Beyond Audience Size: Earn $500K from 200 members in just 2 years
For the longest time, high numbers have been equated to growth, especially when it comes to membership sites. After all, the more people sign up, the more you earn, right?
But constantly attracting new members is hard and requires a hefty dose of marketing and sales skills to recruit from the finite pool of your target audience. And at the end of the day, the more people you have, the harder it is to retain them.
Well, what if we told you that you can actually increase your revenue by limiting the number of people who can sign up for your membership?
Jay Clouse from Creator Science is one of the best examples of a successful creator and managed to earn more than $460K from 200 members in just two years.
So, if you’re tired of the constant acquisition efforts and not earning enough from your membership, this piece is just for you!
In this article, we’ll discuss the main idea behind exclusive online memberships, how they can help you grow sustainably, and how to start one from scratch.
How do Online Memberships Work?
Online memberships are like joining a digital club. When you sign up, you pay a fee (usually monthly or yearly) to get access to special content, services, or products that non-members can’t get.
For example, you can offer a content membership where users pay to access articles, videos, online courses, or podcasts, or provide services like fitness coaching and business advice.
Whatever you go for, a big part of making memberships work well is having enough people sign up (acquiring new clients), otherwise you might not make enough money to cover costs or improve what you offer.
However, only focusing on getting new subscribers comes with its own set of challenges:
- Finding new members all the time is tough and takes a lot of effort.
- You’d need to keep advertising and promoting your membership, which can get exhausting.
- If you promise a lot to attract new members but can’t deliver, people might leave. This is called “churn.”
- When people leave, you lose the money they would have paid.
- All this effort can lead to burnout, making it hard to keep things going.
So, what’s the alternative?
Using the “CAR” Strategy to Build a Profitable and Sustainable Community
“CAR” is an acronym inspired by the content creator Jay Clouse and his strategy to get incredible results from his membership community The Lab.
It stands for Cap Annual Relationships, and the main ideas behind it are the following:
- Cap the number of community members.
- Entice them to switch to an annual membership instead of paying a monthly fee.
- Enrich their experience to keep the relationship strong and sustainable.
Jay did just that and earned $460K in revenue in less than 2 years.
But how do you even begin creating an exclusive membership site?
Let’s dig in!
Step 1: Create a Personalized Sustainable Membership Model
What we mean is that you should create a model that works for your specific idea. Of course, you can get inspired by other creators, but at the end of the day, you need something that you can run successfully for years to come.
For example, Jay has three main pricing tiers: Basic, Standard, and VIP.

The first one is an exclusive content-only membership program where users can access all of their courses, workshops, and recordings, while the other two are a combination of content and community memberships.

This is where the exclusive comes in. As Jay was growing, he realized that he couldn’t keep providing the same service to his early members if he kept signing up new people. And the fact is that not everyone requires his attention and personal advice – some people just want the videos.
So, he created an extra membership model that made sense for his target audience. This allowed him to keep creating without burning out and earn recurring revenue from more members.
You can do the same and all you need to start is to research your ideal customer.
Say you’re a personal trainer.
- Start out with a content-based tier that only contains video collections for the different users – Beginner-friendly, Core Workouts, Leg day for busy people, etc.
- Then, you can add a second tier where people can have all these videos and a personalized meal plan. (Uscreen customer, Jazzercise has done exactly that)

- Finally, you can create a third option where you have 1:1 weekly sessions with clients and give them direct feedback on their work.
Okay, but what if 50 people sign up for the highest tier? No one has that much time!
Step 2: Cap Members for Success
“There are 200 members on the standard and VIP tier. So that is a number that is actually capped. I’ve designed the community to be small and stick around that 200-member mark, which we’ve been at that mark since February. “
Jay Clouse
Even though it sounds counterintuitive to put the breaks on a successful membership site, it actually makes a lot of sense. By keeping the existing members low, he ensures that their experience doesn’t change and he maintains an exclusive community.
The truth is that when you have a membership site that isn’t just content-based but also requires constant attention, having a big online community isn’t ideal. As you grow, it becomes harder to keep delivering the same product they signed up for and loyal members no longer feel special, which leads to difficulties with member retention.
Jay realized that 200 members are more than enough for him to maintain a thriving community, provide them with significant value, not burn out (very important), and still earn enough to support his lifestyle and business.
If we continue with our personal trainer example, you can limit the number of community member spots to 10 or whatever you’re comfortable with.
Lastly, these exclusive memberships excite potential customers as they know that once they join your online community, they’ll have your undivided attention.
Step 3: Experiment with Annual Memberships
The standard with memberships is usually to give people the choice – sign up monthly for a full price or annually with a discount. Jay, however, doesn’t give his customers this option – they can only sign up for an entire year.
While you might think that this can scare some potential leads away (and it probably will), there are many benefits to annual memberships.
The main idea behind them is to limit the number of choices people have to make. Every month, when it’s time for them to get billed, members need to decide whether they want to continue or not. And if they’re not getting the desired results, they’re likely to leave.
As Jay says, “..any time you offer the ability for churn, there will be churn.”
Paying for an entire year, however, means that they only have to make one choice, and they have 12 months to feel the difference and the transformation.
This is especially true when you’re trying to teach a certain skill, or in our example, helping others along a fitness journey. A month is not enough time to learn anything, and community members might get discouraged if they don’t see results right away. An entire year of training, however, makes a world of difference.
The results are obvious. Jay has a 90% membership retention rate, which lines up with what we see at Uscreen. Creators with a monthly plan have a much higher churn rate, compared to creators with annual plans.

The difficult part is building the relationships that will give your audience the confidence to convert into a thriving paid community. That takes time and continuous effort.
Step 4: Continue to Build a Relationship With Current and Prospective Members
Even though Jay has a relatively expensive annual membership, he has no issues whatsoever with member acquisition. At the time of writing, there are only three available spots in the Standard and VIP tiers.
So how does he do that?
He follows the marketing concept of Know, Like, Trust which means that potential members need to know, like, and trust you before making a purchase.
If you see that your favorite band is having a concert in town, you’ll probably rush to get tickets because you’re already a fan and you know they put on a good show. However, if an up-and-coming band announces an event, you’d probably want to check them out on YouTube or Spotify first to see whether they’re your thing.
It’s the same with online memberships. You need to create various touchpoints, usually podcasts, educational videos, a blog, or an email newsletter, to prove your expertise, provide value to your online community, and entice potential members to join.
Crucial parts of an exclusive online membership strategy include:
- Being active on social media platforms and communicating with people.
- Creating valuable content for free.
- Trying out different engagement strategies to get people interested.
- Show success stories of existing members from your exclusive community (better yet, let them tell their stories).

With these actions, you can encourage like-minded individuals to become paying members and grow your membership site to the skies!
Pro Tip: Selecting the Right Membership Platform Makes a World of a Difference
If your content is the foundation of your business, then the membership site platform is the cement that will allow you to build on it. To put it simply, it’s super duper important.
To make your choice a bit easier, here are some essential features that should be non-negotiable:
- Mobile-friendly environment for learners on the go.
- Flexible membership monetization opportunities, including multiple pricing tiers.
- Support for the type of content you want to create – videos, podcasts, articles, etc.
- User-friendly payment methods that support multiple currencies and have clear fees.
- Powerful integration capabilities so you can sync your platform with social media, email services, or a website builder.
- Customizable designs that allow you to adapt the website to your target audience.
- Reliable support for the moments when you need some extra help to build your awesome membership.
- Scalability so that you can start small and keep growing with zero worries.
Now, these are the basics, but they’re not enough. To truly succeed, you need tools to create a community environment where you can engage with your members and build authentic relationships.
What you need is a membership site with community features. These include:
- Private and public channels for different member groups and membership tiers.
- Community membership dashboard for users to share achievements and progress, as well as ask questions.
- Online events and virtual conferences.
- Polls and surveys for content research and feedback.
- Member challenges that users can join for a prize.

So, before you buy anything, make sure your platform of choice can cover your every need and give your members a community hub that motivates and retains them.
Click here to watch the video -> youtube.com/watch?v=K_mSnh-cGd0
Unlock the Power of Private and Exclusive Online Communities
When it comes to membership communities, more isn’t always better. In reality, constantly trying to gain new members is often exhausting, financially unsustainable, and can lead to creative and physical burnout.
As we can see from Jay Clouse’s case, there’s a lot of power in exclusivity and nurturing a community space that people are dying to join.
To get there, however, you need to work hard on your relationships and create valuable content that will help users transform into better versions of themselves. Once you have your community, ensure that every time a new member joins, they immediately feel part of something unique and exclusive.
While this may sound like a hard thing to do, in reality, the right membership site platform can turn this process into a breeze.
With Uscreen, creators have all the right tools and support to build a thriving online community that sustains their business and helps them grow as professionals in their field.
Try it out for yourself by booking a demo or starting your free trial today!
How to Build an Exclusive Online Membership Community FAQ
Start by choosing a membership platform that supports different content types, such as videos, podcasts, and articles, and has community features like private channels and virtual events.
Next, create a sustainable membership model tailored to your audience. This includes:
– Limiting the number of members to ensure personalized attention and to foster a sense of exclusivity.
– Encouraging annual memberships to reduce churn and build lasting relationships.
– Engaging your audience through social media, free valuable content, and success stories from existing members to build trust and attract new members.
Focus on improving the membership experience with personalized interactions, exclusive content, and regular engagement. Offer community features like private channels, virtual events, and member challenges. Regularly gather feedback through polls and surveys to improve your offerings.
In short, make sure members feel valued and part of a unique, supportive community.
The best content for online memberships includes a mix of exclusive articles, videos, podcasts, and online courses tailored to your audience’s interests. For example, a fitness membership might offer workout videos, personalized meal plans, and live coaching sessions.
Generally, content should be high-quality, useful, and regularly updated to keep members engaged and satisfied. We also recommend adding interactive elements like Q&A sessions, live webinars, and community challenges, as they are great for member retention and higher engagement.
Even though they can be scary to implement, annual memberships are generally better for stability and retention. They reduce the frequency of renewal decisions, which lowers the chances of members leaving. Members have more time to see the benefits of your offerings, increasing satisfaction and loyalty.
While some potential members might hesitate due to the upfront cost, the benefits of a committed, long-term relationship outweigh the drawbacks. Creators with annual plans often see higher retention rates and more predictable revenue streams, making it easier to plan and grow sustainably.