Is Premium Really Necessary? - But I Like FREE Better!
Everyone likes free. I mean... why wouldn't you?
Free is free. That's all there is too it.
Free means no charge, no risk, no hassle trying to fetch your credit card out of your wallet.
Getting something for free is awesome... but unfortunately this type of thing doesn't happen too much... and the reason is because it CAN'T happen too much. Don't worry, you'll understand what I mean by this in a second.
The point of all this is to talk about the memberships here at WA. As you know... there is the FREE Starter Membership and the PAID Premium Membership.
Since just about everyone likes free stuff... it's no wonder that so many people ask if it's really necessary to upgrade to Premium. I'll break it down for you.
TANSTAAFL
Can you pronounce that? If you can't it's okay... it's not meant to be pronounced all together as a word.
Those letters stand for "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch", which is a phrase you may or may not have heard at one point in time.
I first heard this phrase while in community college in an economics course I was taking. Our instructor told the class that the only things free in life are air and salt water... lol.
Now whether or not you agree with that isn't the point. The point is that there is very little in this world that is free.
The Reason: Businesses need money to stay in business.
It would be pretty cool if Wealthy Affiliate could operate on no revenue... and it would be pretty cool if I fly around on private jets without working a day in my life... but things just don't work like that.
The people operating and manufacturing the jets need to make money to stay alive just like WA and the great team behind it all.
This is where the Premium Membership comes into play.
The FREE Starter Membership... How The Frick Is This Even Possible?
- Free .siterubix website
- Free hosting for your site
- Free course 1 of Online Entreprenuer Certification and phase 1 of Affiliate Bootcamp
- And more
Free Starter Members get access to a heck of a lot if you actually think about it... and there is no requirement that WA must do this. Just think about the server space that all the free websites take up for hosting and all the support that is provided, especially early on when you have access to Premium features.
But of course some people want more. We want it all. And we want it free. RIGHT NOW!
I guess that's just human nature.
It's Difficult To Put a Value On Something Like This
When it comes to online services like this it is difficult to place values on things, which is the reason I think people don't often realize how much they are getting.
If you buy a banana for $0.50 it's obvious what you are getting. You are getting delicious sweetness with lots of nutrients all packed into a creamy textured little snack.
With a banana (just as an example) you can easily see the value... and you can imagine the work that went on behind the scenes bringing the banana to you.
- The farmers planing the trees
- Fertilizing the soil
- Irrigation
- (If you live in the US) the person spraying pesticides all over the place wreaking all sorts of havoc.
- Harvesting
- Transport
- Etc.
But with online services like those provided by WA you might not think of all the work that goes on. .. which I can definitely understand.
So yes.. we all want free.. but WA is already giving a lot away for free and needs to make money too by selling their services.
Let's Get to The Point: Is Premium Necessary for Success?
The short answer is Yes. And here are some reasons why...
- Only get .siterubix websites with free membership
- Aren't provided with 4/5 of the core training
- Communication channels with other members is limited
When you are a Starter Member you get access to free .siterubix websites. This is awesome because you don't have to go out and buy a site... but there are some downsides... mainly being that many affiliate programs and ad providers require you to have your own site for approval. This means that earning potential is seriously hindered.
With a Premiuim membership you can host your own domains with WA... which is what you want.
Using a .siterubix site right now? - That is fine. Using a site like this early on is perfectly okay. You can easily migrate to your own site later on with no problems. Early on it does not matter.
Obviously the lack of full-scale training with the free Starter Membership is another problem. Unless you have experience coming into it all then you aren't going to know what to do after the initial course 1, which is provided for free. Most people who come to WA are beginners like I was, so this is another reason Premium is necessary.
And the lack of available communication is also a hindrance. Being able to contact others in the community is something that has been invaluable to me personally.
WA just can't provide much more. It's just not feasible.They give you one heck of a risk free "test drive" (if you want to call it that) and then the decision is yours. You can walk away with no harm done or you can continue by upgrading to Premium.
* It is actually technically possible to make money with the .siterubix site if you are really good at this and have prior knowledge with all this stuff, but highly unlikely.
It's Well Worth The Price Tag
As I stated above... this is something that is difficult to place a value on, but I think we can all agree it is well worth the price.
As a Premium Member you get...
- Access to all the core training, 50 lessons of the Online Entrepreneur Certification course and all 5 phases of Affiliate Bootcamp
- Access to thousands more trainings on all sorts of internet marketing topics, many created by experts in the community
- Live weekly training webinars held by a real life ninja of SEO
- State-of-the-art hosting on 25 of your own websites is included
- 24/7 tech support... and not just any tech support.... really, really good tech support
- Access to all the community where you can communicate with other entrepreneurs and learn all sorts of things not included in the already vast amount of training
And more...
You can try to find another service that provides all of this for...
- $49/mo or $359 if you pay yearly
... but you aren't going to. You certainly can try though if you wish.
Judging by the fact alone that no other service in the industry is even coming close to providing this value at such an affordable price really says a lot.
Conclusion: Premium Is Necessary & It Really Doesn't Cost Much
I hope I've given at least a decent explanation as to why Premium is necessary and why this shouldn't be seen as such downside.
Yes it costs money but that is just the way the world works... and besides it is well worth the price.
If you do go Premium then go for it. There is a heck of a lot of money to be made in the online world and WA gives you an amazing foundation to realizing this potential.
But wait..
I'm not done yet..
There are some "hidden downsides" to this whole thing...
Things that no one else mentions.
Some Hidden Downsides to Premium that NO ONE TALKS ABOUT!
- Taking your credit card out can be a hassle - Sometimes the card is really stuck in there and it takes a few tries to get a hold of it. And then there are the times that you accidentally grab the wrong card... ugh, that's the worst.
- You have to type in 16 digits! - This is a heck of a lot to ask. 16 is already an extremely high number and you have to type all the numbers super slowly to make sure you get it just right. And then if you mess up a number... let's not even get into that!
- Energy expenditure - According to an article on gizmodo.com the act of clicking a mouse burns about 1.42 calories (less than it seems because when we say "calories" we usually mean kilocalories). Now I know for certain that getting a credit card out of my wallet is a heck or a lot harder than clicking a mouse... and that is plenty hard enough.
- You eat more food - All this energy consumed means you are going to have to eat more. Now your food bill is going to be through the roof.
Funny or not?
I thought it was.
But anyways... I'm obviously joking around about the last part. Those are things that no one talks about though!
Take care and if you enjoyed this post be sure to smash the heck out of that "like this" button.
Recent Comments
23
Kyle,
That is the best blog post I have read all day thank you so
much I needed a short laugh here for sure been at this
since 8am looking for a theme and working on a post just
jumping all over!
Thank you so much,
Susan
And, as if all that you mentioned isn't well worth the price of a premium membership, you didn't mention the million free graphics included for your web pages that they added to the value of the package last year!
Excellent analysis of why things should have a cost value, esp WA membership which is freaking cheap compared to outside world. My last job paid upto $2000 NZD a month, for their website and that is still considered cheap. Yet now I have learned everything here, I bet that I could do a better job for what the company got. You are 100% right :)
The best thing about free membership is it allows you to experience what is possible with a website. There is just enough training for you to get started and to whet your appetite for more.
You are able to assess if you can do this and if you think WA is for you. Personally, I think it is great value for money.....
Hi Kyle
building a business on a free membership is a great start and the first step then you progress to become a premium member. Unfortunately, the people who stay free, do not treat it like a business and if they do they attract alike.
Why all has to do with a mindset, you attract what you think.
The famous quote ( forget who said it)
Show me who your friends are, and I tell you who you are.
Hey Kyle,
Well written and I enjoyed reading this.
I'm a Premium member myself... I made the decision to take my credit card out in 4 days when I started as a free member.
It was because I knew there was more stuff here and I wanted my hands on it.
NO regrets. The Premium is less than a $1 a day. I don't drink coffee but I'm sure coffee costs more than that.
I believe members can have more success in their online business being Premium.
Every business needs to make money. We're here to make money ourselves and whatever products we promote ... well, we want people to spend their money on it.
Like you say... we're very fortunate Wealthy Affiliate gives us a lot of FREE training but the grass is much greener on the other side ... the Premium side.
Thanks Kyle!!
Monica
Wow...Kyle, you've actually made the money stuff interesting. And funny. I wish I could have had you as one of my accounting or economics teachers in college.
You have done a great job of explaining why a premium membership is necessary. And, why it is not realistic for it to be free.
I've bookmarked this so I can share it with others. Thanks!!!
ps. I broke a fingernail getting my credit card out of its holder so that I could pay for my WA membership. Yet, I have to say that I have never regretted the decision to become a premium member.
Thanks Sondra.
A broken fingernail? That's the worst. Didn't even think of that!
I'm glad you are happy with it though.
Heh Kyle, I guess , unless you've been thru some Internet travels and Spent some money on crap, one can't really understand what an amazing value WA is today.
No Brainer !
Gary
That's true. I remember early on I didn't quite see the full amount of value that was being provided. But as I learn and grow in experience I really notice a lot more.
See more comments
I was just let go from a JOB in January that we were selling an internet marketing certification program that was 5 time the cost of a WA annual membership. The program was good but WA smokes them in the practical, hands-on knowledge that you get here. Not to mention the weekly live webinars, the fantastic community here and Kyle and Carson.
Is going premium worth it? Heck Yeah! You're so right in that, you are not going to find anything that provides all of this for the cheap monthly or yearly price. Great article!