Informative Guide to Drip Content for a WordPress Membership Website
Having a membership website is a huge responsibility. You need to keep the members engaged throughout their membership period with new pieces of content. Only then will they continue with the membership after the expiration of the current membership period.
As a membership site manager, you wish to retain users for certain revenue surety. Well, what if you can do that by using the Drip-Feed Content Plan? Yes, it is true that the probability of user retention increases when you start using the module of releasing content gradually on your Website.
What if you do all the workouts (push-pull-legs-cardio) in one day and rest for the other days of the week. Will it help you or your body? Will it be beneficial in the long run? Will it keep motivating you? No, right. You will dread that one day where you have to go over your capacity and do everything. Instead, what if you just divide the workout through 3-4 days a week and rest for other days. It will be bearable, beneficial, and you would not dread not being able to do it.
That’s what content scheduling with drip method is about! Instead of bombarding the members with content in one go which they may or may not be able to digest altogether, you create a membership and give gradual access to content.
Understanding the Process of Drip Feed Content
Just like our workout example, dripping content is about providing the members with access to your content at regular intervals. This will be a win-win situation for both you as a membership plan manager and plan members.
In drip schedule, you set up a specific date or interval at which your premium content will be released to the members. Just like you wait for the next episode to air on a streaming platform, your members would wait when you release your content. Are you subscribed to a Newsletter that comes weekly? Then that’s a drip content schedule.
You break your main content offering in multiple parts and release it gradually step-by-step for your members to access dripping content.
Benefits of Drip Content on your Membership Site
Drip Content Feature gives you a lot of benefits when you’re running a membership site.
Firstly, you get enough time to create new content. When you break your membership content into different parts over a period of time, you have that much time to come up with the next idea. When you provide all the content to be accessed at once, you need to be ready with what’s next in a hurry which can impact the quality.
When there is a fixed schedule set to release content over time, the members wait for that day and time to go through your content. Thus, Drip Content is a great way to boost engagement.
It is easier for the members to go through a small amount of content at their own pace. They remember things in a better way. Further, nobody has ample amount of time and energy to go through everything in one go. They might forget where they had reached and gradually, just stop. This model allows them to work at a slower pace and be involved in it, increasing the retention rate.
With regular updates, your membership site gives the idea of ingenuity. You are more involved in the process and understand audience preferences and reactions. It also helps you in modifying the future course content as per the suggestions of members. When different membership levels receive content regularly, they feel it worth their money.
How to Set Up Drip Content with ARMember WordPress Plugin
ARMember is a one stop solution for setting up the drip content post. Drip Feature is an in-built add-on with the ARMember WordPress Membership Plugin. Let us look at the steps to enable the rule of dripping content using the premium WordPress plugin.
Step 1: Activate the Drip Content Add On on WordPress Site
Once you install the ARMember Pro Plugin, activate the add-ons on your WordPress Website. Click on the ARMember on the left hand side panel of your WordPress, go to Add Ons and look for Drip Content.
Activate and Configure the Drip Content Plugin to set content on a fixed schedule.
Step 2: Add New Rule for Content Drip
You will see the page of Drip Content. It might have some default rules set for you to check. On the top right corner, you would find a button of Add Rule. Click on that to add a new rule.
A dialogue box would pop up on the screen to add new rules. From here you can choose the Content Type for which you want to apply the rule to schedule it. Further, select the specific post that you want to schedule. All the created posts of the selected content type would be visible in the drop down.
Now, it’s time to select the type of plan for the Content to release. Whether the rule applies to all members or you want it to be for a specific plan members only can be decided from here.
The main part is to select the drip type before you start releasing content. There are five types of drips available,
- Immediately: This provides the content to your customers immediately after subscribing to your membership site.
- After Certain Time of Subscription: This drips the content to be released after a specific number of days passes of membership purchase.
- Specific Date Onwards: If you want to set up drip from a specific date onwards, this option needs to be used.
- After Certain Time of Post is Published: Set how many number of days after your post is published, members can access your content.
- After Certain Time of Post is Modified: Just like the previous option, you set the content to be visible after a specific number of days of modification of your post.
There is one more option of setting expiry that you get with this feature. If you want the members to access the content for a limited duration, you can set an expiry date to keep your content protected. Thus, after that many days, the content is no more available for members.
Step 3: Enable the Rule and Check the Content on your Website
Once you have set the fields, enable the rule. You can set multiple rules at a single time. Then, you can enable/disable them as per your requirements at any point in time.
You must also check the front end whether the rule is properly applied to the desired content post.
Step 4: Check the Restriction Rules for Drip Content Strategy
There is one more setting related to drip content that is overlooked at times. Go to the General Settings and select the option of Default Restriction. Scroll down to Restriction Rules for Drip Content. There are two options under this which are crucial to look at and enable/disable accordingly.
The first rule is to ‘Allow Content Prior Subscription’. When you enable this option, you allow members to have access to all the previously published content launched before their plan purchase.
The second option is to Allow ‘Content Post Subscription’. You need to decide whether you want your members to access the published content without renewing, even after their plan expires or not.
Ideas for Various Modules to Utilize Drip Content
Audio Content on Your Site
If you are working with audio content sharing audio stories, podcasts, audio books, then it is very easy to break your content into different episodes and protect your content. Break down your story plot wise or break down an hour long podcast into four 15-minute episodes. This will be easier for users to listen in one go and give you time to work on your next offering. The members will keep visiting your site to access new content.
Online Course: Chapter Wise Using the Drip Content
When you are providing an online course, break it down into various chapters and lessons. This way, the course takers will not be overwhelmed and can’t take it slow at their own pace. Content can be a powerful sword and when you wield it right, members return to your site regularly.
Video Content: One Topic at a Time
Video Content for your membership site too can be broken down topic wise. Deal with one topic in one video so that it is easier to remember for members and drip other topics gradually.
Content is a Strategy and as a site owner, you can break down whatever form of content that you are offering. You must ensure that in providing content step-by-step, you are not giving too little at a time.
Strike a balance baby!
Provide Drip Content to Your Members: A Content Strategy
Take control over your membership site by setting up a time schedule in which the users can access the content. When you put in enough effort, you expect the users to stick around and this is one of the best techniques to encourage members to wait for the next drop from your end.
FAQs for Using the Drip Content on Membership Website
1) Is Dripping Content similar to Drip Marketing
Both have a common idea. To provide users with information at intervals. In Marketing, this model is used to persuade customers and prospects with pre-set messages using email marketing. While on a membership site, it is to keep users engaged and provide content at regular intervals.
2) Can I Check User Progress in Dripping Content?
You can see how the users are interacting with your content and what kind of feedback they are giving. Establish a community on your membership site to understand user progress and performance.
3) Is there a surety of user retention using drip content on your site?
The probability of users sticking around increases as they wait for the next content drop from your end. If the content is valuable and interesting, the user retention would definitely increase.
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Brian Denim
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