10 Ways To Get Great Quality Content For Your Membership Website
By Joan Magat
March 30, 2016
Your website content should do more than just present information. It needs to engage the reader, boost your search engine rankings and reinforce your brand. Great content drives free traffic, creates loyalty, and ultimately leads to success. Here are 10 ways to get great quality content for your website.
1. Reuse Your Content
You may have already some content that you have written for other purposes (magazine articles, journals, books, hobby notes, academic study, etc). Try to repurpose what you already have, rather than starting everything from scratch. You can also break long articles up into shorter posts.2. Create It Yourself
Nothing is better than creating your own unique content. This eliminates the fear of being repetitive, irrelevant or plagiarizing. What differentiates great content sites from average ones is exclusive, relevant and timely content. To maximize the effect of your content plan, be sure you have a timeline figured out in advance.3. Hire A Freelancer
There are thousands of freelance writers who can create articles for your site. You can brief them about what you want, the preferred tone and the length of your content, and they will write to a deadline. To find writers, check Upwork or do a Google search on ‘freelance writers’ followed by your subject e.g. 'freelance writers fashion' or 'freelance writers food'. Make sure you see previous work and check references or ratings.4. Free Article Websites
There are websites where you can find and legally copy thousands of articles. Many of the articles are poor, but there are some gems amongst them. Anyone can use them if they acknowledge the author and include a link. The downside is that these articles can appear on dozens of sites across the web. Make sure to use them sparingly to maintain your sites quality. 5. Third Party Contributors
You can probably find third parties who would like to get their articles publish onto your site in order to reach your audience. Identify a list of potential contributors and then approach them with subject suggestions and a promise that they can have a bio and link in the article footer. Ensure you retain editorial rights on all content or articles can end up being no more than advertorial.6. Interviews
Interviews are a relatively easy way of creating content. You can either publish them as written articles or as audio or video clips. Prepare a list of questions before conducting an interview to ensure it flows, the content is relevant and it sounds professional.7. Press Releases
Sign up to one of the many press release services so you receive PR related to your subject. Instead of publishing press releases and international newswire reports, try to make an effort at rewriting articles in more depth (or with more padding in the opinion of some).8. RSS Feeds And Forums
Set up a feedly account to monitor what is being said on related blogs and websites. Create your own stories based on discussions and new trends. You might also want to start visiting forums that are relevant to your subject. Have a look at which posts attract the most discussion, read the thread of comments, then create an article based on what has been said.9. User Generated Content
Invite your readers to submit articles. This can have mixed results. You can easily offend people by not publishing what they have written. However it can also build a sense of community and belonging if you get it right. You can also encourage your readers to ask you questions and then publish the question with your answer as an article. It's quick, easy and ensures your content is relevant to your audience. 10. Use Graphs & Tables
There are a lot of free tools that produce graphs and tables of information. These can become the basis of simple articles. Try Google Insights for Search, Google Keywords Tool, Alexa, and Compete.
In short, you can promote your business or products by providing your customers with relevant content that helps fulfill a need — either to entertain or educate. Building your company’s website doesn’t need to be expensive, or complicated, but it should be well thought-out. SubHub is here to help you build or revamp a successful membership website. Go ahead, and get started with your free 14-day trial now!
Joan Magat
We believe that everyone should be able to publish digital content and make money without being dependent on ad networks or giant platforms, or wrestling with complicated publishing solutions.
Writing effective copy is challenging, but following these guidelines can help you craft engaging and impactful content that resonates with your audience.
Keep it concise
Online readers crave quick access to information. Lengthy titles or articles can overwhelm visitors, causing them to click away. Keep your copy concise and to the point. Capture attention from the first sentence with a compelling, direct opening that hooks readers and encourages them to keep reading.
Keep it simple
Avoid overly complex language. The goal is clarity, so make your message easy to understand for everyone. Simplicity doesn’t mean “dumbing down” your content—it means ensuring your message is accessible to a diverse, global audience. Steer clear of jargon or local slang that may confuse readers.
Vague to specific
Begin with a general overview to attract a broad audience, then gradually delve into more specific details as the article progresses. This way, readers can engage with the content at their own pace. Those seeking in-depth knowledge can stick around, while others can move on when they’ve gathered what they need
Tailor copy for the web
Web copy has entirely different principles to print copy. Digital content needs to cater to both readers and search engines. When adapting print materials for the web, avoid simply copying and pasting. Instead, focus on restructuring the content with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. Read this blog post about SEO best practices.
Smart use of multimedia
AVOID:
Autoplaying videos or audio
Using irrelevant or decorative images
Replacing text with images
Overloading pages with too many images
DO:
Use relevant multimedia that enhances the message
Incorporate images or videos that explain or complement the text
Ensure every page has at least one multimedia element to increase engagement
Prioritize appearance
A clean, professional website design builds trust with your audience. People will judge a website by its appearance and won't trust websites that haven't had sufficient effort put into their appearance. Ensure that your site uses a consistent and well-structured format.
Break up large blocks of text
Large chunks of text can intimidate readers. Use the following techniques to make your copy more inviting and easier to digest:
Visuals: Add relevant images, videos, or infographics to enhance the text.
Hyperlinks: Link to both internal and external sources to add value and credibility.
Bullet points: A simple way to present key ideas.
Bold text: Emphasize important points to draw attention.
Master keyword placement
Don’t limit keywords to titles alone - integrate them naturally throughout your copy. Pay attention to keyword density in headings, subheadings and body text. This helps your content perform better on search engines while keeping it relevant to your audience’s interests.
Write for people not just search engines
While SEO is essential for driving traffic, always prioritize writing for real people. Engaging, readable content will keep visitors on your site longer and encourage them to return. Search engines may guide people to your page, but high-quality content is what keeps them there.
Proofread thoroughly
Typos and grammatical errors can undermine your credibility. Always proofread your work carefully, but don’t rely solely on yourself—ask a friend or colleague to review it too. Fresh eyes can spot mistakes you may have overlooked, ensuring your copy is polished and professional.
Be authentic
Write about what you know. Your content will be more valuable and engaging if it’s rooted in your own expertise. Authenticity resonates with readers, and those who share your interests are more likely to engage with and support your work.
Write in your natural voice. Aim for a conversational tone that feels personal and relatable.
It's time to build your membership website
Book a demo and see everything that's possible with SubHub.
In another blog post, we explored reasons why membership website owners should provide a good amount of free content on their sites.
We came to the conclusion that free content has many benefits, all leading to the ultimate price of a website visitor becoming a member. But what will convince them to cross that free line into paid territory?
In this post we’re going to look at the free/paid content issue from another angle:
What makes people willing to pay for content?
First, it's important to realize that they may not be willing. There are so many news sources on the internet, web users can always find free alternatives for general news. They don’t even have to look very far as the aggregation news sites pull it together for them. And that’s just for news articles.
With the plethora of AI tools available now, anyone can have a detailed article at their fingertips on just about any topic. ChatGPT and Bard (Google’s counterpart to ChatGPT), for example, can scrape up tons of content on any subject in a matter of seconds.
This saves all kinds of research time that previously would be been spent combing Google results, typing various searches into a Google search query, going to various information sites like Quora.com, and checking out YouTube’s search engine for videos on the topic.
So now that it's fairly easy to find free content on any subject, most people probably just do that, right?
But why? We've come up with 5 compelling reasons why users will pay for online content.
Time is money
Doing that kind of research, even with the advantages of ChatGPT, Bard and others like them, still requires time.
Let’s not forget that the idea behind a membership website is to provide information, knowledge or expertise on a recurring basis. That means that as a membership website owner, your potential customer is going to have to go through all the search and research options regularly to be able to access the same or similar content that you can provide with no time or effort on their part. By providing a paid option that doesn't require the research on their part, you will be saving your clients time, and as we all know, time is money.
Farm experts GrowingForMarket.com know this very well. As a seasonal online publication, they are saving their members many hours of time and effort to find the latest growing information and tips available for each growing season.
Convenience
This might be the number 1 reason why people are willing to pay for free content. Let’s say you’re looking to take up a yoga practice. You could go online and search on Google or YouTube and find millions of search results showing you a multitude of different poses and types of yoga. Where do you start? Which kinds of yoga are for beginners? Which style should you adopt? What if you’re looking for specialized styles like yoga for seniors?
You can sift through all that, or you can sign up for an online yoga class with an expert like Cheri Schultz of inspireencourageempower.org and be guided through a series of yoga routines that fit your schedule and your strength level, simply by signing up to a low-cost recurring subscription. Which sounds better?
Exclusive content
People will pay for content that is not available elsewhere on the internet. Or content that is not available in the way that you have packaged it. If you have a “secret” or little-known approach to building wealth, you may have something completely unique to offer. Even the most determined researcher can spend hours on ChatGPT, or researching on Google and not come up with the specific ideas that you have to offer. A few dollars per month may very well seem like a small price to pay for recurring content that they can’t get anywhere else.
Community
People will also pay to be part of a community. Quite often, you’ll find website owners offering a course or membership-based subscctipion to content, with access to other members as a bonus. It’s great to have the perspective of yourself as the website owner, but let’s face it, you’re not always going to be available. And your members’s peers will 99.9% of the time be happy to help other members if they can.
So don’t be afraid to charge members for access to other members. This kind of community also offers a safe haven for people who may not want to post on a public forum, but feel comfortable asking questions among a closed group of like-minded individuals. SubHub clients like mylifestylerescue.com are doing just that by encouraging members to interact on the built-in forum on their websites.
Premium services
Finally, there is something that people will always pay for - personal one-on-one access to the expert (that’s you!). High-end business coaches can charge thousands of dollars per month for personal coaching. A membership website is ideally suited to offer premium services like individual coaching - at a premium price.
There are many ways of going about it:
Offer consulting services by the hour
Offer coaching programs on a recurring fee basis
Offer non-recurring subscriptions to a course with live coaching
Offer evergreen courses
Conclusion
It’s true that people won’t pay for content on the internet if they can easily find free alternatives. But the catchword there is “easily”. Easy means with little effort, little time, and no money. Even with all the search and AI options available, it still takes time and effort to research a topic, eliminate what isn’t useful, find a way to utilize the valuable information, and put it into practice.
If you can provide all these qualities in a neat package at a reasonable cost, you will be way ahead of the game.
Put simply, monetization describes the process of generating revenue from online content.
Current popular avenues for monetizing content include advertising on google ads, youtube or facebook/instagram. Retargeting via Facebook and Google offer even greater potential for income by generating leads from visitors who have been on your site but haven't clicked that call to action button.
Other income streams are through selling products or digital content as store items (you can do this on a SubHub membership site as well), or joining an affiliate program. (You can start your own affiliate program with a membership site also - even more profitable than joining someone else's!)
Many content owners focus on one of these revenue streams and run with it. However, the most successful online publishers drive multiple revenue streams from their content.
How creating a membership website can work?
A membership site can generate multiple streams of income by offering several different avenues of monetization. You can sell physical or digital products, generate recurring income, offer an affiliate program, and benefit from online advertising and retargeting.
Creating a membership website is one of the most cost-effective and rewarding ways of monetizing content. It lets you profit from your expertise through just about any format of material - videos, podcasts, articles, text, images, downloadable content, and more.
A membership model lets your website be your business hub - where all the action is. That's where potential and current customers can go to do anything they want to do - view content, sign up, upgrade, get to know you and provide you with feedback. So you are monetizing and building community at the same time.
Business owners who are administrating Facebook groups and YouTube followings are in an especially good position to profit from a membership website. - payments from members are recurring on a regular basis so you're guaranteed a certain income.
You're also building relationships with customers on a potentially much larger scale and leveraging the heavy lifting power of automation to make it easy.
At this point, you may be asking
How do I get visitors to come to my site and signup for memberships?
One of the keys is to create valuable content. The most successful online entrepreneurs know how important is it to understand and deliver content that's targeted to their audience in a unique way. Social media is of course one of the most effective ways to a following. But at some point, the question becomes "How do I monetize this?"
Ready to transform your knowledge into an online business with a membership website but don’t have the time or skill to build it yourself? Our design service could be the solution.
Creating a pricing page that converts isn’t just about listing numbers. It’s about making it clear, transparent, and easy to compare. When customers understand exactly what
Your website homepage is your brand’s first impression, and creating an engaging experience is crucial for keeping visitors interested and encouraging them to take action. Whether you’re selling a product
Repurposing your YouTube content allows you to maximize its reach and impact across different platforms. Here are 10 ways to repurpose your YouTube videos to market your membership website:
YouTube is one of the most effective platforms for attracting, engaging, and converting potential members to your membership website. With billions of users and an ever-growing appetite for video content, leveraging YouTube can help you build brand authority, drive traffic, and grow your membership.
Kate Faulkner, founder of PropertyChecklists.co.uk, has created a valuable resource for aspiring property developers and professionals. By offering an array of detailed checklists, expert advice and access to a trusted network of service
Tony Eyers launched his membership website to offer online harmonica lessons to share his passion for music while providing value to both beginners and seasoned players. By offering a combination of free content
Using a membership website to sell your online learning materials allows you to support teachers with fresh resources while generating recurring revenue and showcasing your expertise.
The principles of promoting a membership website haven’t changed much over the years. It requires innovative strategies that attract and retain paying members. What does change are the tools and tactics. In this article, we’ll talk about how to leverage the latest cutting-edge tools and trends to maximize visibility and engagement in 2025.
SubHub’s membership website builder allows you to easily build and launch your own online knowledge business and earn an ongoing income from it.
Users love all the built-in functionality, intuitive editor and 5-star customer support they receive.
The SubHub platform includes everything you need, all-in-one place, to create a website that can accept payments from users who subscribe to gain access to your member-only content. It delivers all the functionality to succeed in creating any type of membership website. Get started building your site with our free 14-day trial.
Easily customise your homepages to convert visitors to members
After selecting one of our ready-made homepage templates, you can easily customise it to suit your brand and content. You can delete any unsuitable section from any template and replace it with one relevant to your design. A large selection of layout options can be found in the section’s library.
Build custom pages using the landing page editor
Our new landing page editor lets you create specific marketing pages. Depending on your hosting plan, you can create from 5 to 30 additional pages using the robust design capabilities of the landing page editor. But there’s need to be limited to using this editor just to create landing pages. You can also create highly styled content pages too.
Create unlimited membership plans and multiple levels
With SubHub, you can create unlimited subscription plans and membership levels to effectively segment your audience and the content they can access. Your members will only be able to access the content they are paying for.
Accept secure payments with trusted payment gateways
SubHub’s seamless integration with the trusted payment gateways, Stripe and PayPal, lets you securely accept recurring and one-off payments from members for subscriptions and course and store purchases. SubHub does not take any percentage of your sales. You can offer discounts, free trials and set up automatic renewals.
Easy to use content management system
Easily create and organise your content using the CMS. Your pages can contain images, audio, videos, PDFs and more. It can be published to be viewed publicly or access can be restricted to members only and even members who purchased specific subscription plans.
Create and sell unlimited online courses
Selling online courses are all the rage. With SubHub’s course editor, you can quickly create courses to sell as individual products or to include as part of a paid membership plan. Start transforming your knowledge into an income stream!
Check out the course sales page design on STEMsmart which lists all their educational courses for preschoolers.
Sell store products for an additional revenue stream
The built-in store lets you sell physical products and digital downloads. With the pay-per-view functionality, you can sell access to one off member-only content.
LovePrayTeach uses their store to earn additional income by also selling their member content as individual downloadable lessons.
Grow and nurture your online community
Grow your community engagement with features that promote communication. SubHub’s built-in member forums, commenting, event calendar and member profiles help to foster member participation.
Translate your website labels into your language
The language settings menu allows you to translate any hard coded English word into the language of your choice. Alternatively, you can replace a word with your own alternative.
Our advanced search filter lets students find the perfect fitness class
SubHub's advanced search filter lets your students customise their search experience so they can find the most suitable fitness or yoga class that meets their specific criteria at any moment.
The advanced search filter is available with every SubHub website. You just need to enable it in the control panel.
A 5-star support team that always exceeds expectations
Our team delivers personalised support and always goes above and beyond client expectations. We don’t send scripted replies but thoughtful information along with screenshots and bespoke video tutorials so you always feel comfortable and confident using the SubHub platform. Our support team never receives anything less than 5-star reviews.
Take a tour of SubHub's membership website solution - see everything that's possible and more
https://youtu.be/n6ISbNCMeEI
Need help building your website? Our design service could be the solution for you!
Your member homepage is one of the most important pages on your site. It's where members land each time they log in, and it should be designed to keep them engaged, help them easily navigate your content, and encourage them to remain active subscribers.
Resizing images in bulk is essential when optimizing photos for websites, social media, or storage. Instead of resizing each image manually, using bulk processing tools can save time and effort. This guide will walk you through three popular methods: Adobe Photoshop, Picsart, and Imageresizer.com.
1. Resizing Images in Bulk Using Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a powerful tool that allows you to resize multiple images at once using its Image Processor feature.
Steps to Resize Images in Bulk Using Photoshop:
Open Photoshop and go to File > Scripts > Image Processor.
Select the folder containing the images you want to resize.
Choose the destination folder where resized images will be saved.
Under File Type, check Resize to Fit and enter the desired width and height (e.g., 800x600 pixels).
Select the file format (JPEG, PSD, or TIFF) and adjust quality settings if needed.
Click Run, and Photoshop will resize all images in the selected folder automatically.
Pros: ✔ High-quality output ✔ Supports batch processing with additional adjustments (e.g., sharpening, color correction) ✔ Saves time when handling large projects
Cons: ✖ Requires a paid Adobe subscription ✖ May have a learning curve for beginners
2. Resizing Images in Bulk Using Picsart
Picsart is a user-friendly tool with bulk resizing capabilities, available as a desktop app or online editor.
Steps to Resize Images in Bulk Using Picsart:
Open Picsart (either the desktop app or the online version at picsart.com).
Click on Batch Editor in the tools menu.
Upload multiple images by selecting or dragging them into the editor.
Choose the Resize option and set your desired dimensions.
Apply the changes and click Export to save all resized images.
Pros: ✔ Simple, user-friendly interface ✔ Free version available ✔ Additional editing options like cropping and filters
Cons: ✖ Free version has limited features ✖ Web-based version may be slow for large batches
3. Resizing Images in Bulk Using Imageresizer.com
Imageresizer.com is a free, web-based tool that allows you to resize multiple images quickly without downloading software.
Steps to Resize Images in Bulk Using Imageresizer.com:
Yoga continues to thrive as one of the most adaptable and accessible fitness practices, making it an ideal discipline for online instruction. With minimal equipment and the flexibility to practice anywhere, transitioning from an in-person studio to an online membership-based platform is easier than ever.
Lower Overhead Costs – Eliminate expenses associated with running a physical studio.
Flexible Income Streams – Generate passive income through on-demand classes, memberships, and live sessions.
Personalised Learning – Provide students with an extensive library of yoga sessions categorised by style, duration, and focus, allowing them to tailor their practice.
Deborah Stanley, founder of ThriveYoga, successfully launched her online yoga studio with these benefits in mind. She leveraged the SubHub membership platform to create a seamless experience for her students. We spoke with her about her journey, insights, and tips for building a thriving online yoga community in 2025.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background and what led to you to setting up your site?
I've been a yoga teacher for 12 years and I wanted to offer my classes online so my pupils could practice at home and people who couldn't attend my in-person classes could enjoy the benefits of yoga whenever they wanted to.
Why did you decide to use SubHub and how long did it take for your website to be online?
I wanted a membership site that did everything - hosted the website, managed the members, linked to the payment method, that I could update and add to myself and offered support and back-up when I needed it.
How involved were you in developing the website, and did you have any experience in creating a website before?
I was involved in building the website from scratch and worked closely with the developers to ensure the site worked as I needed it to. I have created a very basic website for my in-person classes before.
How hands on are you with updating your site? Do you create everything yourself, do you have any staff, or do you outsource?
I create everything myself. I write a weekly blog and add a weekly video myself. I don't have any staff, except a slightly more tech-savvy and willing-to-help husband.
How much time do you spend updating your website?
I don't make many changes to it apart from writing my weekly blog and setting up my weekly video. How do you interact with members and what’s the key to keeping them happy? I keep in contact with them via my blog, newsletters and social media. A variety of different classes and different information about yoga keeps people happy, plus a smooth-running, straightforward membership process with no surprises or glitches so they can view their videos whenever they want to.
How has SubHub enabled you to grow?
I am able to teach yoga to many more people than I could in my in-person classes and potentially make more money from doing so.
What kind of content is most popular on your website and why do you think that is?
The videos - people join Thrive Yoga to practice yoga with an experienced teacher who offers varied classes suitable for all abilities.
How have you grown your email subscribers and how do you manage them?
I have not done much advertising yet but some members have found me through word-of-mouth, the Thrive Yoga Facebook page and Google search. I manage them via Mailchimp.
How important is your website for your business?
My website IS Thrive Yoga. Without it I can't offer the videos or the membership.
Now that you've created a website, how do you make money from it?
I sell a monthly membership package.
From your experience, what are the basic steps somebody needs to take to setup and develop a successful website?
Help from an expert - it is extremely time-consuming if you don't know what you are doing. To develop it you need to be consistent with what you are offering in a clear and easily-understandable way.
What advice would you give to somebody thinking of starting their own website with SubHub?
I would say that if they don't have any experience of putting together a website or membership site then getting everything done 'all under one roof' with SubHub rather than trying to piece individual bits together using lots of different providers saves time, sanity and money. SubHub has yoga membership website temples that you get started with.
What can people expect from your site or company the next 6 or 12 months?
Eric Tyson is the best-selling author of personal finance guides Let’s Get Real About Money and Personal Finance For Dummies (the first non-computer title in the ‘For Dummies’ series.) After working as a management consultant for a number of Fortune 500 firms, he started offering personal financial advice back in 1990.
Since then, his work has featured in hundreds of local and national publications, while he has also lectured at the University of California and even appeared as a guest speaker at the White House.
In 2008, with traditional print media on the decline, EricTyson.com was launched in an effort to reach a wider audience. We asked him a few questions about running the website.
How and why did you get started?
Over the years, I have seen many otherwise intelligent people make major mistakes in managing their money. Additionally, much of the personal finance writing and reporting I see is biased, jargon-laden and, in some cases, filled with bad advice.
For example, rather than telling people the hard truth - that one must live within one's means as a prerequisite to building wealth - many publications offer unrealistic ‘get rich without taking risks’ hype.
I came to realize that I could reach many more people and a more economically diverse audience through writing and I began my website out of concern that I wouldn't be able to continue to reach folks through traditional newspapers.
I don’t accept endorsement deals or fees of any type from companies in the financial services industry. As such, readers can be assured that they’re getting real, honest, independent advice.
Did you face any problems in the beginning?
Given the unfolding financial crisis in 2008, I had plenty to write about. Over the years, I've been able to cover timely topics in many areas of personal finance and the business has continued to grow naturally.
Few people realize the enormous conflicts of interest that exist when small publishing enterprises (websites, local newspapers, magazines) give away its content for free and generates revenue from advertising.
Whenever I go to a ‘free’ site, I spend time thinking about what the agenda is. If they accept advertising, this creates a major conflict of interest.
In order for me to continue offering impartial advice, I have to charge my members.
The subscription model works well, with my members paying an annual fee of $19.95 - which is tax deductible! This allows me freedom to provide objective expertise, free of commercial interest, as I offer insights on breaking news stories, archived articles, exclusive book excerpts and much more.
How do you interact with members and what's the key to keeping them happy?
Our annual fee is modest and we allow a free-look period for folks to make sure that getting expert personal finance insights and information is for them.
Members get priority when it comes to answering questions, and I receive letters and emails from folks all the time. I enjoy these interactions because it allows me to understand what folks are thinking about and struggling with. While you can't make everyone happy all of the time, if you offer good information at a fair price along with good service, you will generally keep people happy.
Final thoughts
Using a subscription model, Eric ensures his content remains free from commercial influence, allowing readers to access expert insights with confidence. The SubHub platform has helped streamline the technical side of his business, enabling him to focus on delivering high-quality financial guidance. Through affordable memberships and direct interactions with subscribers, Eric continues to grow his audience.
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Herself360 is an online magazine that supports and encourages women everywhere offering them a space to connect through stories. Herself360 fosters a community where women can find inspiration, advice, and solidarity.
Co-founded by Cathie Briggette, Herself360 is a magazine-style membership website designed for women who "embrace, engage, and support each other." Covering a wide range of topics—including lifestyle, finance, news, fashion, food, and wellness—the platform remains committed to amplifying women's voices and championing empowerment.
Herself360 is a relatively new venture, and was launcSince its launch in January 2018 on the SubHub platform, Herself360 has evolved into a thriving online space where women can exchange experiences, find valuable insights, and build meaningful connections.ed in January 2018 on the SubHub platform.
A brand new online magazine
Cathie and her co-founders knew they wanted to create an online media magazine with a membership option. But they didn’t want to build the whole website from scratch by themselves, so they turned to Google to research their options, and there was SubHub.
Cathie says, “I loved the pricing structure [of SubHub] - that was really good. Because we had no members whatsoever, I liked the way that the pricing tiers worked: so as we started out it was not so much and then we got bigger the price got comparably bigger. I really like that. I liked the examples that you showed because a lot of them were of what we were thinking about doing, so that was helpful too.”
No pressure
Cathie also appreciated our low-pressure sales approach. She says, “I did a trial and Louise was the one who got in touch me. She was just so helpful and easy to talk to. At the time I wasn't quite ready to make a decision but she was ready to wait for me. She was right with me all the way through all of us [the co-founders] making the decision, and she made it easy to make that decision. That made me feel much more comfortable.”
Speedy setup
Cathie took advantage of our Speedy Setup Service, which got her new site up and running in a month, and meant that her and her team were able to concentrate on doing all the other tasks a new business requires, without having to worry about their website.
Cathie says, “It was kind of bumpy in the beginning - we didn’t have a logo yet and we hadn't picked our font and our colours – but the support was really good. Jean was our main person to get in touch with, and everything that we were looking to do she just made it happen.
“I think the biggest thing with us was that we were a start-up company and there was only three of us. We had a whole bunch of other things that were going on, so it was really great that we could throw stuff at you guys and then you could start building it in the background while we were trying to get the rest of our stuff together.”
Marketing savvy
Initially Herself360 was open to everyone, with none of the articles pay-walled behind a subscription. Cathie and her team were keen to use all of their content to generate interest and awareness – a canny marketing strategy.
Cathie says, “We wanted to get people into it first. To see what the site was about, understand what it was we were doing, and be interested in it before we locked it all down.”
Herself360 has now done just that – a few articles are still available on the site to be read by anyone, but the majority of the content, and the community, has been transferred to a members-only area. The site continues to grow, and reaches over a thousand women every month. A wonderful achievement after only six months online, and we’re sure they’ll continue to go from strength to strength.
A bit of advice
Finally, we asked Cathie if she had any advice for someone who wanted to set up a membership site. She said, “I would say you should try SubHub. They're really good - they're very easy to use and their customer service is excellent. The people over there are very easy to talk to and understand what it is that you're looking for and how you want it to show up. The SubHub platform is very comprehensible, and so far everything is just been really easy to do.”
Melody White launched Sacred Space Online to provide comprehensive support for yoga teachers and students. Her vision was to create an online platform offering teacher training resources, expert sequencing guidance, and a full studio of yoga classes based on Samdhaana Yoga’s healing movement patterns. After extensive research, she chose SubHub for its affordability, support and ease of management.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background and what led to you to setting up your site?
This website has long been the dream and vision of Melody White, founder of Samdhaana Yoga and owner of Sacred Space yoga studio and Sacred Space Online.
Her vision was to create a site that provided:
1. Full online support for our in-house Yoga Teacher Training programs.
2. Online resources for yoga teachers to learn how to masterfully sequence yoga classes and to understand patterns of movement and the energetic aspects of the yoga practice
3. A full online studio of yoga classes, all of which are founded upon Samdhaana Yoga's healing patterns of movement, and which build precept upon precept, allowing our site members to evolve their own yoga practices seamlessly, at their own pace, from beginner to advanced; along with specialized yoga videos to address using yoga to maintain a healthy back, reduce stress and anxiety, and more.
Why did you decide to use SubHub and how long did it take for your website to be online?
We thoroughly researched all of our options for creating a subscription-based website. We needed a beautiful robust site that we could manage on our own, but that also offered us support when we need it, all at an affordable price. SubHub was by far the best option for meeting our needs. The process took 6 months only because we had to put the project on hold for several months - had we not, it probably would have taken about 2 - 3 months.
How involved were you in developing the website, and did you have any experience in creating a website before?
We had SubHub custom design our site. We had a very clear vision of how we wanted the site to look and function and SubHub's team did a brilliant job of bringing that to life. We also created all of our written content and a substantial library of videos before we started the process of creating the site. I have managed a number of websites before, but I've never done the technical side of creating a website.
How hands on are you with updating your site? Do you create everything yourself, do you have any staff, or do you outsource?
We are 100% hands on, from writing our content to filming and editing our videos.
How much time do you spend updating your website?
I spend from 1 to 3 hours per week updating the website. It's always evolving and we're always adding new content.
How do you interact with members and what’s the key to keeping them happy?
We interact with members through social media, monthly e-newsletters and by promptly responding to any questions or comments they email to us. The key to keeping them happy is to be extremely responsive to their needs and wants. For instance, we created our Yoga for Runner series of videos at the request of some of our clients who are runners.
How has SubHub enabled you to grow?
It enables us to reach people worldwide, far beyond what we would ever be able to do with our physical yoga studio (which is located in a town with a population of just 10,000).
What kind of content is most popular on your website and why do you think that is?
Our Online Yoga Classes and Specialized Yoga videos are the most popular content on our site because we offer something for everyone, from 5 minute Workday Quickie routines to full classes (Beginner, Foundations, Vinyasa, Power Hour, Restorative). We also have a lot of free content, no subscription required, so that people can dip their toes in the water before taking the plunge and subscribing.
How have you grown your email subscribers and how do you manage them?
Our email list has grown gradually and organically over time as our physical studio has grown. Our website subscribers are now being added to that list. We are very consistent in communicating, sending out an e-newsletter on the first of every month, as well as emails about special events or to highlight specific features of the website. Our goal is to keep people informed without pestering them with too many emails.
How important is your website for your business?
Our website is absolutely essential for the growth and future of our business.
Now that you've created a website, how do you make money from it?
We make money through subscriptions to our online yoga classes, as well as separate subscriptions that provide teaching tutorials and other resources for yoga teachers.
What has been the most effective way to drive traffic to your website?
This is an area we are constantly working on and experimenting with. So far, Facebook and Facebook ads have been the most effective tools for us.
From your experience, what are the basic steps somebody needs to take to setup and develop a successful website?
1. Decide what the main purpose of your site is.
2. Think about what kind of experience you want your site visitors to have.
3. When you're online, pay attention and identify sites that you like and dislike. This will help you decide what features to include or avoid when you set up your own site.
4. Create as much of your initial content (written and otherwise) as possible before you begin the process. This will help tremendously in thinking about how to set up your site to best deliver that content.
5. Get professional help in areas where you or your team do not have the skills needed. For instance, if writing is not your thing, there are many talented and affordable freelance writers who can help you. First impressions really matter. For us, it was well worth paying to have SubHub custom design our site.
6. Be prepared for some bumps along the road, but keep going! What advice would you give to somebody thinking of starting their own website with SubHub? Take advantage of SubHub's excellent support - schedule a phone call to ask questions and then start a free trial so you can learn more.
Final thoughts
Building a successful website requires careful planning, clear goals and a strong user experience. By defining your site's purpose, researching design preferences and preparing content in advance, you can streamline the development process. Seeking professional design can ensure a polished final product. While challenges may arise, persistence is key. For those considering SubHub, start by opening a free trial and leverage their outstanding customer support to help you build your website.