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Mastering Memberships: Strategies for Growth with Madison Tinder [Ep 61]

How to Build a Successful Membership That Actually Serves Your Audience

Why Your Membership Isn’t Working (And How to Fix It)

I recently sat down with Madison Tinder to dive into something that’s been on my mind lately: why so many memberships fail to deliver real value. And let me tell you, her insights completely changed how I think about membership-based businesses.

Madison took a huge risk by completely retiring her high-ticket offers and mini-minds to focus solely on her membership model. We’re talking about walking away from proven revenue streams to build something more scalable.

But the results? She grew from 7 members to consistently maintaining 50-60 active members. And the best part? They actually stick around.

The Real Problem With Most Memberships

Too many people are just dumping their old masterclass recordings into a portal and calling it a membership. *That’s not a membership – that’s a content graveyard.*

What I love about Madison’s approach is how she flips the traditional membership model on its head. Instead of leading with community support, she actually puts it last. Why? Because she wants members to get results before they need help.

What Actually Works in a Membership

Through our conversation, several key strategies emerged that make a membership truly valuable:

1. Create Clear Pathways

Members need structured ways to learn and implement on their own time. This isn’t about throwing everything at them at once – it’s about creating intentional learning paths they can follow.

2. Stop Obsessing Over Community Engagement

Here’s a truth bomb: not everyone wants to engage actively in the community. Madison shared that some of her most loyal members never participate in discussions – they’re there for the material and renew because it works for them.

3. Make It Fun (But With Purpose)

Madison keeps things interesting with:

– Quarterly challenges

– Pop-up offers

– Themed calls

– Guest experts

But notice how each of these serves a specific purpose beyond just “engagement.”

The Marketing Piece

One of the most interesting insights from our chat was about how to actually sell a membership. Madison spends about a month on each launch (yes, a full month) with multiple touchpoints:

– Waitlist building

– Free event

– Public launch

But here’s what really caught my attention: she never stops talking about her membership, even when it’s closed. She sends people to the waitlist twice a week and consistently shows behind-the-scenes content.

The Commitment Factor

This was fascinating: Madison requires a three-month minimum commitment, and the data backs up why. When she tested offering one-month trials, every single person canceled after the month. But those who commit to three months? They typically stay for seven months or longer.

Quick Wins You Can Implement Now

If you’re running a membership or thinking about starting one, here are some immediate actions you can take:

1. Review your current structure. Are you providing clear pathways, or just a dump of content?

2. Look at your marketing. Are you consistently building awareness, or just during launches?

3. Consider your commitment structure. Could a longer minimum commitment actually serve your members better?

What’s Next?

The membership model isn’t going anywhere, but it’s clear that the old “join our community!” pitch isn’t enough anymore. Your membership needs to solve a specific, ongoing problem for your audience.

Want to dive deeper into creating a membership that actually works? Madison’s dropping her six-week program on creating a “rave-worthy membership” in January. In the meantime, you can catch her multi-passionate business tips on TikTok (@multipassionatemadison) or tune into her podcast “Out of This Niche.”

Follow the podcast on your favorite platform (link – https://beyond-the-systems.captivate.fm/listen ) for weekly episodes

More about Madison Tinder:

Madison is a business mentor & marketing educator who focuses on helping multi-passionate entrepreneurs build personal brands that help them grow their businesses. She ran an e-commerce business for 5 years and has hosted 7 retreats around the US. She is the host of Out Of This Niche Podcast and Multi-Passionate School Of Business community.

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