A small blog doesn’t have to mean a small income.
By helping a specific group of people solve their problems, Carol Tice has attracted more than 1500 members — at $25 a month — to join her community.
Carol went from working as a freelance writer, to coaching others how to become freelance writers, to building one of the largest online membership sites for freelance writers.
(I found Carol while doing keyword research for terms like “get paid to write” and “make money writing” – and Carol OWNS this space.)
The best part is that the paid membership model is an awesome way to build an online business, and it’s a model that can be applied to just about any niche.
It didn’t come without sacrifice for Carol, who was working full-time and had two preschoolers when she started her blog. “I didn’t see a TV show, I didn’t go out to a movie, I didn’t go to dinner parties,” Carol explained.
But with hard work, a laser-focused attitude towards her goals, and good communication with her audience, Carol has built something special for freelance writers.
Tune in to hear how Carol built her membership site from the ground up. She explains how she uses funnels to constantly bring in new members, and how she keeps members engaged (any paying) for the long-haul.
You’ll learn loads of actionable stuff, and how you can also apply the same tactics to develop a recurring revenue business of your own.
Free Bonus: Download Carol’s Top Tips For Starting and Growing a Paid Membership Community
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Learn:
- How Carol came across the idea to start a membership site for freelance writers.
- How she surveyed her audience and built the site around the replies.
- The tactics she used to grow her membership numbers to more than 1,500.
- Why a paid membership group offers more value than free forums and groups.
- How she uses live Q&A’s and boot camps, and masterclasses to boost engagement.
- How Carol has removed herself from some of the day-to-day operation of her business.
- The tech and tools she uses to run her membership site.
- Carol’s #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation.
Links / Next Steps
- MakeaLivingWriting.com
- FreelanceWritersDen.com
- SurveyMonkey
- Instant Teleseminar
- Zoom
- Infusionsoft (apparently called Keap now??)
- MailChimp
- Digital Access Pass
- PayPal
- Simple Press
Download the Free PDF "Highlight Reel" from this Episode
With all of my guest's top tips and resources included.
Enter your email to access it now:
Success! You just unlocked the highlight reel from this episode ... AND over 200 other subscriber-only bonuses. Check your email for details :)
(If it doesn't show up in 5-10 minutes, check spam/promotions.)
You'll also receive my best side hustle tips and weekly-ish newsletter. Opt-out anytime.
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I’ve been toying around with the idea of launching a membership area on my blog, and just got a quote from a web designer regarding the cost of building one for me. So glad I stumbled upon your podcast and this episode in particular! Thank you for all the actionable advice.
Glad it was helpful, Barbara! Thanks for tuning in :)
Nick, I love your podcast but Carols attitude towards her customers I found condescending and showed a complete lack of respect to the people paying her wage. If I was one of her customers I would be unsubscribing after being described as “really special snowflake”. Not cool.
Excellent podcast…. you really got me going.