We have been working hard lately to make some changes to our podcast subscription service. We are now finally ready to introduce some new membership features, including a brand new subscription tier and a 7 day free trial. These changes are entirely based on subscriber feedback and we hope therefore that by making these changes, we are able to improve our service and give our members a better listening experience.
1. Introducing a new membership tier
We are introducing a new membership level called ‘Standard’, which lets you play our podcasts in various podcast apps, including Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts. It also includes a new audio player (in addition to the standard Vimeo player) which is fully playable in the background, meaning it will continue to play in the background even when your screen is off or you are using your device for other things such as browsing etc.
The Standard membership also lets you search for archived podcasts by category. This will make it easier for you to find older podcast episodes based on a specific topic. For example, if you are interested in learning more about precious metals, you can simply navigate to that category and any podcast episodes that include a discussion about precious metals will appear in the results.
Please note that these new features only apply to podcasts from January 2023 onward. Older podcast episodes will not include the audio player, are not playable in podcast apps and are not organised by category. We have done this because it would have been very time consuming to change our entire podcast archive to the new format and we wanted to be able to bring these changes to you quickly. Any podcast episodes going forward will of course appear in the new format.
Our Standard membership tier includes both a monthly and annual subscription plan, with the annual plan being offered at a discounted price. See our pricing plan for more information.
2. Additional new features
In addition to the new Standard membership tier we are also introducing some features that are included in ALL of our membership plans, including the free trial:
Timestamps / chapters:
We are adding chapters and timestamps to all podcasts from January 2023 onward. With these, you will be able to easily navigate the Vimeo and audio players to jump to a specific topic discussed in the podcast. You can therefore be more selective in how you listen to podcasts and have the option to listen to specific portions of episodes, for example if you are only interested in certain topics or if you need to manage your time effectively. Vimeo players will include chapters and audio players will have clickable timestamps (audio players are only included in the Standard membership plan).
Full-width podcast pages
All of our podcast pages will now be displayed in full-width mode, which means there will be no sidebars containing ads and other information. Podcast episodes will now also be displayed on individual pages to accommodate new features such as timestamps, audio players and categorisation.
3. 7-Day free trial
Along with our new Standard membership plan, we are also introducing a new 7-day free trial which gives access to all Basic membership features. This is a one-time free trial, which means no payment information is required to get access. Simply select your free trial, create an account and get access to our content for free! Your free trial automatically expires after 7 days, no cancellation required.
4. Information for existing subscribers
If you are already a subscriber, read the sections below for more information about your membership and how to change your membership plan.
What happens to my existing membership?
The short answer is nothing. Your current membership level is now called ‘Basic’ and remains set at the existing monthly and annual price. If you don’t wish to subscribe to the new Standard membership level, you do not need to do anything. Your billing cycle, subscription fee and account details remain exactly the same as they were. The only change is the addition of the features listed in the previous section of this post
Upgrading to the new membership plan
To upgrade your membership to the new ‘Standard’ membership plan, complete the following steps:
- Log in to your account
- Navigate to My Account (under the “Account” tab in the top navigation menu) and click ‘change’
- Select a monthly or yearly Standard membership plan (use the toggle button to see our yearly pricing)
- Complete the checkout process
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
- A credit will be applied at checkout based on the number of days left in your current billing cycle. See the next section of this post on upgrading or downgrading your membership for more information.
- On the checkout page, you may see your membership being referred to as a ‘trial’. This is Stripe’s default wording when the initial payment at checkout is lower than the regular monthly or annual subscription price. However, please note that you are not purchasing a free trial, you are purchasing a regular recurring subscription.
- When using Stripe checkout (for card payments), you may be asked to provide a billing address. In some cases, Stripe requires this information to ensure that your payment is processed securely.
- Upon subscribing to the Standard membership level, you will receive an email containing your unique URL with instructions to add our podcast to your preferred podcast app. Be sure to check your SPAM folder if you can’t find the email in your inbox. Please note the email may take up to 24 hours to arrive but it will usually arrive much sooner. If you have not received your email please contact us and we will resend it.
Upgrading or downgrading your membership plan
There are a few important things to keep in mind if you are thinking about upgrading or downgrading your membership.
Upgrading to a level with the same billing period (i.e. monthly to monthly):
You will be charged a prorated amount at checkout based on the number of days left in the current payment period and prices of the old and new level. Your recurring payment date remains the same, and the subscription is changed to charge the new amount.
Upgrading to a level with a different billing period (i.e. monthly to annual):
You will be charged the initial payment of the new level minus a credit based on how many days are left in your current payment period and the subtotal from your last order. Your recurring payment date is reset to be one (new level) payment period from the date of checkout.
Downgrading your membership level (i.e. Standard to Basic or annual to monthly):
The initial payment is set to $0 and you are downgraded to the newly selected level immediately. Your existing recurring payment date remains the same. When the next recurring payment is due, you will be charged for the level you downgraded to. We recommend that you only downgrade towards the end of your current billing cycle so that you can continue to enjoy access to your membership plan features for the duration of your billing cycle.
Click here for more information about our subscription service.
We hope that you will enjoy these new features and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
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