One Podcast's Quest for a Better Members-Only Experience

I Could Murder a Podcast (ICMAP) is a weekly show hosted by friends Tom and Ben on the mercilessly morbid, curiously creepy world of true crime. They explore the who, how, what, where, and why of tragic events, mysteries, and all things strange and intriguing. Each episode dives deep into red flags and motives and explores the impact and aftermath of each case.

ICMAP switched from Patreon to Fourthwall in February 2023, bringing together their homepage, shop, and memberships in a single, branded hub. In this case study, we explore how they got started, their approach, and how things are going so far.

When and why did you start offering Memberships?

We started offering memberships on Patreon not long after the initial launch of ICMAP back in lockdown. At the time, it was a very small community of members gaining access to fairly “low budget” Zoom recordings. However, we soon realized the value of offering exclusive content directly to members and rapidly increased our production value. The biggest draw for people was they could vote for cases they wanted to see us cover, and therefore had some control over upcoming videos. 

Although Patreon offered certain features which allowed us to grow (polls, posts, etc.), we didn’t find the platform very intuitive or stable. Fourthwall seemed to take these features and expand on them much more, so we were very happy to jump ship and make the transition.

How did you navigate moving over to Fourthwall from Patreon?

Although almost everyone saw this as a positive move, we made sure to respect the members who were happy with Patreon. We didn’t shut down the site immediately – we’ve kept all existing content on there (aside from the new uploads since launching on Fourthwall) so we can be sure not to pressure anyone into moving too soon. We are much more about organic growth than an overly-focused push toward the new site.

How did you promote the launch of your new memberships site?

Fortunately, the initial response was fantastic. We had a lot of complaints about the Patreon platform (buggy, slow, ugly) and the feedback about Fourthwall was 100% positive right away.

We shout out our memberships directly on the podcast, also visually showcasing the site, merchandise, and Discord in our videos so people can easily get an understanding of what we’re offering. Soon we’ll be making official ‘promos’ for the site which we’ll post directly on Instagram, Twitter, etc.

What perks and tiers do you offer your members? How did you decide on your approach?

We used to have one tier but Fourthwall enabled us to create a second higher tier, offering more perks such as access to a private Discord server, members-only merch, and more. A lot of these perks weren’t possible on Patreon.

Had you sold merch before or was this your first time? How did you approach your strategy there?

We sold merchandise before Fourthwall. However, before it was a very ‘hands-on’ enterprise (and not very enjoyable). We didn’t actually think about members-only products until Fourthwall approached us, and it’s a fantastic idea. It’s yet another perk that we can offer and people seem to be taking advantage of it well. The fact we can oversee our products but not have to worry about production and distribution is brilliant.

What have been your most important learnings so far?

Interaction is key. We learned this quite early on, as it helps people to feel valued. You could argue our members are the most important asset for ICMAP, aside from sponsors and ad revenue. They are directly supporting our brand and content and without them, it's hard to grow.

Having a simple, easy-to-use site through Fourthwall means we can chat directly to our members and build a buzzing community. Not only this, we can seamlessly change and update the site and our merch without affecting members.

What are your favorite Memberships features?

The intuitive dashboard system enables us to easily change, update, and edit our perks without disrupting any payments or the membership experience. 

What advice do you have for fellow creators looking to launch and grow Memberships?

Consistency is everything! Regularly upload high-quality content and your memberships WILL grow. Engage with your members constantly and listen to their feedback. They are there to support you. 

Check out I Could Murder a Podcast on YouTube.