever-evolving world of podcasting with special guest Colin Gray, founder of The Podcast Host and Alitu.

Together, we unpack the new rules of the podcasting landscape in 2024, explore how independent creators can still stand out in a space now dominated by big names and AI-generated content, and discuss strategies for using podcasts to grow and deepen your membership business.

Whether you're running a podcast or thinking of starting one, this conversation is packed with actionable insights and real talk on what really works right now.

• Is it too late for independent creators to succeed in podcasting amid increased competition and the rise of celebrity-led and AI-generated shows?
• What are the most effective ways to increase discoverability and grow a podcast audience in today’s saturated market?
• How has podcasting changed in recent years, and what new strategies should membership site owners consider for using podcasts as a marketing tool?
• In a world of rapidly improving AI content, what makes a human-led podcast stand out and build a loyal, engaged community?

I really appreciate you choosing us and for supporting the podcast.

What's your next step?

Whether you're looking to launch your very first membership or scale and grow an existing one, come and join me inside Membership Academy - where I'll give you everything you need to succeed at every stage of your membership journey.

And if you found this episode valuable, I'd be eternally grateful if you would leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience, and I read each and every one!

"It feels like all of the general purpose, general conversation, broad appeal shows, they're now all just run by celebrities because they've all jumped into it, because it's proven that it can make them money, it's become popular."

"You can make a living out of 100 listeners, 200 listeners, because you can build such trust and such credibility that you can sell a really high ticket, consulting package membership, whatever that might be."

"Because they've got to know you, they go and listen to the show. And they're so much more likely to become fans that then pass it on to their friends and pass it around their communities. And those elements just scale so much more in a podcast than they do in any other medium because people spend so much time with you."

"If you want to use clips, generally you want to commit to actually like making sure you've got a decent enough webcam and just get one like nice light that you'll place behind your webcam and that makes all the difference. It can, that can turn you from like a really crappy looking video into something that's like quite passable and quite decent."