5 Ideas to Convert Free Readers into Paid Subscribers

Here are some ideas that can help a newspaper attract more paying readers.

5 Ideas to Convert Free Readers into Premium Subscribers 1 — Illustration photo. US

Divide between free and paid

The newspaper publishes two main types of content. Free articles are written by outside contributors working in the publishing industry.

Premium articles are written by members of the editorial team. After reading the first free article, readers will be blocked by the paywall. All they need to do is share their email address to continue accessing.

It's a low-commitment move and meets the standard expectations of internet users, says The Audiencers editor-in-chief Madeleine White.

The team tested the blocking feature on the first editorial, but found that blocking the second one converted much more effectively. The publication now converts an average of 25% of its readers each month.

User Reviews

Eagle-eyed readers will also find user reviews on the paywall.

Anyone who signs up for the newsletter is manually tracked by White and her colleagues, then added to LinkedIn. They hope to start a conversation with users about the site, its features, any interesting internal strategies being implemented, potential contributions to the paper, and whether they would be willing to provide a review.

In August, when they added a reviews and comments section, their paid subscriber conversion rate increased by 31%.

Limited Time Offer

One of the inspirations for the paywall was the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, which operated on a similar model. “Free” articles required readers to sign up for a newsletter, while “Premium” articles required readers to pay.

The publication previously tested timed subscription offers with a countdown timer. It also integrated a payment solution directly into the paywall to attract readers who wanted to subscribe right there. This increased conversion rates by 40%.

Update registration ads

There’s a popular term in advertising called “advertising blindness.” This is also true in the world of subscriptions. Sign-up offers can become stale and conversion rates can start to drop.

To combat this, The Audiencers constantly updates its design and adjusts the look and feel of its ads. White says she's noticed some newspapers adjusting their messaging based on seasons, national holidays, sales, local elections, etc.

Exclusive article

One recent move is to produce exclusive content for clients of Pool, the parent company of The Audiencers.

The publication also began creating detailed articles, the best insights from the previous quarter, just for customers. The goal here was to retain readers, not attract them.

Hoang Ton (according to Journalism)

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