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One important way to monetize the content you create for your website is by placing some of it in a members-only area that you charge visitors to access. Many hosting services, including Squarespace Member Sites, offer plans that allow you to easily create gated content and process payments.
What is gated content? Essentially, it’s content that you make exclusively for people who pay for access. Gated content can help you build brand loyalty, earn extra income, and get to know your customers and their needs based on their feedback and what content they respond to most.
Member-only content will not show up in your site index or be visible to search engines, so it’s a good idea to create previews of your membership content on the public areas of your website. Post sample videos or teaser text there, so people who find your site through search engine results get a sense of whether or not the membership benefits would be of interest to them.
When you set up your membership pages, decide whether you want to charge a one-time fee for access or a weekly, monthly, or annual charge—similar to a subscription. The more videos, e-books, articles, and other types of content you post behind the paywall, the more the value of this gated content grows.
Read on to learn more about the kinds of gated content you can create.
Offering online classes and other instructional videos
If you are a teacher or trainer, gated video content can be a valuable way to interact with students and attract new students from anywhere in the world. During the pandemic shutdowns, many professionals—and their clients—discovered the value of online courses and classes. This interest has not diminished and, in fact, expanded to many different industries.
Here are a few examples of gated video content.
An online course: Film a series of instructional videos, each containing a separate learning module. You can post documents containing course notes and homework exercises with each video for students to download. Your students can pay a one-time fee to sign up for the course, then follow it at their own pace.
A regular schedule of new classes: Many yoga and fitness instructors create members-only sections, or Member Sites, on their websites where they post classes on a daily or weekly basis, charging weekly or monthly. Not only will members return frequently for new content, they’ll find a large supply of on-demand video classes to take at their convenience. You can also do the same with individual videos in a paywalled video library.
Pre-recorded webinars: If you hold live events or workshops through an online conference service or via your Acuity Scheduling online scheduler, record the video and post it in your members-only section. In addition to the income you earn from event attendees, followers who couldn’t attend can access this valuable training.
Creating a library of e-books and other written materials
If you are a teacher, subject-matter expert, or consultant, cement your reputation as a thought leader by creating online resources that your clients or followers can access through the member section of your site:
Publish e-books and whitepapers. Compile your blog posts or email newsletters into longer-format publications that demonstrate your expertise and invite members to learn directly from you by signing up for one-to-one consultations.
Online guides. If you regularly consult with clients, offer access to a gated area where you post worksheets, resource guides, or tip sheets for them to download and use during your consulting sessions.
Gated blogs. Squarespace allows you to set up a blog in your Member Site. You can write exclusively for your followers or clients, or if you’re a fiction writer, you can serialize your novel by regularly posting new chapters.
Building community inside your members-only area
Your clients and followers aren’t only interested in watching and reading the content you’ve created. They may also want to interact with you—and one another. You can include links to some of these community-building channels in the member section of your site.
The simplest way to encourage dialogue is by enabling comments on a gated-content blog, then responding to followers in the comments section. You could also embed an online scheduler like Acuity Scheduling in the gated content area, so clients can schedule fee-based consultations with you or sign up for group events.
Inside your Member Site, you can also post links to other opportunities for members to engage with you and the community you’ve assembled:
Live-streaming platforms where you host Q&As or webinars
Social media platforms and private social media groups
Signup pages for exclusive, members-only email newsletters
Even if you’re already monetizing your content through brand partnerships or video advertising, a website with a members-only section offers you a way to earn additional revenue for content you’ve already created.
Find out more about how to earn income from your video content