In 2023, Crooked Media launched Friends of the Pod with Supercast.

The goal? Give their most devoted fans a deeper way to engage while unlocking new revenue for the business.

The results in the first 18 months speak for themselves:

• Created a new multi-million-dollar subscription revenue stream
• Surpassed 35k highly engaged, mission-aligned subscribers
• $19.99 ‘Best Friends’ tier was the largest source of support for Vote Save America's efforts to build a more progressive world

Here’s how they did it.

‍

Designed for success

Pod Save America hosts Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor founded Crooked Media with a clear mission: to create a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. 

When deciding how to move forward with a subscription offering, Crooked set themselves up for success by surveying their community and thousands of listeners replied. 

A staggering 72% of respondents said they’d be willing to subscribe to a paid monthly offering.

‍Fans were also vocal about what they wanted to see and Crooked used this to guide the development of their subscription offering:

• “More exclusive content” – so Crooked developed and launched with a members-only show, Terminally Online.
  
• “More access to the hosts” – leading to both scheduled and impromptu Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions with podcast hosts and the Crooked team.
  
• “Access to other fans like me” – sparking the creation of a Discord hub for real-time discussions amongst subscribers.

But Crooked’s subscription wasn’t just about the perks, it was also an extension of their mission.

Their $19.99 'Best Friends' tier included a $10 monthly donation to Vote Save America (VSA), a voter mobilization initiative. This deepened audience loyalty while making a significant impact on a cause their fans cared about.

Takeaway for creators: Tune into your fans to find out what they value and how you can bring them into the mission

‍

Experimentation and evolution

From the jump, Crooked wanted to embrace a culture of experimentation with their audience, constantly trying new things with their flourishing, engaged grassroots community.

Crooked centered Discord as the primary chat platform for their subscribers, creating a space where listeners could connect with one another, fostering a sense of shared experience around breaking news and allowing fans to interact with each other in real-time.

Crooked has also done an exceptional job of evolving their offering in response to feedback:

• While the subscription originally didn’t include ad-free listening, feedback from subscribers highlighted that this was a major pain point. Within six months Crooked added this benefit, dramatically improving the subscriber experience.
• New subscriber exclusive shows - Pollercoaster and Inside 2024 - were also both added to create even more value for subscribers during an election year.

Takeaway for creators: Find ways to stay close to your fans so that you can continue to evolve your subscription offering over time

‍

A promotion masterclass

Crooked has turned membership promotion into an art form. The secret? Steady promotion and giving listeners a regular taste of what they’re missing out on.

Here’s how they play on that FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out):

• Always-on promotion: Pre- and post-roll mentions within their public-facing shows, along with “housekeeping” organic mentions with a clear call-to-action.
  
• Casual mentions: Hosts casually dropping references to funny or interesting things that happened on a subscriber-only show, creating curiosity and intrigue among non-subscribers.
  
• Teasers: Sharing the occasional premium episode, or clips of premium content on their public feeds and social media channels, giving away a taste of their premium content with a clear call to sign up if you want more.

Takeaway for creators: Master the art of creating FOMO - don’t be afraid to show non-subscribers what they’re missing!

‍

A new future powered by subscription

In their first 18 months since launching Friends of the Pod, Crooked saw results that far exceeded their expectations.

With Supercast’s help, they surpassed 35,000 paid subscribers and established a thriving, multi-million dollar subscription revenue stream.

“Friends of the Pod transformed the scope of Crooked’s business,” said Dariush Brizuela-Nothaft, Crooked’s SVP of Community & Partnerships. 

“Supercast didn’t just deliver a platform, they helped us create a whole new experience to engage our most loyal listeners. Their partnership, innovation, and adaptability have been game-changing.

‍We could not recommend the product, team, and overall experience more.”