Action Items
Podcast and TikTok brand
SolutionMedium was perfectly positioned to leverage its massive distribution to establish a podcast network that delivered value on three fronts: to its creators via tools and services, to its users via a new format of high-quality content, and to its core business via new revenue streams and higher conversion rates:
- Revenue: While Medium is an ad-free platform, free-to-listen podcasts distributed off-platform (via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.) could be monetized via sponsorships without breaking a core brand promise.
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Subscription product value: Ad-free access to Medium podcasts behind the paywall would enhance the value of our subscription offering, convert more users, and increase time spent in the app.
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Subscriber acquisition: House ads for Medium’s paid subscription product could be placed on every episode distributed via third-party platforms. Why buy podcast ads when you can own the podcasts?
- Creator acquisition and retention: White-glove distirbution, sponsorship, and (in select cases) production services would be a valuable differentiator when seeking to acquire and retain top creators.
Solution Medium is a literal gold mine of interesting content. By repurposing high-quality, newsworthy, and authoritative stories into short-form videos, it has the potential to earn millions of organic impressions among new potential users while raising the profile of its best writers — a win-win.
- Can I leverage Medium’s powerful distribution to successfully fuel the growth of a new podcast outside of the app?
- Can I quickly and economically develop a winning short-form video formula that can be applied to Medium’s core brand?
Over a two-month period, I produced and shipped 12 original Action Items podcast episodes and 16 TikTok videos. The potential of both projects was quickly validated:
- 45k+ podcast downloads
- 3.5m+ TikTok views
- 650k+ TikTok likes
- 6k+ TikTok followers