#139 This Membership Model Is Dead
This week I read my favorite marketing predictions post yet which (of course) was my friend Cheyenne's 2026 marketing predictions (w/ client data to back them up).
Cheyenne predicted that one-time course purchases will slow, and that low ticket memberships will crush (she defines low ticket in this case as under $1k/year). Here's an excerpt:
"So while - yes - I think info-product courses can still sell around the $299-$899 one-time purchase price, I also think the 90% of people are going to slow their buying of one-time, LTO courses + start buying LTO memberships.
One of my clients is now generating about $48k / month on a $97 membership she doesn’t have to deliver. She pays a community manager a few thousand dollars to run the whole thing. And it crushes...
There’s a myth that subscription offers convert worse than one-time payments because the buyer is paying for something they have to pay for every month - but the evidence doesn’t show buyers are thinking that long-term.
In fact, the sales page conversion rate is about the same (5%+). So if you are going to make a low-ticket sale to the 90% either way - why not make the sale recurring?"
If Cheyenne is right (she's always right) and we'll see a resurgence of that $19-97/mo membership this year... then we need to talk about what needs to change about this model in 2026.
Let’s get into it –
When Bossbabe launched their membership to their Instagram audience in 2018 they made $1M that first year. It was the right offer, at the right time. And they hit the lottery.
Then a huge wave of business owners modeled their memberships just like Bossbabe:
Monthly coaching calls
Monthly content drop
Facebook group aka "community"
But this membership model is dead.
And while Bossbabe has evolved their membership, so many businesses are still modeling their membership like their OG offer.
Over the years their pricing has ranged from $19-97 a month. Sound familiar?
But it's not the pricing, or the membership itself that's the problem... it's the delivery month after month.
The way memberships were built in 2020-2025 won't last in 2026 and beyond. Market demands, customer expectations, and technology have all changed so much that this isn't a compelling offer anymore.
And definitely isn't an offer designed for retention. Clients who come to me with this model typically have sub 85% monthly retention (so 15%+ cancellations per month), and low engagement (sub 50% MAU monthly active users).
The problem is that a monthly content drop built around a random collaboration or whatever topic feels timely that month ends up feeling exactly that way – random.
Our "random" collaborations for masterclasses caused churn problems for us while I was at bossbabe – I recorded a podcast episode about it if you want the full story.
More importantly, we're creating a HUGE overwhelm problem. A few years into your membership you have a content library that feels like 100 hours of videos to sift through and no clue where to start.
I really do get the intention – you want to continuously add value so that your members want to stick around.
But no one wants to add a ton more content to their plate every month. They fall behind and they leave. "I just can't keep up with everything".
Have you heard that cancellation reason before?
Instead of adding more stuff and calling it "more value", we need to focus on member journey.
A membership can explode your business (in a good way) if you have high retention (90%+ /mo). But if you don't have a clear path for members to follow and are overwhelming them with content and things they *could* do, then you'll see that number plummet and you'll stress about how "a membership model just doesn't work".
So these are the shifts this membership model needs to have in 2026 so that your members actually stick around:
Skip the content drop & focus on programming – We need to optimize for time to value. Your membership should be centered around helping your members practice whatever goal they're working toward reaching. My one caveat to this is if your content drop is time-based relevant, and a core part of your offer. For example, social media prompts for that week based on trends.
Design strong onboarding – Your onboarding is directly correlated to your retention. If you design a first-impression experience that gives your members a win, and builds momentum, then they'll build a habit of logging in. We improved one client's engagement rate by 20% by adjusting their onboarding.
Develop personalized member journeys – When you join a new program you want to feel like "this was designed for me", and that comes through personalization. Give your members a path specific to their goals and stage. You can do this with an assessment or quiz, or onboarding calls.
Offer tools that help them reach their goal faster – Create simple apps, templates, and custom GPTs that support your curriculum. In 2026 we expect speed and the latest technology. Don't make your members think about how to use AI to get results faster, bake that into your experience.
Make everything available one one platform – Please don't make your customers log into a separate community and a separate "portal" ... the only thing this results in is your members using 50% or less of their membership. I typically recommend Circle but reach out if you want help choosing a platform.
I know this list can feel overwhelming – if you have a membership and want to figure out what to prioritize first, check out the 7-figure connected community assessment I created. This will tell you exactly where your focus should be to improve your membership in 2026.
Ready To Give Your Membership Model The Upgrade It Needs In 2026?
Starting in February we're taking 20 businesses through our framework to scale their communities at 1/10 (!!!) the typical cost to work with Affinity. If you're interested and want first dibs on a spot, join the waitlist.
This is for advanced membership creators ready to innovate their products and scale.