WAN-IFRA Global Advisory

Reader Revenue & Digital Subscriptions

There is a new race for growth in digital subscription. Beyond the ‘Trump-bump’, some national publishers are trying to secure stable growth while others have already reached a plateau. 

Local publishers need to bring existing readers online while identifying new reasons to subscribe in the battle for digital attention. 

Reader revenue has been a huge topic of research for WAN-IFRA in recent years. It’s visible in the programme of our Digital Media series of events, from Europe to Latin America. It’s at the heart of two hours of video training in our Media Management Accelerator. It’s a key element of our Study Tours and our eRev executive programme, during which we regularly meet with the digital subscription teams at major publishers, from the Wall Street Journal to Le Soir in Belgium.

We believe: 

• Great journalism drives growth in digital subscriptions
• Even early movers need to constantly review their product offer and marketing strategy
• The simple meter or hard paywall is finished. Most successful models are hybrids and flexible to adapt even on a daily basis. 
• There is room for more sharing on what drives conversions in different audience segments, content strategy, retention efforts, pricing, successful marketing offers.