You’re launching a membership, and it feels overwhelming.
I get it. You know you should use social media to promote your launch, but what exactly should you post? When should you post it? And how do you make sure people actually sign up?
Take a deep breath. I got you.
I’m giving you an exact step-by-step social media strategy to launch your membership successfully. We’re going to count down to your membership launch day, starting 4 weeks before your membership goes live with weekly post formulas that have proven to work across different niches and platforms.
Rather listen than read?
Let’s start with step 1…
Focus on one social platform
The first step to reducing launch overwhelm is simple: focus on one social platform for your membership launch.
While you can absolutely repost across whatever platforms you want, your social media presence should focus on the one that’s the most valuable to your business right now.
If you’ve sold anything before, like courses or workshops, check which platform actually led to the most sales. But if you don’t have data like that, don’t worry! Just focus on the platform where you consistently get the highest engagement from your target audience.
I’ll be walking through this plan with Instagram as our example, but these frameworks are adaptable for platforms that use video, text, or a combination of both.
Let’s dig into what your ideal social media marketing plan will look like across a 4-week period and the simple posting schedule you can follow.
Week 1: Build in Public
Each week before your membership launch, we’ll cover a different theme for your social media posts. And at the 4-week out point, we’ll start with “building in public.”
This means sharing your process and your excitement while you create the membership – because odds are there are still pieces you’re putting together.
Think about how proud music fans are when they say, “I was into that band before they got big!” There’s a special connection people feel when they discover something awesome before everyone else does.
This way, your followers know what you’re working on, as opposed to building the perfect membership and waiting until the day it’s ready to announce it. People want to see progress, and to be part of the journey. I know sometimes it’s hard to do, it’s kind of vulnerable but it is very effective. It really doesn’t need to be perfect.
Post 1: Share your story
Your first social media post is going to be story-based. Explain how you were feeling when you decided to create your membership. Was your ‘a-ha’ moment at work, at home? What problem were you facing?
Share what motivated you, and your excitement for what’s coming.
Image suggestion: A personal photo showing you at the moment you decided to create your membership, or working on early planning stages.
Post 2: Behind-the-scenes
A few days later, share a behind-the-scenes look at how you’re building your membership.
As an example, Crochet with Tiffany posted a time-lapse of filming her videos, from an angle you don’t normally see. You could also show how you set up to film, plan lessons, or even use b-roll of you working on the membership on your laptop. In short, you’ve got options.
Post 3: Leverage social proof
For your third post this week, make use of any existing social proof you have.
If you’ve sold courses before, share testimonials. Even positive comments on your free content work great here! The key is to remind people of the value you’ve already given them.
Bonus tip: Use the CTA of this social media post to drive people to your email list, so they’ll be the first to know when your membership opens.
Image suggestion: Screenshot of positive comments or testimonials with text overlay “What our community is saying.”
Like these testimonials Marnie Alton shared about her fitness membership M/Body:
Week 2: Focus on solutions
Now that you’ve planted the idea that something big is coming on social media, let’s get people excited about the specific solutions your membership will create, and increase brand awareness.
Because unfortunately, “it’s cool” isn’t a compelling enough reason to get people into your membership. They need to know what they’ll get out of it too.
Post 1: Problem → solution
Identify a common problem that your target audience faces, so they feel seen and understood. Then, tease how your membership will solve this problem – ideally in a convenient way.
For example, if you’re a music teacher, you could post about how hard it can be to learn an instrument through random internet tutorials, which is why your membership with everything in one place and consistent instruction will help students learn faster.
Image suggestion: Split image showing the “problem” (scattered, confused) vs the “solution” (organized, clear).
Or you could post a quick video and direct people to your membership for more, like this post by Crochet With Tiffany:
Post 2: Remove barriers
Your audience on social media has likely tried to solve their problems before. They need to know what makes your solution different.
Call out the biggest obstacle that’s keeping your audience from achieving their goals, and show how your membership or your teaching style removes it.
Image suggestion: Visual representation of breaking through a barrier or wall.
Post 3: Content preview
The last social media post of this week will be a content preview.
Try posting a 1-minute clip from an exclusive video that will be in your membership or a screenshot of your upcoming live stream schedule.
Caption it with something like: “Just finished filming this tutorial for the membership. Can’t wait to share the full version when we launch in just 2 weeks!”
Video suggestion: Short clip from your membership content.
Week 3: Get specific
As we get closer to launch, it’s time to get specific about what’s included in your membership in your social media calendar.
After the last 2 weeks of “big picture” social media posts, these more detail-oriented messages will help your target audience understand exactly what they’re going to get.
Post 1: Benefit highlight
Focus on one major benefit of your membership that you know your audience will love, like the community, or exclusive live streams. Whatever will get people on social media the most excited.
Look at how Chris Ryan did this with his Instagram post about achievement badges coming to his fitness app – he focused on how the feature creates accountability and motivation:
Post 2: Mythbusting
Address a common objection or fear your target audience might have.
Are they worried about not having time? Not being advanced enough? Or not seeing results?
This social media post will tackle one of the objections your audience has, and knock it out of the way so they’re hyped to get in the doors on the day you launch.
Image suggestion: “Myth vs. Reality” split image or graphic.
For example, here’s Milou Pietersz’s take on this type of post:
Post 3: Q&A interaction
This week’s last social media post is going to be something a little different because it’s more interactive.
Put out a call on your social network for questions about your membership, and then answer them publicly on your social media accounts.
This is really easy on Instagram Stories with the question sticker. You can also save these questions to a highlight on your social channels so new followers can see them. This’ll help address more objections directly and show you’re accessible and responsive.
Here’s an example from Jay Clouse’s Instagram:
Pro tip: Some of the questions your audience asks here could make excellent additions to the FAQ section of your membership site!
Week 4: The final countdown
And with that, we’re down to one week before you launch your membership! This week’s social strategy is going to focus on turning interest into action.
You should post on social media every single day this week, with a mix of stories and feed posts to increase your social presence as much as possible.
Post 1: Launch date announcement
But the first social media post should make sure everyone knows exactly when the doors to your membership open up.
This is a perfect time for a countdown post or a clean graphic with the launch date prominently displayed.
Check out how Live Brave Pilates did this for their app launch – they made a carousel post that started with the launch date and branding, followed by app previews and feature lists.
I like it because they went from big ideas to detailed information, which is perfect because the people who swipe through a carousel want to know more.
Daily posts
You’re going to keep posting on social media every day, and then one day before your launch, remind your audience of the specific benefits they’ll get by joining.
In other words – what’s in it for me?
Don’t just list features; instead talk about the real impact your membership will make:
- Instead of saying “community tab,” talk about “connecting with people who get your passion.”
- Instead of “monthly live streams,” say “get your questions answered in real-time by experts who care about your success.”
Image suggestion: Graphic showing benefits with “What You’ll Get” headline.
For example, here’s a post from Pilates for Runner which sums up what members will get from joining:
Membership launch day: Go all out
Then on Launch day, of course, we have to go all out with your social media plan.
I want to see stories and feed posts from you on launch day, where you show off your actual membership site (and apps if you have them).
Take your target audience on a quick tour of what’s inside and show them exactly what they’ll experience when they join.
Bring your excitement and voice to these social media posts. The vibe should be celebration, not a stuffy ad.
Video suggestion: Quick tour of your membership site.
The final piece: Compelling copy
Following this framework will help you build excitement, address objections, and get your followers to visit your membership site.
But there’s still one more hurdle to clear before you can turn visitors into members…
The effectiveness of your writing in your social media posts, website, and emails will make or break your chances of getting people to sign up.
That’s why our team put together a two-part guide that will help you write clearly and persuasively to sell your video content.
Get our free guide to writing persuasive copy for your membership and turn words into action
Membership launch calendar at-a-glance
Here’s the cheat sheet version of the ideal social media strategy to follow in the 4 weeks leading up to your membership launch.
Week 1: Build in public
- Post 1: Your story and motivation
- Post 2: Behind-the-scenes content
- Post 3: Social proof and testimonials
Week 2: Focus on solutions
- Post 1: Problem → Solution
- Post 2: Remove barriers
- Post 3: Content preview
Week 3: Get specific
- Post 1: One major benefit highlight
- Post 2: Mythbusting common objections
- Post 3: Q&A interaction
Week 4: The Final countdown
- Post 1: Launch date announcement
- Daily social media posts building excitement
- Launch day: Membership site tour
Wrapping things up
There you have it! Who says social media strategy needs to be hard? A membership launch can feel overwhelming, but now that you’ve got a full social media content calendar planned out for your launch, you can afford to take a breath.
Your launch social media strategy boils down to focusing on the right social media platforms, planning ahead and posting consistently. We encourage you to follow the social media plan I’ve shared above and put your own spin on it. Authenticity is key!
If you’re still deciding how you’re going to create and launch your membership, why not start a Uscreen free trial to experience what you can do with our all-in-one platform and how Uscreen can support your marketing efforts pre-and post-launch.
Build, launch and manage your membership, all in one place.
