I’ve started a Membership Club on YouTube! What is a Membership Club? YouTube gives content creators the ability to create a monthly membership program. We can choose different pricing options (charged on a monthly basis) and the perks at each membership level. They take care of the billing and sign-up and all that stuff and we take care of the perks. For their part, YT takes 30% of the monthly membership fee that you pay and the remaining 70% goes to the channel creator.
I don’t expect everyone to be able to or want to support me in this way. If you saw my post – Support Your Favorite Creator, I wrote about a variety of free ways to support creators. I really appreciate any and all forms of support.
Why did I start a Membership Club?
I was qualified to create a membership club when I reached 1000 subscribers. But it took me this long to create one because it’s hard for me to ask for money. However, I would like to be able to craft more and perhaps full-time at some point. But the only way to do that is if my crafting generates an income — enough to where I can cut back on my day job (or leave it altogether).
There are few ways a content creator (who doesn’t sell their cards or designs) can generate an income. A Membership Club is one source of income, and it can be more predictable because it’s monthly. Granted, members can leave and change their levels at any time, but we can hope that folks will stay. In addition to providing a somewhat predictable income that might some day replace my day job, I hope to spend some of that income to purchase products based on your recommendations and requests. I love trying out new companies. Having revenue from my crafty endeavors to support that cost and hopefully allow me to prioritize my time to do more crafting would be a dream come true.
Other Ways My Costs Are Offset
I’m on several design teams, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have other costs I still spend money on crafting. Yes, I get products for free, but that’s pretty much all I get. All of the other supplies, tools and equipment that are involved in crafting are things I have to supply. That includes papers, adhesives, media, embellishments, foil, etc. Also, most teams require only using their brand, so I sometimes find myself purchasing their previous releases (e.g. basic shape nesting dies) so I can adhere to those requirements.
Don’t I use affiliate links? Isn’t that income? Affiliate commission can range from 5% to 10% (sometimes more, but most are in that range). My affiliate earnings has increased to maybe $100/month on average. That goes to maybe offsetting some of what I spend on crafting, but it definitely doesn’t afford me the opportunity to quit or reduce my day job responsibilities.
Also affiliate commission is very unpredictable. For example, last December, most of my time/effort was put into crafting with Spellbinders Advent calendar. I bought this personally; it wasn’t supplied to me. And it sold out, so I was a promoting a product people couldn’t even buy. But I just wanted to craft with it because I bought it and it was fun to open each door and make a tag! I want to do more of that. Crafting with supplies I buy. Crafting with product that can’t earn me affiliate commission (not all brands even have an affiliate program) it’s tough if I have to rely on affiliate income to offset my costs.
Membership Perks!
I have 5 membership levels that range from $0.99/month to $24.99/month. This isn’t even close to the top-end of pricing that YouTube allows, but I think it’s a good start. I hope this broad range offers everyone a comfortable level to support me in this way. Each level of my Membership Club comes with different perks. These perks are exclusive to members and I hope in addition to the content that I produce, they offer more value to you.
I think of this as giving me a little tip like you would your barista. 🙂
Consider this like taking me out for a coffee once a month.
At this level, I will start creating content just for members this level and above. I will send you something in the mail.
For my Stampers, I’d like your input on content. For example, products you want me to review, brands you want me to try out. Maybe a card kit you want me to try. As a thank you for helping to shape my content, I will include you in a credits roll in my videos.
For my Die Cutters… I’ll add you to my holiday list and you will get a card and gift (a crafty item) from me at the end of the year. You do need to be a member at this level for a minimum duration to qualify. I’ll also do member-only livestreams if there are enough members.
This is all very new to me. So, I may change things over time to make it better for everyone all around. However, here are some upcoming member-only content in the works:
- Sometimes there are cards I want to keep secret from friends/family I know who watch my channel. I think these are great as member-only content (at least until they become members 🤣)
- I announced in my Let’s Talk Design Teams – Part 2! that I have an idea for a member-only live stream. This would be a “Bonus” stream for the Let’s Talk Design Team series. This perk unlocks at 10 Die Cutters (members at the Dies level). Livestreams feel more fun and more informative when there’s a lot of participation in the live chat. So we’ll see if I can get there. It won’t be before April because I’ve already scheduled a stream every Saturday from now to end of March. So you have time to watch the live stream series and see if you want to know more after that.
How Will I Spend Membership Income?
I want to be transparent. If you are choosing to support me in this way, I want you to know what your money is going towards — at least a general idea.
- Offsetting my non-crafting costs – I pay for domains, webhosting, software licenses, etc. I sometimes need to upgrade/replace equipment like microphone, camera, lighting, etc.
- Offsetting my craft costs – all the general craft supplies like papers, adhesives, etc. This would also include products that want to use in videos (e.g. I am planning a series to compare different alcohol markers and different markers. I’ve been purchasing and planning that series for over a month now. It will probably take several months to complete this just because of my busy schedule)
- Member Request Products – I want to set aside some money to take requests from my Stampers & Die Cutters — so if you want me to try out a certain craft kit and let you know my thoughts or try out a tool or a new brand of markers, etc. So this is for making purchases I might not otherwise buy but for getting requests from my members
- Income – this is when things will start to get exciting for me. Because if I get to this point, then I can start taking less consulting work and spend more time crafting!