Stu McLaren is a well-established membership coach, speaker, and trainer.
He built WishList Member, a popular WordPress plugin. He co-founded Membership.io. , an all-inclusive platform for membership sites.
What he’s best known for is The Membership Experience (formerly TRIBE).
It’s an online program that teaches students how to launch a new or improve an existing membership business.
He’s been at it since the Great Recession. Given today’s economy, a business with recurring revenue sounds like an exciting escape from reality.
So I grabbed a ticket for The Membership Experience’s 2025 launch to see whether it was as good as advertised.
I’ll say this. I wasn’t expecting any obvious marketing foul ups during the launch.
Stu’s been at it long enough to know what works, what doesn’t, and where to focus attention in the funnel.
The launch ran for about two weeks. It was longer for me because I signed up a few weeks before the first lesson dropped.
Membership Experience follows Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula (PLF). Not a surprise as the two are long-time business collaborators.
What follows is my critique of the main elements of the launch: email, video content, landing and sales pages.
I will also give my thoughts on the temporary site activated specifically for the launch.
(Spoiler alert. It was genius!)
Here we go.
Email from beginning to the very end
Anyone who works with membership site owners, knows Stu McLaren.
I had read his social posts, e-books, and listened to a whole lotta podcasts and videos.
Despite that, I had never gone through The Membership Experience’s launch.
Tom Woods, a student and affiliate, mentioned it was happening on his podcast.
Hmm.
I’ll sign up and see whether he does anything unexpected.
(Strictly speaking about course launches… hasn’t it all been done already?)
Clicked the link in the Woods’ show notes and signed up via email.
A response email arrived immediately.
It began with the standard but ultra-important instructions:
- Add (Stu) to my contact list
- Add the first class to my (Google) calendar
If you own a membership site or are launching one, those vanilla prompts must be in the beginning of your first email.
Go and check to make sure they’re there.
Do it now.
Because if your emails are landing in spam or your events disappear into the ether, nobody’s seeing your content.
All that hard work… for nada.
With the housekeeping instructions done, the rest of the email focused on the upcoming class.
It was one week out.
A lot can happen (or not) in a week. The most common scenario is to forget what you signed up for.
The calendar reminder helps reduce that risk. But you still want the emails to build excitement for what’s coming.
Stu’s first email attacked that problem by providing a roadmap to show where we were headed.
That simple roadmap had me looking forward by a week.
People need and want to know where you’re taking them.
It’s a way to preempt questions and doubts.
As an example, just think about flying.
Whenever you board a plane, what happens?
The captain gets on the PA to tell you the flight path, the weather, and the expected arrival time.
Because if he didn’t? Lots of “Are we there yet?”
(BTW, Jerry Seinfeld could do without the captain’s talk. LOL.)
You see that the classes would be spaced out inside of a week.
Dripping content is the way to go during a launch.
It keeps engagement high.
More importantly, it allows for making improvements as data comes in.
For example, if the first video failed in some way, you could try something different for the second and third video.
The second email (“Your membership can sell itself if…” ) foreshadowed what was coming.
It was Stu’s Circle of Awesomeness.
The link in the email takes you to a YouTube video of the same name. On the right, you can see his playlist, all of which are relevant for would-be membership owners.
The long playlist is a credibility booster.
For someone not familiar with Stu’s body of work, seeing all those videos would let them know that he wasn’t some guru who planted his flag 20 minutes ago.
Email frequency
After the first video, in addition to emails from Stu, I got updates via email from The Membership Workshop.
That’s the temporary site where I logged in to watch the classes, chat with other students and team members, and personalize my profile.
I think for some, the Stu McLaren vs Membership Workshop emails might have caused a disconnect.
People are incredibly distracted these days.
But if you were vested in the launch, like me, there was no confusion.
I was reading, watching, and commenting on everything related to the course.
The emails that notified me about activity from The Workshop seemed logical and appropriate
(I’m glad there was no legalese opt-in for receiving the Workshop emails. It would’ve been TMI. You don’t have to explain every jot and tittle to readers or viewers. Anyone who doesn’t like the emails can opt out.)
I won a badge after watching the first class which made me feel… proud?
Yes. The psychological effect of seeing your accomplishment recognized is real.
The emails were short and to the point.
They arrived about once a day, more when the classes started dropping and most in the last day of the launch.
Stu’s emails were largely broadcast as far as I can tell.
The emails from The Membership Workshop (the temporary site) were behavior driven so I was receiving them 2, 3X a day.
Stu’s not shy about sending emails or asking for the sale.
(He address the fear of disapproval [i.e., worried about being seen as pushy] in one of the videos. His advice? Get over yourself.)
There’s no predicting who will open what but you can’t be self-concious about sending emails during a launch.
Email subject lines
Subject line is an important element for any email campaign.
Whole case studies have been done regarding them.
(Maybe the most famous in recent years was the Barack Obama fundraising email. The subject line “Hey” outperformed hundreds of other subject lines in a crowded election year.)
But if you look in the emails below — does anyone stand out?
Is there magic in the subject lines?
I’d say no.
Sure there’s variety. Urgency. Special characters. Brackets.
But no magic.
What there is the relationship Stu established with me based on what I did (the emails opened, the links clicked, etc.).
If you signed up for the launch with even a modicum of interest, then the emails were appealing.
The frequency and urgency really turned up in the days leading up to the cart closing.
Probably six on the last day (May 22) and four in the last two hours.
Is that the right frequency? Too little? Too much?
I’m not privy to that information.
You’d have to look at how many sales they generated.
After that, you’d consider open rates, click rates, spam complaints, etc.
The bottom line is if a good number of people joined the program, it doesn’t matter much if those who didn’t join, took issue with the volume of email.
Non-buying subscribers can make a lot of noise. You don’t want to ignore them but you don’t want to treat them better than your data either.
This is key because sending so many emails would feel very uncomfortable.
We’d think, “hey, they know what we’re offering, we don’t have to beat them over the head with it!”
Usually, though, we do.
Because people need prodding in a lot of cases to belly up and buy (even when it’s far and away the best thing for them to do.)
So membership site owners have to resolve to get past their discomfort when it comes to selling. They just do.
Stu’s email’s, especially during the last day, followed the Rule of One.
They spoke to one person (coaches, for example). They highlighted one feature (payment plan options) or benefit (14-day money-back guarantee).
That variety kept my interest up while speaking to specific concerns.
Reading through the many emails, in quick succession, felt like the unpacking of a Russian Doll.
Each one was urgent but without the desperate, fire sale, “wait–there’s more!” vibe.
(I recommend using strong-arm, direct-response tactics carefully. The principles are timeless but the execution is what matters. You don’t want the last few emails of your launch reading like hypercaffeinated spam.)
The Membership Experience’s Sales pages
Every landing page and sale page I saw during The Membership Experience launch was solid.
For example, the VIP Fast Pass page.
Introduced in the first email, it was a $47 option to get additional help during the launch, for quicker results.
I thought the offer was excellent.
First, for busy professionals, time is money and doing is everything. For the price of lunch at an average restaurant, you could borrow from Stu directly.
For Stu, he’d know that anyone who opts for the Fast Pass is a strong candidate for buying The Membership Experience.
More future results = testimonials (aka Circle of Awesomeness).
The $47 fee, too, was nice and odd.
Probably high enough, for most buyers to at least view the content (some of whom will do the work needed to succeed).
The sales page for the Fast Pass VIP upgrade included a few proven direct-response tactics.
- Pictures of the product
- Product details in checklist form
- Retail price for each feature
These elements reassure the buyer at the moment of tension (enter credit card? Put it away and close tab?) while subtly applying sales pressure.
The sales page for the course was long.
I didn’t capture it for this article, unfortunately.
But it had all the elements that you’d expect on for a $2500 course:
direct-response headline
subheads
testimonials (both text and video) from successful students.
It also included a FAQ section, a profit potential calculator (nice touch!), a chatbot, and six bonuses that complimented The Membership Experience.
What would I have thought of the class had I viewed the sales page cold?
I’d have thought this is… good.
Would I have read it all… even scrolled through it?
Probably not. It was visually interesting with enough contrast in style, elements, etc.
The layout was attractive and the copy was human.
Still, though, it was… long.
I think the “TL:DR” reaction shows how important it is to prepare, nurture, and educate prospects during the launch before making your offer.
In other words, your sales page should not come as a shock when they see it for the first time.
Because I had been keeping up with Stu, the sales page didn’t feel long to me.
It seemed like a thorough summary. I actually studied it to see if I noticed anything new in it.
What stood out was the video testimonials.
Talk about variety!
Testimonials for high-end internet courses usually sound too good to be true.
Often, the speakers sound like (humble) braggers.
They make big, gaudy dollars and can’t believe (?) they of all people are doing it!
The truth is, you got a better chance of winning an eight-figure disability claim from a hospital chain than getting the same results.
These testimonials, though, were different. They ran the gamut from students who made their first hundred to those who made millions.
And, no matter where they were in their journey, the students sounded confident about the future of their membership site.
Actually, before watching each video, I couldn’t tell who had a $10K or $2.5 million business.
Great curation.
Video
The three videos for the Membership Workshop were polished, professional, and easy to watch.
All of the elements that you’d expect for a premium video course were there.
Tight script? Check.
Excellent lighting? Check.
Rich cinematography synced with voiceover? Check.
Plus the pacing (vigorous), narration (passionate), soaring music (cued for emotional impact).
The videos were cohesive but worked as stand-alone classes, too.
Stu said we could speed up the videos if pressed for time.
(Humility, whether real or fake, is a must for membership site owners. Your job is to get members where they want to go as fast as they want even if that means skipping your premium content.)
One image that stood out for me in the first video was Stu drawing the Circle of Awesomeness.
Red pen, clear board.
The drawing sums up the feedback loop that it is.
The Circle of Awesomeness is this. Help a member get the result they want, broadcast it, get a testimonial, and similar-minded people sign up.
Rinse and repeat.
Each video came with a worksheet.
Part 1: The Membership Movement (validating your idea for a membership site)
Part 2: The Founding Member Launch (launching with minimal infrastructure)
Part 3: The Membership Blueprint (making your site work long term)
PIC OF WORKSHEET
Adding worksheets as homework is a great tactic for boosting interaction.
First, it reminds the students of what the video’s content.
Second, a lot of people will absorb the content better seeing it in written form. Combined, the visual and aural from the video and the visual for the written content have a synergistic effect. It will drive subscribers deeper into the message and compel some to consider buying.
Inside the temporary site
After watching video one, I was invited to interact with other subscribers.
You could rewatch the videos, build your profile, interact with others in the community chat.
This was a brilliant way of demonstrating what a membership site looks like from the inside.
The chat room was busy with ample encouraging, feedback from Stu and his team.
Some members had very defined ideas about their membership site.
Others were vague but all were enthusiastic.
Building a membership site can be lonely.
Few others, even family and friends, will understand what it is you do.
The chat room showed what a thriving community looks like (showing is always better than telling).
It also demonstrated the value of peers who can speak to you about your business.
What impressed me most about The Membership Experience
As stated already, there were so many things to appreciate about The Membership Experience launch.
Here’s what stood out the most:
The Circle of Awesomeness. This trademarked phrase is what I think of now when I see Stu McLaren’s name. More than that, it’s what anyone wanting to build a successful membership site must achieve.
The Membership Workshop. The temporary site for the videos, group chat, during the launch. Again, rather than explain what a membership site should look like from the inside, I was summoned to participate in one brimming with energy.
Group Chat. The group chat was a brilliant addition to the temporary site. It was interactive, easy to navigate, and support was outstanding (from other subscribers to Stu’s team).
Seeing the course from the inside – a team member walks through – so easy a caveman could do it.
The pacing. The launch followed the usual trajectory of a premium digital course. Content was dripped out slowly and steadily in the beginning and accelerated rapidly during the end.
However, this launch seemed to cover every possible objection in the last four, five days.
There was another class in which you had to reenroll and choose your date.
There was a separate AMA.
And many, many emails (all of which addressed a single issue).
Four emails two days before cart closing to remind about watching the live masterclass and
One bonus offered for those who buy before May 20th (the cart closed on the 22nd).
At least four emails in the last hours before the close.
Subject lines: TME payments, I’m LIVE answering your questions, I recorded you this.
Three things to test (in order of importance)
Sometimes it takes an outsider to see things, especially when you’ve been grinding for close to 20 years.
Here are three things I’d test against the control.
Push for a cell phone number earlier – There’s a good-sized minority of adults who do not check email daily.
It’s more complicated than that, though.
According to a Zerobounce survey, 86% of adults have at least three email addresses. That makes a lot of room for getting lost in delivery.
On top of that, the same survey reports that 25% of people never check their promotions tab… or spam folder.
Email delivery is an ongoing challenge.
And people are idoscyncratic. They may check email at work… or not. They may check email at night… or not.
Given how attached most people are to their phones, I’d make a greater effort to get the prospect’s phone number earlier in the funnel.
Textline.com says that text messages have a 98% open rate, that51% of consumers reply to texts within 1 to 2 minutes, and that 20% of customers said they made a purchase after receiving a text from a small business.
My thinking is that more texts sent during the Membership Experience would increase participation and sales, perhaps by a lot.
Exclude those who don’t have a list
The difference between someone with an email list and someone without one is massive.
It’s a much wider divide than the one between a tiny and giant email list.
The reason is because someone without an audience probably has not yet tackled the fear of failing.
That fear of failing in public can be crippling. It’s what keeps many people from every pursuing their dreams.
Anyone who dreams about building a membership site is gonna have to eat the fear.
Today. Tomorrow.
Constantly.
Another problem common among people without a list is procrastination.
They’re more daydreamers than doers. Always listening but never putting what they hear into action.
Now Stu does touch on both issues throughout the course.
But my gut tells me it’s not enough. The no-list, no-audience people need a separate class.
I would test excluding those without a list in next year’s launch.
I’d run a separate launch using most of the same content targeting people without a list.
My hypothesis is that tighter segmentation would lead to an increase in sales for both groups.
Origin story.
Origin stories can be powerful elements in converting prospect. Typically, they follow an arc (e.g., Hero’s journey) or formula (PAS).
People respond to colorful and sensational stories.
Stu’s rationale for creating membership programs was his desire to be present for his kids.
In the first video he breezes through this. He got married and then discussed children with his wife.
Maybe he said that for the sake of brevity.
But there was no way they skipped the kid covo before the wedding.
(Unless they got married during a Vegas bender which… does happen!)
Wanting to be present for your kids is a universal desire in the West.
It’s a good desire.
Just not a gripping, up-from-the ashes story.
It doesn’t fit with other guru’s who went bankrupt, nearly died from a tropical disease, or got fired publicly for chronic alcoholism.
Now there may be a point to Stu’s ordinariness. He could be showing that a membership site done right will provides stable and consistent income–so that you too can enjoy the luxury of being a concious parent.
However, if that’s not the case, I’d test whether a different life story resonated better with the audience.
In closing
The launch was just about perfect.
There were no “gotcha” moments for me, even though as I went in as a critic.
I appreciated the drama, flair, and production of it all.
Especially so since I knew there was a well-used strategy undergirding the launch. Nothing was left to chance but it felt loose.
If you want to grow your existing membership program, The Membership Experience can definitely do that.
If you want to study next year’s launch, you can join the waitlist for next year’s program: https://membershipworkshop.com/wait
Until then, I’d suggest working through the sea of free content that Stu’s produced.