Membership Geeks Podcast with Mike Morrison

In this episode, I explore the importance of truly stepping away from your membership business over the holiday season.I share personal stories and practical advice on setting boundaries and embracing rest, debunking the myth that constant hustle is required for success.I also discuss how taking a real break not only protects your wellbeing, but can spark creativity and increase your effectiveness as a membership owner in the new year.Tune in for actionable tips to help you (and your community) enjoy the festive period guilt-free.In this episode:Why is it essential for membership owners to take genuine time off during the holidays, rather than just reducing work hours?What are the consequences of always being available and not properly disconnecting from your business?How can you plan and communicate your holiday break effectively to your team and members?What are the benefits—both personal and strategic—to stepping back from your membership, and how can it set you up for success in the new year?Thank You For ListeningI really appreciate you choosing us and for supporting the podcast.What's your next step?If you haven't launched your membership yet, I've made my signature Membership Roadmap Course completely FREE, walking you through exactly how to get set up for success!Already have a membership and looking to grow and scale? Join me inside Membership Academy where I'll help you take your membership to the next level.And if you found this episode valuable, I'd be eternally grateful if you would leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience, and I read each and every one!Key Quotes & Takeaways:"If you burn yourself out because you're not able to pull yourself away from your business, you're going to take all of that exhaustion, all of that resentment, because that will build. You're going to take all of that into the new year and that will absolutely bleed into every aspect of what you do. Your members don't want a version of you that's running on fumes, that's not rested.""When the brain is distracted by other things is when some of the best actual ideas and creativity comes up. When you take that time out, when you allow yourself to step back, you make space for those big ideas to show up.""You'll find that any time going forward that you want to take a break away, it no longer feels like it's a risk. It no longer feels like something you should be guilty about. You start to see it as a normal, healthy part of running your membership, because it is. And you'll come back from that break fresher, motivated, with a clearer idea of how the next year is going to look than you would if you'd spent the holidays balancing your laptop on your knee when you should be having Christmas dinner and enjoying the break."

This discussion highlights a critical mistake in membership businesses: neglecting the onboarding process. Effective onboarding can significantly boost member retention and satisfaction. The speaker shares actionable strategies, including the importance of initial experiences and personalized communication. Learn four essential steps to enhance onboarding, such as easy first tasks and automated follow-ups. Discover how even large memberships often overlook these basics and why focusing on onboarding is vital for long-term success.

Explore how to rise above the overwhelming tide of AI-generated content, often dubbed 'AI slop'. Discover the significance of showcasing your authentic voice and unique perspective in a world flooded with generic material. Learn why storytelling, vulnerability, and real-life case studies are essential for building trust with your audience. Gain insights into how your membership can thrive by prioritizing genuine human connections and personalized support over sheer content volume.

In this episode, I dive into the power of feedback loops and how they've been instrumental in driving membership growth for our community.I share exclusive insights from my session at Retain Live 2025, breaking down how to effectively gather, analyze, and act on feedback at every stage of the member lifecycle.You'll learn practical tactics for not only getting useful member input, but also using it to shape your offerings, refine your marketing, and boost retention.If you're ready to make your members feel heard and create a more engaging and successful membership, this episode is for you.In this episode:What exactly is a feedback loop, and why is it so vital for membership businesses?How can you effectively gather and use feedback from non-buyers, new members, existing members, and those leaving your community?What are the key stages in the member lifecycle where feedback loops should be implemented for maximum impact?How do you close the loop by showing members the tangible results and changes that result from their feedback?Thank You For ListeningI really appreciate you choosing us and for supporting the podcast.What's your next step?If you haven't launched your membership yet, I've made my signature Membership Roadmap Course completely FREE, walking you through exactly how to get set up for success!Already have a membership and looking to grow and scale? Join me inside Membership Academy where I'll help you take your membership to the next level.And if you found this episode valuable, I'd be eternally grateful if you would leave an honest review and rating for the show. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience, and I read each and every one!Key Quotes & Takeaways:"You need to speak to your audience, to your members, to your buyers, your non buyers, your ex members. That feedback is critical for guiding the growth of your business. But it's not enough to just get that feedback. You need to know what feedback to ask for and what to do with it.""And when they respond, listen, reply, have that conversation, but also take the responses and start creating content from it. Address the frequently asked questions, the frequent obstacles and objections that come up.""If someone's leaving, we need to know why and this shouldn't be a passive thing. We need to survey our outgoing members. We need to ideally have something in place before the cancellation is final, where we ask them why they are no longer staying in the membership and then respond to that before the final decision is made, offer them some alternatives to cancelling, acknowledge any frustrations, show that we care and we want them to stay so it's not just a case of them clicking the button and they're gone."

Explore effective strategies for managing stress in membership businesses. Discover how to set realistic expectations and treat your membership as a long-term journey. Embrace the power of incremental growth and avoid the pitfalls of perfectionism. Learn the benefits of outsourcing tasks to focus on what truly matters. Understand the importance of setting boundaries and keeping stress in context to maintain balance. This insightful discussion will help you enjoy the process and prevent burnout on your entrepreneurial adventure.

In this from the vault episode, I dive into the essential steps every membership site owner should take after launching their membership.It’s not just about getting started—the real work begins once your site is live, and what you do next can make or break your success.I revisit some timeless strategies for keeping your momentum strong, nurturing your new members, and planning for steady growth.Whether you’ve just launched, stalled, or are looking ahead, this practical guide will help you set a solid foundation for your membership’s future.In this episode:How can you effectively assess what worked (and didn’t) during your membership launch?What steps should you take to ensure new members are engaged and set up for success?How do you gather and leverage early social proof to fuel continued marketing?What are the best ways to follow up with non-buyers and plan your ongoing organic marketing efforts after launch?Key Quotes & Takeaways:“90% of success is all about what happens on the inside of a membership.” “In the afterglow of your launch, those first 30 days or so, really keep an eye out for any posts, comments, and feedback that you can use from your community…and then turn that into marketing collateral.”“You want those people that were on the fence during your launch and decided against joining to be kicking themselves for not signing up.”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.

In this special "From the Vault" episode, I dive deep into the biggest and most frustrating marketing myths that circulate in the world of membership sites.After more than a decade of helping membership owners, I've heard it all—from secret silver bullets to outdated pressure tactics.I unpack the myths, the nonsense, and the misleading advice that could be steering your membership off course.Join me as I challenge some of the most common misconceptions and share what actually works for building and marketing a successful membership.In this episode:Why is the idea that you have to pressure people to "buy today" potentially harmful to your membership business?Do you really need scarcity tactics to effectively market and sell your membership?Is it true that "a good product sells itself" and what role does audience building play in your success?Do you need a massive audience to launch and grow your membership, or can dedicated superfans be enough?Key Quotes & Takeaways:“Successful marketing is all about getting the right message, to the right person, at the right time.”“Some people are just not ready to buy when you’re ready to sell. Your business and how you market it is actually more about being there when someone is ready to buy, rather than trying to force the sale too quickly.”“If you’re not able to connect the dots and to compel people to put their hand in their pocket and pay you for the solution to their problem then it doesn’t matter how great your membership is, it doesn’t matter how great your product is. “Build it and they will come” is not a valid strategy.”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.

In this episode, I dive into the often-overlooked group within membership communities: the "lurkers"—those quiet members who rarely participate publicly but remain subscribed and engaged in their own ways.I break down why silence doesn't mean disengagement, how these silent members may actually be some of your most valuable, and what you as a membership owner can do to serve and retain them.I also share practical tips for balancing your community to support both vocal and quieter members, ensuring your membership thrives for everyone.If you're ready to rethink how you look at engagement and create a space where all types of members feel valued, this episode is for you.In this episode:Who are the "lurkers" in membership communities, and why do they matter?Does silence from members really mean they're disengaged or not finding value in your membership?What mistakes do membership owners make when trying to increase engagement, and how can these backfire?How can you better serve and retain your quieter members without alienating them or making them uncomfortable?Key Quotes & Takeaways:"Some of your longest standing, most loyal members may be the ones that you've never heard from. They don't need to be active in your community to get what they came for. They don't need to turn up to live calls to actually see value. They might be quietly in the background, binging your courses, downloading and utilizing templates, or simply taking comfort from knowing that your resources, your content, your support is there when they need it. They might not be visible, but they're still quietly succeeding because of what you provide.""Your courses, your downloads, your templates, your toolkits, whatever content you're creating, they should still deliver value, even if someone never once sets foot in the community. That way lurkers will still feel like being part of your membership is worthwhile and is valued.""Lurking is a perfectly valid form of participation, and the silent majority in your membership are often just as valuable, if not more valuable, than the vocal minority."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.

In this episode, I dive into one of the toughest aspects of running a membership business: spotting the signs that someone is about to leave your membership.I discuss the clear and subtle warning signals you need to watch for and share practical strategies you can use to proactively re-engage at-risk members before it’s too late.From leveraging technology to understanding behavioral patterns and key milestones, I aim to give you actionable steps to strengthen your retention strategy and keep your community thriving.In this episode:What are the warning signs that indicate a member might be at risk of cancelling their membership?How can you use technology and data to identify members who are becoming disengaged?What are the common “off ramps” or critical moments when cancellations are most likely to occur—and how can you address them?Which proactive steps can you take to re-engage at-risk members and boost your overall retention rates?Key Quotes & Takeaways:"If someone has come and said, I think I might need to go, the worst thing you can do is ignore it or dismiss it, or treat it with hostility. Even if their specific issue can't be fixed overnight. Just taking the time to listen, to respond quickly and with care can be the difference between them leaving or deciding to stick around a little longer." "Technology can help you to flag these things. Some software and plugins will have reporting features that will show you when someone last logged in. Some learning management systems will actually show you how long since someone completed at a lesson. You can use tools like WP Fusion, which is fantastic in enabling you to not only add tags to members that haven't logged in for a while, but also let you add a tag when someone completes a lesson or views a piece of content.""But if you can reach out with something personal and supportive that can make the difference. Remind them that you're there. Remind them that you have resources, you have tools, you are a support service that you can help them out.""Retention in memberships is not just about reacting when someone hits the cancellation button. Often when someone's hitting cancel, it's already too late. Retention is all about being proactive, having your eyes open, having your finger on the pulse, knowing what to look for and taking small but meaningful steps to re engage those members before it's too late."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.

In this episode, I give you a transparent, behind-the-scenes look at a major strategic shift at Membership Academy: why I decided to discontinue our lowest-priced membership tier.I dive deep into the challenges, member feedback, and business data that informed this big decision.I share the lessons learned, the impact on our community and sales, and why simplifying our offerings makes more sense for both our members and our business as we move forward.If you're considering multiple membership tiers, or are curious about evolving your pricing strategy, this episode unpacks it all.In this episode:What prompted the initial move to a two-tier membership strategy at Membership Academy, and what were those tiers?What unexpected challenges and downsides did introducing a lower-priced tier create for both the business and members?How did having multiple tiers affect member retention, sales performance, and customer experience over time?Why did I ultimately decide to revert to a single-tier membership, and how was this transition communicated to existing members?Key Quotes & Takeaways:"They join on the lesser membership tier so they don't get all the great things that will ensure that they are as successful as they can be. And then they look at their membership and say, oh, well, I haven't had the success I wanted, so why would I upgrade?""As the membership industry, and indeed the online education industry, changes and evolves, with the proliferation of AI, with the shift away from search engines to answer engines that are powered by AI, as all these new challenges face us coming into the next five, ten years and beyond, then memberships are going to need an entirely different level, an entirely different kind of support.""But what it's done is it's created that clarity, it's removed that friction, it's taking confusion out of the joining process because a confused mind doesn't buy.""Making that pivot, making that change has been a big decision, but a one that I'm extremely confident is the right one for where we want to take the academy going forward."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.