--- title: "Slate Plus: What Slate Might Learn From Associations" id: "22990" type: "post" slug: "slate-plus-what-slate-might-learn-from-associations" published_at: "2014-05-07T11:58:24+00:00" modified_at: "2014-05-07T11:58:24+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/05/07/slate-plus-what-slate-might-learn-from-associations/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/05/07/slate-plus-what-slate-might-learn-from-associations.md" excerpt: "So you want to launch a membership program for your most avid readers? Associations have a little experience with that. Here's some advice." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "B2B media" - "Business" - "community effort" - "Membership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Slate Plus: What Slate Might Learn From Associations Have you ever loved a magazine, newspaper, or website so much that you wanted to take that relationship to the next level? To no longer be just a *subscriber*, but a *member*? Well, if you’re a fan of *[Slate (opens in a new tab)](http://www.slate.com/)*, you’re in luck. As Ernie Smith [shared here in late March](http://associationsnow.com/2014/03/access-benefit-slates-news-focused-take-membership/) , the online magazine *Slate* has launched a membership program dubbed Slate Plus. For me, this news felt like worlds colliding. I’ve been reading *Slate* more or less daily for years—it’s one of a handful of browser tabs I keep open 24/7 on my iPad—and membership as a topic makes up a significant portion of my day job. But I’ll admit that my first reaction to *Slate* launching a membership program was, in so many words, “huh?” Like my fellow association professionals, I view membership as belonging to a group, because associations are, in essence, groups of people with common interests and goals. When I join an association, sure, I get plenty of *stuff*, but I also join a community of people I can relate to. And in the best circumstances, joining an association says something important about how you identify yourself. > Slate Plus will be a fascinating experiment for anyone interested in membership or media business models. But do the readers of an online magazine fit that mold? Until now, I’ve never thought so, and I’m still not sure I do. In all the time I’ve been reading *Slate*, I’ve never really wondered about who else was reading it, aside from people I already know in real life. And as much as I like it, I’m not sure I reach fanboy status. To put my money where my mouth is, though, I joined Slate Plus this week, and I’ll be eager to see what the member experience is like. In any case, Slate Plus will be a fascinating experiment for anyone interested in membership or media business models, and the folks there at least deserve praise for trying something new in the quest for new revenue streams. While a lot of other media sites have tried [paywalls (opens in a new tab)](http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/business-news/the-biz-blog/141628/9-reasons-newspapers-are-suddenly-asking-print-subscribers-to-pay-for-full-web-access/) or [meters (opens in a new tab)](http://www.niemanlab.org/2013/06/the-new-york-times-adds-a-meter-to-mobile-apps/) in recent years , *Slate* has purposefully shaped its pay option as a membership program, joining [National Journal (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nationaljournal.com/learn-more) and [Talking Points Memo (opens in a new tab)](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/prime) as one of the few who have tried it. *Slate* editor David Plotz tried to make this clear in his [description (opens in a new tab)](http://www.slate.com/articles/slate_plus/slate_fare/2014/03/what_is_slate_plus_editor_david_plotz_on_slate_s_new_membership_program.html) of the program: “So, what is Slate Plus? First, let me say what it’s not. It’s not a paywall. Let me say that again: It’s not a paywall!” It may ultimately be unfair to compare Slate Plus with membership in a trade association or professional society, but let’s assume for a moment that *Slate* really does want to build a community with this membership program—that it wants to build something a bit association-like.Here’s my advice to make Slate Plus a genuine community for *Slate* readers to belong to: **Connect Slate Plus members with each other.** Do this online and, better yet, do it in person. When you host [events (opens in a new tab)](http://www.sixthandi.org/event/dear-prudence-mommy-dearest-edition/) for readers to hear from *Slate* staff in person, build in time for Slate Plus members to meet and get to know each other. Foster the social interactions that lead to emotional bonds, because that’s the stuff that will [keep people around](http://associationsnow.com/2012/09/join-with-your-brain-stay-with-your-heart/) year after year. **Strive to understand members’ motivations for joining, and then use that knowledge.** Are people joining for the access to *Slate* writers, discounts on events, or single-page articles? Or maybe it’s the behind-the-scenes content, the member discussions, or the free coffee mug. Or, just maybe, they’re altruistic souls who simply believe in the power of good journalism. Don’t assume it’s all of the above. Most members will join for one or two reasons, and you should seek to know what those are for each member. Then you can tailor your benefits both in aggregate and on an individual basis. **Define what it means to be a Slate Plus member.** This goes back to the idea that joining a group says something about who you are. So what does joining Slate Plus say about me? You can fill in some of this definition according to the type of people you want to attract, but an equal portion of it should arise from what you observe (see previous step) about your members as they build in number and you continue to interact with them. **Give members a voice, and make them feel heard.** Comments and discussions are a nice start, but those can be a jungle. The [member takeover series (opens in a new tab)](http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/member_takeover.slateplus.html) is fun, too. But part of what binds an association member community is its participatory, democratic nature. Members write for association publications. They lead educational sessions at their conferences. They serve on myriad committees and taskforces that collaborate on industry-wide projects. And they serve on boards of directors that guide the direction of their associations. You’ve [expressed (opens in a new tab)](http://www.slate.com/articles/slate_plus/slate_plus/2014/03/frequently_asked_questions_about_slate_plus.html) a desire to “involve [members] in shaping *Slate*‘s future.” Don’t let that just be lipservice. A Slate Plus “member of the week,” member guest writers, and editorial advisory board would all be easy ways for members to influence—and, importantly, *see* how they’re influencing—the publication they’re dedicated to. **What’s your mission?** Maybe this is where the gap between publication and association is too wide, but it’s worth thinking about. The basic reason every trade association and professional society exists is to promote the success of its members’ pursuits—and, often, by extension, to make the world a better place (e.g., if a medical association helps doctors learn better care, then their patients are better cared for). And [ASAE research (opens in a new tab)](https://mystuff.asaecenter.org/ebusiness/publications/publicationproduct?id=102404) shows good-of-the-order benefits are just as important as personal benefits in a member’s decision to join. So, why does *Slate* exist? (Other than to make money for Graham Holdings Company.) If you want members to join, to hand over their money and time to support *Slate*, you have to [give them something to believe in](http://associationsnow.com/2013/12/why-mission-comes-before-membership/) . **Dedicate resources to managing the Slate Plus community.** You’re already doing this, with membership editors Jennifer Lai and Jeff Friedrich. They have their work cut out for them, but [they’ll serve a vital role](Jennifer%20Lai%20(Jennifer.lai@slate.com)%20and%20Jeff%20Friedrich) to the program’s success. Again, a publication and an association might be too dissimilar for these ideas to work beyond their original context. But, to be fair, associations have plenty of members who are little more than subscribers, and we’ve drawn [lessons from publications’ paid-content models](http://associationsnow.com/2013/05/where-memberships-and-subscriptions-meet/) in this space before. Slate Plus, though, is one of the first major publications—and likely the [biggest (opens in a new tab)](https://www.quantcast.com/slate.com) yet—that we’ve seen attempt a membership model, and membership is associations’ bread and butter. So, my fellow association professionals, while we usually offer advice to each other in this space, here’s a chance to share your expertise with someone outside our community. You all run membership programs at your associations, so what’s your advice for *Slate* to make Slate Plus succeed? Please share in the comments. [Joe Rominiecki](https://associationsnow.com/author/joe-rominiecki/) Joe Rominiecki is a contributing editor to Associations Now. 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