Podcast
Subscription Stories: True Tales from the Trenches
Hosted by Robbie Kellman Baxter · EN
Subscription models are crazy powerful. Savvy small companies can easily deploy them to knock huge Goliaths off kilter. We’ve seen it in entertainment, software, hardware, news, retail, hospitality—the list goes on. In her podcast series, Robbie Kellman Baxter interviews the leaders of this revolution about how they’re using subscription pricing and membership models to redefine the biggest industries and generate predictable recurring revenue along the way.
17episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Season Six Wrap-Up and Season Seven Sneak Peek with Robbie Kellman Baxter
Jan 8, 202500:01:45Tap to summarizeSeason 7 is launching soon, but while you wait, catch up on our most recent season. Some of Season 6's most popular episodes include Best Practices in Subscription Funnel Management with Ken Houseman of the New York Times, Subscription Pricing, Metrics and the Changing Role of the CFO with Maxio’s Randy Wootton and How a Subscription can “Smooth the Lumps” in B2B Services with DDI’s Dr. Tacy Byham. And you don't want to miss out on our most loved episodes of all time, Product-Led Growth for Subscriptions, Using Examples from Medium, LinkedIn and The Athletic with Caitlin Roman, Midi Health’s Joanna Strober on the Ultimate Forever Transaction—Healthcare, and Mighty Network's Gina Bianchini on How to Create a Community Worth Subscribing to. If you haven't listened to these episodes, I encourage you to check them out. And if you like them, please take a minute right now to rate and review them on Apple iTunes or Apple Podcasts. I always ask because it really helps us get the word out. Guests for Season 7 will include Joe Rohrlich, CEO of Recurly, Adam Mayer, Chief Revenue Officer at chess.com, and Mather Economics’ Matt Lindsay, talking about best practices in subscription pricing. To make sure you don't miss a thing, follow Subscription Stories wherever you get your podcasts. Just tap on the follow or subscribe button. And if you like what you hear, please do give us a review and a rating. Thanks for your support, and thanks for listening to Subscription Stories. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the Subscription Stories Community today: robbiekellmanbaxter.com Twitter Facebook
Transcribe →How to Price for Both B2B and B2C Subscriptions with American Home Shield’s Braeden Russell
Oct 2, 202400:44:57Tap to summarizeMaking pricing simple can be really complicated, especially in the world of subscriptions, where every pricing change can affect how much your members trust you. How do you manage different pricing for different segments? And how do you change that pricing over time? Today's guest, Braeden Russell, is the Director of Pricing for American Home Shield, a home warranty provider with over 2 million members. He needs to optimize the price for the realtors, who often gift the first year of coverage to new homeowners, with the pricing needs of the homeowners themselves, who will eventually be responsible for the relationship. In this episode, you'll learn how to balance the pricing needs of your B2B and B2C members, when to bill monthly versus annually, and how you can use pricing to drive loyalty among your best members. Love the show? Rate us ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Here’s How » Join the Subscription Stories Community today: robbiekellmanbaxter.com Twitter Facebook Robbie Kellman Baxter on Instagram Subscription Stories: True Tales from the Trenches on Apple Podcasts
Transcribe →How Membership is Transforming Magazines with Katie Vanneck-Smith, CEO of Hearst UK
Sep 18, 202400:43:36Tap to summarizeThe subscription stories of publications like The Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Tortoise Media have one person in common, Katie Vanneck-Smith. In her latest role, Katie is going beyond subscriptions. She's leading Hearst UK's efforts to create deep, valuable memberships around each of their 16 specialty magazines, titles ranging from Elle to Men's Health to Good Housekeeping. In this episode, you'll learn how to build a platform that allows for rapid launches of multiple brand memberships, while still incorporating unique features and pricing bundles. You'll also gain insights on how generative AI will and won't affect the publishing world and why the forever promise of news differs from that of specialty content. Love the show? Rate us ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Here’s How » Join the Subscription Stories Community today: robbiekellmanbaxter.com Twitter Facebook Robbie Kellman Baxter on Instagram Subscription Stories: True Tales from the Trenches on Apple Podcasts
Transcribe →Learn How to Bring Membership to the Mass Market with Venessa Yates, SVP & GM of Walmart+
Sep 4, 202400:29:41Tap to summarizeWith over 4,600 stores and nearly 1.6 million associates in the United States alone, Walmart is the largest retailer in the world. Walmart+, their membership program, is redefining the contours of paid memberships. I recently had the chance to interview Venessa Yates, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Walmart+, on the main stage at the SubSummit Conference in Dallas, Texas. And I'm delighted to be able to share a recording of our conversation with all of you on the podcast. In this episode, we'll uncover the key elements behind Walmart+’s success and the strategies they've deployed to foster growth and deliver value. You'll also learn how Walmart+ adapts to the evolving needs and expectations of today's consumers to boost engagement, which includes the integration of strategic partnerships into their offering. Love the show? Rate us ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Here’s How » Join the Subscription Stories Community today: robbiekellmanbaxter.com Twitter Facebook Robbie Kellman Baxter on Instagram Subscription Stories: True Tales from the Trenches on Apple Podcasts
Transcribe →Using Behavioral Data in Subscriptions with Nancy Harhut of HBT Marketing
Jul 10, 202400:33:36Tap to summarizeBudgets are tight and competition to get and keep subscribers has never been more fierce. But what if I told you that there was a way to nudge your prospects and subscribers to help them engage more deeply and rapidly? It's possible. Today's guest, Nancy Harhut, has a wealth of easy and inexpensive tactics that can motivate your members to do the right thing at the right time. Nancy is the author of Using Behavioral Science in Marketing and Chief Creative Officer at HBT Marketing. In this special live episode, which was recorded at the SubSummit conference in Dallas, Texas, you'll learn how behavioral science can help you get more from your marketing spend, how to use tools like scarcity, social proof and choice architecture to acquire, engage, and retain your subscribers, and the role of emotion on motivating subscribers to act. Love the show? Rate us ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Here’s How » Join the Subscription Stories Community today: robbiekellmanbaxter.com Twitter Facebook Robbie Kellman Baxter on Instagram Subscription Stories: True Tales from the Trenches on Apple Podcasts
Transcribe →How SaaS & Subscriptions are Transforming Farming with John Deere's Justin Rose
Jun 19, 202400:39:29Tap to summarizeOne of the hottest growth areas for subscriptions is farming. Surprising? Maybe. But with small margins and big numbers, efficiency matters. And farming has become an increasingly high tech, high stakes business. Justin Rose is the President of Lifecycle Solutions, Supply Management, and Customer Success at John Deere, a 187 year old company with revenues in 2023 of over 61 billion dollars. You probably know them for their tractors, but they're investing heavily in subscriptions. In today's conversation, Justin and I talk candidly about why this manufacturing company has committed to reaching 10% of annual revenue in software subscriptions by the year 2030, the right and wrong way to accelerate transformation through acquisition, and how to maintain the trust of long standing customers when you change the business model. Love the show? Rate us ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Here’s How » Join the Subscription Stories Community today: robbiekellmanbaxter.com Twitter Facebook Robbie Kellman Baxter on Instagram Subscription Stories: True Tales from the Trenches on Apple Podcasts
Transcribe →Keeping Complex IOT Subscriptions Simple for Customers with Samsara CPO Jeff Hausman
Sep 13, 2023Tap to summarizeSubscriptions are going beyond software, content, and community, and increasingly are providing access to the physical world. The internet of things lends itself well to providing subscribers’ ongoing benefits, blending data from sensors and cameras with sophisticated software. This type of subscription can be complex to build, but has to provide value that is simple for subscribers to understand. My guest today, Jeff Hausman, is the Chief Product Officer at Samsara. Samsara provides an integrated subscription-based platform to increase safety, efficiency, and sustainability in the physical operations world. Think trucks, cargo, oil fields, and construction sites. I invited Jeff to talk about how his team uses customer input to develop his product roadmap, how they bundle hardware and software to deliver on their forever promise, and how they've partnered across the ecosystem to keep things simple for their subscribers. Other links and resources mentioned: Jeff Hausman Samsara Sanjit Biswas, Co-founder of Samsara John Bicket, CTO and Co-Founder of Samsara Cold Chain Monitoring Subscription Stories Episode: Ben Foster, Chief Product Officer of WHOOP Chalk Mountain Services of Texas Liberty Energy Kong Global Ford Penske Navistar Fleetcor AssetWorks Thermo King Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the Subscription Stories Community today: robbiekellmanbaxter.com Twitter Facebook Robbie Kellman Baxter on Instagram Subscription Stories: True Tales from the Trenches on Apple Podcasts
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