How I 4x'ed my Membership in 1 Year (without webinars, ads, or constant selling)

Wanna hear something wild?

In the last 12 months, I 4x’ed my Video Brand Academy membership from 33 members last may to 133 members today.

That’s not the wild part…

The kicker is, I did it without paying for ads, doing live webinars, or constant selling.

If you’re struggling to grow your membership or wondering how to scale without the traditional “launch hamster wheel,” this video is for you!

VIDEO: How I 4x’ed my Membership in 1 Year (without webinars, ads, or constant selling) | Ep. 54

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The Humble Beginning: Launching With Just 9 Members

When I first launched what is now Video Brand Academy back in 2018, I wasn’t aiming high; I had simply done the math. I needed 30 paying members to break even on my business tools and software.

When I launched it… and 9 people joined.

I was disappointed and honestly embarrassed. Part of me wondered if running an online business just wasn’t for me. But I made one of the most important decisions of my career: I moved forward anyway.

Those first 9 members became the foundation of everything I would eventually build, even though the next few years weren’t easy. For nearly five years, the membership hovered around 25–30 members. I ran five-day challenges, did quarterly launches, and promoted consistently, yet year after year, I ended with roughly the same number I started with.

It was frustrating. But it was also planting seeds I didn’t realize I’d need later.

When “Hard Work” Isn’t Enough — And What I Did Next

By 2023, I was generating income from several places: affiliate marketing, YouTube ads, one-on-one coaching, and courses. But the membership, the thing I loved the most, wasn’t growing the way I wanted.

I finally asked myself, “If I could choose just one part of my business to be wildly successful, what would it be?”

The answer was easy: the membership.

I love showing up for my members. I love our monthly meetups, solving YouTube challenges together, and creating trainings that actually help creators build profitable YouTube-driven businesses.

So if the membership was the thing I loved most… why wasn’t I treating it like my main offer?

That question changed everything.

Going into 2024, I made the scary but necessary decision to close the enrollment page so I could rebuild everything from scratch: the branding, the messaging, the positioning, the entire experience.

And that reset became the breakthrough I needed.

The Turning Point

In early 2024, I made a bold decision. I closed the membership enrollment page temporarily—not the membership itself, which had been running continuously since 2018, but the ability for new members to join. I needed to rebuild everything from scratch with absolute clarity.

Here’s what I got clear on:

Who is this for? I wanted to help entrepreneurs and content creators who specifically want to use YouTube to build their business, not just grow their audience for vanity metrics. This is a subset of YouTube creators, not everyone.

What transformation do they get? I can’t help you go viral or become the next big creator. That’s not my lane. But I can help you use YouTube as a lead generation and sales funnel tool. I can help you build an audience of ideal clients and customers, then convert them into paying customers. I can help you implement the Spiderweb Strategy to grow from zero if you’re just starting.

Why should they pay? I got specific about the actual results I could deliver, rather than making vague promises about “YouTube growth.”

This clarity led to a complete rebrand. The old name didn’t reflect the focused, standalone brand I was building. Everything—the messaging, the visuals, the sales pages, the positioninghad to align perfectly. The new name, Video Brand Academy, reflected exactly what I was teaching and who I was serving.

This clarity became my competitive advantage. Because when people understand exactly what a membership will help them do, it becomes a much easier “yes.”

Rebranding, Realigning, and Relaunching

This clarity led to a complete rebrand. The old name didn’t reflect the focused, standalone brand I was building. Everything, the messaging, the visuals, the sales pages, the positioning had to align perfectly. The new name, Video Brand Academy, reflected exactly what I was teaching and who I was serving.

Once the branding, messaging, and positioning were aligned, I decided to relaunch even though everything wasn’t “perfect.” After sending just a few emails to my list, 30 new members joined. That was the turning point.

That one-week relaunch doubled the five years of prior progress. This clarity became my competitive advantage. Because when people understand exactly what a membership will help them do, it becomes a much easier “yes.”

Creating an “Irresistible Offer” That Actually Works

Here’s the critical insight I learned: Nobody wants a subscription. That’s not an exaggeration. People resist recurring payments, even when the value is exceptional.

The solution? Create an offer so compelling that the $49 monthly membership fee becomes a no-brainer. But here’s the catch: most people won’t believe that until they experience it themselves.

This is why I stopped trying to convince people through sales pages alone. Instead, I created what my business mentor calls an “irresistible offer,” a way to get people inside the membership so they could experience the value directly.

The $1 Trial

In December, I offered a seven-day trial for just $1. Members got full access to everything. If they saw the value, they could stay for the regular $49/month price.

Result: 34 who started the trial became paying members

The 90 Days to 1K Subscribers Bootcamp

A four-day training “90 Days to 1k” Bootcamp that I was already planning to create for existing members — I simply opened the door for non-members to join by becoming a member.

Result: 30 new members.

Video Editing Made Easy (Free Course With Membership Enrollment)

Most recently, I launched my new course Video Editing Made Easy inside the membership as a free bonus for members. I sent a few emails to my list explaining that new members could get the entire course free when they joined.

Result: 42 new members — the biggest single promotion to date.

These weren’t gimmicks — they were high-value experiences that helped people confidently step inside the membership and see real results.

And once people experience value from the inside, retention becomes natural.

How I Use YouTube to Grow My Membership Consistently

YouTube is the engine of my business and it’s how I grew the membership without paid ads.

All my content, tutorials, podcast episodes, and tool walkthroughs now funnel viewers toward relevant lead magnets and the membership waitlist or trial.

Here’s how that worked:

1. I create binge-worthy videos around specific niche topics

Not random videos.
Not “whatever I feel like filming.”
But targeted, problem-solving content that attracts my ideal audience.

2. Every video leads to a relevant lead magnet

My Descript cheat sheet.
My Crush It on Camera Guide.
Other simple, one-page resources.

These free downloads convert viewers into subscribers and subscribers become members.

3. I seed the membership constantly, but casually

In episodes, tutorials, and conversations, I mention:

• resources inside the membership
• questions asked by members
• bonuses and training
• mini-courses
• community conversations

Not salesy. Not pushy. Just natural, consistent awareness.

4. A growing video library means growing leads

I have hundreds of videos working for me 24/7.
New viewers discover my content every day.
Some join the list. Some join the membership.

It’s not magic. It’s momentum.

Positioning, packaging, and the membership experience

Two other changes mattered a lot:

Make membership identity-specific. I stopped pitching “anyone who wants to grow on YouTube” and started pitching creators who want to use YouTube to grow a business — course creators, membership owners, and course sellers. That specificity made the messaging stick.
Treat membership as product-first. Instead of selling features, I focused on the transformation turning a YouTube channel into a funnel that sells. When people see what the membership helps them do (not just what it includes), conversion improves.

Packaging bonuses as things members actually use (bootcamps, mini-courses, templates) made the decision to join feel like a smart, immediate win.

Operational nudges — seeding, waitlists, and the app

Growing the membership wasn’t just marketing. There were operational moves that made everything smoother:

Keep a waitlist open whenever the public enrollment page is closed. That captured interest and allowed quick re-open promotions.
Seed membership references organically in regular content — mention a question from a meetup, reference a member training, or say “that’s in the membership” when it fits. It’s gentle and keeps the membership top-of-mind without pressure.
Build a member app and community hub so members can access training and tools easily. The app increased perceived value and made membership tangible.

These small process changes reduced friction and kept the funnel humming.

Metrics, iteration, and the mindset shift

One important mindset change was tracking everything and treating promotions like experiments. I tracked metrics for each promotion: traffic, conversion, and trial-to-paid retention. That allowed iterations — tweaking sales pages, changing email sequences, and refining the offer mechanics.

I also embraced long-term thinking: membership growth is cumulative. Quarterly launches, evergreen lead magnets, and constant content seeding created a steady pipeline rather than peaks followed by plateaus.

What I Wish I Could Tell 2018 Me

If I could go back and talk to the version of me who launched with nine members, here’s what I’d say:

1. Get your messaging incredibly clear. People join when they understand the transformation.

2. Create irresistible, low-friction ways for people to try the membership. Trials, bonuses, mini experiences, free courses — they work.

3. No one wants “another subscription.” They want a result. Make that result undeniable.

4. You don’t need complicated launches. You just need a valuable, simple offer and a consistent flow of leads.

5. YouTube is your most powerful asset. Your videos can sell for you long after you hit publish.

Conclusion

Growing the membership from 33 to 133 felt impossible for years, and then possible in a very short time once the offer, messaging, and funnels aligned. The work that made this possible wasn’t flashy; it was clarity, consistent content, smart lead magnets, friction-lowering offers, and steady seeding.

If building a membership or creating a YouTube-to-membership funnel is on the roadmap, start with clarity: who is this for and what transformation does it deliver? Then make it easy for people to get inside and see the value.

If this post sparked ideas or questions, I’d love to hear them, leave a comment, or join the waitlist at Video Brand Academy to see these systems in action. For a practical next step, download the Descript cheat sheet or the Crush It on Camera guide linked in the episode description. They’re the same tidy lead magnets I used to build a consistent list of engaged leads.

Ready to build a membership that grows without constant selling? Join the Video Brand Academy waitlist or grab a free guide, and let’s get started together.

And as a lifelong learner, I believe it’s so much fun to learn from somebody who’s been there, done that, and has way more experience than trying to figure it all out alone. You can probably relate to that too. I hope you’ll join me and James for the Rise of the Digital CEO training; it’s a game-changer for anyone serious about building a sustainable online business.

Your membership’s breakthrough is probably just one clear positioning decision and one great offer away. Start today!

If you have an online business with a course, program, or any other kind of offer, and you’re not currently generating consistent sales on autopilot, I’d like to introduce you to the hands off youtube funnel that has made me over $20k on a $147 course! That way, you too can make consistent sales of your offer, with the beauty and simplicity of organic, evergreen traffic from YouTube! Start here with my free “AIT Method” training.