Drive membership signups with a monthly digest email (templates included!)

Convert newsletter subscribers to members by showing off your best recent work

Showcasing what you have to offer is the most compelling way to get new members to sign up to support you. A very simple but effective way to do this is by publishing a monthly digest of your best content.

You're going to want to add this one to your content calendar – it's just one newsletter per month, using existing content, but the results will speak volumes.

Below are 4 email templates you can use to give your newsletter subscribers a sneak peek at your members-only content and help win them over to paid memberships.

Use the templates interchangeably or stick to one monthly format, whichever works best for your project and content.

Templates: Email 1

[Subject line] Your monthly membership sneak peek

Hi [name]

Welcome to your monthly membership sneak peek. This is where you’ll get a taste of what our generous members have been enjoying as a “thank you” for supporting our work financially.

This month on the [blog/channel/whatever applies to your project]:

• [Show off your 3 most popular pieces of content for the month with a short snippet of the juiciest bits – insightful quotes, funny moments or revealing research. Even better if you can include an image for each content piece.]

• X

• X

We already love having you as a newsletter subscriber. If you would like regular access to articles like the ones above, please consider becoming a member. Membership plans start at just €X/month.

[button] Become a member today

Best wishes,

[your sign-off]

Email 2

[Subject line] The one story we don’t want you to miss

Hi [name]

This month we published [insert piece of juicy exclusive content].

Normally articles like this are only available to our paying members, but the response was so immense we wanted to give you a peek.

You can read this article for free, but only until Sunday [remember to remove your paywall for a limited time]:

[link to article]

We are only able to produce groundbreaking work like this thanks to the generous support of our members, who make monthly financial contributions in order to keep us going.

If you want to see more content like this, please consider joining them:

[button] Become a member of XXX today

Best wishes,

[your sign-off]

Email 3

[Subject line] What’s so great about being a member?

Hi [name]

I know we keep mentioning these magical members of ours, but you might be wondering: who are these people and what do they get in exchange for their financial support?

Our members make monthly financial contributions that enable us to continue our work. In exchange, they enjoy access to members-only content, a set of member benefits and the satisfaction of knowing they’re supporting their favourite XXXX project.

Here’s a run-down of our 3 membership plans, what they cost and what members receive in return:

• [Insert info about your plans here. You might like to include examples of recent content pieces that members have had access to.]

• X

• X

If that’s left you hungry for more, step on up! Registering as a [project name] member takes just a couple of minutes:

[button] Become a member of XXX today

Best wishes,

[your sign-off]

Email 4

[Subject line] Have you read/seen the one about [Insert popular piece of content from your archive here]?

Hi [name]

Recently an old friend brought up the [story/video/episode in question]. It’s been a year since we posted it, but I took another look and I reckon it still rings true.

When we posted it, the video was only available for our generous members. But today, we’ve decided to make it freely available so subscribers like yourself can take a peek.

[Link to content here]

We are only able to produce work like this thanks to the generous support of our members, who make monthly financial contributions in order to keep us going.

If you want to see more content like this, please consider joining them:

[button] Become a member of XXX today

Best wishes,

[your sign-off]

Social media templates

Your social posts should follow the same idea that people need multiple reminders in order to sign up for membership. Here are 4 examples of posts that help people sign up:

1. Wondering what our generous members enjoy behind the scenes of [project name]? Here’s a sneak peek.

2. Originally for members only, one year on from its release we’re making the [topic name] video public because we think everyone needs to see it.

3. The three most popular members-only episodes this month:

• X

• X

• X

Sign up for membership today and enjoy weekly bonus episodes: [link to your Steady page]

4. Normally articles like this are only available to our members, but the response to this week's post was so immense we wanted to give you a peek.