Paid Access Best Practices

It is important to think about the implications on you and your members before you enable the Paid Access. Be sure to have a good rollout plan before you enable Paid Access. Here are some helpful Best Practice Tips you may want to consider before you enable Paid Access on your forum:

What will my members pay for?

You need to offer something that your forum members will value to be successful. Ask a few questions to yourself, such as: Do your members visit every day and participate? Is your community unique? If the answer is ‘yes,’ you might try requiring a premium subscription (paid access) or a donation to enter your forum or post messages.

Otherwise, test out charging a fee for a category with exclusive disussions and content first. You might test out charging for an exclusive series of categories or access to experts. Paid forum discussions and content will help you learn what your members’ value.

Should I charge a fixed price or ask for a donation?

One factor to consider is the value of the content. If you are confident that the members will pay, charge a fixed price. If the value is questionable or you are not confident that the members will pay or not, you might consider asking for a donation.

A second factor to consider is the nature of your community. Ask yourself if your community feel charging a fee for content or membership is consistent with the premise of the community? On the other hand, would they find it objectionable? If the latter is the case, you might consider asking for a donation rather than a fixed price.

Should I set a recommended donation amount?

Most people find it helpful to have a suggested amount defined when choosing their donation. It provides some context for the member, and will most likely bring in more donations at this price. You can provide the recommended amount for donation under the Message section while setting up the Paid Access. Every member will see this, and may likely just contribute the amount you suggest.

Should I message my members about paid access?

If you already have a forum with us then we recommend that you email your existing members before you activate Paid Access. Give them an advance notice and use the opportunity to explain why it is worth paying for.

Can I change my paid access settings later?

You have the ability to edit your settings as you see fit. You can modify the Paid Access settings as many times as you wish. However, we recommend not changing the settings too frequently, as users might not like it.

Related Articles:

• Paid Access Overview
• Requiring users to pay to access the forum
• Requiring users to pay to access a category

If you still need help, please contact us.