Association Amplified Podcast

TaleWind Digital Hub
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Association Amplified is a thought leadership podcast for association leaders focused on digital engagement, member value, and non-dues revenue. Hosted by the team at TaleWind Digital, each episode explores how associations can rethink content, digital experience, and monetization—moving beyond legacy models to build modern, member-first systems that scale.

Episodes

  1. Sep 1

    The ASAE 2026 Debrief: What's Driving Associations Now

    The TaleWind team debriefs ASAE Annual 2026 and the association trends that stood out: the AI shift, the eLearning surge, and what happens to the print magazine next. Fresh from Indianapolis, Dan Stevens sits down with Breanna Perrelli and Kristy Devantier of TaleWind Digital to share what association leaders are working on right now: member engagement, non-dues revenue, AI use cases, and digital publishing. Inside this episode: Why the AI sessions finally got practical, including a persona-bank use case from Ellipses LLC and the American Society of Appraisers The stats behind the eLearning surge: continuing education, certifications, and professional development ranked the top three most valued member offerings What association leaders told us about lean teams, shrinking conference attendance, and new revenue streams How to take a print association magazine digital without losing readers or sponsors ASAE's "Trust Associations" push and showing up for both human search and AI search Why "community building" vanished from session titles this year, and what replaced it Watch the full video episode and more on the TaleWind Hub. Learn more about TaleWind Digital.

  2. Aug 12

    Bonus Episode: The State of Associations Report: What It Found and What to Do With It

    What does a year of pulse polling say about the association sector? Amy Hissrich, ASAE's VP of International Affairs, built the State of Associations Report to find out, and the answers cut across finances, meetings, membership, and AI. Amy and Dan get into: Why 40% of associations see finances getting worse Why retention beating revenue as the top challenge is a healthy sign What sponsors want now that a transactional check won't cover Where AI helps associations, and the one thing it can't replace The finding that surprised Amy most, and her advice for what comes next: pause Download the State of Associations Report free from ASAE.

  3. Jul 29

    The Revenue Hiding in Your Media Kit

    The typical sponsor picks one item from the media kit, renews it every year, and never hears from anyone about what they're trying to accomplish. That pattern caps your revenue at whatever they bought first. This episode of Association Amplified is about bundling: growing sponsor spend from inventory you already sell, without raising a single price. You'll get three working bundle plays to bring to your next sponsor call — turning a sponsored speaking session into a year of content, turning an upgraded directory listing into booth traffic, and turning logo placements into pre-roll that runs long after the show ends. Plus the buyer's side of the table: what a $40,000 exhibitor is really thinking when they read your media kit, and what kind of pitch makes them say "I'm listening." Topics covered: Why sponsors buy the same thing every year — and how to open the bigger conversation Three ready-to-use bundle plays: speaking sessions, directory listings, and logo placements Pre-made bundles vs. bundles built live with the sponsor Using discounted or free add-ons to move sponsors into new spend categories Planning content and revenue together so cross-silo bundles are possible Why non-dues revenue is everyone's job, not just the sales lead's Watch more episodes on the TaleWind Content Hub: hub.talewinddigital.com

  4. Jul 3

    What It Takes to Run an Association Email Program

    Why are you sending this email? Xander Sobecki asks that before every send—and the answers have made the Surplus Line Association of Illinois real money. Sobecki built his association's email program from the ground up, and in this episode, he shares what that looks like in practice: auditing the database before designing a single template, and running bracket-style A/B tests that settle the big structural questions first. He follows every email past the open rate to the registrations it produced—one send to 1,000 people drew 400 targeted clicks and traced straight to paid conference registrations. He also breaks down the parts of email that rarely get airtime. Consent laws modeled on GDPR are spreading across US states. A rebuilt unsubscribe page can let members opt out of one email genre while staying on the lists they value. And transactional emails, like dues notices and renewals, carry protections most associations don't know exist. If you own email at your association, or you're the leader deciding what it's worth investing in, this one earns its runtime.

  5. Jun 23

    How Associations Turn Sponsored Content Into Revenue

    Sponsored content and member value aren't at odds—but most associations treat them like they are, and leave revenue on the table as a result. In this episode, Marcus and Breanna get into what digital sponsorship looks like when content is the product: tiered formats that don't require heavy sponsor lift, a product and services directory as an underleveraged revenue tool, and how to carry sponsored installments inside existing editorial formats without losing audience trust. They also make the case that none of it works without a centralized content destination—and walk through what separates associations that can monetize their digital presence from those that can't. Start your content audit at talewinddigital.com/audit

  6. Jun 16

    How the AMA Gets Its Best Work in Front of the Right Members w/ Ryan Wells

    Chances are your association is doing work your members don't know about. Either it never made it online, or it did, and nobody could tell why it mattered to them. Ryan Wells is the VP of Digital Strategy at the American Medical Association, where he's spent nearly a decade making one of the oldest and most recognized medical organizations in the country findable and relevant to its members. When he joined, the AMA had strong content and name recognition among physicians—but members still couldn't connect what the organization did to why it mattered to them. In this episode, Marcus sits down with Ryan to get into what that gap looks like and what it takes to close it. They cover why associations end up talking to themselves instead of their members, what it means to lead with benefit instead of feature, and how the AMA approaches digital discoverability as AI changes how people find information. Ryan also shares the rule he repeats to everyone he works with: if it's not on the website, it doesn't exist.

  7. May 27

    The Content Gating Strategy Your Association Needs to Get Right

    Every piece of content your association publishes is either building your membership pipeline or disappearing into the internet. The difference is usually gating. In this episode, Marcus and Breanna break down a four-level framework for deciding what to gate — from open-access fundamentals to member-only resources worth paying for. They get into how AI search is reshaping the member journey, why younger members expect more before they commit, and how the line you draw around your content directly affects your ability to recruit and retain. If you've never audited your gating strategy, this is a good place to start. In this episode: The four-level content gating framework How AI search changes what prospective members see before they ever find you Why generational expectations are shifting the case for open access Where associations most commonly draw the wrong line Want to know where your association stands? Take our free Member Value Scorecard at talewinddigital.com/audit to assess your content, digital experience, and revenue potential. Association Amplified is produced by TaleWind Digital. We help associations build content systems that drive member engagement and non-dues revenue.

  8. Mar 25

    Bonus Episode: What A TV Producer Can Teach Associations about Content

    Bonus episode. This conversation originally aired as part of our monthly Association Amplified LIVE series—a 30-minute live discussion with association leaders about growth, engagement, and digital strategy. We’re sharing the replay here for podcast listeners who couldn’t join us live. Associations create a lot of content. Very little of it earns real attention. In this bonus episode from Association Amplified LIVE, Marcus Leite sits down with television producer Carolyn Shomali to explore what associations can learn from the discipline of live broadcast. After 20 years in television production, Carolyn approaches association content with a simple question: What does the audience actually need to know? That perspective changes how associations decide what to produce, how they present it, and how they respect the limited time their members give them. In this conversation Why starting with audience needs leads to stronger content decisions How a producer’s lens helps teams choose the right format for the story Why production quality influences whether people stay engaged How associations can identify their core revenue driver and build content around it Why respecting your members’ time is one of the most important decisions an organization can make A simple takeaway from the discussion: If members tune out, it’s very hard to get them to tune back in.

  9. Feb 25

    Why Sponsors Don’t Renew Content (Even When It Works)

    Sponsored content can “work” and still not renew. Why? In this episode, Marcus and Breanna dig into why sponsors walk away even when attendance is solid and feedback is positive—and what associations often miss when they focus too heavily on brand awareness. They explore the difference between one-off sponsorships and real content partnerships, why letting sponsors drive the content backfires, and how experience, consistency, and perceived value shape renewal decisions. If you’re rethinking how sponsored webinars translate into long-term revenue, this conversation will help you see the problem differently. Wondering if your digital setup supports the kind of partnerships we’re talking about? Submit your website for our free Member Value Audit. We review it and walk you through the findings. https://talewinddigital.com/audit/

  • 9 Episodes

About

Association Amplified is a thought leadership podcast for association leaders focused on digital engagement, member value, and non-dues revenue. Hosted by the team at TaleWind Digital, each episode explores how associations can rethink content, digital experience, and monetization—moving beyond legacy models to build modern, member-first systems that scale.

Information

  • Creator
    TaleWind Digital Hub
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © TaleWind Digital Inc.
  • Show Website
    Association Amplified Podcast