Let’s talk about memberships….specifically the platforms. In the last few years, setting up a membership has gone from “hire a developer to build a custom site” to “I barely need a dedicated website anymore.”
So let’s look at a few options that are good for podcast memberships. Memberful. They are really trying to corner the market on podcast memberships, and they’re doing a good job. Rich features, lots of integrations, and is free to start.
The only drawback in my eyes is the price: $0 + 10% transaction fee or $25/mo + 4.9% transaction fee. Both transaction fees are higher than you should pay.
Patreon, on the other hand, pretty much only charges you if you make money. They are also the first major membership platform for creators and have added lots of great features, including private podcast feeds.
LemonSqueezy + Transistor.fm : This one takes a little bit of duct tape to work perfectly, but since you can sell subscriptions (and a members-only newsletter) with LemonSqueezy, you can use a tool like Zapier or Make to connect those purchases to a podcast host that supports private podcasts, like Transistor. When someone purchases via LemonSqueezy, you can have Zapier create a private subscriber.
ConvertKit has ConvertKit Commerce, but if you're considering this route, be aware: it's only really good for a premium newsletter.
One of the many WordPress membership plugins. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention WordPress…but to be honest, I wouldn’t recommend starting with it. If you’d like to see an in-depth comparison, my friend Chris did one.
About Streamlined Podcaster: This is the show for solo podcasters who love their podcast but hate how much time it takes. Each week, host Joe Casabona shares the systems, workflows, and podcast automation that let you run a great show without burning out.
Joe has been a solo podcaster for 15+ years and helps solopreneurs replace manual tasks with reliable systems so they can take time off worry-free. He knows firsthand what it takes to produce a quality show solo — and he's here to help you do the same.
Get Joe's favorite podcasting tools: https://streamlinedpodcaster.com/tools
Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcasabona/
