Content dripping or automatic level upgrade

Hi there

I am checking out the free version and a bit confused how I can execute my idea of selling content by subscription where subscribers receive 1 content package a month upon having paid their monthly subscription.

At first I thought I could automatically upgrade subscribers after recurring subscription payments, that is, 1st payment at level 1 with content package 1, 2nd payment upgrades user to level 2 opening up access to content package 2 and so on.

I haven’t found that option in s2member but was wondering if I could use content dripping instead. I read somewhere in support that using php scripts allowed me to define, based on days from subscription, what content users have access to. I find this somewhat complex to do and am also concerned what happens if a subscriber cancels subscriptions and reactivates later or misses a payment. Will his status return to 0 or does s2member “remember” his status?

Everything else with s2member seems like tailored for my needs so I hope we can find an acceptable solution.
Thanks,
Anita

Hi Anita,

Yes, Content Dripping would be the best way to accomplish what you described. However, as you noted making the content available based upon successful payment is a bit tricky, as content dripping depends on the length of time since the user registered.

One could assume that if their account is still Level 1 (or whatever paid-level you’re using), that means they are paid up-to-date and should see the extra content for that month. If they are a Free user, they shouldn’t see any of the dripped content (this would include users whose accounts have been demoted due to failed payments; see next paragraph).

You can configure s2Member to demote users upon failed payment (see Dashboard -› s2Member® -› PayPal® Options -› Automatic EOT Behavior). This will cause their account to demoted to a free account upon failed payment. Since you configured your content dripping to exclude anyone with a free account, they won’t be able to see any of the content.

If they reactivate their subscription (using a Billing modification form: Dashboard -› s2Member® -› PayPal® Pro Forms -› Billing Modification Forms), then they would automatically see all the dripped content again. Unfortunately, this would mean they could potentially gain access to months they didn’t pay for, since the content dripping is based on time since registration/payment — there is, unfortunately, no simple way around this.