1

Partner

Program

B Y A L E X B E A U C H A M P 1 1 . 0 6 . 1 7

Defining and growing Medium’s Partner Program

and paywalled content through writer acquisition, support, reward and distribution.

2

THE PRESENTATIOND E F I N I N G & G R O W I N G T H E P A R T N E R P R O G R A M

Slides 26 - 24

2 . T I E R E D W R I T E R S

Slides 3 - 25

1 . P A R T N E R P R O G R A M

Slides 35 - 29

3 . C O N T E N T S T R A T E G Y

Slides 40 - 43

4 . T I M E L I N E & R E S O U R C E S

3

Partner

Program

A Q U I R E , E D U C A T E , S U P P O R T & R E W A R D

2

4

I N C R E A S E P A R T N E R S

I N C R E A S E ( Q U A L I T Y ) L O C K E D C O N T E N T

I N C R E A S E M E M B E R S

D R I V E E N G A G E M E N T

Program Goals

5

AWARENESS &

ACQUISITIONA t t r a c t i n g & E n r o l l i n g W r i t e r s & P a r t n e r s

6

WORDS MATTER

In the age of “Content Is King,”selling ‘content creation’ isn’t a good enough value prop as every brand and media outlet is playing in this game with bigger budgets and less care for quality. Re-training writers why not just words but their words matter - and offering a well designed, easy to use space and support, is critical to writer and partner growth.

Writers have often been marginalized to be SEO or bland copy for count writers. Journalistic efforts have been demoralized to “fake news” or overshadowed by click bait/paid for content on the same page. There is no dedicated platform, community or genuine support for writers of all genres, stages and capabilities.

AND SO DO WRITERS

Medium.com can be the platform that champions, empowers and grows thinkers, storytellers, and experts.

7

OWN “WRITER”W o r d s M a t t e r

medium.com/creators goes to the paywall. Challenges with this? “Creators” is what YouTube calls its partners. Second, the content focuses on the value prop of a program, and not the value prop of a writer/contributor.

There is an opportunity to own the word “Writer” by offering a platform, support, resources and a paywall.

A LP like medium.com/writers would allow better value prop delivery, support for writers, and promotion/linking and creating something like medium.com/partners or medium.com/writers/program would allow for better distinction/support from general writers and Program enrollment, resources and support.

THINKERTHINKER

THINKER

8

WRITER MOTIVATIONSG e n e r a l l y m o t i v a t e d b y a t l e a s t o n e

E X P R E S S I O N

E N G A G E M E N T

V A L I D A T I O N

C R E D I B I L I T Y

F A M E

M O N E Y

9

MEDIUM.COM

VALUE PROPOSITION

For writers and readers, not advertisers and click bait. Medium allows you to focus on what matters - your words - and not on setting up, maintaining or paying for a single site that’s not designed for writers and content.

W R I T E R ’ S P L A T F O R M

Medium wants to help you do what you do best - write. Need help with finding creative or not sure about edits? Or want to learn more about how to promote your work? Medium offers a range of free support from creative to editing to content strategy.

S U P P O R T & E D U C A T I O N

Conversations not comments. Readers not just clicks. Peers not competition. Growth, engagement and opportunity for your writing, your words, your career with our network of readers and writers.

R E A D E R S

Your words get seen through our connected platform, on-site, social and email promotion and through engaged readers sharing on their networks and within their profiles.

D I S T R I B U T I O N

10

1PRODUCT

Creating a Writers section for on-

boarding, resources, tips, ideas, examples and support and clear onsite navigation to

the value prop

2RESOURCESFrom tips/best

practices, product how to, ideas/prompts, webinars and on

demand and access to peers/industry/

feedback

3SOCIAL MEDIA

Create a strategy and calendar for social

media distribution to both writers and

readers

4EMAIL

All writers outside of program receive same

weekly emails as readers/members with additional program and incentive

information for conversion

Supporting the MEDIUM.COM

VALUE PROPOSITION

5MARKETING

a 2018 Campaign (IE: Words Matter), Outreach, Paid

Targeting on Social, Interviews with staff &

partners

11

WRITER FEARSW H A T P R E V E N T S T H E M L O C K I N G C O N T E N T

R E J E C T I O N

N O T I M E N O T A W R I T E R

N O ( V A L I D ) I D E A S

R E A C H

C O M P E T I T I O N

12

the Partner Program

Value PropositionS E L L I N G T H E P R O G R A M T O W R I T E R S

Medium wants to help you do what you do best - write. Need help with finding creative or not sure about edits? Or want to learn more about how to promote your work? Medium offers a range of free support from creative to editing to content strategy.

C R E A T I V E & E D I T O R I A L A C C E S S

Deeper engagement beyond views and claps as members tend to give greater feedback and deeper conversation. Plus partners have access to a community portal of peers to help and inspire your writing and career both on and off the platform.

C O M M U N I T Y & E N G A G E M E N T

Quality content gets rewarded through payment, distinction, distribution and additional support, resources and promotion.

R E W A R D S

Your words get seen through assured distribution on our platform, social, email, onsite search and through engaged readers sharing on their networks and within their profiles.

D I S T R I B U T I O N & P R O M O T I O N

13

1REWARDS

From payment to promotion to profile

distinction and access to key area

(community, product, resources).

2RESOURCES

In addition to the general writers resources, access

to special Creative and Editorial resources and access to a Community

Portal for peer & industry conversation, connection

and feedback

3SOCIAL MEDIACreate a strategy and

calendar for social media distribution to

writers for tips, ideas, improvements, partner

success stories.

4EMAIL

Dedicated Program participant emails for prompts/ideas, follow-ups, resources, what’s working, performance, product updates, etc.

5MEMBER STRATEGY

Increase membership and also educate

readers/members on claps, conversation to drive engagement and

writer value

Supporting the Program

VALUE PROPOSITION

14

EDUCATE &

SUPPORTO n - b o a r d i n g a n d r e t a i n i n g W r i t e r s

15

MYTH: BUILD IT AND

THEY WILL COME (AND KNOW HOW TO USE IT )

The iPhone/iPad/Macbook launch had teach enthusiasts diving in, comfortable with learning, trial and error.

But to grow marketshare, Apple needed to educate the everyday PC user on how to use the product, why it was easier, better and had better overall value.

So in addition to online resources, faqs and in-store/employee support, they created in-store events based on topics from the basics to the super creative. They used Apple employees and special speakers depending on the topic to drive deeper engagement and topic credibility.

Creating a resource area that focuses on different needs from on-boarding, first

post, editing, creative, engagement, content strategy etc. will not only attract writers, but get them comfortable using

and promoting the platform Formats: FAQs, curated articles, webinars,

on-demand, community.

16

Writers are used to briefs/guidelines from assigned topic to character count to best practices as well they often get a team of support from editors to creative before their copy is handed over to a team of content and marketing strategists. Assuming that writers will be motivated, inspired or confident with a blank page limits the amount of new users who use the platforms. Product Education/Prompts, resources and follow-up support are critical for on-boarding and maintaining writer contributions.

Medium has to dedicate resources to build a dedicated resource section to help with on-boarding and continued education and inspiration for writers. First adopters are already on the platform so Medium must be more explicit with on-boarding and supporting writers with various formats and continual messaging through email, social, events.

BUILD RESOURCES ,

OFFER SUPPORT ,

GROW WRITERS

GUIDE WITHOUT

SACRIF IC ING DESIGN OR

CREATIVITY

17

EDITORIAL SUPPORT

General: Links and information for editing best practices, what works, tips and ideas.

Partners: Test links and bidding from copywriters/editors like LinkedIns ProFinder to help scale and offset internal editing costs.

MVPs: Full editing support for commissioned with optional for earned.

General: Links to image banks & galleries as well as examples of inspirational articles.

Partners: Special creative access including potential partnership with Death To The Stock Photo for better and/or commissional projects.

MVPs: Creative selection, commission and access.

CREATIVE ACCESS

18 CURRENT WRITER RESOURCESC H A L L E N G E S T O O N - B O A R D I N G & R E T A I N I N G W R I T E R S

No dedicated URL/Section for resources, makes finding, linking to resources challenging

Value Prop is in a different places, not always easy to find on site

Not clear to writers where to get information, guidelines, best practices, how to (No prompts/links on “Write a Story”)

No support/motivation. Assumption writers know how to write on platform, are creative and are also content strategists

Guidelines are under policy, tips under blog, paywall under Creators. Need to get consistent on language, content home and taxonomy.

No community or peer guidelines, input, support or conversation

Not leveraging community inspiration, ideas, guides, tips and advice

19

Create better WRITER RESOURCES

1. Create a dedicated landing page IE: medium.com/writers 2. Section would include areas for

1. Value Prop 2. Guidelines, Policies, Best Practices, FAQ 3. Creative Resources (images, inspiration/prompts)

1. These could be blog posts pulled in by both Medium and curated by the community

2. Categories could be tips/advice, inspiration, time management, productivity, freelancing, business, product)

4. Classes (on-boarding, how to, guest series, strategy etc). 5. Links to

1. Partner Program 2. Community 3. Featured Writers / Noteworthy 4. Product Announcement, Releases

20

ENGAGE &

MOTIVATEB e y o n d t h e p l a t f o r m : p a r t n e r s h i p

21

MOTIVATION & PROMPTS

Test topic suggestions based on relevancy and performance on a regular basis. See if this can eventual replace freelance commissioned.

Sharing examples of great content with creative (images, quotes, design) is key to inspiring and making writers self-sufficient

CREATIVE INSPIRATION

& ACCESS

EDITORIAL SUPPORT

Full editing support for MVP’s, commissioned with optional for earned. Test links and bidding from copywriters/editors like LinkedIns program for organic community.

TIPS & ADVICE From best practices on Medium to how to manage your time to write or start on a project or what really works to grow your reader network or credibility.

FEEDBACK LOOP

Have more ways for Partners to provide feedback beyond email. Think social media conversation, comments and community portals and feedback.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

To scale advice, engagement and platform credibility/trust, the community needs to talk to each other to share insights, ides, services and support.

KEEPING WRITERS WRITINGH O W T O G E T Q U A L I T Y C O N T E N T W O R T H P R O M O T I N G & P A Y I N G F O R

22

COMMUNITY PORTAL

One way to scale support, inspiration and feedback is to provide a community

portal. Since access would be granted only to program participants, there’s

motivation to join. Here, community members can get/share advice for all things

related to Medium and the writing process.

23

REWARD &

CELEBRATEM O T I V A T I O N B E Y O N D M O N E Y

24

REWARDSA L L I N T H E P A R T N E R P R O G R A M

P A Y M E N T

D I S T R I B U T I O N & P R O M O T I O N

C R E A T I V E & E D I T O R I A L A C C E S S S

F I R S T A C C E S S T O R E L E A S E S & P R O J E C T SC O M M U N I T Y P O R T A L & A C C E S S

S P E C I A L S U P P O R T ( C L A S S E S , M E T R I C S , I N S I G H T S , E D U C A T I O N )

A N N U A L A W A R D S / C O N F E R E N C E

25

REWARDS - MVPP A R T N E R P R O G R A M M E M B E R S W H O H A V E A C H I E V E D M V P S T A T U S *

H I G H E R P A Y M E N T

A S S U R E D P R O M O T I O N

P O T E N T I A L N O T E W O R T H Y

C R E A T I V E & E D I T O R I A L S U P P O R T

P R O F I L E A N D / O R P A G E D I S T I N C T I O N

P O T E N T I A L F O R M U L T I - M E D I A

* See Writers Section, Tier 1 MPV Commissioned & Earned

26

THE

WRITERS

M O T I V A T I O N S , N E E D S & T I E R S

1

27

WRITER NEEDS

Money, Promotion, Noteworthy, MVP, Badges, Access, Special Support

R E W A R D S

From product prompts on how to write a great title to deeper editorial support to

access to creative

S U P P O R T

Feed their personal motivation and then keep it going through prompts

and engagement

M O T I V A T I O N

From why use Medium, to how to use, to how to write great content or

even carve out the time.

E D U C A T I O N

Writer’s don’t equal content strategists. Help them from understanding

what to write to how to promote it

S T R A T E G Y

C O N N E C T I O N

Connect them to readers, peers, the industry through community, conversations

and promotion

H A S M U L T I P L E N E E D S D E P E N D I N G O N M O T I V A T I O N

28

15%

15%

70%

WRITER TIERSF O R 2 0 1 7 / Q 1 + Q 2

T I E R 1 : M V P ( M O S T V A L U A B L E P A R T N E R )Commissioned and earned, this is the highest quality writer and content on Medium

T I E R 2 : C O M M U N I T Y ( O R G A N I C )Organic writers on Medium who are not commissioned

T I E R 3 : C O M M I S S I O N E D F R E E L A N C E

Freelance writers commissioned by medium.com to create paywalled content on key and relevant topics

Freelance12017, 2018 Q1, Q2, Q3: 15%

Q4, 2018 5-10% 2019: 0%

MVP32017, 2018 Q1, Q2, Q3: 15%

Q4, 2018 10-15% 2019: 15%

Community22017, 2018 Q1, Q2, Q3: 70%

Q4, 2018 80% 2019: 85%

WRITER TIERS PROJECTION2 0 1 7 - 2 0 1 9

29

30

TIER 1:

MVP-COMMISSIONED

WHO Commissioned, High Quality, Well-known Writers & Thought Leaders ACCESS Commissioned by Medium.com

MOTIVATION

• Distribution • Recognition • Community / Engagement • Distinction NEEDS

• Support (Editorial, Creative, Product) • Reward (Money, Promotion) • Engagement (Conversations, Community) • Distinction (Profile, Media) • Assured Distribution (Social, Email, Homepage, Product, Community Events/Education)

VALUE PROP

• Special pages / design • Access to Creatives + Editing • Badges/ Profile differences • Promotion (Noteworthy, homepage, social media,

media, email, search preference)

MEDIUM BENEFITS

• Marketing Campaigns / Media • Brand Awareness / readers • Brand Credibility / Trust • Engagement • Community Education (webinars, advice, conversations) • Driving Membership • Quality Content & Examples

COST

$250 - $1,500 per story + creative/editorial resourcing. Not eligible for partner program payment on commissioned articles. KPIs

1.New Visitors 2. Member Engagement 3.Membership Conversion 4.New Writers 5.Member engagement

31

TIER 1: MVP-EARNED

WHOTop Performing Writers enrolled in the Partner Program ACCESS

• Must be enrolled in partner program • Hit certain threshold of articles written & their applause, reading time,

reader engagement (shares + responses + highlights), reader follows, member conversions

MOTIVATION

• Recognition • Reward (Promotion, Money, Distinction) • Distribution / Reach • Credibility / Being an ‘expert’ NEEDS

• MVP Awareness / Brand Affinity • Support & Motivation • Engagement (Conversations, Community) • Reward (Money, Promotion, Distinction) • Distribution (Social, Email, Homepage, Shares) • Distinction (badge, design, multi-media, access to product releases)

VALUE PROP

• Special pages / design / collections • Access to special services (Editorial,

Creative) • Badges/ Profile differences • Promotion (Noteworthy, homepage, social

media, media, email, search preference) • Higher payment?

MEDIUM BENEFITS

• Marketing (social media, email, homepage, media) • Content / Growth • Membership conversions and retention • Motivated/Engaged Users / Role models • Brand Credibility (Platform works!) • Tier 2 Motivation

COST

Partner Program Pay + Creative Services if accessed

KPIs1.Membership Conversion 2.New Visitors 3.Member engagement 4.Locked Content

32

TIER 2: Community

WHOWriters organically using the platform both in and out of the Partner Program ACCESS

Anyone not commissioned by Medium

MOTIVATION

• Recognition (validation, being heard) • Building Portfolio / Credibility • Distribution • Community / Engagement (validation) • Reward (money, promotion, distinction)

NEEDS

• Platform education & support • Motivation / Ideas • Community Engagement • Reader Engagement • Reward (Money, Promotion, Recognition, MVP)

VALUE PROP

• Product (Ease of use, quality design, showcasing writers)

• Access to readers, peers + industry • Education & Support (product, industry, creative) • Distribution (potential Medium promotion, shares, search)

MEDIUM BENEFITS

• Marketing (social media, emails, product) • Content Growth • Membership • Community engagement & insights • Feedback / Product Improvements

COST$0 unless in partner program

KPIs1.New Visitors 2.Partner Program Conversion 3.Conversion to MVP

33

TIER 3: Freelance

WHOFreelance writers commissioned by medium.com to create paywalled content on key/relevant topics ACCESS

Commissioned by Medium on key topics

MOTIVATION• Reward (money)

NEEDS• Reward (Money, Promotion) • Motivation to continue on own • Support (creative + editing)

VALUE PROP

• Access to Creative + Editing • Promotion (Noteworthy, homepage, social media, media, email, search preference)

• Community + Industry Network • Support (creative, editing, motivation) • Distribution & Promotion • Credibility / Portfolio • Reward (Initial Payment + potential Partner Program)

MEDIUM BENEFITS

• Topical Relevancy • Quality Content Examples • Potential conversion to community writer or MVP

COST

$150 - $350 depending on topic & freelancer Partner Program pay kicks in if 1. they are enrolled in

program & 2. after their initial fee has ben reached (IE: If paid $200 for article, can get partner program money once the article earned $200)

KPIs

1.New Visitors 2.Membership Conversion 3.Conversion to Tier 2

34

TIER 1 COMMISSIONED

TIER 1 EARNED TIER 2 TIER 3 PARTNER

PROGRAMPaid X X X X

Specialty Pages X X

White Glove X

Promotion Full Full Basic Basic Full

Noteworthy X X X

Creative Support Access X X X X X

Previews & New Features X X

Community Portal Access X X X

TIER ACCESS & SUPPORT

35

CONTENT

STRATEGY

W R I T E S O M E T H I N G H E R E

3

36

EMAIL

PRODUCT

Weekly Emails to Readers/Members and Bi-Monthly Insights to Writers. Currently limited resources creating/writing emails with no testing on format, content or strategy.

Finding writer and partner resources, support, guidelines, policies and inspiration is difficult due to taxonomy and linking.

Sporadic posts based on product releases, not writer and partner needs. Posts are often shared just once via email or social with one size fits all messaging.

BLOG POSTS

CURRENT DISTRIBUTIONC H A N N E L S A N D L I M I T A T I O N S O F C U R R E N T D I S T R I B U T I O N

No platform or content strategy. Limited resources mean curated articles are the focus of tweets. Writer/Partner needs/inspiration not met. Creating engagement/conversation and driving traffic back to Medium is limited.

SOCIAL MEDIA

37

ARTICLE DISTRIBUTION EXAMPLEO n e p i e c e o f c o n t e n t , m u l t i p l e w a y s t o p r o m o t e & d r i v e e n g a g e m e n t

TWITTERFrom @MediumWriters, share tips, advice, support, member

success stories, new releases, support

EMAILDepending on the topic, it can

get circulated to members or writers

RESOURCE SECTIONIncorporate into a writer/tips FAQ

or add to appropriate section in the newly created Writer/

Resource section

FACEBOOKChange strategy for current account to focus on writer/partner support with same strategy as Twitter. Audience: writers/partners

INSTAGRAMUse current account but change strategy to show writers & their motivation/goals (think Humans of NY) or quotes/inspo from articles

HOMEPAGE / SEARCHSed ut persp iciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit volupt atem accusantium

1

2

3

4

5

6

38

RE A DER S & PARTNERS WRITERS & PARTNERS

Tw i t te r One handle, pushing out curated articles every 30min and a few key product announcements. Audience: Readers & Media. No engagement.

Create @mediumwriters to focus on sharing tips, ideas, prompts, support, examples, product releases, solicit feedback & conversation.

Facebook Current audience seems to be readers. Change this strategy to writers and those interested in the concept of Medium. Share best practices, what’s working, examples, interviews, promote events, classes, community conversation, elicit feedback.

Use existing account.

I n s ta g ram Currently sharing quotes from articles. Change to focus on showcasing writers (who they are, why they write, their tips, inso - think Humans of NY) as well as continue to share quotes. Use platform to make linking back to Medium easier.

Use existing account

Grou p s N/A Build private community for Writers which they can access by being part of the partner program. Medium hosted by community fed and managed.

Em a i l Continue weekly emails. Begin testing new formats and concepts like Writers, What’s Trending and links to How to Write/Partner.

Create and test dedicated Writer and Partner emails with tips, best practices, examples, topic prompts, what’s new, resources, etc.

POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS

39

WORDS MATTER 2018 CAMPAIGN

Medium knows that words matter but in an age of optimizing for SEO, word count, clicks and likes, Writers have begun to believe they don’t.

This would be Mediums first marketing campaign with a budget and social media and media promotion.

The campaign would help grow brand awareness/brand purpose, acquire writers and partners, increase readers/members, and build brand credibility/trust with writers by showing Medium is a platform where what matters is words, and those who create them.

Campaign to launch mid to late Q1 after program, tiers and content/support strategy has been defined and built.

40

Plan &

TIMELINE

S T A G E S & R E S O U R C E S

4

THANK YOUM

C O N N E C T

43