{"id":3490,"date":"2014-06-02T21:12:31","date_gmt":"2014-06-02T21:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/memberpress.com\/?p=3490"},"modified":"2026-03-02T12:28:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T17:28:14","slug":"4-ways-to-grow-your-business-with-a-free-membership-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/memberpress.com\/de\/blog\/4-ways-to-grow-your-business-with-a-free-membership-site\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Memberships: What\u2019s the Point?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/span>Adding a free membership to the mix can be a boon for your business. Find out why!<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Most people know that MemberPress is a WordPress membership plugin\u00a0optimized for creating premium paid membership<\/strong>\u00a0websites.<\/p>
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WHAT'S INSIDE<\/p>\nToggle<\/span>
Adding a free membership to the mix can be a boon for your business. Find out why!<\/a>
1. Free memberships are big-time community builders<\/a><\/li>
2. Free memberships generate leads (and build your email list)<\/a><\/li>
3. Free Memberships Create Group or Event Portals<\/a><\/li>
4. Free memberships can work as \u201cfree trials\u201d or a \u201ctry before you buy\u201d option<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
High Progress Literacy<\/a><\/li>
The Takeaway<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
But we get this question all the time from users: Does MemberPress support free membership levels? And why would I want to do that anyway?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
To answer the first part of the question \u2013 yes! You can set up a free membership level simply by setting the membership product price to $0.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
In regard to the question \u201cwhy would I want to market a no-cost membership\u201d \u2013 there are a lot of great reasons. In this article we\u2019ll go over four of the best ones shared by our community of very innovative customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>1. Free memberships are big-time community builders<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n $\"\"$ <\/a>
Charleston County Medical Society (CCMS)<\/a>, a MemberPress site, offers a free community membership for medical students.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
A free or even a student membership option that includes access to members-only forums or content can encourage users to engage with your business and increase the chances of them becoming paying members down the road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve seen our customers integrate our WordPress membership plugin with other plugins like bbPress, BuddyBoss<\/a>, and other solutions to make some pretty compelling \u201cmembers-only\u201d communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>2. Free memberships generate leads (and build your email list)<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
While a free membership costs no money to join, it will require users to release information to you (mainly an email address). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
MemberPress\u00a0integrates with AWeber<\/a>, GetResponse<\/a>, MailChimp, and ActiveCampaign<\/a>. So when a new user signs up for your free membership level, you can automatically add them to your mailing list. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you\u2019ve got their contact info, you\u2019ve got an in. You can include these members in email marketing campaigns<\/a>, let them know about exciting new offers, and entice them to upgrade to higher-level, premium membership plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>3. Free Memberships Create Group or Event Portals<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n $\"Norman$ <\/a>
THE\u00a0 NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM<\/a>\u00a0USES MEMBERPRESS TO MANAGE AND EDUCATE ITS GROWING MEMBERSHIP BASE.tle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The no-cost membership is a great option for companies, clubs, churches, and other organizations that do seminars, conferences, or workshops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve seen groups of all kinds use the MemberPress WordPress plugin to create free membership sites\u00a0where users can share photos, videos, and post-event commentary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve already got a list of users from your group, you can use the MemberPress Importer<\/a> to import these names into your free membership plan. Then you can upload exclusive content that only they will have access to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Free memberships can work as \u201cfree trials\u201d or a \u201ctry before you buy\u201d option<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/span>High Progress Literacy<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
$\"High$ <\/a>
High Progress Literacy<\/a>, another MemberPress-powered site, offers free and paid membership options.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
This may be the most popular use of the no-cost membership option. Many of our users create a free membership level that\u2019s limited to a specific duration and set collection of resources specially designed to entice a paid commitment at the end of the trial period. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This can be a powerful way to generate leads and give your prospects a free taste of your content before they upgrade to a paid level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the same way, a free student membership level can be a great way to invest in and gain the loyalty of up-and-coming professionals who will be likely to sign up for a paid subscription once they\u2019re established in the field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>The Takeaway<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
These are just a few of the great ways we\u2019ve seen our clients use free memberships to grow their brands\u00a0and expand their communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
MemberPress is the most advanced, flexible, and easy to use WordPress membership plugin out there. It\u2019s all about creativity and making your business work for your specific needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So let us know if you have any ideas on ways no-cost memberships can help grow your business in the comments!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you liked this article, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter in the box<\/a> up to your right!<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Adding a free membership to the mix can be a boon for your business. Find out why! Most people know that MemberPress is a WordPress membership plugin\u00a0optimized for creating premium paid membership\u00a0websites. But we get this question all the time from users: Does MemberPress support free membership levels? And why would I want to do [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35392,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_strive_editorial_status":"not-started","_strive_copy_of":0,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"content-sidebar","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","_strive_checklists":"\"\"","_strive_active_checklist":"62291e2bb2422","_strive_post_notes":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1474,121],"tags":[113,112,116,115,114,26,117,29,31],"class_list":{"0":"post-3490","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-membership-site","8":"category-pricing","9":"tag-community-building","10":"tag-free-membership","11":"tag-generate-leads","12":"tag-group-portal","13":"tag-lead-generation","14":"tag-membership","15":"tag-membership-levels","16":"tag-membership-software","17":"tag-wordpress-membership-plugin","18":"entry"},"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t