Membership Geeks Podcast with Mike Morrison

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479

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Jun 2026

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About the show

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

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60 recent

June 16, 202615 min

478 - How to Ensure You're Delivering Results for Your Members

In this episode, I get into something that's becoming more important than ever for membership owners: the ability to actually deliver results.For years, memberships have leaned on giving people more content, more features, more bells and whistles. That was never the right approach, and now AI is exposing it. Members don't want information. They want transformation.I walk through what a results-driven membership actually looks like in practice, from understanding what your members really want, to engineering early wins, to building a culture where progress is recognised and celebrated.If you want your members to stick around for years rather than months, this episode is for you.In this episode:Why content and features are no longer enough to keep members engaged long termThe four membership motivators that drive most memberships, and why knowing yours mattersHow to engineer an early win in the first few weeks of a new member's experienceWhy your members need a clear pathway, not just a content libraryHow to build a results-driven culture by recognising, rewarding, and reinforcing member winsWant a step-by-step framework for engineering a tangible early win for new members in their first 2-3 weeks? Grab the free Early Win Playbook at membershipgeeks.com/478, including worked examples for all four membership motivator types.And if you'd like a wider view of where the gaps in your membership business actually are, our free Membership Healthcheck is built for exactly that.Key Quotes & Takeaways:"Members don't want information, they want transformation. And all these new AI tools are giving them content, they're giving them info. That's covered. Your membership needs to give them something more.""People don't join memberships to stand still. They join because they have an outcome in mind, they have a problem they need solving, they have a goal they want to reach, a transformation they want to undergo.""At no point should your members be in your membership thinking, what should I do in order to move forward? There should always be clarity through your content, through the way in which you engage with people on the precise step they need to take next. The clearer the path, the more members will actually walk it.""They don't want the stuff. They want the results that the stuff makes possible."You might also find useful:Using Onboarding to Give New Members a Warm WelcomeWhy you need a solid member onboarding process21 Quick Tips For Improving Member RetentionHow to Create an Extraordinary Member ExperienceThank You For ListeningWe really appreciate you choosing to listen to us and for supporting the podcast.We would be eternally grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show.They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience and we read each and every one personally!Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast to make sure that you never miss an episode.

June 9, 202614 min

477 - Here's Why Your Membership Waitlist Isn't Converting

In this episode, I'm tackling a problem I see all the time: memberships with healthy-looking waitlists that convert far worse than they should when the doors finally open.The issue almost always comes down to the same thing: the waitlist has been treated like just another email list, when it's actually something very different.I share how to set up, nurture, and test your waitlist so the people on it are genuinely ready to buy - not just curious browsers who wandered in for a freebie.If you're building a waitlist for a launch, or running a closed-door membership that relies on a waitlist between enrolment windows, this one's for you.In this episode:Why adding a freebie to your waitlist opt-in is actively hurting your conversionsHow to nurture waitlist subscribers differently from your general email listWhat the Ikea effect has to do with getting more sales when your doors openHow to test the intent of people on your waitlist so you know who's actually ready to buyA clever referral tactic one UK membership uses to let waitlisters skip the queueKey Quotes & Takeaways:"No one's going to join a waitlist if they're not at least a bit interested in actually joining when the doors open. People generally won't join a waitlist out of curiosity.""When the doors do open, it's not just the doors opening to your membership, it's the doors opening to their membership.""This is a waitlist. It's not just an email marketing list. It's not a case of getting as many people on that list as possible. We only want people on that list who have genuine, clear, unmuddied intent to join your membership.""If you've had a waitlist, you've not been nurturing them, or if you've been closed for quite a long time, they've been waiting for a while. The interests may have waned, their circumstances might have changed, or they might have gone looking for an alternative that is available right now."

June 2, 202627 min

476 - My 8 Top Tips for Managing Member Expectations

In this episode, I tackle one of the most under-appreciated drivers of retention in any online membership: expectation management.I share why memberships are uniquely unforgiving when it comes to overpromising, and how a mismatch between what you sell and what you deliver will quietly kill your retention long before a cancellation email ever hits your inbox.We'll walk through seven practical ways to set realistic expectations - from the claims you make in your marketing, right through to how you signpost future value for members already inside your community.If you want members who stick around, get results, and rave about your membership rather than resent it, this episode is for you.In this episode:Why managing member expectations matters so much more for memberships than for one-off productsThe danger of "magic beans marketing" and how to sell with confidence without overpromisingWhy being clear about who your membership isn't for will attract better-fit members who stay longerHow showing behind the scenes, tweaking your pricing strategy, and using FAQs can pre-empt misaligned expectationsThe role of signposting future content and events in keeping existing members engaged and reinforcing clarityWant the practical companion to this episode? Grab the free Magic Beans Swap Sheet – a swap table, list of words to retire from your marketing, and a self-edit checklist for your sales page.And if you'd like a wider view of where the gaps in your membership business actually are, our free Membership Healthcheck is built for exactly that.Key Quotes & Takeaways:"One of my favourite things with the online membership model is that there's no place to hide. If you cannot live up to what you promise your audience, they're going to figure that out and they're going to do that pretty quickly.""Don't go out there selling magic beans. Don't make these kind of wild guarantees and promises because of course there's no such thing as a guarantee.""Don't be afraid to put people off joining your membership and to tell them explicitly, this is not for you. Because then you can double down on the people your membership actually is for.""If you set your expectations sky high, there's no way to go after that. But if you've set realistic expectations, then you can wow them a little more. Then you can surprise and delight them."

May 26, 202621 min

475 - This is Why People Aren’t Joining Your Membership...

In this episode, I tackle one of the most common problems I hear from membership owners — people just aren't joining. Or not enough of them are.I share the three biggest reasons this tends to happen, and why the problem is almost never what owners think it is. Spoiler: it's usually not your sales page, your funnel, or your offer.I also give you the single most effective (and embarrassingly simple) technique for finding out exactly why your audience isn't signing up — straight from the horse's mouth.If your sales have stalled, fizzled out, or never quite got going in the first place, this episode is for you.In this episode:Why a "sales problem" is almost always an audience problem in disguiseWhat happens when you take your eye off audience growth after launch (and why the damage shows up later than you'd expect)Why skipping proper research and validation is the fastest route to a failing membershipHow under-marketing your membership actually does your audience a disserviceThe simple email you can send today to find out exactly why people aren't joining--Want the exact email to send, plus a response tracker and a guide for turning the replies into action? Grab the free Email Swipe Kit at membershipgeeks.com/475.--Key Quotes & Takeaways:"About 90% of the time when I dig into it, they do not have a sales problem. They have an audience problem.""Build it and they will come is not a valid membership strategy.""If your membership can genuinely help someone, you should be doing everything in your power to make sure there is absolutely no possible way that they are not aware of your membership. Do not be the best kept secret in your industry.""You want to know why people aren't joining your membership? Ask people why they're not joining your membership. I really wish it was more complicated than that because it would make me seem a heck of a lot smarter."Thank You For ListeningWe really appreciate you choosing to listen to us and for supporting the podcast.We would be eternally grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience and we read each and every one personally!Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast to make sure that you never miss an episode.

May 19, 202639 min

474 - Why Your Membership Needs a Framework with Charlotte Crowther

In this episode, I dive deep into the crucial role that frameworks play in building a successful membership business.Joined by Charlotte Crowther, founder of Signature Framework, we explore why simply piling on content isn’t enough to help your members get results or to make your membership stand out in a competitive market.We break down what a framework actually is, the difference between methodology and framework, and how having a signature, visualized structure can streamline both your teaching and your product offerings. You'll get practical advice for building your own framework and insights on avoiding the most common mistakes.In this episode:What exactly is a framework, and how is it different from just a collection of courses or resources?How does having a signature framework offer advantages over a standard “content library” model in a membership?What are the best ways to implement and leverage a framework within your membership, including for non-linear or community-driven memberships?What are the common missteps to avoid when developing a framework, and how can you ensure it becomes a powerful asset for your business?Key Quotes & Takeaways:"I feel more and more people just want the specificity. And they don't want to be told, here's a thousand things that could be useful. They want to be told just the 10 things in the right order that are specific and useful for them.""knowing that there is a structure, a reference point, like there is a method to the madness, is always going to reassure people and make them more likely to actually jump in and engage the way that you want them to.""Often a key factor of a successful community is that everyone's on a transformation journey together. So when you give them the building blocks of that, you just make it easier for everyone to connect and get on."Thank You For ListeningWe really appreciate you choosing to listen to us and for supporting the podcast.We would be eternally grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience and we read each and every one personally!Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast to make sure that you never miss an episode.

May 12, 202616 min

473 - Quick Tips for Offering Multiple Tiers in your Membership

In this episode, I share practical, quick tips for offering multiple tiers within your membership business.I dive into the common challenges faced when creating tiered memberships, from avoiding over-complication to choosing the right differentiators for each level.I also cover how to effectively focus your marketing, prevent friction for members, and optimize upgrade/downgrade pathways.If you're considering multiple tiers or struggling to manage existing ones, you'll find actionable advice to help your membership thrive.In this episode:How many membership tiers should you offer, and why is keeping it simple important?What are the best ways to differentiate your tiers beyond just content?How can you effectively market your membership when you have multiple tiers?What strategies ensure smooth upgrade and downgrade paths without making lower tiers feel like a "second-class" option?Thank You For ListeningI 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!Key Quotes & Takeaways:"So having too many tiers and therefore too many different options for people to compare and weigh up makes the decision-making process harder. It adds friction.""It's so much easier and clearer for you and your audience when you choose one tier whether it is your lowest priced or your highest priced, to be the focal point of everything that you do.""You don't want to make the low price feel like it's for second-class citizens. Because who wants to be part of that? Who wants to join a membership where right from the get-go we know that we are being seen as less than?""If you can offer a lower price tier as an alternative to canceling, then that can keep people in your membership for much longer. It can increase their lifetime value, and also they could always end up upgrading again in the future when the time is right."

May 5, 202616 min

472 - Time Management Techniques I Use to be a More Productive Membership Owner

In this episode, I dive into the time management and productivity techniques I've personally honed through years of running a membership business.I share the exact frameworks and mental models I use each day to structure my workload, prioritize tasks, and maintain focus amidst the constant demands of membership ownership.You'll hear about the Eisenhower decision matrix, the “big rocks, little rocks, and pebbles” method, and my own 3x3 daily structure.Whether you’re overwhelmed by your to-do list or just looking for more consistency in your routine, I break down practical approaches you can try right away.In this episode:How do I quickly decide which tasks to prioritize and which to ignore as a membership owner?What practical system can help me distinguish the size and impact of different tasks?How can I structure my typical workday to ensure that both big projects and smaller tasks get the attention they need?What mindset should I adopt to stay flexible and consistent with my time management approach, even when days don’t go as planned?Thank You For ListeningI 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!Key Quotes & Takeaways:"Some people will use this grid to essentially categorize tasks into 4 things: the tasks they do, the tasks they decide on scheduling, the tasks they delegate, or the tasks they delete. Handily comes out as 4 Ds: do, decide, delegate, delete.""I can't remember where the whole big rocks, little rocks came from, but it lodged in my brain. I look at, okay, what are my big rocks? So the stuff that's going to take forever. What are my little rocks? So the stuff that I could get done today. And what are the pebbles? What are the little 5, 10-minute things that could be done?""The decision matrix helps give me that quick ability to prioritize, to determine what needs my attention, what needs a simple decision on the scheduling, on where it's going to be taken care of, what I could look to have someone on the team do, and what I can just cast off the list forever.""Rigidity, that lack of flexibility, is what I often have found makes methodologies, structures, frameworks, or whatever you want to call it for trying to be productive, kind of fall apart."

April 28, 202612 min

471 - 3 Clever Ways to Get More Members to Your Live Calls

In this episode, I discuss three practical strategies to boost attendance for your live member calls, whether you run Q&As, workshops, masterminds, or office hours.I share actionable tips that can easily fit into your workflow, from leveraging technology to personalizing member onboarding.If you’ve ever worried about empty seats during your live sessions, you’ll find plenty of fresh ideas here to increase engagement and ensure your members get the most out of their membership experience.In this episode:How can you make it easier for members to remember and RSVP to upcoming live events?What’s an effective way to invite new members to live sessions to improve their chances of attending?How can you help first-time attendees feel more comfortable and included in your live calls?What small tweaks to your onboarding and event reminders can make a big difference in live call participation?Thank You For ListeningI 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!Key Quotes & Takeaways:"The first is to use a subscribable calendar. So there's a fantastic service called addevent.com that enables you to set up an events calendar where you can give the link to your members. You can also embed it in your member area. That then enables them to subscribe to that calendar so that whether they're using Google Calendar, whether they've got the calendar in Outlook, Apple Calendar, whatever it is, the events you add to it will automatically populate that calendar.""Set up a subscribable events calendar embedded in a location on your membership website, but also email the link out to your members so they can subscribe to it so that all events that you add automatically get pulled into their calendar.""You could actually start it 15 minutes early and have that first 15 minutes exclusively for first-time attendees, whether they are brand new members to your website or just someone coming along to a live session for the very first time. That can be your newbie 15 minutes.""People are getting what they pay for because they're using what they pay for. And if people are using what they pay for, they're less likely to go and cancel it."

April 21, 202616 min

470 - The Way You Market Might Be Killing Retention - Here’s How…

In this episode, I dive into the crucial relationship between your marketing strategy and member retention.I explore how the way you attract new members to your membership business lays the foundation for whether they'll stick around long-term.I break down why focusing solely on sign-ups can backfire and how certain marketing tactics may actually set you up for higher churn rates.The aim is to help you develop a retention-first mindset that keeps your membership thriving.In this episode:Why does retention start with the way you market your membership?How can urgency and scarcity tactics impact member retention negatively?What are the risks of relying on discounts, offers, and bonuses to drive sales?Why is overpromising in your marketing strategy detrimental to long-term member success?Thank You For ListeningI 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!Key Quotes & Takeaways:"Without question, we all know memberships are a retention business. If this is news to you, then this is something you need to get to grips with pretty quick.""Retention starts with the way that you market. I really want you to understand and to embrace that and to develop this long-term view when it comes to your marketing, because marketing for a membership, the success is not measured by how many new signups you get. True success comes from how well those signups, those sales you get, actually stay subscribed. How long do they stick around?""If somebody can't afford $50 a month, but they'll afford $40 a month. That's too small and too narrow a margin to be sustainable because all that it needs is for one of the things that that person's paying for in their life to become a little more expensive. And then all of a sudden your membership's potentially on the chopping block.""The biggest culprit, or one of the biggest culprits, for the kind of marketing that ends up backfiring in terms of long-term retention is membership owners who hugely overpromise. They oversell, you know, they really, really go over the top with their value proposition."

April 14, 202612 min

469 - 1000 True Fans Are All You Need for Membership Success

In this episode, I dive into the concept of "1,000 true fans" and why it's the key to building a thriving membership business.Forget chasing massive audiences and vanity metrics—what truly matters is finding and nurturing a core group of highly engaged superfans who love what you do.I break down the myths about audience size, share why smaller, more passionate communities lead to deeper connections (and profit!), and show you how to shift your focus from quantity to quality when growing your membership.If you've ever felt discouraged by your follower count or overwhelmed by the competition, this episode is for you.In this episode:What does the "1,000 true fans" theory mean, and why is it crucial for membership success?Do you really need a massive audience to launch and grow a successful membership site?How can having a smaller, focused, and passionate audience be more valuable than chasing big numbers?What practical steps can you take to find and connect with your own 1,000 true fans?Thank You For ListeningI 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!Key Quotes & Takeaways:"You don't need to have hundreds of thousands of people on your email list or millions of followers on your social networks before you can be in a position to start something like a membership.""Some of the advice that you see out there that tells you just start, doesn't matter if you don't have an audience, doesn't matter if you don't have an email list or waitlist, all you need is one member, that's all it takes. Honestly, it's some of the most dangerous, nonsensical advice you'll ever find out there.""All you need to build a sustainable business is 1,000 true superfans who will hang on your every word, who put in extra effort to consume your content, to buy what you're selling. They're so engaged, they're so connected with you. They are your people. Everything you put out speaks to them, and they absolutely love you for it. 1,000 people like that is all it takes to accomplish fantastic success in the online space.""Because by drilling down into that smaller audience, you're more likely to find your people. You can appreciate the value of that smaller, more specific, more targeted market who have the sort of connection with you that simply wouldn't be feasible if you were trying to be all things to all people, trying to please everyone, trying to tick everybody's box."