I've been toying with the idea of starting a membership site. What in your experience is the best niche to get into?
We can't tell you everything, you have to figure some stuff out too. Here is the basics of what niche to select: 1. the product can be delivered electronically. 2. there is a benefit to being a member (incentive for people to actually buy). the most basic design is to offer the site in a freemium style. Basically you give certain features away for free and then offer premium features for subscribers. Use the free features to rank in the search engines. The best way to figure out what niche to focus on is to look at what type of products people buy at present and then ask yourself 1. could I sell that product or service in the form of a membership site? 2. Could I improve that produce/service by using a membership site? You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Just look at netflix. All they did was offer video rentals in the form of a through the mail subscription service. some example of membership sites: adult sites, dating sites, financial sites, some forums etc.
Also you should remember that unless you have a sound system to follow that will automate most of your work, before you can even think of outsourcing anything, you have to have the mentality that your membership site is an actual business. It can get a bit overwhelming if you are thinking otherwise. Check out ClickBank for some examples of some really simple ones. Some only have about 10 members who pay $999 monthly, while others have 9,000 paying $19 monthly. Do your homework
This is absolutely true. I for one would go for the 9000 members paying $19 and if you really deliver on the product + include more bonuses, you get plenty more through "word-of-mouth advertising" for free which is more important in my opinion. Then you can also have a double membership system. The Gold package for say $19 per month and Elite package for $47 per month. Also give 'em a sneak peak at the Elite package on what they could get.
You're right, and that would mean a huge difference in the effort needed to make your membership site work.