1. Identify your publication’s purpose
To create an impactful membership publication, start by aligning clear content goals . Think about your organisation’s values and the reasons members join, ensuring your content offers value to your audience. Align your content with your mission, and you’ll build trust and authority – and resonate!
Depending on your content goals, you may identify the need for separate publications or to segment content for different audiences. Establish a clear mission-driven content strategy supports your wider objectives and fosters engagement and credibility.
2. Boost member retention
Publications are a great way to add value to a membership package and make members feel they’re part of an exclusive club or community. While it’s important to keep some of your content free to the public, to attract new prospects, member-only publications elevate your membership benefits.
To retain members, it’s vital to offer unique, useful membership content that feels equivalent to the monthly or annual membership fees they pay. Alongside a magazine, consider offering members webinars, podcasts, educational modules and exclusive interviews.
3. Build member relationships
Membership organisations unite individuals around shared interests, with many professionals seeking networking opportunities and connections based on common interests. Organisations that thrive on having in-person events with like-minded individuals may find a magazine a useful supporting tool.
Through strategic content, an effective distribution network and robust on- and offline communications, your publication can facilitate networking among members.
4. Connect with sponsors
An engaged magazine readership will be an attractive prospect for sponsors who work in your industry, or one aligned to your organisation. Adverts, sponsored content and guest editorials are all great ways to drive revenue for your publication while also providing value for your readers.
Offer sponsors attractive packages where they get discounts for committing to bulk advertising deals over a set time period. If their creative content is not up to the quality of your magazine, provide a service creating an advert or piece of sponsored content on their behalf which fits with the tone and style of your publication.
5. Upsell your events
Use your publication to promote ticketed conferences, trade shows and training seminars. By delivering high-value content via print articles and digital media, you can convey to readers that attending these events promises significant returns. Once a loyal readership is established, strategically placed promotions can boost event registration numbers, enticing members to participate in these gatherings.
To provide membership organisations with ideas and inspiration, we create an occasional publication called Membership Magazine with our partners. It’s distributed at membership shows such as the MemberWise Membership Excellence Conference, where our team have also done TED-talk-type presentations. Order a copy to be delivered by post, using the form below.
