> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documentation.outpost.pub/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What is Outpost?

> Outpost handles the membership, conversion, retention, and growth side of a Ghost publication — everything beyond writing and sending the newsletter.

Outpost works alongside your Ghost site to handle the membership and growth side of running a publication: turning readers into subscribers, converting free readers to paid, keeping paying members from churning, and connecting your site to the other tools you use.

Many of the largest publications on Ghost run on Outpost, along with many smaller ones.

Ghost handles your content, member accounts, and newsletter delivery. Outpost adds everything around that — conversion tools, email automation, retention sequences, segmentation, and integrations with 15+ external services.

<Frame caption="The Outpost dashboard showing member growth, subscription activity, and quick actions">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/outpost-eb0cfbad/6QUWsH4N1O5jgXMU/images/getting-started/dashboard.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=6QUWsH4N1O5jgXMU&q=85&s=a76a30b93cb3e333041c733eea634ddf" alt="Outpost dashboard with member statistics, recent activity, and navigation sidebar" width="1540" height="944" data-path="images/getting-started/dashboard.png" />
</Frame>

## What Outpost helps you do

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Grow your free list" icon="display-chart-up">
    Dynamic and user-level aware popups, slide-ups, and in-post CTAs, gated PDFs/ePubs and more that turn visitors into registered members
  </Card>

  <Card title="Convert free to paid" icon="money-bill-trend-up">
    Email welcome flows, metered pay walls, upgrade CTAs, and more to convert free readers to paying subscribers
  </Card>

  <Card title="Keep paying subscribers paying" icon="shield-check">
    Retention email flows, renewal reminders, failed payment card sequences, and win-back campaigns
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connect your site to external services" icon="plug">
    Ghost, YouTube, Transistor.fm, Plausible, Contextly, Hubspot, podcast platforms, and more
  </Card>

  <Card title="Offer alternative subscription types" icon="gift">
    Gift subscriptions, group/team plans, institutional subscriptions, subscription invoicing and subscription schedules
  </Card>

  <Card title="Run your media business" icon="newspaper">
    Segmentation, bulk actions, campaigns, analytics, and data export tools
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## How Outpost relates to Ghost

Outpost does **not** replace Ghost's native subscription system. Your Ghost site handles:

* Content publishing and email newsletter distribution
* Member accounts and authentication
* Stripe subscription billing (natively)

Outpost connects to your Ghost site, your theme and the connected Stripe account to add:

* Conversion tools (paywalls, CTAs, gated content)
* Additional kinds of special offers, including ones to move readers from one tier to another
* Email automations beyond Ghost's built-in newsletters
* Advanced segmentation, labels, and bulk management
* CRM, analytics, and third-party integrations
* Alternative subscription types (gift subscriptions, group subscriptions, institutional subscriptions, invoiced subscriptions)

## Core concepts

| Concept              | Description                                                                   |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Site**             | A Ghost publication connected to Outpost (also called a publication)          |
| **Member**           | A subscriber — free, paid, comped, gifted, or part of a group                 |
| **Tier**             | A subscription product defined in Ghost (e.g. "Bronze", "Platinum")           |
| **Offer/Promotions** | A discount or promotional pricing applied to a tier                           |
| **Label**            | A tag applied to members for segmentation and automation                      |
| **Action**           | A pre-built automated email triggered by a member event (Basic Autoresponder) |
| **Email Flow**       | A custom multi-step sequence you build yourself (Advanced Autoresponder)      |
| **CTA**              | A call-to-action prompt — a button, popup, or styled signup inside a post     |

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="rocket" href="/getting-started/quickstart">
    Get up and running in under 10 minutes
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connect your Ghost site" icon="ghost" href="/getting-started/connecting-ghost">
    Link your Ghost site to Outpost
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connect Stripe" icon="stripe" href="/getting-started/connecting-stripe">
    Connect Outpost to your site's Stripe account
  </Card>

  <Card title="Features overview" icon="list" href="/features/overview">
    Explore everything Outpost can do
  </Card>
</CardGroup>