It’s easy to focus on the recurring revenue angle of membership sites and want to build one right away. But with what foundation?

Preeminence, as you call it. Others call it Author, Credibility, Sway, Persuasive Power, or something else, but it’s all the same–and just as unsexy to build it, regardless of how sexy the words we use to describe it are.

You’ve done a wonderful job offering huge value for free. I consider you my preeminent model to follow for someone who’s in service to others and reaping the returns for it.

Actually, a mastermind group is also another way of creating social proof, as previous commentators demonstrate. (Although, you already have it, Yaro! Social proof, that is )

Best,

Paul Hancox

P.S: If you get a moment, perhaps you could drop by my blog and post a comment, because I’d really appreciate it and I’m sure you’d have something relevant to say.

But I AM anxious to read this thread.

I know for sure I wouldn’t have joined the Blog Mastermind program if it hadn’t been mentioned over at ProBlogger. The Blueprint really helped sway me, as did signing up for a newsletter that reminded me when the program would launch. I wouldn’t have been very interested if the only thing I saw was the sign-up promotional page.

I agree that an Internet preeminence is very important to a successful launch and it’s not just limited to membership sites.

The successful launch of any site has a direct relation to how well known the person is behind the launch.

Take for example Auctionads.com (Shoemoney) or Income.com (John Reese). These sites are instant successes because of both Shoemoney and Reese are well known. People trust them and therefore it adds instant creditability to the new sites.

I’m in the process of launching a site myself, but I suspect it won’t be an instant success because I don’t have a wide following. Although instant success would be nice, I would rather a consistent increase in traffic and customers so the site can improve and grow in accordance to it’s needs. An instant success can be a disaster just as much as it can be a blessing. Especially if the instant success is too much for the site to handle and everything crashes causing irreversible damage to the site’s (and the owner’s) creditability.

Have a great day,
Shannon
http://www.s-cole.com

p.s. Congratulations on the success of your membership site by the way. and.. oh.. excellent post too.

p.p.s I noticed you’re using WordPress. We should talk, drop me an email. I may have something (free of course) you might find useful. shannon(at)s-cole.com

I was having coffee with a couple of friends in Manila, last week. One owns an IT solutions company while the other is a telecoms entrepreneur. Those two are lazy writers but they have both been to this blog and agree with what they’ve read. Preeminence? You undoubtedly have it.

Content may be the easy part as you say, but it’s getting the Big Dawgs in the industry to write about you which is the hard part, and which will inevitably bring you your rewards much quicker.

Congatulations again Yaro – a true entrepreneur and go getter!

Congrats to the success of your Blog Mastermind program! I’ll be sticking around for a little while more – at least

I would argue though, that preeminence extends beyond member sites and the blogosphere. It is necessary for anything you promote. As a software designer and developer, I wouldn’t be anywhere as successful if it wasn’t for some big named code monkeys telling others I have “mad skillz.”

Of course, there is a necessary step of doing what you are wanting to be known for. An expert won’t usually promote someone as an expert unless they can deliver.

Take care,

Charles McKeever
OpenSourceMarketer.com