Don’t get caught up in thinking that you absolutely must post every day, launch every quarter, or spend thousands on ads to grow your membership. Having a strategy that gets more of the right people in to your membership consistently is the most important thing when it comes to how to grow a membership site.
After running my membership Styled Stock Society for the past 10 years, I’ve tried a lot of different things to grow, so let’s start with what’s worked for me.
How I Grew My Membership Site to Over 10,000 Members
Styled Stock Society has served over 10,000 members since 2016—without a massive team, stressing about content creation, or heavy ad spend.
Here’s what helped me grow a membership site that still converts new members weekly:
✅ Prioritized long-form content I could repurpose across multiple channels
✅ Pinned that content consistently (for nearly a decade!)
✅ Optimized core website pages and blog posts for SEO
✅ Shared a free stock photo bundle frequently and strategically
✅ Created evergreen email funnels to nurture and convert leads
✅ Offered free and low-cost trials to reduce decision barriers
✅ Participated in dozens of bundles, giveaways, and summits to grow my email list
✅ Ran affiliate promos that brought in hundreds of new members
✅ Used ads, mostly for retargeting or to accelerate evergreen funnels
None of these were “one-hit” wins. They were intentional, repeatable strategies that allowed me to grow my membership site without burning out. And while they’ve all helped to grow my membership, I’ve also tried a number of strategies that didn’t work out for various reasons, but the main thing I learned is figuring out what worked best for me and what I could do consistently to build a sustainable membership.
Some things I’ve never done to grow my membership? Open/close launches (we’ve been open for every single day since June 15, 2016), reels / social posts that require me to be on camera, attending in person events / conferences, networking in Facebook groups or other communities, dancing / pointing / lip-synching, or trying to create trending / viral content. All of these things are personally draining for me and not things that I want to do repeatedly, so they’re not MY best strategies for sustainable growth. But that doesn’t mean they can’t work for you!
How You Can Grow a Membership Site (Without Doing Everything)
There are three main ways to grow your audience and get more people into your membership. You can build your own audience, borrow someone else’s, or buy attention with ads and sponsorships.
Each method works. The key is choosing the ones that align with your strengths, stage of business, and systems. You don’t have to do all three—but you do need to commit to one or two consistently.
1. Build: Grow Your Own Audience With Value-Driven Content
This is the long game. You’re driving traffic to your membership by sharing value, building trust, and growing your platform. This creates an ecosystem where people discover your brand, trust your expertise, and join your membership.
Ways to build your audience:
- Creating social media content
- Blogging or YouTube videos that drive evergreen search traffic
- Hosting your own podcast or live series
- Regular, valuable emails that nurture your email list
- Creating strategic lead magnets that connect directly to your membership
- Speaking at events or running your own free or paid workshops
Pro tip: Start with the format you enjoy and can maintain. Consistency matters more than going viral or getting a ton of followers.
2. Borrow: Use Collaborations to Tap Into Other People’s Audiences
Borrowing traffic means tapping into the trust and attention someone else has already built. This is one of the fastest ways to grow a membership site without relying on your own audience. This is especially powerful if you’re early in your business or need to grow your list quickly.
Ways to borrow:
- Guest expert sessions inside someone else’s course or community
- Summits, bundles, or giveaways with aligned businesses
- Guest podcast interviews
- Freebie swaps or affiliate promotions
- Writing guest emails or blogs for other creators’ audiences
Pro tip: Not all collaborations are equal. Prioritize partnerships with aligned audiences and track results so you know what’s worth repeating.
3. Buy: Use Paid Strategies to Accelerate What’s Working
Once your messaging and funnel convert, you can amplify results with ads or sponsorships. This isn’t the first move—but it can be a smart one once your systems are proven AND you have the budget for it.
Ways to buy:
- Meta, Pinterest, or Google ads to promote a lead magnet or drive traffic to an offer
- Retargeting campaigns to re-engage site visitors or email subscribers
- Sponsoring newsletters, podcasts, or events that your ideal members already follow
Pro tip: Paid traffic shouldn’t be your starting point… make sure your backend — onboarding, nurture, and offer — are solid first. Then test small, track results, and scale what works.
You Don’t Need to Do Everything to Grow Your Membership
You don’t need to do everything to grow a membership site. The most sustainable way to grow your membership is to choose a few strategies you can do well—and do consistently.
Long-term growth comes from focused effort that compounds over time.
If you want help mapping out a simple, strategic growth plan for your membership, that’s exactly what we can do together in a Membership Strategy Session.
In 60 minutes, we’ll map out the most strategic path to grow your membership site based on your goals, audience, and strengths—so you can grow with confidence.