Like it or not, your members won’t stick around forever. Losing members is just part and parcel of operating a membership site.

However there’s plenty that you can do to make sure that you’re not losing members for the wrong reasons.

Here are some common reasons members leave and actionable tips to boost retention.

Members leave because they’ve consumed all of your content

Members quickly burn through a membership that primarily consists of static content that rarely changes.

Once they’ve consumed everything, they’re unlikely to keep paying without additional value.

Even a community element often fails to retain members once they’ve exhausted your core offering.

What you can do about it: To retain members, you need to provide ongoing value.

Regularly update your membership with new content that keeps them engaged.

This doesn’t necessarily need to be huge, epic courses; there are plenty of types of high value content that you can produce with minimal effort in order to keep members engaged and paying. Even small updates like short videos, quick tips, or downloadable resources can go a long way.

 Members leave because of technical problems

Even if you think your site works perfectly, members might face technical issues that frustrate them. Some might struggle with navigation, while others could encounter bugs.

Technical issues cause frustration, especially if members experience them early in their journey. Unfortunately, many members won’t reach out for help—they’ll just cancel.

What you can do about it: Include a clear onboarding process to show members how to use your site. A tutorial video highlighting key features can prevent confusion.

Make sure members know how to get support. Provide an easy-to-find contact option, like a help desk or email. Responding promptly to issues can make a huge difference in retaining members.

Members leave because they don't get round to using your site

Many members sign up with the best intentions but then fail to engage with the content. Life gets busy, and your membership may fall to the bottom of their priority list.

I can’t imagine how much money is made by gyms around the world because of this exact same thing!

Over time, these members are likely to cancel without ever fully experiencing what your membership offers.

What you can do about it: Ensure that your onboarding process introduces members to the core aspects of your offering, and if you have a forum then encourage people to dive in and participate as early as possible.

Create a variety of regular, compelling content; and make sure that your members are regularly updated about new additions to your membership site.

Also, make sure you keep an eye out for members who are slipping away in terms of their engagement.

Most membership plugins will show the last date someone logged in so you can check these weekly – or make use of something like Intercom.io to automatically segment and contact members who haven’t logged in for a while.

Members leave because they can no longer afford the membership fees

Your pricing strategy isn’t going to suit everyone – nor should it – and there’s little you can do if a members financial situation changes unexpectedly.

However if you’re finding that your member turnover is high and people aren’t sticking around for more than a month or so, it may be that you need to review both the amount you charge and the payment structure that you’re using.

Even if you get a lot of signups for a product that has a high monthly premium – if those same members quit after a month then it’s likely they never intended or were able to pay that amount regularly, and instead signed up in order to try to get as much as they could from your site within their first month or two.

While you don’t want to compromise yourself or undervalue your offering by pricing yourself too low; it’s important to find a balance between what you want to charge and what your audience wants to pay.

What you can do about it: First and foremost, pricing is something you’ll want to split-test in order to make sure you’re hitting the sweet spot in terms of what to charge, so make sure you’re doing that.

Additionally it may be the payment frequency that’s the issue, so if you’re charging an annual or quarterly fee then consider introducing a monthly option (even if just as a “pre-cancellation” offer to encourage people not to leave).

You might also consider giving people the option to pause their membership – which is a great way of accommodating members who might be having unexpected, short term financial challenges or other expenses that would otherwise make them cancel.

Several membership plugins support this feature and it’s a great way to hang on to members.

Members leave because their payment has failed

Payment problems arise for various reasons, not just because someone can’t afford it or lacks funds in their account.

When a rebill attempt fails, members might not realize it or take action in time to resolve the issue.

If their account on your membership site closes due to a failed payment, they might decide it’s not worth the effort to rejoin—especially if the problem seems unique to your site’s payment system (which can sometimes happen!)

What you can do about it: Keeping on top of any payments that fail is definitely important, and making sure that steps are taken to sort out any problems before an access to your site is revoked.

Some membership systems such as MemberPress have built-in features whereby a member will automatically be emailed if there’s a payment failure; and with plugins like S2Member you can tweak your Paypal checkout code to specify how many times to re-attempt to take payment.

Plus with some membership systems you can implement ‘grace periods’ or downgrade an account when a payment fails rather than cancel it outright.

Members leave because they've achieved their goals

Members join membership sites and online education resources to achieve specific goals or obtain desired results.

A membership site or online course with a focused topic helps members reach their goals more quickly.

Celebrate these accomplishments, as they showcase the value of what you provide.

Your product creates success, shares knowledge, and fosters achievement. However, when members reach their goals, they often complete their journey with your site and move on to other opportunities.

What you can do about it: Firstly, pat yourself on the back!

Next, determine what comes after your members accomplish their goals.

Can you provide something that supports the next stage of their development? Consider offering a mastermind group, one-on-one coaching, or a more advanced membership product.

Clearly outline the progression from your core membership site or course to this next-level offering.

Leverage their success by gathering testimonials, case studies, endorsements, and interviews. Use these to attract new members who can take their place.

Of course these are not the only reasons why people leave membership sites – but they do represent relatively quick fixes in order to plug the holes in your member retention and make sure people aren’t slipping away because of easily resolved reasons.

Conclusion: Keep Members Engaged and Retained

Losing members is a natural part of running a membership site, but you can reduce it by taking proactive steps. Whether it’s improving your onboarding, addressing technical issues, or offering flexible pricing, small changes can make a big difference in member retention.

Looking for more strategies to keep your members engaged and your business thriving? Explore our in-depth guides and expert resources in the Membership Academy. Let’s work together to make your membership stronger than ever!

Thank You For Listening

We really appreciate you chosing to listen to us and for supporting the podcast. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.

We would also be eternally grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show in iTunes. They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience and we read each and every one personally!

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure that you never miss an episode