outsourceeasilycom Blog

The 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 the most important thing! Active members renew their subscriptions, participate in discussions, and also bring referrals. However, when engagement decreases then churn begins to take hold.

WHAT'S INSIDE          Toggle

Some time ago I wrote about the churn of memberships and how expensive it is to replace lost members than to keep those you already have.

Guess what? Keep members active, involved and enthusiastic, and they'll stay subscribed to participate in more activities, pay more, and maybe even bring in new members.

Our customers have collectively collected more than $2 billion in revenue.

Let's look at methods that work!

What exactly is membership engagement and Why is it Important?

First off, what exactly is the term "membership engagement"? Simply put, it's the frequency and amount of time people interact with your site as well as your community and offers.

A extremely engaged member regularly:

  • Logs in, and then browses several pages
  • Commentaries are posted, discussions are joined, and attends events
  • Actively participates in courses and completes the course.

These members recognize the value in their membership, making them more likely to renew, refer to others and benefit of upsells and cross-sells.

  • You're having trouble navigating your site
  • Doesn't realize everything you offer and more importantly,
  • (Brace yourself) is completely devoid of your

A few members may still be subscribed but never interact or interact with each other. passive membership can be an early alarm sign.

There are many who do not engage in the same way. Some people enjoy to read content in a quiet manner while others thrive with discussion forums and live events. Tracking different types of interaction helps you better comprehend and help your users.

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

How to measure the level of engagement in a membership

As we've previously discussed, high membership engagement differs based on what you offer. The same goes for the type of audience you're targeting.

But if your site is designed for learners who are self-paced, members might primarily engage by consuming content and completing courses independently and not engage in debates.

As engagement isn't a one-size-fits-all thing It is the most effective way to gauge it is against your own previous performances. Ask yourself:

  • Are members engaging in more or are they engaging in less in the past than they did in the past?
  • Is engagement growing at the same rate as the growth in membership or are you seeing a slowdown?

Key Engagement KPIs to Track

Choose the metrics that best define what's most important for your website's members:

  • Login frequency - How often do users signing in?
  • Forum activity and post engagement Do discussions remain ongoing?
  • Completion of a course or module Do students make progress in their learning?
  • Open and click-through rates Are they engaging with your emails?
  • Attendance at events Do participants show at live events?

Tracking the right KPIs will allow you to spot trends, identify disengaged members as well as refine your strategy to engage them.

The Key Strategies to Increase Membership Engagement

It's not necessary to wait until engagement becomes an issue before you can begin taking steps to improve it.

Here are some of the strategies our customers employ to keep their members interested. We've included suggestions, the best practices as well as instruments to help you build a more interactive membership site using WordPress.

1. Build an Online Community

Did you notice how often Reddit appears at the top of Google results? Google isn't able to explain why, but we can take an educated guess that People value conversations with real people and shared experiences.

A first-time mother looking for what she wants for her child can rely on advice from other mothers rather than a standard product list.

A freelancer looking to secure higher-paying customers will turn to a community of fellow freelancers who can offer advice and tactics.

Your membership site is geared towards an niche audience with shared passions that connects those people adds enormous value.

If they're looking for networking opportunities, advice or sharing stories, an private community could be one of the most valuable aspects of your membership.

create premium community forums in .

In addition, with social media feeling like a chaotic, unfriendly place it is important to have a private community for members only provides an environment that is secure and high-quality in which people can interact in a meaningful way. There are no ads, trolls or irrelevant noise.

 How To Set It Up

WordPress offers a variety of great plugins that will assist you to create a community on your web site. customers have found success with:

  • BbPress - A simple yet effective forum application.
  • A feature-rich alternative for group and social network discussion.

If you're willing to host your community outside your website, consider:

  • It's great for chats that are real-time, especially if your audience is tech-savvy.
  • - Convenient if your members are already engaged on Facebook.

2. Include Gamification

I'm an avid fan of gamification. Indeed I owe my capacity to learn Spanish to a particular green owl, a stack of badges, and the very competitive race to the highest position on the leaderboard along alongside a coworker.

Although leaderboards and points don't do much for you I'm able to guarantee you'll find a certain percentage of your members who are thriving on them.

Some (myself included), earning rewards is so gratifying that they'll purposefully seek out your site for their next high!

 How Do I Set It Up

GamiPress is a great tool for enhancing your membership experience. GamiPress it is possible to include points, badges, and awards to various activites on your membership website, such as:

  •   Signing up or logging into  
  •   Completed lessons or course  
  •   Participating in discussions with the community  
  •   Leaving comments or replying to comments  
  •   New members are referred to as "referrals"  
  •   and much more!  

Whatever plugins you're using on your site for membership, GamiPress likely has an integration for it as well as the ones we've listed in this post:

  • (for subscriptions, online courses and other activity)
  • BuddyBoss and BbPress (for forum communities)
  • (for online quizzes, surveys and other interactive activities)
  • Easy Affiliate (for profitable referrals)

Then, to add to the excitement It's completely free!

If gamification gets members engaged and participate, then why not take advantage of it?

3. Make a Loyalty program

Want to improve the gamification process and retain members for more? A Membership loyalty program could be the perfect weapon.

Point systems as well as VIP perks and special rewards encourage people to stick around and spend more. The success of earning airline miles as well as reward points at coffee shops speak for them. But guess what? It works equally well on websites for membership.

The research shows that almost 80percent of peopleare more inclined to stick with a membership brand which offers a loyalty plan. Even better? Over 90% of businesses claim that loyalty members spend up to four times more than non-members.

 How to Reward Your Most Engaged Users

Through the help of a loyalty plan it is possible to convert the points you earn and achievements into tangible perks. Here are some ideas:

  • Give members an incentive bonus after 1 years of being a member or perhaps an exclusive Q&A session or discounts for VIP members.
  • Offer a incentive for the completion of a course or coaching program,like an exclusive certificate or a freebie.
  • Make use of reward points to encourage engagement. For example more content, or the opportunity to be featured in your group.

A business coaching membership such as could offer "Platinum Member" status after a year, unlocking private coaching sessions as well as networking advantages.

 How To Install It

makes this easy. You can offer tiered access as well as set up the possibility of sending an automatized email with an upgrade link when a member hits an important milestone, whether that's time-based (X years of membership) or an action-based (completing the course or program).

For a more advanced approach Use your gamification plugin to track participation and manually reward those who are most active with:

  •   Coupons for renewals  
  •   Exclusive Content or VIP benefits  
  •   Physical swag like shirts or tickets for events  

We've already mentioned is another plugin that can be used to award badges and points according to activity and then convert engagement into real reward.

4. Make use of email campaigns

Think email is old-school? Think again. Email is still one of the strongest ways to keep your clients active. It's direct and personal. It also unlike algorithms for social media ensures that your message gets seen.

Consistency and relevancy is essential. Your emails should be a reminder to members of the reason they joined in the first place and keep them enthusiastic about what's next.

 Types of Emails That Drive Engagement

Remain committed to keeping your members returning by providing:

  • exclusive content updates - Share new resources including behind-the-scenes insight, as well as an early glimpse of upcoming content.
  • Reminders and Event Invitations Promoting live Q&As, workshops or networking events (and make sure to remind people to make sure they don't miss the event! ).
  • Personalized Recommendations Provide suggestions for topics, courses, or even discussions that are based on your behavior.
  • Are you a stranger who hasn't been seen in long? Offer a soft nudge along with a highlight reel of what they've been missing.

 How Do I Configure It

Through an email marketing platform such as  You can:

  • Automate email sequences to help onboarding, course progress or milestones in membership.
  • You can segment your users according to their behavior to ensure that members receive only emails that matter to them.
  • Use dynamic material to personalize subjects and provide guidelines.

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

5. Special Perks and Giveaways

Everyone likes to get free stuff giveaways - special offers and giveaways create buzz, boost participation, and make members feel valued.

Your members will be delighted by fun perks and unexpected rewards They'll check in more frequently as well as engage with you more thoroughly and remain longer.

 Ideas for Giveaways & Perks

  • Members-Only Competitions - Run giveaways where active members can win exclusive rewards. (Example: "Comment on this post for a chance to win a one-on-one training session!")
  • Special Bonuses You can send random discount offers or special content to your users to keep them engaged.
  • Referral Reward offer perks such as complimentary membership for a period of time or exclusive content for those who refer new sign-ups.
  • Milestone Gifts Reward anniversaries and course completions or other community involvement by giving a special reward.
  • Partnership Deals Join forces with popular brands and offer exclusive cross-promotions to your members.

 How to Install It

There is no need for a complex setup. make it easy to offer limited discounts for your participation.

If you truly are looking to make a splash then we

We love this plugin (and we use it too!) to run giveaways. Participants could gain additional entries by interacting on your blog, sharing it with someone else to follow your social media pages to name a few of the many available actions.

It also helps you choose a winner at random.

A well-run giveaway or exclusive perk keeps your community interested, active and people talking about your membership.

6. Questions and Surveys

Noticing a theme yet? Interactivity keeps participants engaged. The best membership experience goes beyond providing contents - they offer members ways to be active and actively shape their journey.

 How do I add interactivity with Surveys and Quizzes

  • Utilize surveys to gather important information about your members and discover what members are interested in and what they would like more of.
  • Include tests on online courses so that students can self-assess and monitor their improvement.
  • Allow for deeper involvement with assignments These require 1:1 feedback, giving members a more personalized experience.

 How To Configure It

  • It is the most popular among our clients. It comes with pre-built templates for surveys which make it simple to design form-based feedback that is interactive. Additionally, it offers artificial intelligence-generated questionnaires or a drag-and drop builder for full customization.

 The more interactivity you can provide your member experience and the more involved your members will become.

7. Live Chat

If members are faced with a problem or concern, they don't wish to be waiting for hours to receive an answer via email They want their answers now. Support in real-time makes your membership site feel more accessible, responsive and driven by community.

Live chat helps keep members in touch through real-time access to support. Quick answers help them remain engaged, avoid frustration, and continue making the most of their participation.

 How to Install It

  • Offer instant support to common queries - Help users stay on the right the right track and avoid getting lost.
  • Chat is a great tool for building community Live chat capabilities can encourage real-time interactions among members.
  • Automate responses with AI chatbots - Provide quick answers to questions while having your staff available to handle larger problems.

 Best Live Chat Tools for membership sites

  • - Ideal to combine live chat along with a comprehensive support ticketing software.
  • Perfect for small groups that require an easy, reliable live chat or chatbot.

 Live chat can keep members engaged, reduces the amount of friction and makes your website feel more like a community than just a content hub.

8. Online Events and Webinars, Live Event, and Office Hours

We enjoy helping customers develop automated systems and revenue streams to make their membership sites sustainable and profitable.

 But live events have particular engagement abilities which make the effort worth it.

It doesn't matter what , these events give members a reason to log in for a particular time.

What is the significance of this? Since when something is accessible all the time, people often put off their participation, and even forget about it entirely.

Live events can also provide an distinctive 2-way communication between both you and your participants. It's a chance to give your members an exclusive treatment by paying them your full presence, while building more lasting relations and confidence.

 What makes Group Sessions work So Well

Discussion groups, group Q&As, and webinars can also be an opportunity for members to benefit from one another. When members hear the answers, questions, and real-world examples from their peers They're more likely:

  • Be part of a bigger and active group of people.
  • Learn new perspectives, or get tips they might not have previously thought about.
  • Feel inspired to share your own experiences, building even greater engagement.

They can also result in a feedback loop that lets members grow together and feel more invested in their community.

 How Do I Set It Up

Here are some tools that will help make hosting live events a breeze:

  • It's a great platform to host webinars, calls with groups as well as time-based office hours.
  • Ideal for professional webinars that feature advanced attendee monitoring.
  • Google Meet - A basic, cost-free alternative for sessions with fewer participants.
  • Great for live webinars with easy-to-use engagement features.

Live events provide your members an incentive to show up, connect with each other, and keep them engaged. Whether you host a small Q&A or a full-scale webinar, it's worth the effort to bring your members to one place in real-time.

9. Member Challenges and Milestones

I'm an avid participant in a 30-Day Challenge. The concept of making an positive change in a specific, manageable duration is enticing.

The creators of content have known this forever - who doesn't have someone you know who's participated in an Yoga with Adriene challenge?

They're also an effective means of showing your participants how you provide real benefits in a short period of time. They're arousing, action-oriented as well as proof that your membership can make a meaningful difference in the lives of their members.

This is why challenges can be an Engagement goldmine. They keep members engaged, motivated and on track to keep them accountable for their accomplishments.

Don't forget the milestones. By breaking longer tasks into shorter, celebratory moments gives members extra motivation and helps keep momentum up.

 ideas for member challenges

  • 30 Day Productivity Challenge help participants improve their productivity by providing everyday productivity tools or tips.
  • Seven-day Writing Sprint - Perfect for writers or bloggers looking to get started on their next writing project or establish a habit of writing.
  • 21 Day Fitness Kickstart The program is designed to build endurance, strength, and flexibility endurance in small, achievable stages.
  • 30 days to master an Ability Teach an essential technique such as photo editing programming or public speaking using short, actionable lessons.
  • Personal Finance Challenge - Help members get their finances under control with actionable steps like tracking spending and budgeting, or saving a certain amount by the end of the challenge.

 How To Install It

In this way, tackling and overcoming the challenges are easy.

  • Build goals-driven programs that guide members step-by-step.
  • Use habit tracking to encourage the daily, weekly, or biweekly attendance.
  • Reward members automatically when they reach milestones through personal messages or access to exclusive material.

This really only scratches the surface of what could do using CoachKit(tm). Check out this instructional video for more information:

How to Set up an Online Coaching Program on WordPress With CoachKit (tm) (Full tutorial)

10. Members Spotlights & Success Stories

The featured members feel special, and also inspires other members within your network, all the while exaggerating the worth of your membership to the world.

It's also an excellent opportunity to create connections. When your members see real individuals who are achieving milestones, facing challenges, and thriving in their lives, they create the ripple effect of motivation and enthusiasm.

 Ideas for Member Spotlights & Success Stories

  • Blog features- Write a article about an individual who has accomplished their goal and tell their experience, insight, and suggestions for others.
  • Social Media Shoutouts Highlight people of Instagram or Facebook with quotes, photos or even a short video.
  • Video InterviewsJoin Zoom with an outstanding member and let them share their journey in their own speech.
  • Members AwardsStart an "Member of the Month" tradition, and honor their achievements with a dedicated feature.
  • Milestone spotlights Updates are shared as members achieve milestones such as completing the course or taking part in your 30-day Challenge.

 How to Install It

  • Contact your customers via email or surveys and ask about their wins.
     Make use of a program like Formidable Forms to let members complete their story quickly.
  • Let them share their experiences in your community, on your blog, or as part of your new email-based campaign.

It's also an enjoyable moment, recognizing the success of your members is an effective means to boost participation, create community and demonstrate to your members that they are the heartbeat of your site.

11. Drip Content

We are all aware that keeping a steady stream of exclusive content is the backbone of any great member experience. But ensuring that you have content available each week on regular intervals isn't an easy feat!

Drip media is a tried-and-tested solution as well as a popular method to keep users interested for long periods of the course of time. This also increases anticipation and helps ensure that they don't get overwhelmed by too much at once.

 How To Configure It

It's easy to set up drip rules for content to be released on any page, post, course, or individual class.

  • You have complete flexibility to decide:
  • Which are the items you would like to drip-release
  • Frequency (daily, weekly, etc)
  • The exact date of release
  • You can choose whether you wish for the content to end within a specific duration.

12. Accountability Groups & Mastermind Sessions

Did you know? 70 percent of people who establish objectives never reach them. Think of those resolutions for the new year made in January, but then completely abandoned by - wait, when is the next month? Yes, it's 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 percentage with a dedicated accountability appointment.

 Accountability can turn your good intentions into tangible progress - including engagement on your site.

In smaller groups, they stay motivated, support one another, and can make significant advancement regardless of whether they're trying to achieve a goal in business or advancing their skills or finishing a training course.

 How Do I Set It Up

  • Make group coaching cohorts using CoachKit(tm)
  • Set up private forums by using BbPress or BuddyBoss
  • Hosting weekly or biweekly Check-ins in which participants report their how they are doing, make goals and are given feedback.
  • Live mastermind calls can be conducted using either Crowdcast or Zoom in which participants can work together, problem-solve, and stay accountable

Accountability groups work well to increase engagement and retention since members build connections with each other within your community. When they feel included, they'll be more likely to stay signed up.

If you don't have a accountability process implemented, this might be the missing element that will take your commitment to the higher step.

Last Thoughts: Make sure that Members are Engaged and Invested

We've covered quite a bit of ground, haven't we? Hopefully, this has opened your eyes to ways to increase participation on your site.

We've examined 12 ways for members of yours to connect, participate, and see real value in the ongoing membership.

The key word is: ongoing. Maintaining engagement active, engaging and valuable throughout duration is the reason why memberships are valuable.

cta character

Take Action Now!

Start getting paid for your content.

A big part of your success comes in observing how people respond to, and adjusting as you go.

It's not necessary to apply all 12 strategies right away. Start with small steps. Pick one or two that make sense to your organization and try them out. Simple, deliberate steps can lead to big successes.

 What strategies do you plan to try initially? Please let us know in the comments 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 turning small beginnings into big success, elevating her jewelry brand from the vibrant buzz of London's street markets up to more prestigious locations such as The Royal Academy of Arts and Topshop's Oxford Circus flagship store. Victoria's expertise extends beyond physical items. Victoria is a pro-active experience of increasing web-based engagement for a wide range of companies. From innovative startups to household names like Nokia and Jack Daniels, Victoria has utilized her powerful blend of wordsmith magic, strategic insight, and digital acumen to drive up brand engagement and SEO. In her blog , Victoria leverages her diverse experience to simplify and demystify the world of membership sites and growth for businesses. She's here to guide readers through her insightful tips, and help them effectively and imaginatively create their communities online and membership sites.