How Circle Partners Make the Most of Membership
With new trends and technological innovation, web design is ever-evolving. The industry is anchored by a class of well-established designers, developers, project managers, and creatives, and welcomes new solopreneurs and agencies daily.
Professional web designers have long monetized their skills on Squarespace. In addition to building websites for their clients, they sell premier templates, develop brand identities, act as branding consultants, write custom code, establish SEO strategies, write compelling website copy, and more. Some have gone on to build entire careers and multi-tier businesses out of their offerings.
Established in January 2016, Squarespace Circle was born to support these powerful Squarespace customers and connect them to each other. The free partner program has evolved into a worldwide community of thousands of creative professionals who exchange knowledge and feedback about running a Squarespace web design business. Circle partners also enjoy a wide array of benefits, including discounts on annual subscriptions, early access to product betas, referral payments, a partners-exclusive dashboard and forum, and in-person and online networking events. Simply put, there's a lot that comes with Circle membership.
To better understand the Circle program and how partners can take advantage of its benefits, we spoke with Sarah Greisdorf, Team Lead of the Channel Partner Program. Sarah works with the Circle community to help partners expand their knowledge of Squarespace and grow their businesses.
You get to interact with so many Circle partners. How would you describe the community?
Sarah Greisdorf: Our community of Circle partners is vibrant, passionate, and dedicated to supporting one another. They take their work seriously but also want to see each other succeed in building careers using Squarespace. We see this in the support they provide one another on the Circle Forum, the way they show up to events and host meetups, participate in webinars, and the invaluable feedback they provide on our product.
Circle partners have a lot of perks. What are the most popular benefits of membership?
Sarah: The most popular benefit is the extended trial—instead of two weeks to build a website before subscribing to a plan, they have three, six, or twelve months, depending on their membership status, giving them enough time to build a site to client specifications. Another popular perk is the discount they get for their first payment on annual product subscriptions.
One of the perks that has been great for the community is Circle referral payments, which awards commissions to all partners bringing clients to Squarespace. Through this benefit, Circle partners can earn hundreds of dollars on a single project.
What can Circle partners accomplish with the extra commission?
Sarah: I’ve heard Circle partners say they put the money back into their businesses. Some use it to cover bigger purchases such as software and tools, while others invest in their marketing or additional skill building.
This is the best update Squarespace has made for professionals for as long as I've been a designer. Last year I earned several thousand dollars just by doing what I was doing anyway, which is showing clients how fantastic Squarespace is. It's allowed me to reinvest heavily in equipment, software, content, and everything else that improves my overall service delivery. – Sam Crawford, Circle member
In addition to being a community manager, you co-host Circle Live, the live monthly series on all things Squarespace Circle. What can Circle partners expect to see and why should they tune in?
Sarah: We have some great content planned for the next few months. The format of the show is centered around bringing the experiences of our Circle partners to life and finding new opportunities to unlock possibilities for your business. It’s an exciting new way to feel reinvigorated and get inspired.
No matter where you join us from, Sam Zelitch (Circle Live co-host) and I are there to encourage you to take your Squarespace business to the next level.
The Circle dashboard is a newer perk as of 2025. What are the benefits of this exclusive space?
Sarah: We built the Circle dashboard to help Squarespace pros take advantage of their benefits and improve their workflows by keeping everything in one place. You can now verify your Circle status, check out your referral payments, view platform news and announcements from the Circle Forum, catch the latest blog posts, and view upcoming events, all within your Squarespace account.
Let’s talk about the Circle Forum. Some partners love participating in open forums and conversing with peers, while others would rather observe. Talk us through some of the benefits of getting involved.
Sarah: There is one clear benefit: if you have a question, you can get it answered. There are so many people on the forum who love helping and solving problems; it’s rare that questions are posted without a response.
Plus, the more you post, the more relationships you form. The more you engage with people on and off the forum, the more you can learn and bring into your own business. In turn, this can strengthen your service offering for clients.
I joined Circle about four years ago, and I've loved every minute. Until recently, I primarily used the Circle membership perks to sell my Squarespace services to potential clients using the 20% discount and free six-month development period. These two exclusive Circle member offers are what really makes me stand out from the rest of the crowd and land the client. During the past few months, I've made more of an effort to participate in the online Circle Forum, and I've really enjoyed the sense of community. I now find that my day doesn't feel complete unless I've checked in at least once to see what everyone's up to, and, as a solopreneur, it's nice to feel a part of something bigger. – Shawna Gibbs, Circle member
Circle is known for hosting great networking events and skill-building webinars. How do you plan these events with Circle partners in mind, and what are some that partners should definitely look out for?
Sarah: All of our content is fueled by requests or suggestions from Circle partners. When we plan our content for the next couple of months, we start with one question: How can we effectively support our Circle partners and their businesses?
We can’t talk about events without discussing Circle Day. What is Circle Day, and why is it an absolute must for Circle partners?
Sarah: Circle Day is our annual gathering of current and prospective Circle partners where our community comes together to meet one another, learn new skills, and leave feeling empowered to continue growing their Squarespace businesses.
And while most of our events are reserved for Circle partners, select Circle Day events are open to the public. Keep an eye out for details!
Speaking of networking, why is it so important for partners to meet other partners of the community? Can you share an example of a networking success story?
Sarah: Getting out there and meeting partners of the community is the best opportunity you have to expand your own knowledge and the scope of what you can offer as a business owner.
My favorite Circle networking story goes back to Circle Day 2022. For our first Circle Day, our team supported Circle partners in hosting meetups around the world after the event. We had a Circle partner in San Francisco host a meetup for partners in her area, and they now meet monthly. What was originally an online connection went from URL to IRL.
The events that are put on for the Circle members are amazing! The ability to network with other designers, as well as the Squarespace team members, provides a value that not a lot of companies offer their partners. Sure, there are learning opportunities, but it is generally a mass education type of experience that, a lot of times, leaves me feeling like I’m just a number. The Circle events, while heavily attended, don’t feel that way. – Sayre Ambrosio, Circle member
A benefit of being a Circle Gold or Platinum Partner is receiving access to product betas. Why is this such a popular perk and what does early access mean for members?
Sarah: We always aim to give Circle partners a preview on what’s to come so they can feel prepared when working with their clients. When we can, we give Circle Gold and Platinum Partners access to upcoming products and new features. This is such a popular benefit because it provides the chance to try things out before their clients, meaning they can better educate and support them with the new features.
Lastly, what is your number one advice for Circle partners looking to get the most out of the program?
Sarah: I think step one is to start reading the Weekly Release Notes we send every Monday (Circle partners, make sure you’re subscribed to Circle Product Release Notes emails in your account settings). They include all of the information about what’s new across our community, including program offerings and product updates. If you want to stay up to date with product betas or the next Circle Live, the Release Notes give you the best opportunity to stay in the loop!
A lot of times, the Release Notes link to posts on the forum, so I recommend reading the posts to get a better sense of what’s going on. It’s also a great way to find opportunities to get plugged in.
If you have built a business around Squarespace, there’s nothing more empowering than being a Circle Member. The information you get as a Member gives you an edge that you can use immediately to better serve your clients and customers… It’s not every day that a company as large as Squarespace gives its users such transparency, access, and the ability to influence. It makes me happy that I chose to build my business with Squarespace! – Melissa Kelly, Circle member
A special thanks to Sarah Greisdorf for giving us an in-depth look at the Circle community. We’d also like to thank Sam Crawford, Shawna Gibbs, Sayre Ambrosio, and Melissa Kelly for sharing their experiences with Squarespace’s professional partner program.
This article was originally published on February 28, 2023. It has since been updated.
Want more?
Check out Squarespace Circle, Squarespace’s program for professional designers and agencies. Along with exclusive content, discounts, and other perks, Circle brings experts together from across the globe to exchange advice while connecting with new clients and collaborators.
