Beyond Words — Introducing Medium’s New Audio Experience
Medium is joining forces with Knowable to bring its platform to the next level.
A few days ago Ev Williams announced the acquisition of Projector, a multimedia design platform and competitor of famous Canva.
Then, they launched a new email import tool that allows importing subscribers from Substack, ConvertKit, MailChimp, and Co.
Now, they’ve announced that they will incorporate audio into their digital experience.
Funnily, a few days ago, Trisha Dunbar published a Medium Wish List. On the list was an audio feature for Medium.
an option for podcasts or audio options to support people with disabilities OR who simply prefer listening to stories.
Voilà! Here it is, Trisha.
Medium’s new audio experience
Medium acquired Knowable.
Here’s the FAQ for busy creators.
What’s Knowable?
Knowable is an audio-based learning platform launched in 2019 with 40K members.
It features for instance Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, NBA all-star Chris Paul, and top TED speaker Celeste Headlee.
What’s its business model?
It takes applications from experienced creators and experts to build a course.
I just applied.
If accepted, the Knowable team works with you to develop a new course.
Knowable shares 30% of quarterly revenue plus 30% of all referred memberships with published creators.
How much does it cost?
$9.99 per month for access to more than 100 courses.
To celebrate, they’re giving 75% off for a limited time. Claim offer.
Will Knowable close its doors?
No.
Other than Projector which will close its doors next year, it will remain a standalone platform.
How will Knowable be integrated?
It might be included in future Medium subscription bundles.
Why did Medium acquire it?
The number one reason that people say they listen to podcasts is to learn new things, and Knowable and Medium are pioneering a new audio experience to better serve this need, for both creators and listeners alike, Warren Shaeffer stated in an interview with TechCrunch.
Therefore, Medium acquired it to cater to people seeking audio education.
When will we see the first features/tools for creators?
Warren Shaeffer, co-founder of Knowable, has already revealed that…
they have begun ‘working together on complementary initiatives and will share more details in early 2022.’
As far as Projector is concerned, only within a few days, the first announcement was made in regard to Medium’s newsletter import tool.
Will there be another acquisition in 2021?
No, it’s Medium’s final acquisition in 2021.
Tell me your thoughts in the comments.
PS: This post was inspired by Jeofrey Ogire who informed me via Twitter. Thanks so much!
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