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Module 3: Create Your Content

Content creation tools & tips

Recommended tools and best practices as you create the content for your membership product.

👋 No need to absorb all of this at once! Focus on the content type(s) you’ll be using to create your first membership product — your core deliverable. Then, feel free to come back and explore more as you build out the “extras” in your membership.

Digital downloads & templates

  • Canva is an easy-to-use free design tool that can be used to create professional-looking, branded downloads, worksheets, workbooks, etc. Choose from thousands of templates. Add your brand colors, fonts and logo.
  • By law, your downloads are legally protected as your intellectual property. However, it’s a good idea to add a copyright reminder at the end of your document: © Year Name. For example, you’ll see the downloads in this course as © 2024 MemberSpace.
  • You can share templates from other software! For example, you can share a Canva design as a template link. Or share Google Sheets templates. 
  • eBooks are a type of digital download. PDFs are the most popular file type for eBooks. A PDF of your eBook can be easily created with any word processing software, like Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Another option is to host each chapter of your book in a blog post on your website!

Video recording & editing

Fortunately, you don’t need a full production studio to create quality videos for your audience.

You’ll be able to record helpful, informative videos with a few simple tools — some you may already have on hand!

Tech tips:

  • Loom is a great free option to create video content for your membership. Easily record your screen and camera, on either desktop or mobile. Edit videos to remove any “oopsies,” or splice together clips.
  • Though professional-grade video editing software is great if that’s your thing, there are also many quality (and easier-to-use!) video editing options, like Veed — which even includes a teleprompter to help you follow a script or outline.
  • Be mindful of your lighting when recording video. Use a ring light or sit near a window, with your light source illuminating your face (not behind you!). If you’re recording multiple videos, try to keep lighting consistent throughout your videos if you’d like a more cohesive and professional feel.
  • A microphone upgrade can improve the audio quality of your videos. But, it’s not necessary! If you’re happy with the audio quality from your phone or computer, that’s great too.
  • If you’ll be using slides, create them in any tool of your choice, including Canva, our favorite free option.
  • You can find royalty-free background music to play in your videos from a source like Pixabay.
  • If you’re not comfortable on camera but would like to add a human touch, you can simply include a photo of yourself in place of video. (Do this in any of the video tools mentioned, including Loom or Veed!)
  • Be mindful of the device your customers are most likely to view your content on. If that’s a desktop computer, you’ll want your videos to be in a standard 16:9 format, which works well on desktop screens. But, if most customers would likely view your videos on mobile devices, you may want to record in portrait orientation for mobile screen sizes.

 Video content tips:

  • Shorter videos (under 5 minutes) are more digestible for your audience, allow you to focus on specific ideas and one actionable step at a time — and, they’re simpler to record and edit!
  • Speak at a comfortable speed (not too fast, not too slow). This happy medium will keep viewers engaged and following along.
  • The occasional imperfection can actually make you more relatable to your audience! Don’t feel the need to re-record for every minor mis-speak. 

 

Protecting your videos

To protect videos with MemberSpace, you’ll host your videos unlisted on YouTube, Vimeo or Wistia. Unlisted means they are not indexed (searchable), and are only available via a direct link.

Some tips and tricks:

  • If you don’t yet have a video hosting tool of choice, YouTube is a great option, as it’s also a powerful search engine you could later utilize with public videos to market your membership and build your audience.
    • To get started, create a YouTube channel (if you don’t have one already). Choose a name that is clear and descriptive of your business and/or membership. Add the basics: cover image, profile image, description.
  • When uploading a video to your hosting platform, add a clear and descriptive video title and description.
  • Design consistent, branded video thumbnails with a free design tool like Canva. (What’s a thumbnail? It’s the “cover” image that appears with your video before it begins playing.) Tip: Keep these images simple! A big, clear title is all you really need. 🙂
  • If you’d like (and, especially if your video is longer), you can add Video Chapters to your YouTube video.
  • Embed the video wherever it’s needed on your members-only protected pages. Or, for extra security, protect the videos with MemberSpace Content Links.
  • If you’d like, you can use a simple snippet of code to stop an embedded video from playing recommended videos after your video has ended. Simply add &rel=0 after the URL in the video:

Interactive communities

  • Circle is a specialized platform for hosting an interactive community, and has a single-sign-on integration with MemberSpace. (That means members sign in just once and have access to all parts of your membership, including the interactive community forum.)
  • Or, your private community can be hosted on almost any social platform of your choice — as long as it allows private groups. These communities can be a great fit if your audience is already on active that platform; this means they’re more likely to see and engage with your group’s new content. It’s also a way to monetize an existing following you have on one of these platforms. 
  • If you’ll be posting content within your community, you can either do so manually (drafting and scheduling or posting as needed) or use a social media scheduling tool of your choice.
  • Most communities will need a moderator, or someone who is in charge of group logistics, like: approving new members, monitoring and replying to comments and posts, ensuring members follow group rules, etc. If the community is small, this might be a task you’re able to take on. As the community grows, you may have a team member (or even a group member!) you’re able to delegate this role to.
  • It’s a good idea to establish community rules — the types of content or topics allowed to be discussed in the group, social etiquette, etc. At the very least, these provide guidelines to keep members on track. And, if needed, they can be referred to in redirecting inappropriate behavior. 
  • Create branded imagery for your group (cover photo, image posts, etc.) with a free design tool like Canva.
  • Generally, a large part of the value of a community is regular engagement from you and/or your team! Put together a plan for the frequency of engagement, and keep in mind that the precedent you set will help set the tone of your group.

Newsletters

Tech tips:

  • If you’re using MemberSpace, you can send newsletters via Member Messages, MemberSpace’s native email campaign tool. This simple option ensures only your most up-to-date member list receives your newsletters.
  • Or, connect any other third party email marketing tool via Zapier. 
  • Create a branded newsletter template in your email marketing tool of choice.  
  • Be sure to include the legally required components (unsubscribe link and business address) in the footer of each email. Most email software includes this by default and will not send your email without it. 
  • Keep in mind that any customers who unsubscribe via your email marketing tool (e.g. Mailchimp) will not receive future newsletters. Because of this, it can be a good idea to use a different audience for your newsletter than for your general marketing list. (Note that some email tools, like Mailchimp, will double-charge you for this, if their billing is based on total subscribers.)
  • If you’re using a third-party email tool, be sure to use Zapier to create a Zap for removing any canceled members, so they are no longer in your newsletter audience and do not receive future newsletters.

Newsletter content tips:

  • Use a clear and descriptive sender name so customers immediately recognize your email in their inbox.
  • For long newsletters, incorporate formatting variation (headings, subheadings, imagery) to break up large amounts of text. 
  • This varies by business and membership, but newsletters are often a way for customers to stay more connected with you — so, it’s a great opportunity to show your personality and lean into creating a personal experience with the reader!

Podcasting

You don’t need a professional, sound-proofed recording studio to get started recording podcast episodes that provide value for your audience!

Tech tips:

  • A microphone upgrade can improve the audio quality of your podcast episodes. Since audio is so imperative to this communication form, it’s likely a good idea to invest in a professional mic.
  • Because professional mics can be more sensitive, it’s helpful to record in a quiet, acoustically “softened” space. This doesn’t need to be a professionally sound-proofed studio. A carpeted room, or even a walk-in closet with hanging clothes both provide sound-proofing benefits!
  • Castos or Transistor are popular podcasting tools that integrate with MemberSpace via Zapier.
  • Most podcasting tools (including both above) auto-generate a transcript of each episode. The AI used for these transcripts is continually improving — but there are still sometimes some errors, which you’re able to read through and edit for clarity.
  • If you’d like, you can also record video of podcast episodes (or part of them). This can be helpful for creating teaser content on social media, YouTube, your website, or newsletter. 

Hosting virtual events

Tech tips:

  • There are many popular platforms for hosting virtual events. Some of the most common (and familiar to use) are Zoom and Google Meet. Both offer free options, though the free version generally has participant count, event length, and feature limitations.
  • Send out event confirmation and reminder emails, which can generally be scheduled in your event platform of choice. 
  • If your event participants are attending from various time zones, be sure your marketing and communication clearly states the time zone, or presents the event in the attendee’s time zone.
  • In our post-pandemic world, many participants are familiar with “Zoom etiquette” — keeping their microphone muted if there is background noise, avoiding distracting backgrounds, etc. But, feel free to remind participants of the etiquette you’d like followed. And/or, use your event host controls to mute participants if needed.
  • If you’re hosting a large event with many attendees, it can be helpful to have a team member manage the chat so you can focus on presenting. Be sure this team member has access as a “host” of the chat, and is using a clear, branded profile picture and username, so they’re clearly associated as an event host. 
  • If your event involves giving a presentation, keep in mind that you can generally use presenter notes in video conferencing platforms. Or, a cleverly placed tablet or second monitor can be another way of maintaining access to your notes while on camera. 
  • Before the event, do a test run to confirm video/audio quality, and technical set-up. 
  • Video conferencing requires a minimum internet speed for good connection, so be sure your device is up-to-date and has good internet connectivity prior to your event. Close any unused browser tabs or applications on your computer to keep things speedy! 

Event content tips:

  • Boost engagement during your virtual event with meaningful polls, or other interactive activities. 
  • If you’re using slides during your event, try to keep the text on each slide to a minimum to avoid overwhelm for viewers. If you find that a slide covers multiple topics, consider breaking them into separate slides. Many viewers will read an entire slide when it’s first shown, which means they’re not actively listening to what you have to say about the first point. 🙂

Video conferencing

  • These sessions or events can be hosted with any video conferencing software of your choice. Zoom and Google Meet are popular free options. The free versions generally include meeting limitations (number of participants and length of meeting).
  • You can allow customers to schedule their own sessions at a time that’s convenient for them by booking sessions through a scheduling calendar, like Calendly. Set up the calendar with your own availability and embed the calendar (or share a link to it) on a members-only page. 
  • Video conferencing actually doesn’t have to include video! You could offer paid calls that utilize one of these free platforms.
  • Video conferencing requires a minimum internet speed for good connection, so be sure your device is up-to-date and has good internet connectivity prior to your session(s). Close any unused browser tabs or applications on your computer to keep things speedy! 

Continue Module 3

Create Your Content