What types of membership sites are there?

The 6 main types are a publisher site (a digital magazine with regular content), a monthly package, a modular or drip site, a community, a coaching membership, and a combination of these.

Do I need a big email list to start a membership?

No. Small lists are often more responsive, convert better and are great for beta testing. And if you have no list at all, a virtual event can build one for you.

Do I need to be an expert?

No. You can build your content around other people’s knowledge. One of the best ways is to use virtual summit interviews inside your membership, organized into a path that gets members results.

How do I know my membership idea is a winner?

Use Stu McLaren’s 3 C’s: customers, community and content. Are people passionate about the topic and already buying around it? Can you build a targeted community? Can you keep delivering content they need?

Should I charge monthly or a one-time fee?

Recurring fees give you predictable revenue, are more affordable for members and push them to take action. A one-time fee gives you a big payment upfront and is simpler to set up.

Do I have to keep creating new content forever?

No. With the right strategy you can create a year’s worth of content in 7 days or less, like Michael Hyatt did for Platform University.

How to create a membership site in 2026 (step-by-step guide)

Q: Why create a membership site?

Recurring revenue. Monthly payments give you a more predictable income than one-off sales, and they’re easier for your members to afford.

Learn how to create a membership site step by step: pick the right model, price it, build it with today's tools and AI, launch it and keep members.

by Navid Moazzez·Updated 30 sep. 2026·34 min read·

How to create a membership site in 2026 (step-by-step guide)

Have you ever thought of creating a membership site for your business?

Do you have expertise or knowledge that you want to share, or do you have a following that you want to serve in a much bigger way?

Membership sites can turn your passions into a profitable business and make your life a whole lot more enjoyable (the freedom to travel the world as a digital nomad will do that).

This guide is a blueprint for how to reach more people while connecting with your audience in a deeper, more meaningful way.

You’ll discover exactly how to create a membership site that earns money every single month consistently.

If your current business model has you feeling tired, exhausted, and wanting to spend more time with your family, this guide is for you, but it’s also for anyone who has a powerful message they want to share with the world.

Meet the #1 membership site expert Stu McLaren

Stu McLaren has helped thousands of lifestyle entrepreneurs build successful membership sites over the years.

He’s also the former co-founder of WishList Member, one of the world’s largest membership platforms.

When it comes to real-world experience, Stu is a huge authority on the subject, having experience running his own 6 and 7-figure memberships.

His TRIBE membership program has helped thousands of business owners build memberships in almost every niche. You can find his current programs on his Creator Directory profile.

Stu is also one of the best people around… he truly cares about his students success and giving back to causes he believes in (he’s also the co-founder of Village Impact where Stu and his wife Amy build schools in Kenya).

I’ve been fortunate enough to hang out with Stu in person a few times as well… fun fact: he’s the same in person as he is online, which is quite rare these days.

What is a membership site?

A membership site is a subscription-based online business where people pay for monthly access to exclusive content.

If you play your cards right, your first site will be a smash hit.

Online education has been skyrocketing in recent years, and it’s because people are willing to pay for convenience.

The internet is flooded with free resources, but it’s all too exhausting for most people to sift through.

That’s where membership sites come in with their private forums, articles, and video courses, all organized into actionable, easy-to-follow steps that get results.

Why create a membership site?

Recurring revenue is the holy grail for many online entrepreneurs, and that’s exactly what membership sites deliver.

In fact, you probably already belong to a membership service without even realizing it.

Netflix, Spotify and Apple Music are some of the biggest names in the membership model game, and it’s been snowballing in popularity ever since Blockbuster died a quick and painful death.

The recurring revenue model is now king of the castle, and today newbie entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes can get in on the action.

Stu McLaren tends to say that we’re in the midst of “The Recurring Revolution”… and I couldn’t agree more.

Why should you create a membership site?

Because you can turn any skill or knowledge into scalable, consistent, location-independent income. And believe it or not, you don’t even have to be the one with the expert knowledge.

Instead, you can simply curate content and sell it as life-changing advice through your site.

Here are a few MASSIVE pros to starting a membership site:

1. Create scalable income.

How scalable are membership sites? Real scalable.

Imagine a world where you sell the same digital product to thousands of people without having to manage inventory.

That’s membership sites in a nutshell.

No matter how many customers you have, they all interact with the same content in the same way.

2. Your time just got a lot more valuable.

Rather than trading one hour of your time for one hour of pay, you can spend that same hour creating a piece of content that pays you over and over again via monthly subscriptions.

3. The satisfaction of making a lasting impact.

Memberships sites make a difference in the lives of the people they bring together.

By creating a membership site, you get to affect change on a major scale.

The membership site philosophy

Without a doubt, membership sites have huge perks, but they do come at a cost: For one, membership sites take a lot of hard work.

This means that they aren’t for everyone, but you have to admit, any business worth building comes with its growing pains.

Stu McLaren knows this better than almost anyone. He’s helped entrepreneurs launch thousands of successful memberships in nearly every industry, mainly through his TRIBE program.

This is his membership philosophy:

Low stress: A membership site is a marathon, not a sprint. Luckily, this business model allows you to lead a low-stress lifestyle while building your audience.
Grow into it vs. waiting for perfection: Your site will never feel perfect, that comes with steady growth. If you want to crush it, you should take action NOW and mold it to perfection as you go.
High profitability: Selling the same digital content to an almost unlimited number of users lifts the ceiling on ROI.
Keep things simple: Don’t jump the gun on complicated content packages. Keep your content simple and predictable. People gravitate towards membership sites because they provide a straightforward system for accomplishing their goals. The last thing you want to do is overwhelm them with too many options.
Start and continuously improve: Get in the habit of asking your subscribers what they like, what they hate, and what they’d like to see. Never stop trying to get into the minds of your audience and always strive to do a better job at solving their pain points.