--- title: "Monday Buzz: When a Publisher Tackles Membership" id: "28839" type: "post" slug: "monday-buzz-when-a-publisher-tackles-membership" published_at: "2015-06-08T20:18:48+00:00" modified_at: "2015-06-08T20:18:48+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/06/08/monday-buzz-when-a-publisher-tackles-membership/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/06/08/monday-buzz-when-a-publisher-tackles-membership.md" excerpt: "Has Slate's push to turn readers into paying members paid off? Plus: What's going on with Facebook Instant Articles?" taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Membership" - "subscription" - "web content" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Monday Buzz: When a Publisher Tackles Membership A year ago, [Slate debuted a premium-membership program, Slate Plus,](http://associationsnow.com/2014/05/slate-might-learn-associations/) aimed at rewarding, and monetizing, its most loyal readers. As association professionals know, it’s one thing to debut new membership programs and dangle benefits in front of people, but achieving success is an entirely different challenge. So how has *Slate* fared? [As DigiDay reporter Lucia Moses observes (opens in a new tab)](http://digiday.com/publishers/slates-membership-program-one-year-qualified-hit/) : “A year in, the numbers are solid if unspectacular: *Slate* said it has gotten more than 9,000 members, which, it said, has exceeded expectations.” Throughout the first year, the publisher watched how Slate Plus members reacted to different types of content and adjusted its offerings based on their preferences. “It saw that podcasts and behind-the-scenes articles and insights from individual writers did especially well, so it added some bonus podcasts,” Moses writes. “But people didn’t love hearing the promo language at the beginning of the podcasts, so *Slate* axed that.” That feedback-focused strategy will continue into the second year, according to *Slate* editor Julia Turner. “People are happy with it as a product, and they respond particularly to content,” Turner told Moses. “So the strategy for the second year is to do more of the stuff they like already and use Slate Plus as a lab to experiment with different types of products.” ### Montage of the Day **Don’t expect a robot rescue anytime soon.** [IEEE Spectrum (opens in a new tab)](http://spectrum.ieee.org/) , published by the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, has a collection of [the clumsy robots showcased during the DARPA Robotics Challenge (opens in a new tab)](http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/darpa-robotics-challenge-robots-falling) last week. The goal of the competition, run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is to accelerate development of robots that can be used in disaster response. (Apparently, we’re not quite there yet.) ### Other Good Reads **Have you read anything on Facebook Instant Articles lately?** [The much-hyped publishing platform (opens in a new tab)](http://instantarticles.fb.com/) has yet to make much of an impact, as *Business Insider* reporter [Jillian D’Onfro (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/jillianiles) [observes (opens in a new tab)](http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-instant-articles-update-2015-6) . **As journalists receive guidance**on [how to properly report on transgender issues](http://associationsnow.com/2015/06/lgbt-media-group-advises-newsrooms-tell-caitlyn-jenner-story/) , *New York* magazine reporter [Josef Adalian (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/TVMoJoe) [takes a deep dive into the media strategy (opens in a new tab)](http://www.vulture.com/2015/06/behind-the-caitlyn-jenner-press-strategy.html) behind Caitlyn Jenner’s headline-grabbing announcement. **Last week we shared career advice**from two association executives on [how to move up the ladder](http://associationsnow.com/2015/06/ready-move-career-ladder-heres-advice/) . And now, *Event Manager Blog* contributor Bethany Smith has [some tips on how to advance your career in event planning (opens in a new tab)](http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/next-level-in-event-planning-career) . [Morgan Little](https://associationsnow.com/author/morgan-little/) Morgan Little is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/morgan-little/) Tags: [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#subscription](https://associationsnow.com/tag/subscription/) [#web content](https://associationsnow.com/tag/web-content/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [VideoThe Career Moves Every Association Leader Needs Right NowSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/the-career-moves-every-association-leader-needs-right-now/) - [VideoNCRA: Safeguarding Cancer Surveillance: An Advocacy Response to FY26 Budget ThreatsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/ncra-safeguarding-cancer-surveillance-an-advocacy-response-to-fy26-budget-threats/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2015%2F06%2F08%2Fmonday-buzz-when-a-publisher-tackles-membership%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !