Publishers erred when they relied on ad revenue and put their content on the internet for free. That revenue model isn’t stable, and (worse) it created an assumption that digital content should be free. Now that ads aren’t providing enough revenue, publishers have to push back against consumer expectations of being entitled to free content.
A publisher with the gall to ask for money for its professionally created content has to keep that attitude in mind. Some portion of your market will be offended and annoyed by your paywall, no matter how well you do it.
Think of your market in three groups:
- Those who will never pay for content,
- Those who will reluctantly / grudgingly pay for content, and
- Those who think it’s a fair exchange.
Note that I didn’t include a group that wants to “support journalism” or anything along those lines. That seems like an editorial fantasy to me.
Group #1 will try to get past your paywall, and many of them will, no matter how hard you hard try to stop them. Don’t obsess over tightening your paywall to stop the cheaters. Focus on creating a positive relationship with those who are willing to pay you.
Make the experience friendly, and focus on benefits. Deal with people who are willing and happy to deal with you.
Along these lines, almost a year ago I spent some time evaluating newspaper paywalls and was somewhat shocked at what I found. You can read my analysis here: How newspapers can get more subscribers.
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