Every operator wants growth.

The natural instinct in membership is to keep adding: more content, more perks, more access.

Because isn’t that what drives adoption and captures more of the audience?

Not exactly.

Here’s a not-so-novel idea that I’ve found to be highly transformative for the customers I work with at Memberful:

When everything is available all the time, nothing feels urgent, and nothing feels special.

So many of the great wins that I’ve had the good fortune of observing my clients experience can be tied back to that one idea.

Scarcity.

It can be a membership operator’s best friend.

And no, I’m not talking about the kind of scarcity that’s used as a gimmick.

I’m talking about the kind of scarcity that makes you essential.

Let’s dive in.

We’ve been trained to think that more access, more content, and more benefits will make a membership irresistible.

But abundance, by itself, doesn’t create value - it erodes it.

When a member can join anytime, access everything, and expect no limits, the signal is clear: “This will always be here.”

And if it will always be there, why join now? Why care deeply?

Here are a few questions I’d like you to consider:

Scarcity flips that dynamic. It says: Not everyone gets this.

It creates weight. It tells people: this opportunity matters, and if you hesitate, you might miss it.

Now, I know you might be thinking: I don’t want any of my potential members to miss out on my offering and I certainly don’t want to limit my sales.

And to that point, I’d ask you to consider this:

All good things have boundaries and limits - ends to which urgency, meaning and value are tied.

The mere concept of value creation hinges entirely on the possibility that something we want, need or simply cannot go without has the potential to be outside of our reach at some point.

So here’s the real question: What can you point to in your membership today that your potential members can’t afford to miss?

Read on and let’s talk about it.

Scarcity works when it’s thoughtful and honest. Done right, it doesn’t manipulate - it magnifies.

But most operators avoid it because they fear limits will drive people away.

So let’s flip the script:

Now, contrast that with intentional scarcity:

Limited Enrollment Windows
When members can only join during specific periods, entry feels like an event. It says: if you care, act now.

Capped Cohorts or Tiers
By limiting spaces, you elevate them. Members know they’re not just another number - they’re part of something selective.

Time-Bound Content or Experiences
When content disappears or live events happen once, members lean in. Because what’s always there often gets ignored.

Disciplined Restraint
Saying “no” to adding more perks sends a signal too: This is focused, intentional, and worth paying attention to.

Scarcity, in these forms, isn’t about exclusion for exclusion’s sake. It’s about creating weight for your offering. It tells members: this matters, and it won’t always wait for you.

Scarcity, when used with conviction, strengthens your membership. It signals that what you’ve built is worth protecting, worth limiting, and worth leaning into now.

The operators who embrace scarcity don’t just sell access. They build anticipation. They turn joining into a decision with meaning, and staying into a privilege members don’t want to lose.

So here’s what’s worth asking yourself this week:

Thousands of hours spent with other operators has taught me this: Memberships that try to be limitless often fade. The ones that thrive? They’re built on conviction, sharpened by constraints, and amplified by scarcity.

So I’ll leave you with this until next week:

If your membership disappeared tomorrow, would it leave a hole your members couldn’t ignore - or would it quietly fade as just another option in an endless sea of choices?

Think about it.