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Membership Engagement Playbook (12 strategies that actually work)

Feb 20, 2025

Reader Disclosure

    It's a topic we discuss frequently on the blog...because it's everything! Active members renew their subscriptions, participate in discussions, as well as bring in referrals. However, when engagement decreases the churn process begins.

WHAT'S IN THE INSIDE          Toggle

Some time ago, I talked about the churn of memberships and how much more expensive replacing those who are gone than keeping your current ones.

Well, guess what? Keep members active, involved with the organization so that they'll remain subscribed, participate more, pay more and get new subscribers.

At , our customers have collectively raked in nearly $2 billion of revenues.

We'll look at the methods that are effective!

What exactly is membership engagement and Why Does It Matter?

What exactly is the term "membership engagement"? Simply put, it's the frequency and amount of time effectively your users interact with your website, community, and offerings.

A extremely engaged member often:

  • Logs in and navigates through multiple pages
  • Commentaries are posted, discussions are joined, and attends events
  • Participates in classes and takes part actively

They see the value of their membership making them more likely to renew their membership, recommend others, and take advantage of cross-sells, upsells, and other benefits.

  • Struggles to navigate your site
  • Isn't it obvious that you can offer everything is worth it? Or, even more important,
  • (Brace yourself) is completely devoid of the fact that

A few members may still be subscribed but never interact or interact with each other. the passive status could be a warning sign.

Not everyone engages with the same manner. Certain people prefer to read content in a quiet manner and others prefer to participate with community discussions as well as live events. Monitoring the different kinds of interaction helps you better know and assist your members.

This is exactly what we'll discuss in our 12 strategies.

How to measure the level of engagement in a membership

As we've previously discussed, high membership engagement looks different depending on what you offer. It also depends on the type of audience you're targeting.

However, if the site is geared towards the self-paced study, members might primarily engage by consuming content and completing courses independently and not engage in debates.

Because engagement isn't one-size-fits-all, the most effective way to gauge the quality of your engagement is by comparing it to your prior results. Ask yourself:

  • Are members engaging in more or less in the past than they did before?
  • Are you increasing in tandem with the growth in membership or is it falling behind?

Key Engagement KPIs to Follow

Select the best metrics to represent what is most important to your membership site:

  • Login frequency What is the frequency of members signing in?
  • Forum activity & post engagement Are the discussions in active?
  • Module/course completions Do members make progress in their learning?
  • Email open & click-through rates Are they being engaged with your emails?
  • Event attendance Does the group show up for live sessions?

Monitoring the appropriate KPIs will help you spot trends, find disengaged participants, and refine your engagement strategy.

Tips to boost membership Engagement

It's not necessary to wait for engagement to become an issue to begin taking steps to improve it.

Here are a few strategies our customers employ to keep members engaged. We've provided guidelines, tips and other tools that can help you create an interactive and engaging website for your membership with WordPress.

1. Start building an Online Community

Have you noticed how often Reddit shows up in the top position of Google results? Google hasn't explicitly explained why However, it's possible to make an educated guess: users value genuine conversations as well as shared experiences.

An new mom wondering what she actually requires for her baby will trust advice from other mothers rather than a standard listing of products.

An freelancer seeking to find higher paying customers will turn at a group of fellow freelancers for tips and methods.

Your membership site provides your specific audience that has common interest as well as connecting these people adds enormous value.

If they're looking for networking opportunities, advice, or sharing experiences, the private group can be one of the best parts of your participation.

Create premium forums for community members in .

With social media frequently being a chaotic and unfriendly space it is important to have an members-only community provides an environment that is secure and high-quality in which people can interact with each other in meaningful ways. It is free of ads, trolls or other irrelevant noise.

 How to Install It

WordPress comes with a number of excellent plugins that will help you establish a community on your web site. customers have found satisfaction with

  • bbPress Simple but powerful forum software.
  • A better option with more features to social networks and group discussions.

If you're open to hosting your own community off of your site take a look at:

  • It's great for chats that are real-time Particularly if your audience is tech-savvy.
  • It is convenient if your customers are already engaged on Facebook.

2. Include Gamification

I'm a huge fan of games that are gamified. In fact I owe my ability to speak Spanish to a particular green owl, a stack of badges, as well as a very intense contest to be at the highest position on the leaderboard along alongside a coworker.

Although leaderboards and points don't do much for you, I can guarantee you'll have a small portion of your employees that thrives on them.

For a few (myself including), earning rewards can be so rewarding that they'll consciously search your site to get their next dopamine hit!

 How To Install It

With GamiPress, you can earn points, badges, and achievements to various engagement activities on your membership site, including:

  •   Logging in or signing up in  
  •   Completed lessons or course  
  •   Participating in discussions with the community  
  •   Comments or replies to comments  
  •   New members are referred to as "referrals"  
  •   and many more!  

Whatever plugins you're running on your site's membership page, GamiPress likely has integrated with it, including several we mention in the following article:

  • (for subscriptions and online course activity)
  • BuddyBoss & BbPress (for community forums)
  • (for online quizzes, surveys and other interactive activities)
  • Easy Affiliate (for profitable referrals)

And to make it even better And to top it off, it's absolutely cost-free!

If games can get people excited to engage, what better way to make use of it?

3. Create a Loyalty Program

Are you looking to improve the gamification process and engage your members more? A membership loyalty program might be your secret tool.

Point system, VIP perks, and special rewards encourage people to stick around and spend more. The results of earning airline miles as well as coffee shop rewards speaks for them. What's more? Works equally well on the membership websites.

Research shows that over 80percent of peopleare more inclined to stick when they are a member of a brand that offers a loyalty program. Even better? The fact that over 90% of businesses claim that loyalty members can spend 4 times more than non-members.

 How to Reward your most engaged members

With an loyalty program that you join, you are able to turn points and milestones into rewards in real life. Here are some options:

  • Offer members the opportunity to earn a reward after one year of membership or perhaps an exclusive Q&A session or VIP discount.
  • Offer an incentive incentive for the completion of a course or coaching program,like an exclusive certificate or even a gift card.
  • Make use of points-based perks to encourage engagement. For example additional content, or even an announcement in your local community.

A corporate coaching subscription like this might provide "Platinum Member" status at the end of a year, unlocking special coaching sessions and networking perks.

 How to Install It

This makes it simple. It is possible to offer the option of tiered access as well as set up an automated email with an upgrade link each time a user reaches a milestone - whether it's time-based (X years of membership) or an action-based (completing an activity or course).

If you want to go further, use your gaming plugin to measure participation and manually reward your most active members with:

  •   Coupons for renewals  
  •   Special content or VIP privileges  
  •   physical swag such as the t-shirts and event tickets  

We've already mentioned is another plugin that can be used to award badges and points based on activity, and then transform engagement into actual reward.

4. Use Email Campaigns

Are you thinking email is an old fashion thing? Don't be. email is one of the best methods to keep your customers active. It's direct intimate, private, and unlike the algorithms of social media it ensures your message is seen by those who read it.

Consistency and relevance is key. Your emails should remind members why they joined in the first place and make them feel excited about what's next.

 Types of E-mails that Drive Engagement

Make sure your members come back with:

  • Exclusive Content Updates Update your library with new information including behind-the-scenes insight, as well as an early glimpse of upcoming content.
  • Event Invites & Reminders Promote live workshops, Q&As or networking events (and make sure to remind people so they don't miss it! ).
  • Personalized Recommendations - Suggest topics, courses, or even discussions that are based on your activities.
  • Are you a stranger who hasn't been seen in a while? Send a friendly nudge and the highlights reel of events they've missed.

 How to Configure It

Through the help of an email-marketing platform, such as , you can:

  • Automate email sequences to help training, onboarding or milestones in membership.
  • segment your target audience based on behavior - so members only get mails that they value.
  • Use dynamic contents to tailor subjects and provide recommendations.

An effective email message will reignite interest, spark interest, and keep participants interested for the duration of time.

5. Prizes and exclusive perks

Everyone loves free - prizes and perks that are exclusive generate excitement, increase engagement, and let members feel valued.

Make your friends feel special by offering them exciting perks and surprising benefits They'll check in more frequently and engage in more depth, and stay longer.

 Ideas for Giveaways & Perks

  • Members-Only Competitions offer giveaways so that the active members are eligible to win unique benefits. (Example: "Comment on this post for a chance to win a free 1-on-1 coach!")
  • Extraordinary Bonuses - Send random discounts or exclusive content to active members to keep them entertained.
  • Referral Rewards - Offer perks like free months of membership or exclusive content for those who refer new members.
  • Milestone gifts Reward anniversaries, course completions, or community contributions with a personalized reward.
  • Partnership deals Partner with the brands that your customers love and provide exclusive cross-promotions for your customers.

 How to Set It Up

It's not necessary to have a complicated set-up. make it easy to offer discount coupons that are time-bound to encourage participation.

If you truly are looking to make a splash, we

We love this plugin (and employ it on our own!) to run giveaways. The participants can get extra entries by engaging with your content, referring a friend, or following your social media pages to name a few of your many options.

Plus it helps you select a winner at random.

An well-run giveaway or exclusive perk keeps your community active, excited and discussing the benefits of joining.

6. Answers to questions and surveys

Have you noticed a pattern yet? Interactivity keeps participants engaged. The best membership experience goes beyond providing information - they provide members with the opportunity to actively participate and shape their experience.

 How do I add interactivity with Surveys and Quizzes

  • Use surveys to collect useful information from members, and discover what members are interested in and what they would like more of.
  • Include quizzes to online courses to help members to self-assess and monitor their improvement.
  • Offer deeper engagement with assignments - they are based on 1:1 feedback. This gives users a more personal experience.

 How To Set It Up

  • It is the most popular among our customers. It is pre-built survey templates which make it simple to design online feedback forms. The software also provides automated forms or a simple drag-and-drop builder for full customization.

 The more engaging your membership experience, the more invested your members will become.

7. Live Chat

If members have a query or concern, they don't wish to be waiting for hours to receive an email reply They want their answers right now. Live support helps your site's members appear more accessible, responsive and community-driven.

Live chat keeps members connected with 24/7 access to help. Fast responses help members stay engaged, avoid frustration, and continue making the most of their subscription.

 How To Install It

  • Instant support is available to common queries Helping users stay on the right track instead of getting stuck.
  • Chat is a great tool for building community Live chat functions can encourage real-time interactions among participants.
  • Automate response with AI chatbots Answer quickly to frequently asked questions, while also keeping your staff available to handle larger problems.

 Top Live Chat Tools for Member Sites

  • - Ideal for combining live chat and a complete support ticket system.
  • - Great for small teams who require a quick, efficient live chat and chatbot solution.

 Live chat is a great way to keep users engaged, decreases friction, and makes your website feel more like a social network than just a content hub.

8. live events, webinars and Office hours

We love helping customers create automations and passive revenue streams to make their membership websites sustainable and profitable.

 However, live events possess particular engagement abilities that make the extra effort worth it.

It doesn't matter what , these occasions give users a reason to log in at a specific moment.

Why is that so important? Because when something is readily available 24/7, members often delay participation - and sometimes do not even think about it at all.

Live events also create the unique 2-way communication between you and your members. It's a chance to give them the treatment they deserve with your direct presence, while building more lasting connections and trust.

 How Group Sessions Work So Well

Questions and answers from groups, AMAs and webinars can also be an opportunity for members to learn from each other. When members hear inquiries, tips, and real-world examples from their peers and are more inclined to:

  • Join a large, active community.
  • Get new perspectives and learn suggestions they've never considered.
  • Feel inspired to share your personal experiences and build greater engagement.

The events could provide a feedback loop in which members are able to grow closer and feel more invested in their community.

 How Do I Configure It

Here are a few ways to host live events as easy:

  • - An excellent all-around tool for webinars, group calls, and time-based office hours.
  • Ideal for professional webinars that feature advanced attendee trackers.
  • Google Meet - A simple, free choice for small-sized sessions.
  • - Excellent for interactive webinars that can be easily engaged with.

Live events give your members an incentive to be there, stay connected, and stay engaged. Whether you host a small Q&A or a large-scale webcast, it's worth it to bring your members to one place in real-time.

9. Member Challenges and Milestones

I'm in love with a 30-Day Challenge. The idea of making a positive improvement in a specific, manageable duration is so appealing.

Content creators have been aware of for a long time - surely you have a friend who has participated in an Yoga with Adriene challenge?

The challenge is also an excellent method of showing your participants how you provide the most value in a short time frame. They're arousing, action-oriented as well as proof that your members can make a meaningful difference in the lives of your members.

It's the reason why challenges are a great engagement goldmine. They keep members motivated, focused and coming back to track their progress.

Remember milestones too. By breaking longer tasks into shorter, celebratory moments provides members with extra motivation and helps keep momentum up.

 Concepts for Member Challenges

  • 30-Day Productivity Challenge Let users improve their concentration by giving them every day productivity tips and tools.
  • seven-day writing sprint Ideal for writers or bloggers looking to get started on their next writing project or build a writing habit.
  • 21-Day Kickstart to Fitness This program was that is designed to improve strength, flexibility, or endurance through small, manageable actions.
  • 30 Days to Master a Skill - Teach a key skill like photo editing, coding and public speaking with short, actionable lessons.
  • Personal Finance Challenge - Help members get their finances in order by taking practical steps, such as keeping track of the amount they spend and budgeting, or saving a certain amount at the conclusion of the contest.

 How Do I Set It Up

With , creating and managing challenges is seamless:

  • Create plans based on goals which guide participants step-by-step.
  • Utilize habit tracking to motivate daily, weekly, or biweekly engagement.
  • Automatically reward members when they achieve milestones. You can reward them by sending personalized messages or exclusive content.

This is just scratching the surface of what can do using CoachKit(tm). Check out the following video for more details:

How to set up Online Coaching on WordPress Using CoachKit (tm) (Full tutorial)

10. Member Spotlights and Success Stories

This makes members who are featured feel special, and also inspires other members within your network, all the while showing off the value of your membership.

It's also an excellent method to build connections. If your participants see people achieving their goals, taking on obstacles, and succeeding in their lives, they create a ripple effect of inspiration and enthusiasm.

 Tips for Spotlights on Members and Success Stories

  • Blog Posts- Write a post about a member who's accomplished their goal and tell their tale, their insights and tips for other members.
  • Social Media Shoutouts Highlight people of Instagram or Facebook with photos, quotes or videos.
  • Video interviewsJoin Zoom with a standout member and let them share their experiences in their own phrases.
  • Members Awards- Start an "Member of the Month" tradition, and honor their achievements with a dedicated feature.
  • Milestone Spotlights Updates are shared when members hit major milestones like completing an entire course or being part of the 30 day challenges.

 How To Install It

  • Reach out to your members via email or surveys to inquire about their achievements.
     Make use of a program like Formidable Forms to let members complete their story easily.
  • Share their stories with your friends, on your blog, or even as part of your next email campaign.

As well as being a feel-good-moment, celebrating your members' success can be a great method to increase engagement, build community, and let your members know that they're at the center of your business.

11. Drip Content

We are all aware that keeping a steady stream of exclusive content is the backbone of any good membership experience. However, providing that content week after week at frequent time intervals isn't an easy feat!

Drip content is an established and tested solution, and a popular approach to keep people interested for long periods of the course of time. The method also creates anticipation, and ensures they're not inundated by too much information all at once.

 How to Configure It

With it's super easy to establish drip rules for content to be released on any post, page or course lesson.

  • There is no limit to choose:
  • Which are the items you would like to drip-release
  • Frequency (daily, weekly, etc)
  • The exact date of release
  • If you wish the content to expire at a specified duration.

12. Accountability Groups & Mastermind Sessions

Did you know? 70 percent of people who establish goals never achieve their goals. Think of all the New Year's resolutions that were made in January, and then aborted by when is the next month? Oh yeah, February.

But here's another interesting stat: A study by the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) found that people are 65% more likely to achieve a goal if they tell someone else about it - and that number jumps to 95% by having a specific accountability time.

 Accountability can turn good intentions into real improvement - which includes engagement on your website.

If members join in smaller groups in small groups, they stay motivated, support each other, and make tangible progress regardless of whether they're trying to achieve a goal in business, leveling up a skill or taking a class.

 How To Configure It

  • Form co-coaching groups by using CoachKit(tm)
  • Create private forums with and BbPress or BuddyBoss
  • Host weekly or biweekly check-ins in which participants report their progress, set goals, and are given feedback.
  • Run live mastermind calls using the platforms of Crowdcast or Zoom where members can collaborate with each other, solve issues, and remain accountable

Accountability groups work well for engagement and retention since members build strong bonds with other in your community. If they feel connected, they're more likely to remain signed up.

If you do not have a accountability process implemented, this might be the missing element that takes your engagement to the higher stage.

Final Thoughts: Keep Members Involved and Engaged

We've covered quite a bit of ground, didn't we? I hope this article has opened your mind to some of ways to increase participation on your site.

We've examined 12 ways that your subscribers can connect, participate, and gain value from their ongoing subscription.

That's what's important: ongoing. Engaging members current, interesting, and useful for a long duration is what makes membership useful.

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Start today!

Begin to earn money for your content.

A big part of your success will come in observing how people respond to, and then adjusting accordingly.

You don't have to implement all 12 strategies right away. Begin with a small number. Pick one or two which are suitable for your group and test the options. Small, intentional actions can result in big successes.

 Which strategy will you test initially? Please let us know in the comments section below!

If you've found this post helpful, join our page on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn!

author avatar

Victoria Lloyd       Victoria has a knack for creating small, humble beginnings into massive achievements, and has taken her jewelry business from the vibrant buzz of London's markets, up to more prestigious locations such as The Royal Academy of Arts and Topshop's Oxford Circus main store. Victoria's expertise extends beyond physical products. Victoria is a pro-active track record of boosting the online presence of a range of brands. From innovative startups to household names like Nokia and Jack Daniels, Victoria has employed her unique combination of wordsmithing, strategic insight, and digital savvy to ramp the engagement of brands as well as SEO. At , Victoria leverages her diverse experiences to help simplify and decode the intricate world of online membership and growth for businesses. Victoria is here to help readers through her insightful tips, and help them successfully and effectively build their online communities and membership sites.