I Could Murder a Podcast (ICMAP) is a weekly show hosted by friends Tom and Ben on the mercilessly morbid, curiously creepy world of true crime. They explore the who, how, what, where, and why of tragic events, mysteries, and all things strange and intriguing. Each episode dives deep into red flags and motives and explores the impact and aftermath of each case.
ICMAP switched from Patreon to Fourthwall in February 2023, bringing together their homepage, shop, and memberships in a single, branded hub. In this case study, we explore how they got started, their approach, and how things are going so far.
We started offering memberships on Patreon not long after the initial launch of ICMAP back in lockdown. At the time, it was a very small community of members gaining access to fairly “low budget” Zoom recordings. However, we soon realized the value of offering exclusive content directly to members and rapidly increased our production value. The biggest draw for people was they could vote for cases they wanted to see us cover, and therefore had some control over upcoming videos.
Although Patreon offered certain features which allowed us to grow (polls, posts, etc.), we didn’t find the platform very intuitive or stable. Fourthwall seemed to take these features and expand on them much more, so we were very happy to jump ship and make the transition.
Although almost everyone saw this as a positive move, we made sure to respect the members who were happy with Patreon. We didn’t shut down the site immediately – we’ve kept all existing content on there (aside from the new uploads since launching on Fourthwall) so we can be sure not to pressure anyone into moving too soon. We are much more about organic growth than an overly-focused push toward the new site.
Fortunately, the initial response was fantastic. We had a lot of complaints about the Patreon platform (buggy, slow, ugly) and the feedback about Fourthwall was 100% positive right away.
We shout out our memberships directly on the podcast, also visually showcasing the site, merchandise, and Discord in our videos so people can easily get an understanding of what we’re offering. Soon we’ll be making official ‘promos’ for the site which we’ll post directly on Instagram, Twitter, etc.
We used to have one tier but Fourthwall enabled us to create a second higher tier, offering more perks such as access to a private Discord server, members-only merch, and more. A lot of these perks weren’t possible on Patreon.
We sold merchandise before Fourthwall. However, before it was a very ‘hands-on’ enterprise (and not very enjoyable). We didn’t actually think about members-only products until Fourthwall approached us, and it’s a fantastic idea. It’s yet another perk that we can offer and people seem to be taking advantage of it well. The fact we can oversee our products but not have to worry about production and distribution is brilliant.
Interaction is key. We learned this quite early on, as it helps people to feel valued. You could argue our members are the most important asset for ICMAP, aside from sponsors and ad revenue. They are directly supporting our brand and content and without them, it's hard to grow.
Having a simple, easy-to-use site through Fourthwall means we can chat directly to our members and build a buzzing community. Not only this, we can seamlessly change and update the site and our merch without affecting members.
The intuitive dashboard system enables us to easily change, update, and edit our perks without disrupting any payments or the membership experience.
Consistency is everything! Regularly upload high-quality content and your memberships WILL grow. Engage with your members constantly and listen to their feedback. They are there to support you.
Check out I Could Murder a Podcast on YouTube.
There are no monthly fees, no upfront costs, and no contracts to use Fourthwall. You set your prices and choose your own margins. Here is how our pricing and splits work when you sell:
Additionally, all US-based credit card transactions have an added 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing fee (same as Shopify). Fees vary for PayPal and other providers. Learn more.
Product costs are listed directly in our product catalog.
If a t-shirt is listed in our catalog at a $10 cost, we will automatically deduct that amount from your profits whenever you make a sale. You can sell products for any price you want.
For example, if you sell the shirt for $22, you'll make $12 in profit on each unit sold. If you sell it for $50, then you'll make $40 in profit on each unit sold.
Yes! Fourthwall works with manufacturing & fulfillment partners around the globe in the US, UK, EU, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Japan.
Shipping rates are dynamically determined by the size of package and destination. We work with most major carriers and pass through the true cost of shipping. That means that you can offer low-cost, fast shipping to your fans. Most items have a delivery window of 5-8 days.
Be sure to browse our product catalog to find products that are fulfilled out of your target regions to provide the fastest & cheapest shipping for your community.
Fourthwall operates as the "Merchant of Record", which means that we're responsible for handling all sales taxes. This includes nexus registration, collecting sales tax, and remitting this to US states & other countries.
That way you can focus on designing products and promoting your shop, not taxes.
Yes. You can connect a custom domain or subdomain on Fourthwall. Learn More.
If you need help finding an artist or designer, check out our design community.
This is a vetted network of exceptional designers that can help you make great quality designs for your audience. We also recommend tools like Canva or Kittl.
Yes. For any product from our product catalog, we'll handle all customer support for you.
From answering general order questions to making address changes, our team is there to ensure that your buyers are treated with the same level of care that you would personally give them. We have a 12-hour or less average reply time, including nights and weekends.
For any items that you source on your own and ship from home, however, you'll need to do customer support.
Yes! Over 200,000 sellers use Fourthwall to power their storefronts. This includes creators, podcasters, artists, musicians, startups, non-profits, and more.
Get inspired and browse all examples sites.
Fourthwall supports many free integrations, including:
There are no requirements to join Fourthwall! Sign up now.