Build a Membership Site
Launch a paid membership with recurring billing, gated content, and onboarding
What You'll Build
A live membership site with subscription tiers, gated content, automated member onboarding emails, and professional design assets.
- Membership tiers and content plan organized in Notion
- Professional membership site built in Webflow
- Stripe subscriptions with customer portal
- Automated onboarding email sequences in ConvertKit
- Branded member resources designed in Canva
Prerequisites
- A Stripe account
- A Webflow account (CMS plan recommended)
- A ConvertKit account
- Your membership concept and content ideas defined
- Basic understanding of web design
Architecture
Notion serves as your content planning hub where you map out tiers, schedule content, and track ideas. Webflow builds the actual membership site with public and members-only pages. Stripe handles subscription billing and provides a customer portal for members to manage their accounts. ConvertKit automates the onboarding experience and sends content updates. Canva creates all the visual assets.
Plan membership tiers & content in Notion
~30 minMap out your membership structure, pricing tiers, and content calendar before building anything.
- Create a Notion workspace with a "Membership" page and sub-pages for: Tier Structure, Content Calendar, and Member Resources
- Define 2-3 membership tiers - for example: Free (limited access), Pro ($19/mo, full access), and VIP ($49/mo, full access + community + coaching)
- List the specific content and benefits for each tier so members clearly understand the value
- Create a content calendar database with columns for: Title, Type (article, video, download), Tier (which members see it), Publish Date, and Status
- Plan your first month of content - aim for at least 4 pieces of content to launch with
Build membership site with Webflow
~45 minDesign and build your membership website in Webflow with public marketing pages and members-only content sections.
- Create a new Webflow project and set up your site structure: Homepage, Pricing, Members Area, About, and Login pages
- Design the homepage with a clear value proposition, feature highlights, testimonials, and a strong CTA to join
- Build the pricing page with your tier comparison - use a grid layout showing features per tier with clear "Join" buttons
- Create a CMS Collection for your member content (articles, videos, resources) with fields for title, content, tier level, and thumbnail
- Set up a members-only section - use Webflow's Memberships feature or password-protect pages for gated content
Set up Stripe subscriptions & customer portal
~30 minCreate subscription products in Stripe and set up a customer portal so members can manage their own billing.
- Go to the Stripe Dashboard and create Products for each membership tier (e.g. "Pro Membership" at $19/month and $190/year)
- Create Payment Links for each tier - these are no-code checkout URLs you can link directly from your Webflow pricing page
- Enable the Stripe Customer Portal under Settings → Billing → Customer Portal so members can update payment methods, switch tiers, or cancel
- Set up Stripe's automatic emails for: payment receipts, failed payment retries, and subscription cancellations
- Link the Stripe Payment Links to your "Join" buttons on the Webflow pricing page
Create onboarding sequences in ConvertKit
~30 minBuild automated email sequences that welcome new members, guide them through your content, and keep them engaged.
- Create a ConvertKit tag or segment for each membership tier (e.g. "Pro Members", "VIP Members")
- Build a welcome automation: when a new subscriber is tagged as a member, trigger a 5-email onboarding sequence over 2 weeks
- Write the sequence: Email 1 (immediate): Welcome + quick start guide. Email 2 (Day 2): Top 3 resources to explore first. Email 3 (Day 5): Pro tip or behind-the-scenes. Email 4 (Day 10): Ask for feedback. Email 5 (Day 14): Introduce the community or advanced features
- Set up a weekly or monthly content digest email that automatically shares your newest member content
- Connect Stripe to ConvertKit using Zapier or ConvertKit's native Stripe integration to auto-tag new paying members
Design member resources in Canva
~30 minCreate professional-looking member resources, worksheets, and branded assets that add tangible value to each tier.
- Set up a Brand Kit in Canva with your membership site's colors, fonts, and logo
- Design downloadable resources for members: worksheets, checklists, templates, or guides in PDF format
- Create branded social media graphics that members can use (e.g. "I'm a member of..." badges)
- Design email headers and banners for your ConvertKit emails to keep everything visually consistent
- Create a welcome guide PDF that walks new members through everything available to them
🎉 You're Done!
A live membership site with subscription tiers, gated content, automated member onboarding emails, and professional design assets.
Want this built for you?
Get a step-by-step checklist, setup order, and the exact config for every tool in this guide. Or let me build it for you.
Get the checklist → Want this built for you?