One year after moving to a membership model, Slate has 9,000 subscribers willing to pay for an all-access pass to Slate’s premium content. In the Slate Plus membership program, subscribers pay $5 a month, or $50 a year, to get exclusive access to their favorite Slate writers and editors via live-streamed video, live chats, private Q-and-A sessions, ad-free podcasts, members-only stories, previews of popular content, and more.Slate has been clear that this program is not a paywall like the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times. Instead, everything on Slate.com that’s free now will continue to be free, but readers who support Slate’s mission and appreciate their content can get extras for becoming a member. The program is similar to a program launched by The Guardian (click here for our March post) last fall, though The Guardian’s program is multi-tiered and offers additional features.While 9,000 subscribers doesn’t sound like a lot, Slate says the figure exceeded its expectations in this Digiday article, and it is hoping to grow that number by 75% in the second year of the program.”We launched Slate Plus because we were looking to diversify our revenue, and we knew we had a dedicated core of readers,” said Julie Turner, editor for Slate, in the Digiday article. “The fact we’ve seen a doubled weekly sign-up rate is a great testament to the product going forward.”For now, Slate’s primary revenue comes from advertising, but as its membership base grows, this will change. At $50 a year, the current membership base raises $450,000 annually. If it grows by 75%, that figure jumps to $787,500. If it doubles, revenue would increase to $900,000. According to Digiday, Slate has two employees devoted to the membership program with plans to add a third. Even if those employees are each paid $50,000 annually, the benefits of the program far exceed the cost.In related news, Slate announced that it is launching a metered paywall for international readers. Readers can get free access to five articles per month, but after that, they will have to pay $5 per month, or $50 per year for Slate Unlimited. The reason for the change: Turner said American advertisers don’t want to pay for an international audience.Insider Take:We love the fact that companies like Slate and The Guardian are willing to experiment with different subscription and membership models. While there are best practices and industry standards to use as benchmarks, each company has its own unique mix of products and services.We think Slate is very smart to do this sort of testing and development of products that engage their core audience and their most loyal, enthusiastic readers. We encourage other subscription companies to do the same – to really think about what those customers and readers want and how to further engage them through paid, or even non-paid, products and services.By experimenting with its offerings and various business models, companies like Slate can figure out what works best for the media outlet and its readers. Slate wins because it is diversifying revenue, which is always a smart money move, and members get access to exclusive content they value from a brand they trust. Perhaps more importantly, happy members who feel like they are getting VIP treatment are more likely to stick around and to tell others about the program.Good luck to Slate! We hope their membership program continues to be successful.