If you are rebranding or need to take a break from your community, you may want to prevent new members from joining. Members can only sign up if you have active Sign Up Pages.
Below, we suggest two separate routes to prevent new sign ups and allow you enough time to work on your community.
Option 1: Set Sign Up Pages to "Pre-approved"
The most secure way to stop new sign-ups is by setting your Sign Up Pages to "Pre-approved" mode.
This requires you to create a list of pre-approved email addresses—only people on this list can join. Anyone not on the list will be completely unable to sign up, giving you full control while you make changes.
Steps:
- Go to Settings > Members > Sign Up Pages
- Click the 3-dot menu on any Sign Up Page currently in use and press "Edit"
- Scroll down to "Availability" and select "Pre-Approved"
When you are ready to invite members again, edit this Sign Up Page back to "Evergreen".
Option 2: Set up a Waitlist
If you're just starting out and working on your community but still want to capture interest, a Waitlist might be the better choice. This approach lets you:
- Collect sign-ups and potential revenue
- Prevent immediate access to your community
- Set a specific launch date when waitlisted members can join
Steps:
- Go to Settings > Payments > Offers
- At the top, click "Create Wailist"
- Set your launch date and press Create
The waitlist option is ideal when you're not ready to open your doors but want to maintain momentum and gauge interest during your setup phase.