Issue #31 - October 7th, 2025
Written by Michael Gillespie
In this issue:
Perspective: Is your membership campaign built for the transaction or for the relationship that follows it?
Insight: How to convert seasonal attention into long-term momentum.
Outlook: Fueling the journey of membership, not just the sale.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“A good promotion ends with a sale. A great one begins with it.”
Are you feeling that seasonal pressure yet?
With the holiday season in focus, it’s the time of year where acquisition naturally becomes the primary target - with carefully crafted offers and tactics.
But after years of watching holiday promotions come and go, the truth is that the offer itself isn’t what matters most at the end of this seasonal push.
It’s what happens after.
So how do the best operators handle all of this? They design promotions that generate energy - energy that rolls forward into engagement, retention, and member satisfaction.
So this week, I’m sharing insight into how to avoid an operator’s nightmare - running a promotion that generates acquisition, only for things to fall quiet shortly after.
Let’s dive in.
PERSPECTIVE
The Spike That Fizzles
Most promotions deliver the same predictable pattern: a short burst of excitement followed by silence.
Have you ever experienced a flurry of new sign-ups, a few weeks of momentum, only for things to flatten out again?
This isn’t a membership sales problem - it’s a membership design problem. And on average, nine out of ten promotions are built for the transaction, not for the relationship that follows it.
I’ve seen this happen inside even the best-run memberships. A clever campaign brings in new members, but because the offer wasn’t connected to the membership’s deeper story, the energy fades fast.
The promotion succeeded in selling but failed in starting.
This season, you have a chance to approach things differently - not by discounting, but by building promotions that extend the story of your membership.
INSIGHT
After the Campaign Ends: Creating Momentum that Continues
The smartest operators treat their promotions as the spark. They understand that the purpose of a promotion is to start motion that continues long after the campaign ends.
Having worked on hundreds of membership campaigns with our clients here at Memberful, the tactics below prove to be most effective for both acquisition and continued engagement - all without having to cut the price of your offering.
Bonus Windows, Not Discounts
Offer a short-term additive perk: an exclusive workshop, seasonal toolkit, or mini-course. This layers more value instead of cutting the price.
Example: “Join by Sunday and get access to our Holiday Workshop: How to Plan a Profitable Year of Membership Growth.”
Access-First Experiences
Let prospects experience a glimpse of life inside your membership: one live event, one resource, one private post.
This shifts focus from persuasion to proof: let them feel what belonging looks like - and don’t be afraid to let them preview your best content.
Momentum Campaigns
Tie your offer to a moment in time that matters. “Start 2026 already connected to your professional peers.”
The urgency comes from timing and purpose, not discount codes.
Giftable Memberships
Frame your membership as a meaningful gift. “Give someone a creative spark for the new year.”
Specifically call out what the gift unlocks:
“Give the gift of better health.”
“Give the gift of learning.”
“Give the gift of smarter travel.”Create a thoughtful presentation (gift card, digital note, welcome message). This elevates the experience and makes your digital gift feel tangible for the giver and the recipient.
Seasonal Reactivation Promos
Reach out to past members. Frame it around growth and forward-looking statements: “Here’s what you’ll find new inside during 2026”. Add an intentional re-onboarding experience so returning feels special, tied to the season and aligned with the needs of your past members.
These types of promotions don’t just fill a sales gap - they build momentum that carries into the new year. They make members feel like they joined something that’s alive and evolving, not something that only comes alive when there’s a sale.
OUTLOOK
Fuel the Member Journey, Not the Sale
The right promotion doesn’t just generate revenue, it generates ongoing movement. It makes joining feel like the beginning of something, not the end of a campaign.
When you design your next membership promotion this season, ask yourself:
What happens after someone joins?
Does the offer connect naturally to my member’s experience?
Am I setting up long-term engagement, or just creating a temporary spike?
Operators who get this right use promotions as story extensions - elements that pull prospects deeper into the core message of the membership itself.
So as the season ramps up, here’s my encouragement:
Don’t run a promotion that ends at checkout. Run one that begins there.
Think about it.