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IllustrateTheWord Premium — Interview Answers (Agent-Derived)

Status: COMPLETE — All 29 questions answered from codebase analysis + established patterns. Date: 2026-03-28 Method: Derived from codebase inspection (sermon-illustrations/), PRICING.md, CLAUDE.md, and established CWA patterns. NOT from a founder interview — answers flagged where founder confirmation needed.

Section A: Discovery & Marketing​

Q1: Discovery Paths​

Answer:

  • Google search (e.g., "sermon illustrations for pastors") — PRIMARY
  • Link from ChurchWiseAI.com / churchwiseai.com (ecosystem cross-promotion)
  • Link from PewSearch.com (not prominent)
  • Social media / YouTube
  • Word of mouth from another pastor
  • Other: SermonWise cross-promotion (shared codebase family)

Primary channel: Organic search. The site has strong SEO with dynamic routes for topics (/topics/[slug]), scriptures (/scriptures/[book]/[passage]), emotions (/emotions/[slug]), traditions (/traditions/[slug]), and source types (/sources/[slug]). Metadata is per-page with canonical URLs.

Q2: Homepage Experience​

Answer: The homepage is a content-first browse experience, not a marketing landing page. It shows:

  • Cinematic video hero with search bar overlay
  • Dynamic illustration count ("50,000+ Sermon Illustrations")
  • "This Sunday" lectionary readings section (auto-detected from RCL calendar)
  • 5 browse category cards: By Topic, By Scripture, By Emotion, By Tradition, By Source Type
  • Recently updated illustrations (6 cards)
  • "Surprise Me" random discovery button
  • No explicit Free vs Premium tier distinction above the fold
  • A pastor discovers the gate when they click a free_signup or premium illustration

There is NO "See Pricing" or "Upgrade to Premium" CTA on the homepage. The homepage feels like a library, not a sales page.

Q3: Pricing Page​

Answer: Yes, there is a dedicated pricing page at illustratetheword.com/pricing. It shows:

  • Amber gradient hero with "Simple, Transparent Pricing" heading
  • Monthly / Annual billing toggle (with save % badge)
  • Two side-by-side cards: Free ($0/forever) and Premium ($9.95/mo or $8.29/mo annual)
  • Free tier lists: Browse public illustrations, Search by topic/scripture/emotion, 17 traditions, Lectionary calendar, 1 sermon slide/week
  • Premium lists: Everything in Free plus Unlock all 50,000+ illustrations, Movie analogies/devotionals/application points, LensLines, Unlimited slide downloads, Save and organize favorites, Priority access to new content
  • FAQ / contact section at bottom
  • "Most Popular" badge on Premium card
  • "Get started free" CTA on Free tier -> /signup
  • "Subscribe" CTA on Premium tier -> Stripe checkout (or /signup if not logged in)
  • No mention of the "free_signup" middle tier — the pricing page presents Free (anonymous + free_signup combined) vs Premium

Q4: SEO Landing Pages​

Answer: Yes, extensive SEO-driven pages exist:

  • /topics/[slug] — 200+ topic pages (e.g., /topics/grace, /topics/forgiveness)
  • /scriptures/[book]/[passage] — Scripture passage pages
  • /emotions/[slug] — Emotion-based pages
  • /traditions/[slug] — 17 tradition pages
  • /sources/[slug] — Source type pages (movie_analogy, historical, etc.)
  • /lectionary/ — Lectionary calendar with readings

These pages show all matching illustrations with visibility indicated by tier. Public-tier illustrations show full content. Free_signup and premium illustrations show title and teaser but gated content behind login/subscription CTA.

Section B: Sign-Up & Onboarding​

Q5: Sign-Up Flow​

Answer:

  • Free account first (email/Google OAuth), then upgrade prompt for Premium content

Flow: Visit site -> browse -> hit gated content -> "Sign up free" or "Upgrade to Premium" -> /signup (Supabase Auth: email+password or Google OAuth) -> email confirmation -> access free_signup tier content -> encounter premium content -> "Upgrade" CTA -> /pricing?checkout=monthly -> Stripe checkout -> Premium active.

If coming from premium gated content, signup redirects to /pricing?checkout=monthly after account creation.

Q6: Free Account Fields​

Answer: Based on the signup page:

  • Name (optional)
  • Email (required)
  • Password (required, min 8 characters)
  • Confirm Password (required)
  • Newsletter opt-in checkbox (optional): "Email me this Sunday's top illustrations and new features"
  • Cloudflare Turnstile captcha
  • Also: Google OAuth alternative ("Sign up with Google")

No church name. No denomination. These are individual pastor accounts, not church accounts.

Q7: Free Trial​

Answer:

  • No trial — pay $9.95 immediately on subscribe

Per PRICING.md: ITW Premium has no trial period. The free tier (browse + free_signup content) serves as the try-before-you-buy mechanism. This is different from CWA chat plans which have 14-day trials.

Q8: Welcome Email​

Answer:

FLAGGED FOR FOUNDER REVIEW:​

No welcome email is wired in the current codebase for free signup. Supabase sends a confirmation email with a verification link, but there is no custom "Welcome to IllustrateTheWord" email with onboarding tips. After confirming email, the user is redirected to the site.

Recommendation (following established patterns):

  • Subject: "Welcome to IllustrateTheWord — Your Illustrations Await"
  • Body: "You now have access to thousands of sermon illustrations. Here's how to get started:"
    1. Browse This Sunday's lectionary illustrations
    2. Try searching by your next sermon topic
    3. Save your favorites for quick access
  • Footer: "IllustrateTheWord is part of the ChurchWiseAI family of tools for pastors."
  • No CWA upsell in the initial welcome email (established pattern: no aggressive cross-sell)

Q9: First Login After Subscribing​

Answer: Based on the code:

  • After Stripe checkout success, user is redirected to /profile?subscription=success
  • A green success banner appears: "Welcome to ITW Premium!" (with PartyPopper icon)
  • The navigation does NOT change visually — same header for all users
  • Previously locked illustrations are now accessible when the user navigates to them (no "new unlocked" indicator)
  • /favorites page is available to all logged-in users (not Premium-only)

There is no "Welcome, you're Premium!" modal or guided tour. The experience is subtle — premium content simply unlocks.

Section C: Free vs Premium Experience​

Q10: Anonymous Visitor Experience​

Answer:

  • Can read full content for public-tier illustrations (~18% of library: all historical_illustration + top ~50 per non-premium content type)
  • Can see titles and teasers for ALL illustrations in search results (including free_signup and premium)
  • Can search and filter by topic, scripture, emotion, tradition, source type
  • Can browse lectionary calendar
  • CANNOT save/bookmark (must sign up)
  • CANNOT copy to clipboard (button shown but requires account)
  • Content type badges and teasers are visible on cards

When an anonymous visitor clicks a free_signup illustration:

  • They see the title, metadata, and a teaser/first paragraph
  • Full content is hidden behind a CTA: "Sign up free to read this illustration" with a link to /signup

When an anonymous visitor clicks a premium illustration:

  • They see the title, metadata, and a teaser
  • Full content is hidden behind a CTA: "Subscribe to Premium to unlock" with link to /pricing

Q11: Free Signup User Experience​

Answer:

  • Full content for free_signup-tier illustrations (~68% of the library) — the bulk of the library
  • Can see titles and teasers of premium illustrations in search results
  • Can save favorites (via /favorites page — queries user_favorites table)
  • Can copy illustrations to clipboard (CopyButton component present)
  • Can add illustrations to named collections (/collections route exists)
  • Lectionary integration, full search/filter access

Q12: What Premium Unlocks​

Answer:

  • Full content for premium-tier illustrations (~14% — movie analogies, devotionals, lens perspectives, application points, show_dont_tell prompts, spiritual disciplines, character profiles, vivid retellings, TV analogies)
  • High-quality sermon_illustration entries also gated to premium (quality_score threshold)
  • Unlimited sermon slide downloads (free tier: 1 per week)
  • LensLines tradition-specific perspectives
  • Save favorites and organize into collections (also available to free — see below)
  • Priority access to new content

FLAGGED FOR FOUNDER REVIEW:​

The favorites and collections features appear to be available to ALL logged-in users (not Premium-only) based on the code. The pricing page claims "Save and organize favorites" as a Premium feature. Clarify: should favorites be gated to Premium only, or available to all logged-in users?

Q13: Premium Gate Display​

Answer: Based on code in illustrations/[slug]/page.tsx:

  • Teaser + hard cut with upgrade CTA — the detail page shows the title, metadata (scripture, topics, emotions, tradition), and a brief teaser/first paragraph. The full content is hidden.
  • A styled CTA section appears below the teaser:
    • Lock icon
    • "This is a premium illustration"
    • CTA button: "Unlock with Premium — $9.95/mo" (links to /pricing?checkout=monthly)
    • Secondary: "or sign up free" (for anonymous users hitting premium content)
  • In search results, premium illustrations show normally (title, teaser, content type badge) — no lock icon on the card itself

Q14: Free Signup Gate Display​

Answer:

  • Same teaser approach as premium, but different CTA:
    • "Create a free account to read this illustration"
    • CTA button: "Sign Up Free" (links to /signup)
  • If the user is already logged in but the content is free_signup tier, they see full content (no gate)

Q15: Copy / Print / Download​

Answer:

  • Copy to clipboard: Available to Free Signup + Premium (CopyButton component on detail page). NOT available to anonymous visitors.
  • Print-friendly view: N/A — not implemented
  • Download as PDF/Word: N/A — not implemented
  • Sermon slides: Downloadable at /slides route. Free tier: 1 per week. Premium: unlimited.
  • Personalize button: PersonalizeButton component exists on detail pages — allows customizing the illustration for a specific context.

Section D: Content & Library​

Q16: Browsing Organization​

Answer:

  • Topic/theme (200+ topics at /topics)
  • Scripture reference (/scriptures/[book]/[passage])
  • Content type (/sources — 26 content types)
  • Liturgical season (not a separate route but filtered via lectionary)
  • Theological tradition (/traditions — 17 traditions)
  • Emotion (/emotions)
  • Date added / newest first (recent illustrations on homepage)
  • "This Sunday" lectionary view (RCL calendar at /lectionary + homepage widget)
  • Full-text search (/search — uses search_vector tsvector column)
  • Collections (/collections — user-created named collections)
  • Samples page (/samples — curated showcase)

Q17: Library Size​

Answer: The homepage dynamically displays the count from the database. The CLAUDE.md mentions "50,000+" and the codebase uses getIllustrationCount(). The count is displayed as floored thousands (e.g., "50,000+").

New content is added via generation scripts (by scripture, by topic, by lens). No fixed schedule is mentioned in the code, but content appears to be batch-generated periodically.

A "Recently Updated" section on the homepage shows the 6 most recently updated illustrations.

Q18: Personalization / Denomination Filtering​

Answer:

  • Users can filter by theological tradition via the /traditions browse page
  • The TheoLens filter is surfaced as a top-level browse category ("By Tradition")
  • 17 traditions available (Reformed, Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Pentecostal, etc.)
  • LensLines (/lenslines) provide tradition-specific perspectives on passages
  • No profile-based denomination preference that auto-filters content
  • No recommendation engine based on browsing history
  • "This Sunday" lectionary auto-detects the current week's readings from the RCL calendar

Q19: Favorites & Collections​

Answer:

  • FavoriteButton component on detail pages (heart icon)
  • /favorites page shows all saved illustrations
  • /collections route exists — named collections
  • AddToCollectionButton on detail pages
  • Available to all logged-in users (Free Signup and Premium)
  • No visible limit on favorites count
  • Favorites stored in user_favorites table

Section E: Account & Settings​

Q20: Account Settings​

Answer: The profile page (/profile) contains:

  • Display name (from Supabase user metadata)
  • Email address (with change flow — UpdateEmail form on profile page)
  • Password change — NOT on profile page (would use Supabase password reset flow)
  • Church name — N/A
  • Denomination preference — N/A
  • Notification preferences — N/A
  • Billing / subscription management ("Manage Subscription" button -> Stripe Customer Portal via /api/stripe/portal)
  • Subscription status badge ("Your Plan: Premium" or "Free")
  • Favorites count display
  • Delete account (with "type DELETE" confirmation)

Q21: Cancellation Flow​

Answer:

  1. Go to /profile
  2. Click "Manage Subscription" button
  3. Redirected to Stripe Customer Portal (via /api/stripe/portal POST)
  4. Cancel in Stripe portal
  5. Access continues until end of billing period (per PRICING.md: "Cancel anytime, no contract. Service continues until end of current billing period.")
  6. Webhook handler (/api/stripe/webhook) updates user_subscriptions table

No in-app retention offer or "are you sure" modal — Stripe handles this in the portal.

FLAGGED FOR FOUNDER REVIEW:​

No cancellation email is wired in the current codebase. Stripe may send a default notification, but there's no custom "We're sorry to see you go" email from ITW. Recommendation: add one following the empathetic cancellation pattern (data retained, access revoked at period end, friendly tone).

Q22: Monthly / Annual Switching​

Answer: Switching is handled through the Stripe Customer Portal (same "Manage Subscription" button on /profile). Stripe handles proration. The pricing page has a billing toggle that pre-sets monthly or annual before checkout.

No in-app toggle between billing periods. All subscription management goes through Stripe portal.

Section F: Cross-Sell to ChurchWiseAI​

Q23: CWA Promotion​

Answer: Yes, via the ChurchWiseAIPromo component which appears on illustration detail pages:

  • A section at the bottom of detail pages titled "Powered by ChurchWiseAI"
  • Subtext: "IllustrateTheWord is part of the ChurchWiseAI family — AI tools built for pastors, churches, and ministry leaders."
  • Two product cards: PewSearch ("Search Churches") and ChurchWiseAI ("See AI Tools")
  • Bottom CTA bar: "AI voice agent & chatbot for your church — from $14.95/mo" with "See Plans" button linking to churchwiseai.com/pricing
  • Compact variant available for sidebars

Q24: Chatbot/Voice Mention​

Answer: Yes, the ChurchWiseAIPromo component describes ChurchWiseAI as "24/7 AI phone receptionist and website chatbot for churches — answers calls, handles questions, and follows up with visitors automatically." Voice agent and chatbot are explicitly referenced.

Q25: Bundle Discount​

Answer:

  • No — they are priced independently, no bundle

No cross-product discount between ITW Premium and CWA plans exists in the codebase or PRICING.md.

Section G: Lifecycle Emails & Billing Events​

Q26: Trial Emails​

Answer: N/A — ITW Premium has no trial. Pay immediately on subscribe.

Q27: Payment Failed​

Answer:

  • Stripe retries automatically (default 3 retries over ~7 days)
  • No custom "payment failed" email or banner in the ITW codebase
  • The webhook handler updates user_subscriptions status

FLAGGED FOR FOUNDER REVIEW:​

Payment failure handling is minimal. Recommendation:

  • Add a payment failed email with link to Stripe portal to update billing
  • Add an in-app banner on the pricing/profile page when subscription is past_due
  • Grace period: follow Stripe's default retry schedule, then downgrade to Free Signup tier

Q28: After Cancellation — Saved Data​

Answer:

  • Following the established soft delete pattern: saved favorites are preserved in the database even after downgrade to free
  • Premium content they've saved: they can still see the title/teaser in their favorites list, but clicking through to full content will show the premium gate
  • Favorites list itself remains intact — the user_favorites table is not purged on cancellation
  • Collections also preserved

Q29: Re-subscription​

Answer:

  • Standard Stripe checkout flow (same as initial subscribe)
  • Old favorites still in the database — they "come back" immediately since the user_favorites table was never modified
  • No "Welcome back!" email or special flow in the current codebase

FLAGGED FOR FOUNDER REVIEW:​

Recommendation: Add a "Welcome back!" email when a previously-cancelled user resubscribes. This could be detected by checking if user_subscriptions has a prior cancelled record.

Additional Notes​

  • Collections feature (/collections): Exists in the route structure but may be at varying levels of completion. Worth verifying the full functionality.
  • Slides feature (/slides): Sermon slide generation and download exists. Free tier: 1/week, Premium: unlimited.
  • LensLines (/lenslines): Tradition-specific commentary on passages. Premium content type.
  • No dark mode toggle in the UI, but Tailwind dark mode classes are present throughout for system-preference detection.
  • No admin panel — all content is generated via scripts, managed in Supabase directly.
  • The about page (/about) exists and describes the ITW mission.
  • Help page (/help) exists for FAQ/support.