Memberships
Memberships let you create tiered access levels within your channel. You can offer free tiers for basic access, and paid tiers (powered by Stripe) that unlock premium features and content.
How Memberships Work
FanFest's membership system is built on a permission-based model. Each membership tier grants a specific set of permissions, and content or features can require certain permissions to access. This creates a flexible gating system:
- Administrators define tiers -- Each tier has a name, price, list of benefits, and a permission set
- Content is gated -- Shows, contests, and other features can require a specific membership tier
- Fans choose a tier -- When a fan encounters gated content, they are prompted to select an eligible membership tier
- Access is granted -- Once a fan has the required membership, gated content becomes accessible
Membership Tiers
Free Tier
Every channel has a default free tier. This is the baseline membership that all fans receive when they join the channel. The free tier typically includes:
- Access to the community feed
- Ability to view public shows and threads
- Basic contest participation (if not gated to a higher tier)
The free tier cannot be deleted, but its permissions can be configured.
Paid Tiers
Paid tiers are subscription-based memberships processed through Stripe. Each paid tier includes:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The display name shown to fans (e.g., "Premium", "VIP", "Superfan") |
| Price | Monthly subscription amount |
| Benefits | A list of benefit descriptions shown to fans when choosing a tier |
| Action Label | The call-to-action text on the subscription button |
| Permission Set | The permissions granted by this tier |
Tiers are ordered by their permission level -- higher tiers grant all the permissions of lower tiers plus additional access.
Permission-Based Gating
Memberships control access through a bitmask-based permission system. The available permissions are:
Fan Permissions
These permissions control what fans can do within the channel:
| Permission | What It Controls |
|---|---|
| Ask Questions | Ability to ask questions during shows via chat |
| Interact in Contests | Ability to participate in quizzes, raffles, and polls |
| Interact in Threads | Ability to create and reply to thread discussions |
| Chat | Access to the show chat feature |
| Raffle Join | Ability to enter raffles |
| Quiz Vote | Ability to answer quiz questions |
| Show Join Stage | Ability to join a show's live stage |
Administrative Permissions
These permissions control management capabilities:
| Permission | What It Controls |
|---|---|
| Produce Shows | Go live and use producer controls |
| Manage Shows | Create, edit, and delete shows |
| Manage Contests | Create, edit, and manage contests |
| Manage Threads | Moderate and manage threads |
| Manage Channel | Full channel administration |
Administrative permissions are assigned directly to team members through User Management, not through membership tiers.
Content Gating
When creating or editing content (shows, contests, or other gated features), administrators can set a minimum membership tier required for access. When a fan without the required tier encounters gated content:
- The content displays a gating indicator
- Selecting the content opens the membership selector
- The fan sees available tiers that would grant access, with pricing and benefits
- After subscribing (or selecting a free tier), access is granted immediately
The gating system supports both simple tier-based gating (e.g., "requires Premium") and specific permission-based gating (e.g., "requires quiz participation access").
Stripe Integration
Paid memberships are processed through Stripe. FanFest handles:
- Checkout -- Stripe-powered payment form displayed within FanFest
- Recurring billing -- Monthly subscription management
- Upgrades -- Fans can upgrade from a lower tier to a higher tier
- Downgrades -- Fans can move to a lower tier (takes effect at the end of the billing period)
- Cancellation -- Fans can cancel subscriptions from their profile
- Failed payments -- Automatic retry and notification for failed payments
Fans manage their subscription status from their Profile > Manage Membership page, where they can view their current plan, upgrade, downgrade, or cancel.
Setting Up Memberships
To configure membership tiers for your channel:
- Define the tier structure -- Decide how many paid tiers you need and what each unlocks
- Set pricing and benefits for each tier
- Configure which permissions each tier grants
- Gate content to the appropriate tiers
- Test the fan experience by attempting to access gated content
TIP
Start with a simple two-tier structure (Free + Premium) and add more tiers as you understand your audience's willingness to pay and the content you can gate.
Fan Experience
From the fan's perspective, memberships appear as:
- A membership badge next to their username if they have a paid tier
- Gating prompts when they encounter content that requires a higher tier
- A membership management page in their profile where they can view, upgrade, or cancel their plan
- Payment history accessible from their profile
Next Steps
- Channel Setup -- Return to the channel configuration guide
- Communities -- Organize your audience with sub-communities
- Shows -- Create content to gate behind membership tiers
- User Management -- Assign administrative permissions to team members