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  • How to Easily Integrate Zoom Meetings & Webinars in WordPress

    Are you looking for a way to integrate Zoom meetings and webinars in WordPress?

    Integrating WordPress with Zoom allows you to automatically enroll customers, visitors, and new members into Zoom video calls and webinars. This can improve user engagement and help build a community around your brand.

    In this article, we will show you how to easily integrate Zoom meetings and webinars in WordPress, step by step.

    How to easily integrate Zoom meetings and webinars in WordPress

    Why Integrate Zoom Meetings and Webinars With WordPress?

    Integrating Zoom with WordPress lets you easily automate your meeting and webinar registration process. This can save you a lot of time that you can spend on other business tasks.

    Zoom is one of the most popular meeting, webinar, and video conference call software in the world, used by over 300 million people every day.

    It’s a must-have tool for businesses with remote teams or WordPress website owners who need to get in touch with customers and clients virtually.

    For instance, if you have an online store, then you can use Zoom for live product demos, customer support, online training, and even host webinars with your customers to promote upcoming products on your site.

    That being said, let’s take a look at how you can easily integrate Zoom meetings and webinars in WordPress. Here’s a quick overview of the topics we will cover in this guide:

    Install and Activate the Uncanny Automator Plugin for WordPress

    The easiest way to connect Zoom with WordPress is by using Uncanny Automator.

    It’s the best WordPress automation plugin that helps you create automated workflows in WordPress without writing any code. The tool lets you easily connect your WordPress site with external apps like Zoom, Slack, and Asana.

    It’s like Zapier for WordPress websites but without the high costs.

    To learn more, see our article on how to create automated workflows in WordPress.

    To connect Zoom with WordPress, you will first have to visit the Uncanny Automator website.

    From here, click the ‘Get Uncanny Automator Now’ button to continue.

    Click Get Uncanny Automator Now button

    This will take you to the ‘Pricing’ page, where you can select a plan of your choice.

    Keep in mind that Uncanny Automator also has a free version, but it has limited features. That is why we are using the premium plan for this tutorial.

    Uncanny Automator pricing

    Upon purchase, you must install and activate the Uncanny Automator plugin on your WordPress website. For detailed instructions, you may want to see our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

    Note: You will also have to install the free version of the Uncanny Automator plugin because it will be used as the base for the pro plan.

    Once you have done that, visit the Automator » Settings page from the WordPress admin sidebar to enter the license key for your pro plan. You will find this information in your account on the Uncanny Automator website.

    After that, don’t forget to click the ‘Activate license’ button.

    Uncanny Automator license activation

    Now that Uncanny Automator is installed and activated, let’s set up your Zoom account.

    Set Up Your Zoom Account the Right Way

    In order to integrate Zoom and WordPress, you need at least the Pro version of Zoom and the Zoom Webinars addon.

    There is a free version of Zoom, but you will need a paid account to set up the integration. First, head to the Zoom website and sign up for the plan that best suits your needs.

    If you want to integrate webinars on your website, then you will also have to buy the Zoom Webinars addon.

    Zoom pricing

    Once you have a premium account, you need to go to the Zoom App Marketplace and sign in to your account. Here, you will create an app that sends data between Zoom and WordPress.

    To do this, click the ‘Develop’ menu item and select the ‘Build App’ option from the dropdown menu in the top right corner of the screen.

    Select the Build App option from the Develop dropdown menu

    This will bring you to the ‘Choose your app type’ page, where you must select the type of app you want to build.

    From here, you have to find the ‘Server-to-Server OAuth’ app type and click the ‘Create’ button under it.

    Select Server-to-Server OAuth as app type

    Next, you can name your app in the popup. The name is to help you remember the purpose of the app and won’t be visible to your visitors.

    Simply enter your app name and click the ‘Create’ button to start the process.

    Type the Zoom app name

    This will take you to the ‘Connect Zoom with WordPress’ screen, where you will see the app credentials listed.

    From here, you must copy the ‘Account ID’, ‘Client ID’, and the ‘Client Secret’ credentials and paste them into a text editor for now.

    These credentials will be used to connect Zoom with your WordPress website. Next, click the ‘Continue’ button.

    Copy the Zoom app credentials

    You’ll now be taken to the next step, where you have to provide basic information for your app, including the app name, company name, short description, developer name, and email address.

    Once you are done, just click the ‘Continue’ button to move to the next step.

    Provide basic information for the Zoom app

    After that, you’ll be taken to the ‘Feature’ screen, where you don’t have to configure any settings, so you can click ‘Continue’ on this screen too.

    This will direct you to the ‘Scopes’ screen, where you have to select at least one scope for your app to be able to activate it.

    These scopes provide a way to limit the amount of access granted to an app. To set a scope, click the ‘+ Add Scopes’ button.

    Click the Add Scopes button

    This will open a prompt on the screen where you can select scopes for Zoom meetings and webinars that will be hosted on your website using this app.

    For example, if you want the app to be able to view live streaming token information or all user meetings information, then simply check the boxes next to these options.

    You can also configure the scopes for Zoom webinars here by simply switching to the ‘Webinar’ option from the left column. After that, click the ‘Done’ button to move forward.

    Next, click the ‘Continue’ button to move to the next step.

    Add scopes for meetings and webinars

    On the ‘Activation’ page, you will now see a message informing you that your app is ready.

    From here, simply click the ‘Activate your app’ button.

    Click Activate your app button

    Create a New Zoom Meeting

    Now, you can create a new Zoom meeting that you will connect to your WordPress site.

    To do this, visit your Zoom account to click the ‘Schedule’ link, and then fill in your meeting details.

    Schedule zoom meeting

    You can even set a recurring Zoom meeting for your users by checking the ‘Recurring meeting’ box in the ‘Timezone’ section.

    Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Save’ button to store your settings.

    Create a New Zoom Webinar

    To create a new Zoom webinar, click the ‘Webinars’ menu option in the ‘Personal’ tab inside your Zoom account.

    After that, just click the ‘Schedule a Webinar’ button.

    Schedule a Zoom webinar

    On the next page, you can enter all of your webinar information.

    After that, you need to make sure the ‘Required’ box is checked in the Registration section.

    Zoom webinar registration required

    After that, simply click the ‘Save’ button at the bottom of the page.

    Connect Zoom Meetings and Webinars With WordPress

    Once Uncanny Automator is activated and Zoom is set up, you need to connect both of these apps to each other.

    For this, head over to the Automator » App Integrations page from the WordPress dashboard.

    Next, click the ‘Zoom Meetings’ tab in the left column and then add the ‘Account ID’, ‘Client ID’, and the ‘Client Secret’ credentials that you copied earlier into the fields.

    Finally, click the ‘Connect Zoom Meetings Account’ button.

    Connect WordPress and Zoom app

    If you want to integrate Zoom Webinars, too, then just click the ‘Zoom Webinars’ menu option.

    Then, paste the same ‘Account ID’, ‘Client ID’, and ‘Client Secret’ credentials that you used above.

    Once you are done, go ahead and click the ‘Connect Zoom Webinars Account’ button.

    Click connect with webinar button

    Now that we have set up Zoom and integrated it with WordPress, let’s look at some of the cool things that you can do with this Uncanny Automator integration.

    Register Users for a Zoom Meeting After Form Completion in WordPress

    This integration will automatically register users for a Zoom meeting when they fill out a form on your website. This can be used to onboard new clients, schedule coaching calls, and more.

    If you don’t have an active WordPress form on your website, then you need to create one now.

    Uncanny Automator works with all major forms solutions, including WPForms, Formidable Forms, and more.

    For this tutorial, we will be using WPForms because it’s the best contact form plugin for WordPress, used by over 6 million websites. There’s also a webinar form template in the form templates pack addon that makes form creation easy.

    For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to create a contact form in WordPress.

    Now, you are ready to connect your WordPress form with Zoom.

    To do this, you will be creating what’s called a ‘recipe’. In Uncanny Automator, recipes are the automations that link different plugins and apps together.

    To get started, navigate to the Automator » Add new page from the WordPress admin sidebar and click the ‘Everyone’ option as the recipe type.

    The Everyone recipes can be triggered by any user, while logged-in recipes can only be activated by users logged in to your website.

    After that, click the ‘Confirm’ button.

    Choose everyone as recipe type

    Next, you have to provide a name for your recipe. This will help you remember the recipes you create without the name being visible to your users.

    Keep in mind that each recipe has two different parts: the trigger and the action. The trigger is the event that will start the recipe, and the action is the task that runs after the trigger takes place.

    For your first trigger, you need to select ‘WPForms’ in the ‘Trigger’ meta box.

    Choose WPForms as trigger

    After that, you have to choose a specific trigger related to WPForms.

    For example, if you want your users to be added to a Zoom meeting once they submit a contact form, then you can select the ‘A form is submitted’ option.

    Choose a form is submitted option as the trigger

    If you have multiple forms on your WordPress blog, then you will also have to select the form where the submission will trigger the action.

    To do this, simply select a form of your choice from the ‘Form’ dropdown menu.

    Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Save’ button to store your settings.

    Choose a form that will trigger the action

    Next, you will need to add an action for your automation.

    To do that, scroll down to the ‘Actions’ sections and click the ‘Add action’ button under the meta box.

    This will open a list of all the integrations available in the Uncanny Automator. From here, you need to pick the ‘Zoom Meetings’ option.

    Select Zoom Meetings integrations under the actions section

    This will open the ‘Zoom Meetings’ action settings on the screen.

    From here, you must choose the action that Zoom will perform upon form submission.

    If you want to add a user to a Zoom meeting after they fill out a specific form on your website, then you need to select the ‘Add the user to a meeting’ option.

    Select add user to a meeting option

    Then, you can choose the Zoom meeting you want users to register for in the ‘Meeting’ box.

    Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Save’ button to store your settings.

    Select a Zoom meeting of your choice from the dropdown menu

    Now, it’s time for you to finally publish your Uncanny Automator recipe. To do this, all you need to do is toggle the switch in the ‘Recipe’ box to ‘Live’.

    Now, when your users fill out the form, they will automatically be registered for your Zoom meeting.

    save WPForms and Zoom recipe

    Register Users for a Zoom Webinar After Form Completion in WordPress

    Another popular integration is registering users for a webinar when they fill out a form on your website.

    To do this, you will follow the same steps as above. However, you will select ‘Zoom Webinars’ instead of ‘Zoom Meetings’ in the actions section.

    First, follow the same initial ‘Triggers’ section as above. This means that you will have to choose WPForms as the integration for the trigger.

    After that, you can select the ‘A form is submitted’ option as the trigger.

    Choose a form is submitted option as the trigger

    Next, scroll down to the ‘Actions’ section and click the ‘Add action’ button to expand the menu.

    Then, simply select the ‘Zoom Webinars’ option as the integration.

    Select Zoom Webinars integration

    This will open up the actions settings for the Zoom webinar.

    From here, you can select the ‘Add the user to a webinar’ option from the dropdown menu. This will automatically add a user to your Zoom webinar after they fill out a specific form on your website.

    Select add user to webinar

    Next, you will also have to choose a Zoom webinar from the dropdown list.

    Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Save’ button to store your settings.

    Select new user webinar

    After that, you must make your recipe live so that new users will automatically be enrolled in your webinar.

    To do this, simply click the toggle in the ‘Recipe’ box so it says ‘Live’.

    Save Zoom webinar and WPForms recipe

    Register Customers for a Zoom Webinar After They Make a Purchase in WordPress

    Another way to connect WordPress with Zoom is to enroll new customers in a product webinar after they make a purchase in your WooCommerce store.

    Keep in mind that the WooCommerce plugin and store must be set up before you start creating a recipe with Uncanny Automator.

    First, you need to visit the Automator » Add new screen from the WordPress dashboard and click the ‘Everyone’ option.

    After that, click the ‘Confirm’ button to move forward.

    Choose everyone as recipe type

    Next, you have to provide a name for your recipe. This name won’t be displayed to your customers on the front and is only for your identification.

    Once you have done that, choose WooCommerce as the integration in the ‘Trigger’ meta box.

    Select WooCommerce as trigger integration

    This will open the list of WooCommerce triggers in the dropdown menu. From here, you can select any trigger that suits your needs.

    For example, if you want customers to be added to your webinar after they buy a product, then you can select the first option.

    Select a WooCommerce trigger of your choice

    After that, select the ‘completes’ option in the ‘Trigger condition’ box to start the automation when a customer completes a purchase.

    Then, just click the ‘Save’ button to store your settings.

    Choose trigger condition

    Now, you can choose a specific product in your store or have the automation run when a customer purchases any product.

    Simply select the ‘Any product’ option if you want all of your products to be included in the automation, and then click the ‘Save’ button.

    Choose product for trigger

    Next, scroll down to the ‘Actions’ section and click the ‘Add action’ button to expand the menu.

    Then, choose the ‘Zoom Webinars’ integration from the list.

    Select Zoom Webinars integration

    This will open the Zoom webinar action settings on the screen, where you can select the ‘Add the user to a webinar’ option.

    This will automatically register new customers for your webinar once they make a purchase.

    Select add user to webinar

    After that, select the webinar of your choice from the dropdown list in the ‘Webinar’ box.

    If you have multiple webinars running, then make sure to choose the webinar that’s associated with your WooCommerce products.

    New product webinar in Uncanny Automator

    The last thing you need to do is make your recipe live.

    To do this, simply click the toggle in the ‘Recipe’ box so it says ‘Live’.

    Save WooCommerce to Zoom recipe

    Now, when your customers purchase a product, they will automatically be registered for your product webinar.

    Register Members for a Zoom Meeting After Sign Up in WordPress

    When running a membership site, registering new members for a Zoom call can be a great way to welcome them into your community.

    If you haven’t set up your members-only site yet, then you can see our ultimate guide to creating a WordPress membership site.

    You can also register new users for a Zoom orientation call when they enroll in your online course.

    After your website is set up, you can navigate to the Automator » Add new screen from the WordPress admin sidebar and click the ‘Logged-in’ option.

    Now, only the registered members on your site will be able to trigger the recipe.

    After that, click the ‘Confirm’ button to continue.

    select logged in user as recipe type

    Next, add a name for your recipe. This name won’t be displayed to anyone on the front end and is only for your identification.

    After that, select the ‘MemberPress’ integration in the trigger section.

    Choose MemberPress as trigger integration

    This will open the MemberPress trigger options on the screen in a dropdown menu list.

    We will select ‘recurring subscription product’, but you can select the product type that’s right for your site.

    Choose a MemberPress trigger

    Next, you need to choose the subscription product from the dropdown in the ‘Product’ box.

    After that, just click the ‘Save’ button.

    Choose trigger product

    Now, it’s time to add an action to your recipe. To do this, simply click the ‘Add action’ button in the ‘Actions’ box to expand the menu.

    This will bring up a list of available integrations, where you need to pick the ‘Zoom Meetings’ option.

    Select Zoom Meetings integrations under the actions section

    This will open the Zoom Meetings actions settings on the list.

    From here, choose the ‘Add the user to a meeting’ option if you want to add a user to a meeting when they make a recurring subscription purchase.

    Select add user to a meeting option

    Then, select the Zoom call for your new members in the ‘Meeting’ box.

    After that, simply click the ‘Save’ button to store your settings.

    Select a webinar of your choice

    The last thing you need to do is make your recipe live.

    To do this, simply click the Draft toggle in the ‘Recipe’ box so it shows ‘Live’.

    MemberPress to Zoom recipe live

    Now, your new members will automatically be enrolled in a Zoom member orientation call.

    Besides Zoom, Uncanny Automator also allows you to create countless other recipes for different plugins and apps like Twilio and Google Sheets.

    We hope this article helped you easily integrate Zoom meetings and webinars in WordPress. You may also want to see the best WooCommerce automations to increase sales or our expert comparison of the best business phone services for small businesses.

    If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

    The post How to Easily Integrate Zoom Meetings & Webinars in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

  • 2023’s Creator Economy Statistics That Will Blow You Away

    Want to explore the recent trends and statistics in the creator economy?

    The industry is home to content creators worldwide and grows a lot every year. From full-time content creators to hobbyists, the creator economy is made up of different creator profiles with different skills.

    The creator economy also favors brands around the globe. It offers collaboration opportunities and helps businesses use different platforms to engage with their target audiences.

    In this article, we have gathered a ton of creator economy statistics that will help you know the industry inside out.

    Creator economy statistics

    List of Creator Economy Statistics

    To help you explore all the different insights in our research post, we have divided the creator economy statistics into different categories.

    By clicking the links below, you can jump to the section that you are most interested in and view the different statistics:

    General Creator Economy Statistics

    General creator economy statistics
    • The estimated worth of the creator economy is $104.2 billion.
    • The creator economy is expected to double in size by 2027.
    • The creator economy has 207 million content creators worldwide.
    • The industry has 200 million active content creators.
    • The creator economy has over 2 million expert content creators.
    • Shopify is a leading company supporting the creator economy, with an annual revenue of $5200 million.

    The creator economy is growing at a really fast pace. It is expected to double in the next few years as the industry welcomes new content creators every day.

    Leading companies contribute to the creator economy’s growth by either providing services to content creators or working with them to promote different solutions.

    This makes it possible for both brands and content creators to benefit from partnerships.

    If you are a content creator, then you can join affiliate programs within your niche and make money writing about and promoting these products. Alternatively, you can work directly with brands and get sponsorships.

    Apart from social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok, it’s a good idea to create a WordPress website. This will give you full control over your content. Plus, having a website makes it easier for brands to find you and reach out to you for partnerships.

    As a business, you can enter the creator economy by sponsoring influencers or starting your own affiliate marketing program with a plugin like AffiliateWP. That way, you can quickly get more referrals to your products and services.

    Creator Profile Statistics

    Creator profile statistics
    • There are more than 45 million professional content creators in the creator economy.
    • 51.9% of content creators in the industry are women, with men making up 48.1%.
    • The creator economy has more than 162 million amateur content creators.
    • 46.7% of people identify as full-time content creators, followed by 42.7% as part-timers.
    • 10.6% of people consider content creation a hobby.
    • Only 0.96% of content creators have more than 1 million followers.

    The gender gap in the creator economy is not that high. However, the industry has more female content creators than men.

    The majority of people in the industry work as full-time content creators. However, there are some who work 9–5 and create content to make a decent amount of money.

    Influencer Statistics

    Influencer statistics
    • The current estimated value of the influencer industry is $17.4 billion, which is expected to grow to $22.2 billion by 2025.
    • The expected growth rate of the influencer industry is 14.47%.
    • 78% of influencers earn around $23,500 per year.
    • The average influencer income is $76 per hour.
    • 83% of people believe influencer marketing is an effective marketing tactic.
    • 63% of brands use artificial intelligence (AI) for their influencer marketing campaigns.
    • Brands spend $6 billion on influencer collaborations.
    • 82% of the total influencer marketing budget is spent on influencer collaborations in the United States.
    • On average, lifestyle influencers pitch $994 for a collaboration, followed by fashion influencers at $912.
    • On average, brands spend $257 per collaboration with an influencer.
    • The average time influencers take to respond to collaboration requests is 14 hours.
    • Influencers usually take 16 days to wrap up a collaboration.
    • 42% of influencers prefer to be paid for a collaboration.
    • 26% of influencers produce user-generated content like reviews, unboxings, testimonials, etc.
    • 50% of people prefer purchasing products from their favorite influencers.
    • Influencers are active on at least 2 social media platforms.

    Professional content creators have a lot of influence in their niches. This makes them ideal candidates for brand collaborations.

    For this reason, around 68% of companies prefer working with influencers. The creator economy acts as a bridge. It allows brands to onboard influential content creators and helps independent creators make a living from collaborations. 

    Influencers generally have a huge follower base. So, they can help your business increase its brand awareness and connect with online communities.

    This partnership can help you attract more traffic to your website and capture high-quality leads.

    Work Preference Statistics

    Work preference statistics
    • 85% of full-time content creators enjoy what they do.
    • 1/3 of content creators prefer creating a single type of content.
    • 58% of content creators generally produce 2–4 types of content.
    • 94.5% of content creators use AI tools.
    • For more than 25% of full-time content creators, follower growth is a preferred metric to measure their success.
    • 37% of full-time content creators prefer working solo.
    • 45% of part-time content creators prefer hiring staff.
    • More than 35% of full-time content creators prefer creating content around entrepreneurship.
    • More than 20% of hobbyists prefer creating content around personal development.
    • Only 5% of content creators spend more than 40 hours each week creating content.

    A majority of full-time content creators and hobbyists prefer to work alone. However, most of the part-time content creators do not mind hiring help.

    Creators usually experiment with different types of content until they find what works for them. However, full-timers generally prefer creating content that talks about new business ideas.

    Full-time content creators measure success by the rate at which their followers grow. Plus, they do not shy away from using AI tools to be more efficient at work.

    For example, with AI-powered tools like All in One SEO (AIOSEO), you can easily optimize your written content for search engines.

    AIOSEO comes with a powerful AI title and description generator that can help you write better headings and meta descriptions for your written content. This can help you improve your rankings in Google and get a bigger audience for your content.

    Earnings Statistics

    Earnings statistics
    • More than 45% of content creators use revenue as a metric to measure their success.
    • 52% of content creators are monetized (make money from their content).
    • 78% of monetized content creators are women.
    • 59% of beginner content creators are still waiting for monetization.
    • Monetized content creators generally earn $51 per hour on average.
    • 32% of content creators own businesses related to creative work.
    • The average income of content creators who run a business is $75 per hour.
    • 67% of content creators sell products or merchandise to get more revenue.
    • 28% of content creators make income through partnerships and promotions.
    • 29% of content creators generate revenue through affiliate links.
    • 35% of content creators make a living through ad revenue.
    • 25% of content creators earn $50–100K a year.
    • Only 2% of content creators make more than $1 million a year.
    • To make more than $1 million a year, content creators need more than 5 million followers.
    • 26% of content creators make the most money from TikTok and YouTube, respectively.
    • 48% of people do not mind paying a subscription fee to access exclusive content.
    • 29% of people want to support their favorite content creators because they inspire them.
    • 35.3% of people give tips to their favorite content creators to support them.
    • 50% of people have tipped their favorite content creators at least once.
    • More than 40% of people tip $5 to $10 on average to their favorite content creators.

    Most content creators let their earnings define their success. So, they often choose to own a business even if they are already monetized on social platforms.

    Monetized content creators make the most money from TikTok and YouTube. Female content creators have the advantage here.

    Apart from business income and ad revenue, content creators also earn through affiliate links and paid promotions.

    Furthermore, the majority of people are willing to pay a premium fee to get exclusive content from their favorite content creators. This means you can easily make more money by making restricted content.

    You could make a membership website. That way, users will need to pay to get past your paywall and get access to your content.

    For example, 40 Aprons is a health and wellness blog that uses MemberPress to offer its visitors access to premium content like diet plans and secret recipes.

    Alternatively, if you have something to teach your followers, then Thrive Apprentice is a great option. It allows you to make and sell online courses to your audience.

    Engagement Statistics

    Engagement statistics
    • 29.3% of content creators publish content frequently on social media to engage their audiences.
    • 5.6% of content creators host meetups to increase engagement.
    • 62% of content creators say that focusing on a particular niche helps them get more engagement and reach.
    • More than 25% of content creators say that Instagram is the top channel for generating engagement.

    Engagement is one of the main metrics that content creators use to measure their performance.

    To meet engagement goals, content creators often focus on a specific niche and create content around relevant topics. 

    Publishing content on a regular basis is the key here. However, some content creators go the extra mile and host virtual events or in-person meetups to engage with their audiences.

    Running competitions and giveaways on your website is also an excellent way to boost engagement.

    With RafflePress, you can easily run giveaways on your WordPress website without having to hire a developer. This can help you get more followers and shares on social media, as well as subscribers to your email list.

    Challenges Statistics

    Creator economy challenges
    • 14.6% of content creators say their greatest challenge is finding brand deals.
    • 63% of full-time content creators have experienced burnout at least once in the last 12 months.
    • 13% of full-time content creators consistently have extreme levels of stress, followed by part-timers at 9%.
    • More than 45% of full-time content creators say the pressure to post everywhere causes burnout, followed by content fatigue at around 44%.

    It may seem like content creators are living the dream. However, they can have challenges from time to time.

    Always meeting audience expectations can be overwhelming. It can severely affect the health and well-being of some content creators.

    Whether they are full-time content creators or part-timers, creators often report extreme levels of stress trying to meet the demand for new content.

    When you create content day in and day out, you may eventually run out of content ideas.

    The WPBeginner Blog Post Idea Generator can come in handy here. The tool instantly generates 100s of content ideas to help you find new topics and inspiration.

    YouTube Statistics

    YouTube statistics
    • With 2.2 billion monthly active users, YouTube is one of the most popular social media platforms.
    • YouTube channels grow by 36% per year.
    • 69% of influencers on YouTube are women, followed by men at 31%.
    • YouTube supports multiple languages, covering 95% of internet users.
    • 197 million YouTube users are from the United States.
    • 29% of children in the United States want to be YouTubers or vloggers one day.
    • Only 3% of YouTubers make 90% of the money generated through the platform.
    • An average content creator on YouTube has a 1/57 chance of crossing the 10,000 subscribers milestone.
    • 10% of the content published by popular YouTube channels gets 79% of the total views.
    • 70% of YouTubers prefer creating long-form content.
    • On average, brands spend $418 to collaborate with YouTubers.
    • 25% of people prefer to watch live streams on YouTube.
    • 25.9% of people prefer YouTube for tipping or subscribing to their favorite content creators.

    YouTube is one of the leading social media platforms. Creators use the platform to engage their audiences with long-form content and make a living from ad revenue.

    However, this is not the only way content creators earn money through YouTube. People also prefer the platform for live streams, where they support their favorite creators through tips.

    So, if you are a content creator, live streaming on YouTube is a good option for you to grow your income.

    You can also embed your live stream on your WordPress website. This is one of the most effective ways to attract more viewers and grow your audience.

    Plus, you don’t need to hire a coding expert for this. You can simply use Smash Balloon YouTube Feed to embed your YouTube streams on your website.

    Instagram Statistics

    Instagram statistics
    • 25% of people say that Instagram has the potential to generate the highest return on investment (ROI).
    • 29% of brands plan to invest the most in Instagram because of the platform’s potential to help them grow their audiences.
    • Instagram is one of the most popular platforms, with 2 billion monthly active users.
    • 79% of influencers on Instagram are women, followed by men at 21%.
    • 9 out of 10 Instagram users consume video content on a weekly basis.
    • 89% of Instagram users live outside the United States.
    • 11% of Instagram users in the United States use the platform as their go-to news source.

    Instagram is also an ideal place for content creators to score brand deals and sponsorships.

    Instagram users are also generally very active. So, engaging them may be easier compared to other platforms.

    Additionally, by embedding your Instagram feed on your website, you can show user-generated content to build trust and grow your brand’s reach.

    Smash Balloon Instagram Feed can help you with that. Using this plugin, you can easily add customizable social media feeds to your website and show your content to more people.

    TikTok Statistics

    TikTok statistics
    • 26% of content creators say that their preferred social media platform is TikTok.
    • TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users.
    • 53% of TikTok users are women, followed by men at 46%.
    • 76% of influencers on TikTok are women, followed by men at 24%.
    • 80 million monthly active users on TikTok are from the United States alone.
    • 37.3 million active users on TikTok represent Gen Z.
    • TikTok users are active for around 95 minutes on a daily basis.
    • 56% of brands prefer TikTok to collaborate with influencers.
    • The highest-earning content creator on TikTok is Charli D’Amelio.

    TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms. Over 1 billion people use the app to get their daily dose of content, especially people from Generation Z.

    This is why most content creators prefer TikTok to showcase their creativity to their fans. TikTok is also preferred by many brands for partnerships.

    Facebook Statistics

    Facebook statistics
    • With 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms.
    • 26.4% of people who use Facebook are millennials.
    • Facebook is the source of news and updates for 43% of adults in the United States.

    TikTok may be the preferred platform to engage Generation Z. But Facebook is the go-to place for content creators who want to connect with millennials.

    Businesses often use Facebook to create an online community. It helps them humanize their brand and engage with their audience.

    We even do the same at WPBeginner. We created our own Facebook group called WPBeginner Engage to help WordPress users improve their websites and connect with 95k+ like-minded people.

    List of Sources

    WPBeginner, MemberPress, RafflePress, Smash Balloon, Statista, Adobe, Forbes, HubSpot, Exploding Topics, Linktree, The Influencer Marketing Factory, Influencer Marketing Hub, ConvertKit, Collabstr, Zippia, Goldman Sachs, Demand Sage

    We hope this list of creator economy statistics, trends, and facts will help you make a marketing strategy that works best for your business. You may also want to see our guide on how to start a successful YouTube channel for your business and our expert picks for the best marketing automation tools for small businesses.

    If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

    The post 2023’s Creator Economy Statistics That Will Blow You Away first appeared on WPBeginner.

  • How to Restrict Content on WordPress to Patreon Members

    Do you want to restrict content on WordPress to Patreon members?

    By adding patron-only content to your website, you can encourage visitors to join your Patreon and increase your profits. It’s also a great way to get Patreon users to visit your website, which will boost your traffic and can increase revenue further.

    In this article, we will show you how to restrict content on WordPress to Patreon members.

    How to restrict content on WordPress to Patreon members

    Why Restrict Content on WordPress to Patreon Members?

    If you are a content creator, then you may want to earn money from your writing, music, podcasts, stock photos, and other content.

    Patreon allows you to sell memberships and then give those people access to different content based on their subscriptions.

    Patreon is also a great way to build relationships with your fans. For example, you can automatically send a welcome note to new patrons.

    An example of a custom Patreon welcome note

    You can also create private Discord servers or chat rooms where members can talk to each other and even message you directly.

    After creating a Patreon, it’s a good idea to publish members-only content to your WordPress website. This encourages visitors to join your Patreon in order to unlock exclusive WordPress content.

    This can also increase your blog traffic since patrons will need to visit your WordPress site to see the exclusive content.

    That said, let’s see how you can restrict content on WordPress to Patreon members.

    How to Create a Patreon Account for Your WordPress Website

    If you don’t already have an account, then head over to the Patreon website and click on the ‘Create on Patreon’ button.

    Creating a Patreon account for your fans

    You can now type in your email address and create a password. If you prefer, then you can also register using your existing Google or Facebook login.

    After entering this information, the setup wizard will ask some questions about how you plan to use Patreon. Simply follow the onscreen instructions to build an engaging and informative Patreon page.

    With that done, you can use the Patreon tools to customize your page, add membership tiers, set up billing, and more.

    How to create a Patreon page using the built-in tools

    When you are happy with how your Patreon page looks, you are ready to add it to your WordPress website.

    How to Connect WordPress to Your Patreon Account

    The easiest way to create Patreon-only content is by using Patron Plugin Pro. This plugin allows you to restrict access to individual pages and posts or even lock all the content from a specific tag or category.

    You can also automatically lock and unlock content based on a schedule. This allows you to create free trials, automatically drip content, and more.

    First, you will need to install and activate Patron Plugin Pro. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

    Upon activation, you will need to connect the plugin to your Patreon account. To do this, go to Patreon Settings » Patreon Settings, and then click on ‘Connect site’.

    Connecting your Patreon account to WordPress

    When you are ready, select ‘Start connection wizard’.

    On the next screen, you need to click on ‘Let’s start!’

    Connecting a WordPress website to Patreon

    To connect Patreon to your WordPress website, you will need to create an OAuth client.

    If you are happy to do this, then click on ‘Allow’.

    How to connect Patreon and WordPress using an OAuth client

    If prompted, type in the login information for your Patreon account.

    After a few moments, Patron Plugin Pro will take you back to the main WordPress dashboard. Your Patreon account is now connected to WordPress.

    Before you restrict any content, it’s a good idea to look at the plugin’s settings by going to Patreon Settings » Patron Settings.

    The Patron Plugin Pro plugin from CodeBard

    The default settings should work well for most websites, but it’s still worth checking whether you need to make any changes.

    If you do customize the settings, then scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on the ‘Update Settings’ button.

    Updating your Patreon settings using the Patron Pro Plugin

    How to Restrict Content to Patreon Members

    The easiest way to create patron-only content is by restricting access to entire content types, categories, or tags. For example, you might lock all content that has the ‘Patreon’ tag.

    To do this, simply select ‘Patreon Plugin Pro’ from the left-hand menu and then click on the ‘Content Locking’ tab.

    Restricting content in WordPress to Patreon members

    Here, you must click to expand the ‘Make post types Patron only’ section.

    To start, open the ‘Select Post Type’ dropdown and choose the content you want to restrict, such as page, post, media, or some other content type.

    Restricting content categories to Patreon members

    Then, open the new ‘All’ dropdown and choose whether you want to restrict this content type based on format or categories and tags.

    Depending on your selection, you will get access to some additional settings. For example, if you select ‘Tag’, then you will need to choose the tag you want to make Patreon-only.

    Restricting tags to Patreon members in WordPress

    Finally, open the ‘Select how to lock’ dropdown and choose how you want to lock and unlock the content.

    The easiest option is ‘Lock all posts of this type’. However, you can also lock the most recent example of this content and use the older content as a preview for non-members.

    You can also unlock or lock content after a certain number of days has passed. This allows you to offer exclusive early access to Patreon members.

    Similarly, you can use this feature to create a free trial. For example, you might make your latest online course available to non-patrons for the first 24 hours. This can create a buzz around the launch while also encouraging people to join your Patreon so that they don’t lose access after 24 hours.

    Based on your selection, you will see some additional options.

    Locking your WordPress content using an automated delay

    Most importantly, you will need to enter a minimum $ value membership tier.

    This should be linked to the cost of your memberships. For example, if your Silver tier is $5, then typing ‘$5’ will unlock this content for everyone with a Silver or higher membership.

    Setting a fee for restricted content in WordPress

    When you are happy with how the content locking is set up, click on ‘Add post type to gating.’

    To lock more content, simply follow the same process described above. When you have finished, don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on ‘Save.’

    How to Restrict Specific Pages and Posts to Patreon Members

    Another option is to mark individual pages and posts as Patreon-exclusive. This allows you to control exactly what content your patrons have access to.

    To start, simply open the page or post in the WordPress content editor.

    Next, you will need to set some rules about who can access this content. In the right-hand menu, scroll to the ‘Patreon Level’ section and choose from the dropdown menu.

    You can either select a Patreon level or choose ‘Any Patreon’. For example, you might select ‘Any Patreon’ if this is entry-level content that all members should have access to or if you have only created a single Patreon tier.

    Restricting content based on Patreon levels in the WordPress post and page editor

    Often, you will want to give new patrons access to your entire back catalog of members-only content. Another option is to restrict access to people who were already patrons when the content was published.

    This is useful for creating time-sensitive Patreon promotions, such as exclusive holiday content or a ‘limited edition’ video.

    To add this restriction, find the ‘Require a pledge active at the time….’ section and check its ‘Yes’ box.

    Requiring an active Patreon pledge

    Another option is to show or lock the content automatically based on a schedule. This is perfect for offering exclusive early access to Patreon members.

    To lock and unlock content automatically, find the ‘Advanced Locking’ section. Here, open the dropdown that shows ‘No change’ by default and choose an option from the list.

    Patreon's advanced content locking settings

    You can then use the new settings to configure the automatic locking and unlocking.

    By default, the plugin will show the following message to all non-Patreon members: ‘To view this content, you must be a member of (name) content at (cost) or more.’

    Showing a message to non-patron visitors

    You may want to add your own message for non-Patreon members. For example, you might say why the content is restricted or why they should buy a Patreon subscription.

    To add a message, scroll to the ‘Custom Patron-Only Banner’ section and click on the ‘Non-Patrons Only’ button.

    Creating a custom message for Patreon members

    This adds some opening and closing tags to the small text editor.

    Simply type your message in between these tags. You can also add links, formatting, and more in exactly the same way you create content in the WordPress page or post editor.

    Advertising Patreon on your WordPress website

    When you are happy with the settings, simply click on the ‘Publish’ or ‘Update’ button.

    If you visit this content while logged into your admin account, then you won’t see any changes. However, if you visit it in an incognito browser tab, then you will see the content restriction in action.

    Viewing restricted content as a non-Patron member

    How to Add a Patreon Button to Your WordPress Posts

    Adding Patreon-exclusive content to your WordPress blog is a great start. However, it’s also a good idea to promote your Patreon on other areas of your website. This will help turn visitors into paying patrons.

    Patron Plugin Pro can automatically add a ‘Become a Patron’ button to all your posts. Visitors can simply click this button to visit your Patreon page.

    Adding a Patreon button to any WordPress post

    To start, select ‘Patron Plugin Pro’ from the left-hand menu, then select the ‘Quickstart’ tab.

    Since we already connected the plugin to Patreon, you should see your account in the ‘Site’s Patreon user’ field.

    CodeBard's Patron Plugin Pro settings

    If you don’t see the right URL, then you can add it now.

    After that, you are ready to configure how the call to action button acts.

    By default, the plugin opens your Patreon page in the same tab. This takes visitors away from your WordPress website, so we recommend opening the link in a new tab instead.

    To do this, select ‘Yes’ under ‘Open pages in new window’.

    How to open a Patreon link in a new tab on your WordPress website

    The plugin adds the standard Patreon button to your website by default. This helps visitors recognize the button and understand that you have a Patreon page.

    If you prefer, then you customize the button with your own branding using the settings under ‘Use a custom button’. When you are happy with the changes you’ve made, don’t forget to click on ‘Save’.

    Next, click on the ‘Post Button’ tab to change how the button looks.

    Customizing the Patreon button on your WordPress blog or website

    By default, the button includes the following heading: ‘Liked it? Take a second to support {authorname} on Patreon!’

    To replace this with your own messaging, simply go ahead and type into the ‘Message over Buttons in Posts’ field.

    Customizing the message above a Patreon button

    You can also change the message’s alignment, adjust its size, and add margins.

    If you want to remove the message instead, then find the ‘Show a message over Buttons in Posts’ section. Here, simply click the ‘No’ button.

    Removing the custom message from a Patreon button in WordPress

    If you make any changes, then don’t forget to click on ‘Save’.

    Now, you can visit any post on your website to see the Patreon button live.

    How to Add a Patreon Button to the WordPress Sidebar

    If you prefer, then you can remove the Patreon button from your blog posts and add it to the sidebar or similar section instead.

    In this way, you can show the button on other areas of your website, such as the product pages in your online store.

    To start, you will want to remove the button from your WordPress posts so that you don’t show multiple Patreon buttons on the same page.

    To do this, select the ‘Post Button’ tab and find the ‘Show Button under Posts’ section. Here, go ahead and select the ‘No’ button.

    Adding a Patreon button to your WordPess website using the CodeBard plugin

    With that done, click on ‘Save’.

    Next, click on the ‘Sidebar Widgets’ tab. Here, you can customize the message that appears next to the button, including changing the font size and adding margins.

    Adding a Patreon button to the WordPress sidebar

    If you do make any changes, then don’t forget to click on the ‘Save’ button.

    With that setup done, you can add the Patreon button to any widget-ready area by going to Appearance » Widgets. Here, click on the blue ‘+’ button.

    Adding a Patreon block to any widget-ready area of your WordPress theme

    Note: If you are using a block WordPress theme, then you will need to go to Appearance » Editor instead.

    In the panel that appears, start typing in ‘Patreon Sidebar Site Widget’.

    When the right block appears, drag and drop it onto the area where you want to show the Patreon button.

    Promoting your Patreon to the people who visit your website

    You can now type an optional title into the ‘Title’ field.

    This will appear above the Patreon button in the theme’s sidebar or similar section.

    Adding a title to a Patreon button WordPress

    With that done, click on ‘Update’.

    Now if you visit your WordPress blog or website, you will see the Patreon button in the widget-ready area.

    An example of a Patreon button, on a WordPress website

    Bonus: How to Create a Patreon Alternative Using WordPress

    Patreon has helped countless creators monetize their content and make money online, but the platform also takes a significant cut of your earnings.

    Depending on your Patreon plan, you will lose between 5%-12% of everything you earn on Patreon, plus payment processing and payout fees.

    Depending on your location, you may also have to pay additional fees, including Value-added tax, Goods and services tax, Québec sales tax (QST), and US Sales tax.

    All of this can really add up.

    You will also need to follow all of Patreon’s terms and conditions and other guidelines. If you break any rules, then Patreon will censor your content and may even delete your account. If this happens, then paying members will lose access to your content, which reflects badly on your brand and can damage your reputation.

    With that being said, many WordPress website owners are looking for a Patreon alternative.

    That’s where MemberPress comes in.

    The MemberPress membership plugin

    MemberPress is the best membership plugin for WordPress.

    It allows you to create unlimited membership levels for your WordPress website and then restrict access to your content based on the person’s membership level.

    Membership tiers, in the MemberPress WordPress plugin

    In this way, you can create members-only videos, eBooks, blog posts, online courses, downloadable files, and more.

    You can even assign different content to different membership levels, which encourages members to upgrade their subscriptions.

    Different membership levels on a WordPress members website

    This is exactly how the Patreon tier model works, without any of the extra transaction fees. Since MemberPress doesn’t take a cut of your earnings, you get to keep more of the money you make.

    For more on this topic, please see our detailed guide on how much it costs to start a membership site.

    With MemberPress, you also have the freedom to create your own privacy policy, rules, and terms and conditions. This gives you more flexibility to create unique and engaging content for your fans, which will make it easier to grow your business.

    To help you get started, we have created an ultimate guide to building a WordPress membership site using MemberPress.

    We hope this article helped you learn how to restrict content on WordPress to Patreon members. You may also want to read our guide to the best social media plugins for WordPress to grow your online following and learn how to run a giveaway/contest in WordPress.

    If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

    The post How to Restrict Content on WordPress to Patreon Members first appeared on WPBeginner.

  • How to Track Customer Journey Using MemberPress (Step by Step)

    Would you like to know what visitors do on your membership site before they sign up?

    When you track your customers’ journeys in MemberPress, you can discover the steps they take before deciding to purchase a membership. This information can help you optimize your site for better user engagement and increased conversions.

    In this article, we will show you how to track customer journeys using MemberPress.

    How to Track Customer Journey Using MemberPress

    Why Track Customer Journey Using MemberPress?

    When you are running a WordPress membership site, your customers will need to purchase a user account to access certain benefits, such as exclusive content, premium newsletters, online courses, or digital downloads.

    MemberPress is a popular membership plugin that comes with advanced features.

    For example, it allows you to accept payments, add membership levels, create gated content, restrict access based on different membership levels, make members-only forums, and more.

    Wouldn’t it be great if you could see the path your MemberPress customers take before making a purchase? You could see which pages they land on, follow their journey as they navigate to other parts of your site, and even see how long they spend on each page.

    This information can give you insights into your customer’s behavior that you can use to offer a better user experience on your WordPress website, as well as boost your sign-ups.

    That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily track MemberPress customer journeys. Here are quick links that you can use to jump ahead to any section:

    1. Tracking MemberPress Customer Journeys Using MonsterInsights
    2. Installing the eCommerce Addon in MonsterInsights
    3. Enabling Enhanced eCommerce Reporting in Google Analytics
    4. Installing the User Journey Addon in MonsterInsights
    5. Viewing MemberPress Customer Journeys
    6. Using Customer Journey Tracking in MemberPress

    Tracking MemberPress Customer Journeys Using MonsterInsights

    The fastest and simplest way to set up MemberPress customer tracking is with the MonsterInsights plugin. It lets you view your Google Analytics traffic and visitor statistics right from the WordPress dashboard.

    The plugin offers an eCommerce addon. This feature automatically detects MemberPress and other eCommerce plugins. Then, it starts tracking customer behavior in Google Analytics.

    It also comes with a Customer Journey addon that allows you to see users’ behavior before they sign up.

    First, you will need to install and activate the MonsterInsights plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

    Note: You will need the Pro plan to access the eCommerce and User Journey addons that we will use for this tutorial. However, there is also a MonsterInsights Lite version you can use for free.

    Upon activation, you will see the welcome screen and the setup wizard. Simply click the ‘Launch the Wizard’ button and follow the on-screen instructions.

    Launch setup wizard

    For detailed instructions, see our article on how to install Google Analytics in WordPress.

    Bonus: Switch to Google Analytics 4 Using MonsterInsights

    MonsterInsights also helps you set up a Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property through its Dual Tracking feature. GA4 is the latest version of Google Analytics.

    MonsterInsights Dual Tracking GA v4

    If you haven’t created a Google Analytics 4 property yet, then we encourage you to do it right away.

    For more details, please see our guide on how to switch to Google Analytics 4 in WordPress.

    Installing the eCommerce Addon in MonsterInsights

    Once you have configured Google Analytics on your website, the next step is to install the eCommerce addon.

    To do that, you need to visit the Insights » Addons page and navigate to the ‘eCommerce’ addon. Simply click the ‘Install’ button, and the addon will automatically activate.

    Install the eCommerce addon

    As soon as it is activated, the addon will begin to gather data. You will find this data in the MonsterInsights eCommerce Report.

    You can access the report by navigating to Insights » Reports and then clicking on the ‘eCommerce’ tab. You may need to wait up to 24 hours to see any metrics.

    Viewing the MonsterInsights eCommerce Report

    Enabling Enhanced eCommerce Reporting in Google Analytics

    The next step is to enable eCommerce tracking in Google Analytics. eCommerce tracking is not enabled by default in Google Analytics, so you must manually turn it on.

    First, you will need to head over to your Google Analytics account dashboard and click the ‘Admin’ option.

    Click the admin settings button

    Next, you need to click on the ‘Ecommerce Settings’ option.

    It is located in the View column.

    Ecommerce settings

    On the settings page, just click the sliders under ‘Enable Ecommerce’ and ‘Enable Enhanced Ecommerce Reporting’ to turn them on.

    Don’t forget to click the ‘Save’ button when you are done.

    Enable eCommerce and enhanced eCommerce reporting

    Now that you have enabled the enhanced eCommerce settings in Google Analytics, you can head back to your WordPress website dashboard.

    Simply navigate to Insights » Settings and then click the ‘eCommerce’ tab.

    Next, you will need to make sure that the ‘Use Enhanced eCommerce’ option is enabled under the eCommerce Tracking section.

    Use enhanced ecommerce option

    MonsterInsights will now automatically detect that you are using MemberPress and start recording analytics.

    Installing the User Journey Addon in MonsterInsights

    Now that Google Analytics is tracking your MemberPress site, the next step is to enable the MonsterInsights Customer Journey addon.

    This addon will allow you to see the steps each customer takes before making a purchase in MemberPress, such as the pages they visit, the time spent on each page, and more.

    First, you will need to go to Insights » Addons from your WordPress admin panel. Next, navigate to the User Journey addon and click the ‘Install’ button.

    Install the user journey addon

    The addon will automatically activate and start tracking your customers’ journeys.

    Viewing MemberPress Customer Journeys

    The User Journey addon is now active. Once a visitor purchases a membership on your site, their customer journey will be automatically recorded and saved.

    You might be wondering where to find that information.

    Simply navigate to MemberPress » Transactions to see a list of your MemberPress orders.

    Viewing the MemberPress Transactions List

    You can see the details of a transaction by clicking its transaction number in the first column.

    Now, you can simply scroll to the bottom of the transaction details to find the ‘User Journey by MonsterInsights’ section.

    Viewing the Customer Journey of a Single Transaction

    You will be able to see each step the user took along the way to purchasing a membership.

    This includes the time they viewed each page, the titles of the pages they visited with a link, and the time they spent on each page. You will also see the total number of steps and time a user took before becoming a paying customer.

    That’s a lot of information about the journeys your visitors take to become paying members. How can you use all of that data?

    Using Customer Journey Tracking in MemberPress

    Now that you are tracking MemberPress customer journeys, here are a few suggestions for using that data to improve your website and increase conversions.

    Is there a post or page on your website that many visitors read before purchasing a membership? You can increase your sales and conversion rates by sending more traffic there.

    For example, you can add more internal links to that post or page from other posts on your website.

    You can also look for users who purchased a membership taking fewer steps or less time. Do they have anything in common so that you can start to target similar users?

    For instance, are they from a similar location or age group? Or did they come from the same referral source?

    You can also look at all of the pages your visitors are reading. What do most users want to know before they make a purchase? Can you simplify their journey by offering that information on a single landing page that tells them everything they need to know?

    As you take time to study customer journeys in MemberPress, you will learn more about your online sign-up process and sales funnel. You can use that knowledge to improve the user experience and increase sales.

    We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to track customer journeys using MemberPress. You may also want to see our guide on how to start your own podcast or our expert picks for the best AI chatbots for your website.

    If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

    The post How to Track Customer Journey Using MemberPress (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.

  • How to Add Free Trial Subscriptions in WordPress (4 Methods)

    Do you want to add free trial subscriptions in WordPress?

    Subscriptions are a great way to get consistent, recurring revenue for your business. However, it can be difficult to convince people to sign up for long-term subscriptions.

    In this guide, we’ll show you how to get more signups by adding free trial subscriptions to your WordPress website.

    How to add free trial subscriptions in WordPress

    Why Add Free Trial Subscriptions in WordPress?

    By adding subscriptions to your website, you’ll have a more consistent cash flow, fewer payment errors, and fewer payment delays. However, customers often want to try before they buy, especially if you’re selling longer-term or more expensive subscriptions.

    With that being said, it’s a good idea to offer free trials for all your subscriptions. For example, you might give customers a free month’s trial of your subscription box service or create a free one-week pass for your online yoga classes.

    An example of a subscription box with a free trial

    If customers enjoy the free trial, then they might pay for a premium subscription. Even if shoppers don’t sign up straight away, you can still use their contact information to do lead generation. For example, you might send them exclusive coupon codes or target them with web push notifications.

    With that being said, let’s see how you can add free trial subscriptions in WordPress. Simply use the quick link below to jump straight to the method you want to use.

    Method 1: Easy Digital Downloads (Free Trial For Software and Digital Products)

    Do you want to offer a free trial subscription for digital products? Maybe you’re planning to sell subscriptions for online courses, a stock photography website, a digital music store, or something else.

    The easiest way to offer free trial subscriptions for digital products is by using Easy Digital Downloads. This plugin lets you easily sell ebooks, PDF files, audio files, videos, and any other type of digital product.

    Even better, if you’re a SiteGround customer then the Easy Digital Downloads plugin comes pre-installed, so you can start selling subscriptions and digital products straight away.

    In this guide, we’ll show you how to create a free trial for an all-access pass. This pass will look just like any other digital product on your online store.

    An example of an all access pass created using Easy Digital Downloads

    After signing up for the free trial, customers will be able to view, access, and download different products on your online store.

    Customers can simply click on a link inside their account, to see all the products that are included in their free pass.

    An example of an unlimited pass created using Easy Digital Downloads

    To stop customers from abusing their trial, you can set daily download limits, limit the free pass to specific product categories, and more.

    With all that in mind, we’ll be using three extensions to create a user-friendly ‘all access’ free trial. You’ll need to buy the Extended or higher license for Easy Digital Downloads in order to download these three extensions.

    For step-by-step instructions on how to set up Easy Digital Downloads, please see our guide on how to sell digital downloads on WordPress.

    Install Easy Digital Downloads Extensions

    After setting up Easy Digital Downloads, it’s time to install the extensions by going to Downloads » Extensions.

    Installing Easy Digital Downloads extensions

    On this screen, find the All Access, Free Downloads, and Recurring Payments extensions.

    For each extension, click on the ‘Install’ button.

    Installing Easy Digital Downloads addons

    Create a Free Trial Subscription in WordPress

    With that done, you’re ready to create a free all access trial. To get started, head over to Downloads » Downloads in the WordPress dashboard.

    On this screen, click ‘Add New.’

    Adding a new digital download using WordPress

    You can now type in a name for the subscription.

    This will be visible to customers, so it’s a good idea to use something descriptive.

    Creating a free trial subscription using Easy Digital Downloads

    After that, scroll to the ‘Download Options’ section. Under ‘Pricing Options,’ type in 0.

    Next, check the box next to the following option: ‘Enable free trial for subscriptions.’

    Enabling a free trial in Easy Digital Downloads

    Now, it’s time to turn this subscription into a free all-access pass that customers can use across your entire online store.

    To do this, simply scroll to the ‘All Access’ section and check the following option: Convert this product into an “All Access” pass.

    Creating an all access pass for an online store

    Limit the Trial to Specific Product Categories (Optional)

    By default, the free trial gives customers access to all your products. However, you can restrict the free trial to specific product categories. For example, if you create and sell ebooks then you might include some books in the free trial, and keep others for paid subscribers.

    To restrict the free trial to specific categories, simply click on the ‘x’ next to ‘All Products.’

    Limiting a free trial to specific product categories

    After that, you can click on the ‘Type to search categories’ dropdown and start typing in the category you want to include in the free trial.

    When the right category appears, click to select it.

    Creating a free trial subscription for specific product categories

    Set a Time Limit

    With that done, you can choose whether to make the free trial permanent or to set a time limit.

    If you’ve restricted the free trial to specific product categories, then it may make sense to choose ‘Never Expires.’ For example, if you sell digital art and graphics then you might allow customers to download as many watermarked images as they want, forever. However, they’ll need to buy a subscription in order to remove the watermark.

    Just be aware that Easy Digital Downloads also allows you to set a download limit. This means you can use ‘Never Expires’ while also limiting how many items the customer can download.

    To create a never-ending free trial, open the ‘All Access Duration’ dropdown menu and choose ‘Never Expires.’

    How to create a permanent free trial

    Another option is to set a time limit. This works particularly well for digital products that take a while to get through or for products the customer will want to access over and over again.

    For example, if you create and sell online courses then you could offer a two-day free trial, so customers will need to buy a subscription to finish their training.

    To set a time limit, open the ‘All Access Duration’ dropdown and choose from years, months, weeks, or days. You can then type a number into the field that appears.

    Changing the duration of an all access pass in WordPress

    Add a Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Yearly Download Limit

    You can also type in a Download Limit. This can protect your site from customers who might try to abuse the free trial. For example, if you sell Excel or Google Spreadsheets in WordPress, then you might set a download limit so customers can’t download your entire product catalog while on a free trial.

    By default, Easy Digital Downloads has a download limit of 0, which means the customer can download as many products as they want. To change this, type a number into the ‘Download Limit’ field.

    You can then make this limit per day, week, month, or per year using the dropdown that appears.

    Adding a download limit for your free trial

    Adding Variable Pricing to Your Free Trial (Optional)

    Are you using variable pricing on your online marketplace? Then you may want to include specific price variations in the free trial.

    For example, if you’ve created Standard and Deluxe price variations, then you may want to include Standard in the free trial, while keeping the Deluxe version for paying users only.

    Creating variable pricing using Easy Digital Downloads

    If you’ve enabled variable pricing, then Easy Digital Downloads includes all variations in its free trial by default.

    To change this, find ‘Total Price Variations’ and type in how many variations you want to include in the free trial. Depending on the number you use, you’ll see a list of the different variations on your online store.

    Digital products with variable pricing

    Simply check the box next to each variation you want to include in the free trial.

    Customizing the Purchase Confirmation Page and Email

    When a customer downloads a product using their free trial pass, Easy Digital Downloads will show them a Purchase Confirmation page.

    An example of a purchase confirmation screen on an online store

    It will also send a confirmation message to their email address.

    By default, both the Purchase Confirmation page and email contain the following link: Click here to use your All Access Pass. This takes the customer to a page where they can download their free products.

    To change the link text, type into the ‘Receipts: All Access Link Message’ box.

    How to customize a purchase receipt using Easy Digital Downloads

    You can also change the page where Easy Digital Downloads will send customers when they want to download their free products.

    To do this, simply create a new page in WordPress and then add the following shortcode:

    [downloads all_access_customer_downloads_only="yes"]

    This will show all the products the customer can download while on a free trial. You can then add other content, such as text, images, a contact form, or anything else you want to include.

    How to offer a free trial subscription using WordPress

    For more information on how to place the shortcode, please see our guide on how to add a shortcode in WordPress.

    After publishing the page, simply add its URL to the ‘Receipts: Link URL’ field.

    Customizing the purchase receipts link for a digital download

    When you’re happy with how the free trial is set up, click on the ‘Publish’ button.

    Create a Premium Subscription

    With that done, you may want to create a premium ‘all access’ subscription. When their free trial expires, customers can upgrade to this subscription and continue enjoying your content.

    To create a premium subscription go to Downloads » Add New.

    You can then type in a name for the subscription and set the price, by typing into the ‘Pricing Options’ field.

    Adding pricing options to a digital product in WordPress

    You can also make this a recurring subscription, add an optional sign-up fee, and more using the settings under ‘Download Prices.’

    With that done, scroll to the ‘All Access’ section. At this point, you can turn the subscription into an all-access pass, add a download limit, and more by following the same process described above.

    When you’re happy with how the premium all-access subscription is set up, don’t forget to click on ‘Publish’ to make it live.

    Remove the Checkout for Free Trial Users

    After creating the free trial subscription, you’ll want to get as many signups as possible. With that being said, it’s a good idea to allow customers to start the free trial without going through the checkout screen.

    Easy Digital Downloads can hide the checkout screen when a customer is claiming a free product, including your free trial subscription.

    To do this, simply go to Downloads » Settings, and then select the ‘Marketing’ tab. Next, click on ‘Free Downloads’ to hide the checkout.

    How to hide the checkout for free trial signups and free downloads

    After that, you can use ‘Button Label’ to specify the text you’ll show when products are available for free download.

    By default, this is ‘Download Now.’

    How to customize the all access download pass

    You can replace this with your own custom messaging.

    Simply go ahead and type into the ‘Button Label’ field.

    Customizing the free download and free trial subscription CTA

    There are more settings that can help you do lead generation like a pro. For example, you can collect the person’s name and email address, even when they’re signing up for a free trial or downloading a free product. However, we recommend keeping things simple, as this will often get you the most signups.

    When you’re happy with the changes you’ve made, click on ‘Save Changes.’ Now, if you visit the free trial product page, you’ll see the new button text in action.

    How to add a free trial subscription to a website

    Create Expiration Reminder Emails

    Free trials can generate leads, but the goal is to convert those people into paying customers.

    With that in mind, you may want to email people when their free trial is about to expire. This will encourage them to buy a premium subscription, so they can continue accessing your digital content.

    ​​Easy Digital Downloads integrates with all the best email marketing services. However, you can also create reminder emails using the Recurring Payments extension you installed earlier.

    To use this extension, go to Download » Settings. Then, select the ‘Emails’ tab followed by the ‘Recurring Payments’ link.

    How to set up recurring payments for online subscriptions

    On this screen, check the box next to ‘Send Expiration Reminders.’

    After that, select ‘Add Expiration Reminder.’

    How to create an expiration reminder for an online subscription

    This takes you to a screen where you can type in an email subject and a message.

    To make the email more personal, it’s a good idea to use template tags. Easy Digital Downloads will replace these tags with real values such as the customer’s name, the expiration date, and the name of their subscription.

    You can see all the available template tags underneath the small text editor.

    Create personalized emails using template tags

    Just be aware that Easy Digital Downloads will send the message to all customers, and not just the people on your free trial.

    When you’re happy with the information you’ve typed in, click on Add Reminder Notice.

    How to add a reminder notice using Easy Digital Downloads

    Now, Easy Digital Downloads should notify customers when their subscription is about to expire. However, sometimes your WordPress hosting server may not be properly configured or email providers such as Gmail might use filters that wrongly flag your emails as spam.

    To get more conversions, your emails need to arrive in the customer’s inbox and not in the spam folder. For that reason, we recommend using a WordPress SMTP plugin and provider to improve your email deliverability

    WP Mail SMTP is the best WordPress SMTP plugin on the market. It allows you to connect your WordPress site with a mailer service. This means your expiration reminder and other messages will always arrive safely in the customer’s inbox.

    Method 2. MemberPress (Free Trial For Memberships or Courses)

    A membership website allows users to pay for premium content, online courses, features, and access to a community. However, these members-only features are usually hidden behind a paywall in WordPress, so visitors can’t see what the membership includes.

    With that in mind, you may want to offer visitors a free trial so they can try before they buy. The easiest way to do this is by using MemberPress.

    MemberPress is an all-in-one membership plugin that allows you to accept payments, add unlimited membership levels, create gated content, restrict access based on different membership levels, and much more. It also lets you create as many free trials as you want, including different trials for different membership levels.

    First, you’ll need to install and activate the plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

    You can now add payment methods, create members-only content, design a pricing page, and more. For step-by-step instructions, please see our ultimate guide to creating a WordPress membership site.

    Once your site is set up, you’re ready to create a membership plan with a free trial.

    Create a New Membership Level

    To get started, head over to MemberPress » Memberships in the WordPress dashboard. Here, click on the ‘Add New’ button.

    Adding a new membership subscription to WordPress

    You can now type in a title for the membership plan, add an optional description, upload a featured image, and more.

    For more information, please see our ultimate guide to creating a WordPress membership site.

    Adding a membership level to a website using MemberPress

    With that done, you can set the price by typing into the ‘Price’ box.

    This is how much members will pay once the free trial expires.

    Creating a paid membership subscription using MemberPress

    You can only create a free trial for recurring memberships. However, if you want to charge members a one-time fee then there’s a workaround, which we’ll be covering shortly.

    With that being said, open the ‘Billing Type’ dropdown and choose ‘Recurring.’

    How to create a recurring membership using WordPress

    Next, you need to set the billing interval for the recurring payment. This is how often your members will be charged once the free trial expires.

    Simply open the ‘Interval’ dropdown and choose an option from the list, such as monthly or yearly billing.

    How to set a billing interval for a membership subscription

    Want to use a different interval? Then select ‘Custom’ instead.

    You’ll now see some new controls where you can set a custom interval.

    Setting a custom billing interval for your membership site

    Create a Free Trial Membership Subscription

    With that done, check the box next to ‘Free Trial.’

    You can now specify how many days the free trial will last, by typing into the ‘Trial Duration’ field. For example, if you want to offer a one-month trial then you would type in ‘30.’

    Changing the duration of a free membership trial

    After that, you’ll need to type in the ‘Trial Amount,’ which is the total cost of the subscription trial period before tax. You’ll typically want to type ‘0’ into this box.

    Finally, you can choose whether to limit customers to one free trial by checking or unchecking the ‘Allow Only One Free Trial’ box. If you check this box, then customers who cancel their subscription and then re-subscribe won’t get another free trial.

    You’ll typically want to leave the box checked, so customers can’t abuse the free trial. However, if you only offer a very short trial then you may want to allow customers to have multiple free trials.

    Choose whether to allow multiple free trials per member

    Just be aware that coupons will override this setting, so it’s still possible to offer multiple free trials to the same customer.

    Create a Lifetime Membership (Optional)

    As already mentioned, you can only offer a free trial for recurring memberships. However, it is possible to create a trial for lifetime memberships, by changing a few MemberPress settings.

    To do this, check the ‘Limit Payment Cycles’ box and set the ‘Max # of Payments’ to 1.

    Limiting the payment cycles using MemberPress

    After that, open the ‘Access After Last Cycle’ dropdown and select ‘Lifetime Access.’

    Now, once the trial expires customers will need to pay a one-time fee for lifetime membership.

    Creating a one-time payment membership

    Publish the Free Trial Membership Subscription

    With that done, you can make any other changes to the membership level.

    When you’re happy with how the membership is set up, it’s time to make it live by clicking on the ‘Publish’ button.

    Publishing a membership level with a free trial

    To see how the membership looks to potential customers, go to MemberPress » Memberships. On this screen, you’ll see the membership level you just created.

    Here, just hover your mouse over the membership level and click on the ‘View’ link.

    Previewing a membership level in WordPress

    WordPress will now show the membership signup form in a new tab.

    Do you want to add a free trial to more membership levels? Then simply follow the same process described above.

    Once you’ve added a free trial to your membership site, you’ll want to encourage visitors to sign up for the free trial. This might mean mentioning the free trial in your email newsletter, creating popups using a WordPress popup plugin, promoting it on social media, and more.

    Method 3. WooCommerce Subscriptions (Free Trial For Physical Products)

    If you want to sell digital products online, then we recommend using Easy Digital Downloads. However, if you want to sell physical products, then WooCommerce is the world’s most popular eCommerce platform.

    By default, WooCommerce doesn’t allow you to offer free trial subscriptions. However, it’s easy to add this missing feature using WooCommerce Subscriptions.

    This plugin adds a new ‘simple subscription’ product type to your WooCommerce store. You can add this product type to any existing item, or create new subscription products. For example, you might let shoppers try a product before they buy it, or maybe you will send them a sample subscription box from your online boutique shop.

    When a customer visits a subscription product, they’ll see a ‘Sign up now’ button instead of the standard ‘Add to cart’ call to action button.

    A free trial subscription, created using WooCommerce

    The WooCommerce checkout page will also show some information about the subscription.

    This includes the length of your free trial.

    An example of a free trial subscription on a WooCommerce store

    Customers can manage all their subscriptions by logging into their WooCommerce account, and then visiting the new ‘My Subscriptions’ section.

    Here, they can see when the subscription started, how much it costs, the subscription status, and more. The customer can also cancel, reactivate, and renew their subscriptions directly from this page, without having to contact you directly.

    How to manage WooCommerce subscriptions

    In this way, a customer who is enjoying a free trial can quickly and easily upgrade to a premium subscription.

    In this guide, we’re going to assume you’ve already set up a WooCommerce store. If you haven’t, then you may want to check out our complete guide to WooCommerce made simple.

    After that, you’ll need to install and activate the WooCommerce Subscriptions plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

    As soon as the plugin is active, you’re ready to add free trial subscriptions to WooCommerce. Simply go to Products » Add New.

    How to add a new product in WooCommerce

    You can now create this product in exactly the same way you create any WooCommerce product. For example, you can type in the product’s title, add a description, or create a WooCommerce product gallery.

    After entering all this information, scroll to the ‘Product Data’ box.

    Adding product data to WooCommerce

    Here, open the dropdown menu and choose ‘Simple subscription.’

    This adds some new settings that you can use to create a subscription and add a free trial.

    The new Simple Subscription WooCommerce product type

    To start, type in the ‘Subscription price.’

    Then, use the dropdown menus to choose how long the subscription will last. In the following image, the subscription will cost $20 per month once the free trial expires.

    Setting the WooCommerce subscription price

    You can now choose whether the subscription will last forever, or expire after a set amount of time. Just be aware that the expiration length doesn’t include the free trial. This means that if the subscription expires in 1 month and you offer a one-month free trial, then the subscription will last for 2 months.

    Another option is to give the customer lifetime access. To do this, open the ‘Expire After’ dropdown and choose ‘Never expire.’

    Setting an expiration date for a WooCommerce subscription

    Next, you may want to add a sign-up fee.

    Just be aware that WooCommerce will charge this fee no matter whether the customer is buying a subscription or signing up for a free trial. With that in mind, we don’t recommend adding a sign-up fee to products that have a free trial subscription.

    Adding an optional signup fee in WooCommerce

    With that done, you can specify how long the free trial will last by opening the dropdown that shows ‘days’ by default, and then choosing an option from the list.

    After that, just type in how many days, weeks, months, or years the free trial should last. Note that the free trial can’t last longer than 90 days, 52 weeks, 24 months, or 5 years.

    Creating a free trial in WooCommerce

    You can now make any other changes to the product. When you’re happy with how the product and subscription are set up, either click on ‘Update’ or ‘Publish’ to make the trial live.

    You can now create free trial subscriptions for other products, by following the same process described above.

    Once you’ve added one or more subscriptions to your WooCommerce website, you’ll want to get as many signups as possible. With that in mind, you should allow visitors to use their preferred payment method.

    By adding the free Stripe Payment Gateway for WooCommerce plugin to your website, you can collect payments through Visa, MasterCard, Google Pay, Apple Pay, and more.

    Simply install the plugin and the onboarding wizard will guide you through the process of adding more payment methods and enabling express checkout.

    The Stripe Payment Gateway for WooCommerce plugin

    Method 4. WP Simple Pay (Free Trial For Custom Services)

    Many freelancers, consultants, trainers, and other business owners sell their services as a subscription. For example, if you run a yoga studio then you might offer a one month free trial of your personalized training program.

    The best way to offer a free trial for custom services is by using WP Simple Pay. It’s the best Stripe payment plugin for WordPress and lets you accept payments, manage invoices, and offer free trials without having to set up a shopping cart, or add products to an online store.

    Note: There is a free version of WP Simple Pay that allows you to accept credit cards, Apple Pay, iDEAL, and other payment methods. However, in this guide we’ll be using the premium plugin as it allows you to offer free trials.

    Set Up the WP Simple Pay Plugin

    First, you’ll need to install and activate the WP Simple Pay plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

    Upon activation, the plugin will automatically launch the setup wizard. Go ahead and click the ‘Let’s Get Started’ button.

    The WP Simple Pay setup wizard

    After that, you’ll need to enter the license key. You can find this information under your account on the WP Simple Pay website.

    With that done, click the ‘Activate and Continue’ button.

    Adding a license to a WordPress plugin

    Connect WordPress to Your Stripe Account

    In the next step, you’ll need to connect your Stripe account to WP Simple Pay. Stripe is a popular payment gateway, and it’s the easiest way to accept credit card payments in WordPress, so it’s a great way to sell custom services online.

    To get started, simply click the ‘Connect with Stripe’ button. You can then either log into your Stripe account, or create a new account if you haven’t already registered with Stripe.

    Connecting your WordPress website to Stripe

    After connecting WP Simple Pay with Stripe, the setup wizard will ask you to configure its emails. You can choose whether to receive emails for payment receipts, upcoming invoices, and payment notifications.

    You’ll also need to enter the email address where WP Simple Pay will send the messages.

    Configuring WP Simple Pay's emails

    Simply click the ‘Save and Continue’ button when you’re done.

    Create a Subscription Form With a Free Trial

    Now, you’re ready to create a subscription form that offers a free trial. Go ahead and click on the ‘Create a Payment Form’ button.

    Completing the WP Simple Pay setup

    WP Simple Pay comes with a ton of ready-made templates that you can use to create ‘buy now pay later’ payment plans, get donations, accept Google Pay in WordPress, and more.

    To offer a free trial, hover over the ‘Recurring Services with Trial Period Form’ template. When it appears, click on the ‘Use Template’ button.

    The WP Simple Pay's subscription and free trial template

    This will take you to the payment form editor.

    To start, you can rename the form and type in an optional description. By default, the description is ‘Try our service free for 30 days,’ but you can change this to anything you want.

    Adding a title and description to a subscription form

    By default, WP Simple Pay will create an on-site payment form. However, you may want to show a payment button instead. When the visitor clicks the button, they’ll see the payment form in a popup.

    To create a popup, check the box next to ‘Open in an overlay modal’ box.

    Opening a subscription form in a popup

    Another option is to host the payment form on Stripe’s site, by opening the ‘Type’ dropdown.

    Here, select ‘Off-site Stripe Checkout form.’

    Hosting a subscription and payment form on the Stripe website

    When a customer buys a subscription, WP Simple Pay will redirect them to its built-in Payment Success Page. If you want to send visitors to a different page, then select either ‘Specific Page’ or ‘Redirect URL.’

    You can then either type in the URL or select the page you want to use instead. For example, you might send subscribers to a custom thank you page, or a page where they can manage their free trial.

    Changing the payment success page in WordPress

    Add a Price to Your Subscription Form

    When you’re ready, select the Payment tab.

    Here you can set the payment mode to either live or testing. Testing mode allows you to complete the purchasing process without getting charged, so it’s perfect for testing new subscriptions on your website.

    Creating a subscription form in testing mode

    If you do select ‘Test Mode,’ then remember to come back to this page and change the mode to ‘Live’ when you’re finished testing.

    Next, you can set the price of your subscription and the currency using the ‘Amount’ settings.

    Adding a price to a subscription form with a free trial

    With that done, you can choose how often WP Simple Pay should charge subscribers.

    Simply open the ‘Billing Period’ dropdown and choose day, week, month, or year. Then, type a number into the field next to the dropdown menu.

    Setting a billing period for a subscription form in WordPress

    By default, WP Simple Pay offers customers a 30 day free trial.

    If you want to make the free trial longer or shorter, then simply type a number into the ‘Free Trial’ field.

    Setting the free trial duration

    Sometimes, you may want to charge subscribers a set up fee. For example, if you’re a life coach then this extra fee may cover the time and effort required to add new clients to your admin system.

    To charge an additional fee, simply type an amount into the ‘Setup Fee’ field.

    Adding a set up fee to a subscription form with a free trial

    With that done, scroll to the ‘Payment Methods’ section.

    Here, you can check the box next to any additional payment methods you want to offer, such as Klarna payments or ACH payments.

    Adding more payment methods to your website

    By offering visitors a choice of payment methods, you may be able to get more subscribers. However, try not to offer too many options, as this can become confusing.

    Depending on the payment methods you select, you may see a ‘Configure’ link. In this case, click on ‘Configure’ and then follow the onscreen instructions to set up the payment gateway or method.

    Adding more payment methods to WP Simple Pay

    Customize the WP Simple Pay Subscription Form

    With that done, you’re ready to build the subscription form.

    Simply click on ‘Form Fields’ to open WP Simple Pay’s form builder.

    Customizing the WP Simple Pay subscription template

    The template already collects some basic information about the customer, such as their email address and credit card information.

    The following image shows how the default form will look on WordPress.

    An example of a subscription form, created using WP Simple Pay

    To customize any of the default fields, simply click select it.

    The section will expand to show all the settings you can customize, such as changing the field’s label or adding some placeholder text.

    Customizing the recurring payment form

    You can also remove fields from the subscription form.

    Simply click to expand the field, and then select ‘Remove.’

    Deleting fields from a subscription form

    Do you need to collect more information from your new subscribers? For example, you might need their tax ID or phone number.

    Just click on the ‘Form Fields’ dropdown and then choose a field from the list. After that, click on ‘Add Field.’

    Adding WP Simple Pay fields to a subscription form

    Finally, you can change the order the fields appear in your form using drag and drop.

    As you’re customizing the form, you can click on ‘Preview’ to see how it will look on your blog or website.

    Previewing how a subscription form and free trial will look on your WordPress website

    When you’re happy with the form, click ‘Publish’ to store your settings.

    Add the Subscription Form to Your WordPress Website

    Now, you’re ready to add the form to your WordPress blog using either a block or shortcode.

    The easiest method is to use a block, so open the page or post where you want to show the subscription form.

    Then, click on the plus (+) sign and type in ‘WP Simple Pay.’

    Adding a block using the page or post editor

    When the right block appears, click to add it to the page or post.

    With that done, open the dropdown menu in the WP Simple Pay block, and choose the form you want to display.

    Adding a WP Simple Pay form to your website using blocks

    When you’re finished, click on either ‘Update’ or ‘Publish.’

    Now, if you visit your website you’ll see the subscription form live.

    An example of a subscription form, on a WordPress website

    Another option is to add the subscription form using shortcode. To get the shortcode, head over to WP Simple Pay » Payment Forms in the WordPress dashboard.

    Here, just find the subscription form and click on its ‘Copy Shortcode’ button.

    Adding a subscription form to your website using shortcode

    Now you just need to paste the shortcode into any page, post, or widget-ready area. For step-by-step instructions on how to place the shortcode, please see our guide on how to add a shortcode in WordPress.

    We hope this article helped you learn how to add free trial subscriptions in WordPress. You may also want to check out our guide on how to run a giveaway / contest in WordPress, and the best live chat software for small businesses.

    If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

    The post How to Add Free Trial Subscriptions in WordPress (4 Methods) first appeared on WPBeginner.

  • How to Sell Audiobooks Online (3 Simple & Easy Ways)

    Do you want to sell audiobooks online?

    By selling your books as downloadable audio files, you can make money without having to pay for shipping or printing. You can also sell the same audio file an unlimited number of times.

    In this article, we will show you how to easily sell audiobooks online using WordPress.

    How to sell audiobooks online

    Why Sell Audiobooks Online?

    There are lots of ways to share your experiences or knowledge online. You can create an online course, record a webinar, or even start a podcast.

    Another option is recording that information as an audiobook. This is a great way to collect everything you want to say into a single, downloadable file that’s easy to distribute and sell to other people.

    Unlike traditional printed books, you don’t have to pay printing or shipping fees for your audiobooks. You also don’t have to worry about physical storage, supplies, or managing your inventory. All of this means lower costs and bigger profits, which makes audiobooks the perfect way to make money online with WordPress.

    If you have an ebook, then there are plenty of services that can help you turn it into an audiobook including ACX. Every audiobook you make on ACX will be available on Audible.com, Amazon.com, and iTunes, but it’s also a good idea to add the audiobook to your own website.

    With that in mind, let’s see how you can sell audiobooks online. Simply use the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use.

    Method 1. How to Sell Audiobooks With Easy Digital Downloads (Recommended)

    The easiest way to sell audiobooks online is by using Easy Digital Downloads. Easy Digital Downloads is one of the best eCommerce WordPress plugins, and it’s designed specifically to sell digital products.

    How to sell an audiobook in WordPress using Easy Digital Downloads

    Unlike general eCommerce plugins, Easy Digital Downloads has the specific features you need to promote, sell, and distribute digital products with ease. This means you don’t have to waste time and effort with unnecessary settings, such as configuring your store’s shipping.

    Even better, if you’re using SiteGround then Easy Digital Downloads already comes pre-installed on their EDD plan, so you can start using it straight away.

    If you’re using a different hosting provider, then you’ll need to install and activate the Easy Digital Downloads plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

    Upon activation, go to Downloads » Settings in the WordPress dashboard.

    The Easy Digital Downloads plugin's settings

    Even though you’re selling audiobooks, you’ll need to set your store’s location. This allows Easy Digital Downloads to auto-fill some fields in the order form, which will help improve the customer experience.

    Easy Digital Downloads also uses your location to calculate sales tax.

    To add your location, simply open the ‘Business Country’ dropdown menu. You can then choose where your business is based.

    Setting the location for your audiobook store

    Next, find the ‘Business Region’ field.

    Here you can open the dropdown and choose the region where your store operates from.

    Setting the region for your online audiobook store

    After making these changes, go ahead and click on Save Changes to store your settings.

    Next, you’ll need a way to accept credit card payments in WordPress by clicking on the ‘Payments’ tab. Then make sure the ‘General’ tab is selected.

    Adding payment gateways to your WordPress website

    In the Payment Gateways section, check the box next to each gateway that you want to add to your WordPress blog or website.

    If you add more than one payment method, then you’ll need to choose a default gateway.

    Adding multiple payment gateways to an online store

    You can use any gateway you want, but Stripe can accept credit cards as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay. This is why we recommend using Stripe as the default payment gateway.

    With that done, click on the ‘Save Changes’ button.

    You’ll now see some new tabs where you can configure each payment method.

    Configuring payment gateways including Stripe

    Configuring the payment gateway will be slightly different depending on which gateway you’re using, but Easy Digital Downloads will walk you through the process.

    Once you’ve set up at least one payment gateway, you’re ready to start uploading audiobooks to your WordPress website.

    To create a digital product, select Downloads from the left-hand menu. Then, click on the ‘Add New’ button.

    Adding a downloadable audiobook to your WordPress website

    You can now type a name for the product into the ‘Enter download name here’ field. This will appear on the audiobook’s page, so you’ll want to use something that catches the visitor’s attention and accurately describes the book.

    Next, type out the description that will appear on the ebook’s product page. You’ll want to give visitors all the information they need to decide whether this book is right for them.

    Adding a title to a downloable audiobook

    Many online stores use product categories and tags to help shoppers find what they’re looking for. If you’re selling lots of audiobooks, then these categories and tags help visitors find related audiobooks, which can get you more sales.

    You can create new categories and tags in the Categories and Tags boxes.

    Adding categories and tags to a downloadable ebook

    For more information, see our step-by-step guide on how to add categories and tags for WordPress pages.

    Next, you’ll want to set a price by scrolling to the Download Prices section. Here, type in how much visitors will pay to download the audiobook.

    Adding prices to an audio book in WordPress

    You’re now ready to upload the audio file that you want to sell. When it comes to audio, WordPress supports mp3, ogg, and wav. It also supports m4a, although this format may not work on all browsers.

    Pro Tip: If you want to sell audiobooks in a file type that WordPress doesn’t support, then see our guide on how to allow additional file types in WordPress.

    To add an audio file, simply scroll to the Download Files section.

    How to upload a downloadable audiobook to WordPress

    In the File Name field, type a name for the file that shoppers will get when they buy the audiobook. Then, simply click on ‘Upload a File.’

    You can now choose any audio file from the WordPress media library, or you can upload a new audiobook from your computer.

    Finally, you’ll need to add a product image, which will usually be your audiobook’s front cover. Simply scroll to the Download Image section and then click on the ‘Set Download Image’ link.

    Adding a featured image to your audiobook

    This launches the WordPress media library where you can choose an image or upload a new file from your computer.

    When you’re happy with your digital download, click on the Publish button to make it live.

    Easy Digital Downloads will now create the audiobook as a downloadable product, but visitors still need a way to access the product page.

    This might mean adding the page to your website’s menu, creating a sales page where you advertise all your audiobooks, or even adding the book to a custom home page.

    No matter what method you choose, you’ll need to know the audiobook’s URL.

    To get this link, simply go to Downloads Â» Downloads. Then, find the audiobook you just created, and click on its ‘Edit’ link.

    How to get a link to a downloadable audiobook product

    You will then find the URL directly below the product title.

    Now, you can link to this product page from any area of your website, simply by using its URL. To learn more, see our step-by-step guide on how to add a link in WordPress.

    Easy Digital Downloads also creates a ‘Purchase’ button for this particular audiobook. Visitors can click this button to add the audiobook to their cart.

    Adding an audiobook purchase button to an online store

    You can add the button for this book to any page, post, or widget-ready area. This allows visitors to start the purchasing process without even Needing to visit the individual product’s page.

    To get the audiobook’s shortcode, simply scroll to its Download Settings section. You can then copy the text in the ‘Purchase Shortcode’ field.

    Adding an audiobook to your site using a product shortcode

    For more information on placing the shortcode, please see our guide on how to add a shortcode in WordPress.

    Every time someone buys an audiobook from your website, Easy Digital Downloads will send them an email and download link.

    A purchase receipt for an audiobook

    While this email has everything the customer needs to access their download, it’s a good idea to customize it. For example, we recommend adding your own logo and branding.

    To customize the default email, simply go to Downloads » Settings. Then click on the ‘Emails’ tab.

    Customizing the Easy Digital Download emails

    When you’ve finished making changes, you may want to send a test email so you can see how the message will look to your customers.

    To do this, simply click on the ‘Send Test Email’ button and Easy Digital Downloads will send an email to your admin email address.

    Sending a test email for your downlodable audiobook

    Have you clicked on the ‘Send Test Email’ button, but haven’t got a test email? If your site isn’t sending emails correctly, then customers won’t be able to download your audiobook.

    With that in mind, you can follow our guide on how to fix the WordPress not sending email issue. You can use WP Mail SMTP to make sure the purchase confirmation emails arrive safely in the customer’s inbox.

    When you’re happy with how the email looks, you can go ahead and click on the ‘Save Changes’ button.

    This is all you need to start selling audiobooks online. However, Easy Digital Downloads has lots more advanced features that can help you sell audiobooks.

    For more information on Easy Digital Downloads, please see our guide on how to sell digital downloads on WordPress.

    Method 2. How to Sell Audiobook Memberships (Best for Recurring Revenue)

    Another option is using your audiobooks to create recurring revenue streams.

    For example, you might offer members unlimited monthly or annual access to all your audiobooks for a membership fee. In this way, you can get reliable recurring revenue over a longer period of time.

    How to add an audiobook to your site using MemberPress

    A membership site is also a great choice if you’re releasing your audiobooks as a series.

    If you want to get recurring revenue, then MemberPress is the best WordPress membership plugin. It allows you to accept payments, create an unlimited number of membership levels, restrict access to audiobook pages based on membership subscription, and more.

    First, you need to install and activate the MemberPress plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

    Upon activation, go to the MemberPress » Settings page to configure the plugin settings.

    How to configure the MemberPress plugin

    To start, you’ll need to set up a payment gateway.

    Out of the box, MemberPress supports PayPal (Standard, Express, and Pro), Stripe, and Authorize.net. You simply need to select the payment method you want to use and then type in the required credentials, such as your PayPal email address.

    Adding a payment gateway to a membership site

    You may want to add multiple methods, so members can use their preferred gateway. When that’s done, don’t forget to click on the Update Options button to save your settings.

    With the setup out of the way, it’s time to create one or more membership levels. These are the subscriptions that visitors will buy to access your audiobooks, or other content.

    MemberPress allows you to offer different content for different membership levels. For example, you might create Bronze, Silver, and Gold memberships and then give members access to different audiobooks.

    To create the first membership plan, go to the MemberPress » Memberships page and then click on the ‘Add New’ button.

    Adding a membership level to your audiobook website

    On the next screen, you’ll need to provide a title for the membership plan and then add details in the post editor.

    After that, you can set the pricing, billing type, interval, and expiration under the ‘Membership Terms’ section.

    How to sell audiobooks online using MemberPress

    Next, scroll to the Membership Options box below the editor.

    Here, you can customize the plan permissions and membership options.

    Adding a membership level to your WordPress blog or website

    When you’re happy with how the plan is set up, go ahead and click on ‘Publish.’ To create more membership levels, simply repeat the same process described above.

    Once you’ve created all the membership levels, it’s time to add some access rules. These allow you to restrict access to your audiobooks based on the user’s membership plan.

    Just go to MemberPress » Rules and then click on the Add New button.

    Adding a new rule to your WordPress membership site

    Here, you can create all kinds of access rules, but you’ll typically start by selecting the audiobook that you want to restrict access to.

    Under ‘Protected Content,’ open the dropdown menu and choose an option from the list. This might be the specific page where you embedded the audio file, content that has a particular tag, or any other option from the list.

    Creating content restriction rules in WordPress

    After that, open the ‘Access Conditions’ dropdown and choose ‘Membership.’

    In the second dropdown menu, select the membership level people will need in order to access this content.

    Creating subscriptions for your audiobooks

    There are more settings that you can configure, but this is all you need to create a simple access rule.

    When you’re happy with how the rule is set up, click on ‘Save Rule.’ To create more access rules, simply follow the same process described above.

    Now that everything is set up, you’ll need to make sure visitors can buy memberships and log into their accounts. Thankfully, MemberPress comes with ready-made forms that you can add to your site.

    We recommend adding the MemberPress login widget to a widget-ready area, so members can log in from any page.

    Simply head over to Appearance » Widgets and add the ‘MemberPress login’ widget to the sidebar or similar section.

    Adding a MemberPress login widget to WordPress

    To learn more, please see our guide on how to add and use widgets in WordPress.

    Don’t forget to click on the ‘Update’ button to save your widget settings.

    There are a few different ways to add a signup page to your website, but MemberPress automatically creates a registration page for each membership level. This means you can simply add these pages to your main navigation menu.

    In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance » Menus. In the left-hand menu, simply click to expand the ‘Memberships’ section.

    Adding membership subscriptions to your WordPress website

    You’ll now see a list of all the different MemberPress levels.

    To add a membership to the navigation menu, simply check the box next to it and then select ‘Add to menu.’

    How to sell audiobooks online

    For step-by-step instructions, please see our guide on how to add a navigation menu.

    When you’re happy with how the menu is set up, click on ‘Save Menu.’

    At this point, you’ve created a website where visitors can buy audiobook subscriptions. However, MemberPress has lots more settings you can use to sell audiobooks, grow your brand, and get more members.

    For more information about MemberPress, check out our ultimate guide to creating a WordPress membership site.

    Method 3. How to Sell Audiobooks With WooCommerce (Best For Online Stores)

    Easy Digital Downloads makes it easy to sell audiobooks on any WordPress blog or website, without you having to configure lots of unnecessary settings like shipping and handling.

    However, if you’ve already created a WooCommerce store, then you can sell digital products like audiobooks using this popular eCommerce plugin.

    How to sell an audiobook online using WooCommerce

    Although it’s mostly used to sell physical products, you can add support for digital products by going to WooCommerce » Settings and then clicking on the ‘Products’ tab.

    Here, click on the ‘Downloadable products’ link.

    Creating downloadable WooCommerce products

    You can now open the ‘File download method’ dropdown and choose an option from the list.

    When you’re selling digital downloads, there is a risk that customers may share the direct link with other people. This allows people to download your audiobook without paying.

    ‘Force Downloads’ helps to protect your site from direct linking, so it’s the recommended method. However, just be aware that very large files may result in a timeout, especially if your server has limited resources.

    If this happens, then you may need to change your WordPress hosting plan or select a different file download method.

    You may also want to enable the checkbox next to ‘Allow using redirect mode (insecure) as a last resort.’ If WooCommerce encounters any problems, then this setting will deliver the audiobook via an unsecured redirect link rather than showing an error.

    This is a much better customer experience.

    WooCommerce's downloadable product settings

    The second option is ‘X-Accel-Redirect/X-Sendfile,’ which serves the file directly to the customer. This protects the audiobook from unauthorized downloads without impacting your site’s performance.

    However, this method requires you to install and enable the X-Accel-Redirect/X-Sendfile module on your server, so it’s not very beginner-friendly. Depending on your plan, you may also need to speak to your WooCommerce hosting provider.

    The final option is ‘Redirect only,’ which uses a direct link to the file. This means your audiobook isn’t protected and anyone can access it using the URL. That said, we don’t recommend the ‘Redirect only’ method.

    After selecting a download method, you can choose whether visitors must be logged into an account in order to download the audiobook.

    Allowing guest checkout can get you more sales and downloads, but requiring users to register with your online store can help you do lead generation.

    To make this decision, either enable or disable the ‘Downloads require login’ checkbox.

    How to disable guest checkout for audiobooks in WooCommerce

    By default, customers can download the audiobook while their order is processing.

    If you want to wait until the order is complete, then uncheck the following box: ‘Grant access to downloadable products after payment.’

    By default, WooCommerce will download the audiobook to the customer’s computer.

    Most of the time this is the best customer experience, but you can set the file to open in a new tab instead. The customer can then decide whether they want to save the file.

    There are some use cases where this may be the better option. For example, if you’re showing the customer a free sample, or your audiobooks are short enough to enjoy in one sitting.

    In this case, you may want to check the box next to ‘Open downloadable files in the browser.’

    How to set up downloadable files in WooCommerce

    When you’re happy with the settings you’ve entered, click on ‘Save Changes.’

    With that done, you’re ready to add the audiobook as a downloadable product by going to Products » Add New. Here, you can type in a title, add a description, upload a product image, and set the price as normal.

    Creating a downloadable WooCommerce product

    Then, scroll to ‘Product Data’ and check the box next to ‘Downloadable,’ which adds some new settings.

    To start, click on ‘Add File.’

    Adding a downloadable audiobook to a WooCommerce online store

    You can now either choose the audiobook from your media library or upload a new file from your computer.

    After that, type in a filename for the audiobook.

    Adding a downloadable audiobook in WooCommerce

    By default, customers can download the audiobook as many times as they want, for as long as they want.

    If you want to limit the number of downloads per customer, then type a number into the ‘Download limit’ field.

    Adding a download limit for your audiobook

    If you want the download link to expire after a certain number of days has passed, then type a number into the ‘Download expiry’ field.

    When you’re happy with how the audiobook is set up, click on the ‘Publish’ button. The audiobook will now appear as a downloadable product on your online store.

    We hope this article helped you learn how to sell audiobooks online. You may also want to check out our expert pick of the best WordPress plugins to grow your site, and our comparison of the best email marketing services for small businesses.

    If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

    The post How to Sell Audiobooks Online (3 Simple & Easy Ways) first appeared on WPBeginner.

  • How to Start a Video Blog (Vlog) And Make Money in 2023

    Do you want to start a video blog and make money?

    Vlogging is a powerful way to connect with people and build a personal brand. However, if you simply upload vlogs to third-party platforms like YouTube, then you may struggle to grow your audience, make money, and become a successful vlogger.

    In this article, we will show you how you can start a vlog and make money.

    How to start a video blog (vlog) and make money

    Which Is the Best Website Builder for Your Video Blog?

    There are many website builders that can help you create a vlog site, but we recommend using WordPress and a separate video hosting platform.

    To learn more about why WordPress is such a good choice, please see our complete WordPress review with pros and cons.

    There are two types of WordPress software: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. We recommend using WordPress.org, also called ‘self-hosted WordPress.’ This will give you full ownership and control of your site.

    Using WordPress.org allows you to install third-party plugins and themes, including plenty that are designed specifically for vloggers.

    Also, while you can upload videos to WordPress, it’s far better to use a separate video hosting platform such as YouTube or Vimeo.

    Videos take up a lot of your hosting resources, which will slow down your website. Instead, we recommend uploading your vlogs to a separate hosting platform such as YouTube or Vimeo, which has all the server resources you need.

    After uploading your vlogs to one of these sites, you can then embed your vlog in a WordPress page or post by simply copying and pasting a link. WordPress has built-in support for most major video hosting platforms.

    If you really want to save time and impress your viewers, then you can use a plugin like Smash Balloon to create a video feed that will update automatically every time you post a new vlog.

    An embedded YouTube feed, created using Smash Balloon

    If you don’t already have a video hosting platform in mind, then don’t worry. Later in this guide, we’ll help you find the perfect platform for your vlogs.

    Step 1. Setting Up Your Video Blog Website

    To create a video vlog, you’ll need a domain name and web hosting.

    Although the WordPress software is free, hosting and domain names are where the costs can really start to add up.

    A domain name typically costs $14.99/year and hosting costs start from $7.99/month. This is a lot for hobby vloggers, new creators, or anyone who is working with a tighter budget.

    Thankfully, Bluehost has agreed to offer our users over 60% off on web hosting and a free SSL certificate as part of this deal. This is absolutely essential if you plan to sell premium videos and make money from your vlogs. You will also get a free domain name when you sign up!

    Simply click the link below to create a vlogging website for as little as $2.75 per month.

    → Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

    Because you get a free domain when you sign up with Bluehost, you’ll need to be sure it’s the right fit for your video blog. For expert tips, check out our guide on how to choose the best domain name.

    Once you’ve completed the purchase, you’ll get an email with instructions on how to log in to your web hosting control panel. This is your hosting account dashboard where you can manage your vlog, including setting up email notifications and asking for WordPress support if you need it.

    It’s also where you’ll install the WordPress software, so let’s do that now.

    Step 2. Install WordPress on Your Video Blog

    When you sign up with Bluehost using our link, you’ll get access to a one-click WordPress installer. Simply log into your Bluehost account and click on ‘One Click Install.’

    Installing the WordPress software

    You can now follow the onscreen instructions to set up WordPress.

    If you’re using a different WordPress website host like SiteGround, Hostinger, HostGator, or WP Engine, then you can see our complete guide on how to install WordPress for all the top hosting providers.

    Once WordPress is set up, you’re ready to start customizing your vlog site.

    Step 3. Select a Video Theme

    WordPress themes are professionally designed templates that change how your vlog looks and acts.

    There are lots of different premium and free WordPress business themes to choose from. You can generally categorize these as multipurpose WordPress themes, or niche industry themes. However, most WordPress themes are designed to show text.

    Since we’re starting a vlog, we need a theme that’s designed specifically for videos.

    A WordPress video theme

    Even if you’re using a separate video hosting platform, embedded videos still take time to load. With that in mind, it’s important to find a lightweight theme that won’t slow down your website. Wherever possible, we also recommend using a theme that has built-in lazy loading.

    On top of that, vlogs often need special features such as parallax scrolling, lightbox popups, and fullscreen video backgrounds.

    An example of a WordPress vlog theme

    That’s a lot to keep in mind, so you may want to look at our expert pick of the best WordPress video themes.

    Another option is to use a landing page builder plugin such as SeedProd. SeedProd is the best drag-and-drop WordPress page builder and comes with more than 180 templates.

    This includes an entire section of ‘Webinar’ templates that are designed specifically to show videos on your WordPress website.

    SeedProd's professionally-designed vlog templates

    SeedProd also has a ready-made ‘Video’ block that you can drag and drop onto any page.

    For more information, please see our guide on how to create a landing page with WordPress.

    The SeedProd page builder plugin

    Once you’ve chosen a video theme, please see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress theme.

    After installing a theme, you may want to customize it by going to Appearance » Customize in the WordPress dashboard. This will launch the theme customizer where you can fine-tune the theme settings and see your changes in the live preview.

    Customizing a WordPress video blog theme

    If you’re using one of the newer full-site editing themes, then you’ll need to go to Appearance » Editor instead.

    Here, you can fine-tune the theme using blocks.

    Customizing a WordPress vlogging theme using the FSE

    Just remember that you can customize your theme at any point. You can even completely change your WordPress theme, if you realize it doesn’t quite meet your needs.

    This means you don’t need to finalize your site design now. In fact, it may be easier to fine-tune your vlog once you’ve added some content.

    Step 4. Create a Custom Homepage

    WordPress comes with two content types called posts and pages.

    You’ll typically use posts to create articles and blogs, while pages are static “one-off” types of content. For example, you might publish an about page, a privacy policy, or a custom archive page.

    There are a few different ways to show videos in WordPress. However, since we’re creating a video vlog you’ll typically embed one or more videos in a blog post.

    By default, the WordPress homepage shows your posts in reverse chronological order, so your latest vlog appears at the top of the homepage.

    A custom homepage on a WordPress vlog

    However, you may want to move this blog list to another page, and use a custom homepage instead. This custom homepage can introduce your vlog to visitors and let them know what you have to offer.

    You might even create a YouTube gallery of all your best videos, which is a great way to catch a visitor’s attention and make them want to watch more of your content.

    Smash Balloon allows you to create all kinds of galleries, including showing a specific YouTube playlist or favorites feed, a single video, or even your latest live stream.

    Adding a YouTube vlog feed to your WordPress website

    For step-by-step instructions on how to create an attention-grabbing homepage for your video blog, please see our guide on how to create a custom homepage in WordPress.

    Once you’re happy with the design, it’s time to set it as your homepage. To do this, go to Settings » Reading in the WordPress dashboard.

    How to set a custom homepage in WordPress

    Here, scroll to ‘Your homepage settings’ and select ‘A static page.’

    Next, open the ‘Homepage’ dropdown and choose the page that you want to use.

    Changing the homepage on a WordPress video blog

    After that, simply scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on ‘Save Changes.’ Now, if you visit your website you’ll see the new homepage in action.

    With that done, make sure you create a separate blog page to display your vlogs.

    Step 5. Set Up Your Video Hosting Platform

    Before you can start adding videos to your WordPress website, you’ll need to upload them to a separate video hosting platform. In this way, you can show countless high-resolution videos on your website without affecting its performance.

    For more on this topic, see our post on why you should never upload a video to WordPress.

    There are lots of different video hosting platforms that you can use, but we recommend YouTube as it’s the most popular choice.

    It’s free to create a YouTube account and you can upload as many videos as you want.

    Uploading videos to YouTube

    YouTube even has a Partners Program that you can join to make money from your videos. This program also offers more benefits like analytics, longer videos, and editing tools.

    Since it’s such a popular platform, there are lots of great WordPress plugins for YouTube. For example, you can use plugins to quickly and easily embed a YouTube playlist in WordPress.

    Adding a YouTube playlist to a vlog using Smash Balloon

    If you don’t want to use YouTube, then there are many other popular platforms including Vidyard, Wistia, and SproutVideo. For a closer look at all the top video sites, please see our expert pick of the best video hosting sites for bloggers.

    After choosing a platform, you’ll need to create an account and upload all the vlogs that you want to show on your WordPress website.

    For instructions on how to do this, check out the online documentation for your chosen video hosting platform.

    Step 6. Create Your First Vlog

    To create your first vlog, simply go to Posts » Add New in your WordPress dashboard.

    WordPress has a block-based editor that allows you to create beautiful content layouts for your vlogs. Here, you can add text, images, audio clips, and more.

    How to create a new vlog post

    For an in-depth look at the editor, please see our WordPress block editor tutorial.

    The easiest way to add vlogs to WordPress is by using the built-in auto-embed feature. If you’re using one of the big video hosting platforms, then you can simply paste the video’s URL into the WordPress content editor, and WordPress will handle the rest.

    Just head over to your chosen video hosting platform and find the vlog that you want to show on your WordPress blog. You can then simply copy the video’s URL.

    After that, switch back to the WordPress dashboard and paste the URL in the content area. If you paste it into a standard Paragraph block, WordPress will automatically try to place it in the correct block, such as the YouTube block.

    Embedding a YouTube video in WordPress

    Even if you don’t see the platform-specific block, it will use the Embed block and display the video inside the content editor.

    For more information, please see our detailed guide on how to easily embed videos in WordPress blog posts.

    How to show a YouTube vlog in WordPress

    As you’re working on the vlog, you can see how it’ll look to visitors by clicking on ‘Preview.’

    This will open the page in a new tab.

    How to preview a vlog in WordPress

    The WordPress post editor also has sections for Categories and Tags. You can use these to organize your vlogs so it’s easier for visitors to find interesting content. To learn more, please see our guide on how to add categories and tags in WordPress.

    When you’re happy with how the vlog looks, go ahead and click on the ‘Publish’ button in the top-right corner of the screen.

    To add more vlogs to your website, simply follow the same process described above.

    Step 7. Add a Contact Form to Your Vlog

    Some viewers might want to contact you directly. This may include affiliate marketers, sponsors, advertisers, and other brands who are looking to build relationships with creators, or other vloggers who want to collaborate.

    These people could ring your phone number or send a message to your business email address, but we always recommend adding a contact form to your website.

    This makes it easier for potential partners to contact you, so you don’t miss out on any opportunities to grow your brand and make money from your vlogs.

    The easiest way to add a contact form to your WordPress website is by using the free WPForms plugin. WPForms comes with a built-in Simple Contact Form template that you can customize using the drag-and-drop editor.

    Adding a contact form to a WordPress vlogging site

    You can then add the form to any page, post, or widget-ready area using the ready-made WPForms block.

    For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to create a contact form in WordPress.

    Step 8. Help Visitors Find Interesting Vlogs

    Once you’ve added some content to your vlog, it’s a good idea to add a navigation menu so visitors can find their way around the different videos.

    Adding a navigation menu to a video blog (vlog)

    The exact location of your menu will depend on your WordPress theme. Most themes have several options, so you can create multiple menus and then show them on different areas of your vlog.

    Whether you create a single menu or multiple menus, it’s easy to add navigation to your vlog. For a complete guide, please see our post on how to add a navigation menu.

    Adding a navigation menu to a WordPress vlog

    Menus encourage people to explore your site, but sometimes visitors may want to search for a specific vlog. WordPress comes with a built-in search feature, but it’s quite basic and not very good at finding relevant content.

    That’s why we recommend using SearchWP, which is the best search plugin for WordPress.

    It is very easy to use and gives much more accurate search results. It allows visitors to search for a keyword in the post or page title, content, URL slug, categories, tags, taxonomies, WordPress excerpts, and even comments.

    All of this can help visitors find interesting vlogs, fast.

    How to improve WordPress search with SearchWP

    For step-by-step instructions on SearchWP, please see our guide on how to improve WordPress search.

    Step 9. Optimize Your Vlog for SEO

    If you want to get more viewers, then you’ll need to optimize your vlog for SEO. This will help search engines understand your content and show it to people who are looking for videos just like yours.

    WordPress SEO is a huge topic that can be confusing for new vloggers. With that in mind, we recommend using All in One SEO for WordPress (AIOSEO).

    The AIOSEO SEO plugin

    AIOSEO is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market and has everything you need to get your vlogs onto the first page of Google, without having to learn any complicated SEO jargon.

    AIOSEO comes with the easiest setup wizard that helps you choose the best SEO settings for your business. AIOSEO will even scan your vlogs and show an actionable checklist on how you can optimize that specific vlog.

    An actionable checklist for improving SEO

    Additionally, AIOSEO has a video sitemap feature that you can use to show search engines what’s the most important content to index.

    To help you get started, please see our ultimate guide on how to set up All in One SEO for WordPress correctly.

    Step 10. Notify Users About New Vlogs

    Did you know that 70% of people who leave your site will never come back? Thankfully there are lots of ways to turn abandoning visitors into loyal viewers.

    To start, it’s smart to create an email newsletter so people who enjoy your vlogs can subscribe. After that, you can email these subscribers every time you post a new vlog.

    You can also keep them engaged with your brand by sending them fun surveys and polls, notifying them about any giveaways and contests you’re running, or even simply asking them for feedback on your latest vlog.

    An example of an online giveaway or contest

    All of this can help you create a sense of community and build a stronger relationship with your viewers.

    If you do build an email list, then you’ll want to make sure your messages arrive safely in the subscriber’s inbox and not in their spam folder. With that in mind, we recommend using an SMTP service provider to improve your email deliverability rates.

    Another option is to use push notifications with software like PushEngage to send targeted, personalized messages to viewers after they leave your vlog.

    Push notifications are short, clickable notifications that appear as a popup on the user’s desktop or mobile devices. Some of the biggest websites in the world use push notifications to keep users engaged, including Facebook.

    These notifications go directly to the user’s web browser or mobile device so they have a high chance of getting the person’s attention, which makes them perfect for notifying viewers when you post a new vlog.

    To learn more, see our guide on how to add web push notifications to WordPress.

    Step 11. How to Make Money From Your Video Vlogs

    Creating lots of quality, engaging vlogs takes a lot of time and effort, so you may want to make money from your videos.

    If you’ve created a contact form, then potential sponsors and partners already have a way to contact you, which is a great start. However, there are lots more ways to make money online with WordPress.

    Here are some of the best ways to make money from your vlog.

    1. Google AdSense

    There are many reasons why it’s smart to embed videos on your own website, rather than simply uploading them to platforms like YouTube.

    One major benefit is that you can show Google AdSense ads next to your videos.

    Google AdSense

    When you sign up for Google AdSense, Google acts as a middleman between you and the advertiser. Instead of you having to find the right partners for your vlog, Google allows advertisers to bid for keywords matching your content. This allows you to get the best possible rates for the ads on your vlogging website.

    For more details, please see our article on how to properly add Google AdSense to your WordPress blog.

    1. Affiliate marketing

    Many vloggers make money by recommending products and services to their viewers. For example, many lifestyle vloggers film daily routine videos showing off their favorite skincare or fitness products.

    By using affiliate links, you can earn money every time a viewer buys a product or service based on your recommendation.

    For the best results, it’s a good idea to only recommend quality items that you already use and trust. If you encourage viewers to buy poor-quality or scammy products, then you’ll damage your band and almost certainly lose viewers.

    There are plenty of affiliate marketing plugins and tools for WordPress that can help you make money by promoting affiliate products, but we highly recommend PrettyLinks or ThirstyAffiliates to all vloggers.

    To get started, please see our step-by-step affiliate marketing guide for beginners.

    1. Ask for Tips and Donations

    If you build a strong, positive relationship with your viewers then they may want to support your work as a vlogger. This is particularly true if you’re a hobby vlogger or someone who is just starting out.

    Although they’re mostly used by non-profits, some vloggers use donation forms so that viewers can support their work. These forms are often presented as ‘buy me a coffee’ or ‘buy me a beer.’

    An example of a donation form

    To learn more, please see our guide on how to create a donate form in WordPress.

    1. Create a Membership Site

    Most of the time, you’ll want your vlogs to be publicly available so you can get as many views as possible and build your audience.

    However, some vloggers may want to create a video membership site in WordPress. This allows people to pay for different perks, such as early access to the latest vlogs, exclusive live streams, or premium members-only videos.

    You can also offer perks that don’t involve videos, such as a members-only forum, blog posts, or the ability to chat with you directly on channels like Discord.

    The easiest way to create a membership site is by using MemberPress. It is the best WordPress membership plugin on the market and allows you to accept payments, create unlimited subscription levels, restrict access to video pages based on levels, and more.

    Creating video memberships with the MemberPress plugin
    1. Sell Your Videos as Digital Downloads

    Depending on the kind of vlogs you create, you may decide to sell some of your premium videos as digital downloads. For example, if you’re a health and fitness vlogger then you might create videos teaching your followers different exercise routines.

    For some niches, this can be a way to monetize the audience you’ve built from your vlogs.

    Easy Digital Downloads is the best platform to easily sell digital products. You can get started in minutes and accept credit card payments with Stripe, PayPal, Google Pay, and Apple Pay.

    The Easy Digital Downloads WordPress eCommerce plugin

    With Easy Digital Downloads, you have complete control over how you distribute your videos. You can allow customers to download files as many times as they want or restrict file downloads by time or attempt.

    To start selling your premium videos, please see our complete guide on how to sell digital downloads on WordPress.

    We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to start a video vlog and make money. You may also want to learn how to increase your blog traffic or check out our list of the best email marketing services.

    If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

    The post How to Start a Video Blog (Vlog) And Make Money in 2023 first appeared on WPBeginner.

  • 15 Most Popular Digital Products You Can Sell Online in 2023

    Are you looking for popular digital product ideas to sell online?

    In today’s creator economy, there are many opportunities to make money online. You can sell items like music files, videos, blog posts, eBooks, software, apps, podcasts, premium content, and more.

    In this article, we will share the most popular digital products that you can sell online.

    Most popular digital products you can sell online

    What are Digital Products?

    A digital product is essentially anything that you can buy, download, and use on a device such as a computer or mobile phone. For example, ebooks, software, videos, music, online courses, and more can be digital products that you can purchase at an online store.

    They are delivered to you electronically, usually through a direct download in your user dashboard or in an email with a download link inside. In general, you can easily access them anytime or anywhere.

    Why Sell Digital Products Online?

    Digital products have a lot of advantages compared to selling physical products.

    First, you don’t have to worry about keeping inventory and meeting supply or demand requirements. Once you create a digital product, you can sell it again and again.

    This also relieves you of any storage issues. Some physical products need to be kept at a warehouse and may require special storage conditions like refrigeration, which can be costly. On the other hand, you don’t have to worry about storing your digital products.

    Besides that, you get to generate a passive income stream with digital goods and easily grow your sales. They also help reach a wider audience across the globe, as people from around the world can buy your digital products.

    That said, let’s look at some of the most popular digital products you can sell online today.

    1. eBooks

    Sell ebooks online

    eBooks are a great digital product to have, and you can write about any topic you like. The best part, once you’ve created an ebook, you can simply market it and earn passive income.

    Now, if you have a WordPress blog or write articles regularly on any other platform, then you can repurpose the content for your ebook.

    For instance, your most popular guides would already have enough content to be converted into an ebook. Or you can combine several blog posts into an ebook about a particular topic.

    Once you’re done with the writing part, you can then add the ebook to your WordPress site so people can download it.

    You can follow our guide on how to create and sell ebooks in WordPress from start to finish.

    2. Online Courses

    Online course digital product

    The next most popular digital product you can sell is online courses. People are always looking to improve their skillset and learn new things.

    You can use this opportunity to share your expertise and teach other people through a virtual classroom. For example, if you’re a fitness instructor, then you can create an online course and teach people different exercises.

    The best part, you need very little investment and no technical knowledge to create online courses.

    There are many tools in the market that can help you get started in no time. All you need is a domain name for your site, WordPress website hosting, and a learning management system (LMS) plugin.

    LMS software like MemberPress or Thrive Apprentice makes it super easy to create interactive courses without editing code. Plus, you can manage students and course material, offer quizzes, and more.

    You can learn more by following our guide on how to create and sell online courses in WordPress.

    3. Premium Memberships

    Create a membership site

    Just like ebooks and online courses, a membership website is another simple way of making money online. You can sell premium memberships with access to exclusive content and community features.

    For example, you can lock specific guides, cheat sheets, interviews, videos, podcasts, newsletters, and other content behind premium memberships.

    On the other hand, you can offer exclusive entry to different communities, like a forum, Slack channel, or Facebook group, through a membership site.

    What’s great about memberships is that you don’t have to rely on advertising revenue. You can allow your website visitors to support your site and generate continuous income.

    There are many membership plugins and tools you can use to get started. For instance, MemberPress lets you restrict access to content, integrate different payment services, create unlimited membership levels, allow drip content, and more.

    To start selling memberships, you can see our step-by-step guide on creating a WordPress membership site.

    4. Tutorials and Guides

    Tutorial and guides

    You can also sell individual guides and tutorials as digital products. This is a great way to earn more money if you have long articles or multiple blog posts on a particular topic.

    Simply turn your guides into a downloadable file like a PDF document. You can then charge a fee to visitors who are willing to purchase your content.

    For example, let’s say you have a detailed guide on email marketing. You can turn that guide into a PDF file and sell it as a digital product.

    There are many WordPress eCommerce platforms you can use to sell digital products. We recommend using Easy Digital Downloads because it is beginner friendly, offers a shopping cart, easily integrates with payment gateways, and more.

    You can learn more by going through our guide on how to sell digital downloads on WordPress.

    5. Spreadsheets

    Spreadsheets and cheatsheet

    Spreadsheets are another type of digital product you can sell on your website and generate revenue. You can create all types of useful spreadsheets for your audience.

    For example, let’s say you have expertise in search engine optimization (SEO). You can create a technical SEO checklist for beginners and offer that as a paid spreadsheet. Similarly, you can create checklists, templates, calculators, lists, and other types of spreadsheets.

    The best part is that you don’t need any investment to create a spreadsheet. Plus, it helps offer evergreen content that can you use to generate leads and a passive income stream.

    You can check out our guide on how to sell spreadsheets online for more details.

    6. WordPress Plugins

    Create WordPress plugins

    You can also create WordPress plugins and sell them as digital products.

    WordPress is open-source software, and it powers over 43% of the website on the internet. There are over 60,000 WordPress plugins that include free and paid options. This shows that there is a huge potential to create a plugin that generates revenue.

    Usually, you need basic coding knowledge like PHP, CSS, HTML, and JavaScript to write a plugin. For more details, you can see our step-by-step guide on how to create a WordPress plugin.

    You can also hire a developer to help you create a plugin. There are many WordPress developer job websites where you can post an opening and hire the right talent for a specific project.

    If you’re willing to take on a DIY project, then you can also use a plugin called Pluginception. It lets you create a WordPress plugin from the WordPress dashboard. To learn more, please follow our guide on how to create a WordPress plugin using a plugin.

    7. Software and Mobile Apps

    Build an app and software

    Just like WordPress plugins, you can also create software and mobile apps. There are many SaaS (software as a service) products that you can create for any niche. It can be productivity software, workout apps, games, and more.

    Usually, SaaS products have a recurring subscription. This means that you’ll need to generate income on a monthly or annual basis.

    Since creating such software and apps requires specific skills, you might need to hire developers. This process can be expensive because you’ll need investment for creating software or purchasing an existing one ($15,000 and upwards).

    As an alternative, you can convert your WordPress websites into mobile apps and monetize them. There are tools and plugins that can turn your site into an app. For example, let’s say you have a membership site. Converting it into an app will help you attract mobile users and sell it as a digital product.

    On the other hand, you can also join affiliate programs and earn a commission on each sale. You can create a WordPress blog to review different software and apps and promote them as affiliates. Or you could create an online store using affiliates.

    For more information, check out our ultimate guide to affiliate marketing for beginners.

    8. Website Themes

    Website themes

    Similarly, you can make WordPress themes and sell them online. Themes are necessary for every WordPress user, and often users look for themes that offer specific features and customization options.

    There are many platforms where you can sell website themes. Some of these include Enavto, Themeforest, CodeCanyon, and Creative Market.

    You can also list a free version of your theme on the WordPress.org theme directory. From here, you can encourage users to upgrade to a premium version to unlock more features.

    We recommend selling the digital products on your own websites instead of a marketplace like Envato because they charge a large commission on every sale without much benefit.

    You can use an eCommerce solution like Easy Digital Downloads to create your own digital store.

    9. Digital Art and Graphics

    Digital art

    If you’re a graphic designer or an artist, then you can create a variety of digital products and sell them online.

    For example, you can create logos, design templates, original digital artwork, clip art, patterns, brushes, backgrounds, icons, fonts, shapes, and more.

    Besides that, creating assets for different photo editing software like Adobe PhotoShop, Canva, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Photo can also help you make money online.

    To get started, please follow our guide on how to sell digital art and graphics online.

    10. Photographs

    Photography

    Another great digital product you can sell online is photography. Many people look for images that they can use for their WordPress websites and blogs.

    There are different types of photos you can sell. Some of these include stock photos, event pictures, portraits, drone images, backgrounds, and more.

    Now, you can sell your images to different stock photo sites, like Shutterstock, 500px, iStock Photo, Adobe Stock, and more. Each of these websites has a payment structure where they’ll share a percentage of direct sales or give you a royalty fee.

    On the other hand, you can create your own photography website and sell your images there. This way, you don’t have to share the profits with another third party and have more control over your images.

    To help you get started, check out some useful WordPress plugins for photographs.

    11. Videos

    Create videos

    Videos are the next digital products on our list that you can sell online.

    For example, videos like drone footage, stock videos, online training, product reviews, video game reviews, and gameplay footage are some of the ideas you can use to create a video-based digital product.

    One of the easiest ways of monetizing your videos is by creating a video membership site. This way, you don’t have to rely on ad revenue from other platforms and get recurring payments from users who pay to access your content.

    12. Recipes

    Create recipes and cookbook

    Are you a chef, a home cook, or a food blogger? If you do, then you can sell recipes as digital products.

    The food industry is worth trillions of dollars and is very competitive. However, you can find a niche that your audience likes and share recipes to earn money.

    For instance, you can start a food blog and offer premium recipes for subscribers. Or you could combine multiple recipes into an ebook and sell that as a digital product.

    Plus, you can offer cooking courses and other premium content by creating a membership site. We recommend MemberPress for this sort of site, as it’s the best plugin for that on the market.

    13. Podcasts

    Podcast

    Podcasts are audio shows that users can subscribe to. They are generally made up of audio files that listeners can download or stream to listen to.

    There are many topics you can create a podcast on. For example, if your topic is music, then you can narrow it down to a specific genre. Similarly, if you’re into sports, then you can create a podcast on football.

    Another great way of selling podcasts is by inviting industry experts and serving it as a masterclass. You can charge a premium or only offer these podcasts to members to generate income.

    Many podcasters rely on their communities supporting them, whether that’s through a service like Patreon or creating their own membership site.

    For more details, you can follow our guide on how to start a podcast and make it successful.

    14. Professional Services and Coaching

    Professional services

    You can also sell your expertise as a digital product and help other businesses.

    For example, if you’re a copywriter, graphic designer, social media expert, developer, fitness coach, legal professional, translator, SEO expert, offer technical support through live chat, or any type of consultant, then you can offer your services to others for a fee.

    Now, you can sign up for different freelancing websites like Upwork, or create your own site. From here, simply market your expertise on social media platforms and build a following to get more projects and clients.

    15. Research and Data

    Research data

    Do you conduct industry-wide surveys, polls, and research? If yes, then you can create digital products and sell the research data.

    Many businesses are looking for insights into their industry. They want to better understand their audience and find out what they like or don’t like.

    You can carry out research on popular topics, collaborate with companies, or simply run a survey to gather data. After that, you can create a report, add it to your website, and sell it to consumers.

    If you have a membership website, then you can also offer research and data to subscribers.

    For examples, see some of our research articles we offer for free here at WPBeginner:

    Bonus: Plugins and Tools to Market Your Digital Products

    Now that you know some of the most popular digital products to sell online, you’ll also need to market them to your customers.

    Here’s a list of WordPress plugins and tools that you can use to promote your product and boost conversions:

    • OptinMonster – It is the best lead generation and popup plugin for WordPress. You can create different campaigns and use smart targeting rules to promote digital products and increase conversions.
    • WPForms – This is the best WordPress form plugin. You can use it to create an order form, payment form, and more.
    • All in One SEO (AIOSEO) – The plugin helps you optimize your website for search engines. This way, you get to improve search engine rankings, attract more organic visitors to your site, and boost sales of your digital products.
    • MonsterInsights – It is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. Using the plugin, you can track your digital products performance, which files get the most downloads, uncover the most popular products, and track eCommerce revenue without editing code.
    • PushEngage – This is a push notification software for WordPress and allows you to send personalized web notifications to customers about new products, promotions, sales, etc.
    • WP Simple Pay – You can collect online payments on your website using this plugin. The best part, you don’t have to set up a shopping cart to sell digital products while using WP Simple Pay.

    We hope this article helped you find the most popular digital products to sell online. You may also want to see our guide on low-cost and easy online business ideas that make money and the best email marketing tools to promote your digital products.

    If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

    The post 15 Most Popular Digital Products You Can Sell Online in 2023 first appeared on WPBeginner.

  • 9 Best Age Verification Plugins for WordPress (Compared)

    Are you looking for a plugin to set up age verification on your WordPress site?

    Setting up age restrictions allows you to limit users from seeing content due to legal requirements or the nature of the content. You can set up age verification with the right WordPress plugin without editing any code.

    In this article, our expert team have researched and picked the best age verification plugins for WordPress.

    Best age verification plugins for WordPress

    Why Do You Need an Age Verification Plugin?

    If you’re selling products or promoting goods that are age sensitive, then it is important to verify the user’s age before allowing them access.

    For example, many countries have laws and regulations that require websites to verify users’ age. This is common if you’re in the business of selling alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, vape, tattoos, and other similar goods.

    Similarly, different videos and games are not appropriate for minors and require an age gate. You can also add age verification on your membership website if it contains sensitive content.

    A simple way of adding age verification to a WordPress site is by using a plugin. You don’t have to edit any code or hire a developer.

    Plus by using a plugin, you can show a confirmation form or a popup where users can enter their age before accessing the content or buying a product.

    That being said, let’s look at the best age-verification WordPress plugins for different business needs.

    1. WPForms

    The WPForms form builder plugin for WordPress

    WPForms is the best WordPress contact form plugin that is beginner friendly and lets you create all types of forms. It offers a drag-and-drop form builder and comes with over 500+ pre-built form templates.

    WPForms offers a Form Locker addon that allows you to set up age restrictions on your online forms. You can pick age as the verification type for your form and define the age limit. Users will then have to enter their date of birth before they can submit a form on your site.

    Enable age verification in WPForms

    Using WPForms, you can create forms for all kinds of situations. For instance, the plugin lets you create a login form or a registration form and only allows logged-in users to view the content.

    If you’re looking for feedback about your company from a specific age group, then you can create a survey form and add an age restriction. Similarly, you can add an order form on your website with age verification to sell concert tickets or alcohol.

    Besides that, WPForms also offers other features and addons. You can integrate payment services like Stripe and PayPal to accept online payments, allow file uploads, connect email marketing services, and more.

    Pricing: You will need the WPForms Pro version to access the Form Locker addon and set up age verification in WordPress. This will cost you $199.50 per year. There is also a WPForms Lite version you can use for free.

    2. OptinMonster

    OptinMonster

    OptinMonster is the best lead generation and popup plugin for WordPress. It helps you get more leads, grow your email list, and boost conversions.

    You can create stunning campaigns for your site, including age verification popups. The plugin offers a drag-and-drop campaign builder, pre-built templates, and lots of customization options. You can add different elements like images, buttons, videos, and more to your popup.

    For instance, you can create a simple age verification lightbox popup with Yes/No options or show a popup where visitors need to enter their date of birth.

    Create age verification popup

    OptinMonsters also offers fullscreen campaigns, which are great for restricting access to your website or a page until users confirm their age.

    The plugin provides powerful display rules that let you choose when and where to show your campaigns. For instance, you can show your age verification campaigns on selected pages or hide the popup for users that have already verified their age on your website.

    Besides that, OptinMonster easily integrates with different email marketing services and works with eCommerce platforms like WooCommerce and Shopify.

    Pricing: OptinMonster prices start from $9 per month (billed annually). There is also a free version of OptinMonster that you can use to get started.

    3. Age Gate

    Age gate

    Age Gate is a free age verification WordPress plugin that is very easy to use. Using the plugin, you can easily restrict content based on the user’s age.

    It offers 3 input options to add age verification in WordPress. You can show a dropdown menu and let visitors select an age, allow users to enter their date of birth, or simply offer a Yes/No option to verify age.

    Other than that, you can choose whether to restrict the entire website or select pages based on age. Plus, there is also an option to set different age restrictions for individual content using the plugin.

    With Age Gate, you get multiple customization options to edit the appearance of your age restriction message. For instance, you can add a logo, change the background color, add blur, add a background image, and more.

    Pricing: Age Gate is a free WordPress plugin.

    4. MemberPress

    MemberPress

    MemberPress is the best membership plugin for WordPress. It lets you create a membership site and sell subscription-based products and services.

    With MemberPress, you can add age restrictions to your WordPress site. Let’s say you don’t want members under 18 signing up for a particular membership or course. By setting up an age limit, you can prevent access to content.

    Besides that, MemberPress offers other powerful features. It gives you full control over who can access content, release paid content over time, add payment gateways, and more. You can also create and sell online courses using MemberPress’s course builder.

    If you want to learn more about setting up a subscription-based website, then please see our ultimate guide to creating a WordPress membership site.

    Pricing: MemberPress is a premium plugin with prices starting from $179.50 per year.

    5. WooCommerce Age Verification Popup

    WooCommerce age verification popup

    WooCommerce Age Verification Popup is the next plugin on our list. It is a paid extension for WooCommerce stores. If you have a WooCommerce store and you’re selling products like tobacco, vaping, medicines, fireworks, or items that require age verification, then this plugin is for you.

    The plugin offers 4 verification methods where users can simply enter their age, select their date of birth, click a checkbox, or simply select from a Yes/No option.

    Besides that, you can choose which pages the popup should appear on. For instance, you can enable it on your entire website or specific pages like cart, checkout, my account, and shopping page.

    There are also different customization options you can use to edit your popup. These include adding a background image, selecting a color, adjusting the border height, and text size, and more.

    However, if you want more options like prebuilt templates and the ability to add different elements to the popup, then you can use OptinMonster. It also works seamlessly with WooCommerce and offers more powerful display rules.

    Pricing: WooCommerce Age Verification Popup is available for $29 per year.

    6. Age Verification for WordPress

    Age Verification

    Age Verification for WordPress is a free WordPress plugin that you can use to add an age limit to your WordPress site. The plugin is beginner friendly and offers basic features.

    It adds an age verification popup to your site and restricts access to content for visitors that don’t meet the age requirements. Once a user verifies their age, a cookie is saved for 30 days, so they don’t have to verify their age again.

    The plugin offers limited options to edit your age verification box. For instance, you can only add a background image, logo, title text, message text, and edit the yes/no button text using the Age Verification plugin.

    However, there are other plugins on our list, like WPForms and OptinMonster, that offer more customization options. Plus, you get to choose from pre-built templates and drag-and-drop builders.

    Pricing: The Age Verification plugin is free to use.

    7. AgeChecker.Net 

    AgeChecker.net

    AgeChecker.Net is a third-party age verification platform for eCommerce websites. It uses identity networks and a proprietary database to verify customer’s age at checkout.

    The plugin is compatible with different eCommerce platforms, including WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, and more.

    It adds age verification on checkout pages and instantly verifies 90% of the user’s age in the United States.

    If the data isn’t available in the data sources, then it will ask for the customer’s ID verification. Once a customer submits the required documents, AgeChecker.Net’s 24/7 live team manually verifies it for you. If the customer is underage, they will disable their access to the product or service.

    Other than that, you can customize the minimum age, digital signature requirements, and order blocking based on the customer’s location. Plus, the plugin is compliant with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other federal and state regulations in the US.

    Pricing: AgeChecker.Net has a free WordPress plugin that connects with WooCommerce. However, you will need to signup for their premium plan, which will cost you $25 per month + 50¢ per accepted verification.

    8. AgeVerify

    AgeVerify

    AgeVerify is another WordPress age verification plugin that is free to use. The plugin is super simple to use and lets you create an age-verification message for your website.

    It comes with prebuilt templates that you can use for different types of businesses. Plus, you can edit the age verification text, change the text and color of the button, and more.

    What makes this plugin different from others on our list is that it lets you edit the cookie duration (in hours) for the age verification message. This way, your visitors won’t have to verify their age each time they visit your website.

    Pricing: AgeVerify is a free WordPress plugin.

    9. Easy Age Verify

    Easy Age verify

    Easy Age Verify is an age verification plugin for WordPress that comes with pre-built verification settings and messages for alcohol, vape, and adult businesses.

    The plugin is super easy to use and doesn’t require complex configuration. All you need to do is enable age verification, select your industry, and the plugin will take care of the rest. It also gives you the option to exclude age verification for logged-in users.

    On the downside, you cannot customize the appearance of your age verification message in the free version. However, you can use WPForms as an alternative. It helps display a custom age verification form anywhere on your website.

    Pricing: Easy Age Verify is free to use. There is also a premium version that unlocks customization features, and it costs $8.25 per month (billed annually).

    Which is the Best Age Verification WordPress Plugin?

    Our top picks for the best age verification plugin for WordPress are WPForms and OptinMonster.

    WPForms offers a Form Locker addon that allows you to add an age gate on any type of form and display it anywhere on your site. It offers a drag-and-drop form builder, prebuilt templates, and lots of customization options.

    On the other hand, if you’re looking to add an age verification popup on your WordPress site, then OptinMonster is the best option. It lets you create age verification popups, offers powerful targeting rules to show and track that campaign, and easily integrates with eCommerce platforms.

    We hope this article helped you find the best age verification plugin for WordPress. You may also want to see our post on the best live chat software for small businesses and proven ways to make money online blogging with WordPress.

    If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

    The post 9 Best Age Verification Plugins for WordPress (Compared) first appeared on WPBeginner.