The following is a guest post from Pete Ericson, Founder and CEO of ZEEN 101, the makers of Leaky Paywall. Leaky Paywall is one of our WordPress Ecosystem partners and a featured provider on our WordPress Partners page.
Your Content is Worth Paying For
I have been working with hundreds of content publishers for almost a decade, helping grow their audience and convert paid subscriptions. Today, a very specific approach is needed to accomplish this and I am here to share it.
The foundation for subscription success hinges on three things: the value of your content, a nurturing approach to converting readers into paid subscribers, and a great website experience.
The decline in ad revenue, volatility in ranking in search, and variable social media exposure is also a significant challenge for many publishers. By focusing on a subscription-based model, publishers can enhance the user experience while building a more reliable and direct revenue source. Follow our simple and powerful framework below and you will start enjoying a larger and higher quality audience that converts more paying subscribers.
The Power of Your Email List
The priority in nurturing and converting paying subscribers is building your email list through a free registration level. Registrations build email lists 20% faster than newsletter pop-ups. By restricting an article that the reader wants to read and offering limited access in exchange for an email address (and password), you can convert more and higher quality readers. This approach not only grows your email list quickly but also engages readers who are genuinely interested in your content, setting the stage for future subscription upgrades.
Leveraging Your Email Newsletter
The email newsletter is your #1 direct marketing tool available, offering a reliable way to reach readers daily or weekly. Unlike Google search and social media, your email list is 100% under your control. The main purpose of the free newsletter is to promote upgrades to paid subscription levels. By consistently delivering valuable content directly to readers’ inboxes, publishers can maintain engagement and organically encourage free subscribers to see the benefits of a paid subscription, driving conversions and building a loyal subscriber base.
Many of our publisher customers rely on BigScoots for fully Managed WordPress Hosting management and the performance services they offer…
Pete Ericson, Founder and CEO of ZEEN 101, the makers of Leaky Paywall.
Enhancing the User Website Experience
Your reader’s website experience plays a crucial role in converting visitors into subscribers. Keep your content layout simple and clean, ensuring that your subscription promotions are focused on as few options as possible—one option being ideal. Advertising should not interfere with the reader experience, as intrusive ads can drive away potential subscribers. Consider offering an ad-free experience as an added bonus to subscribing.
Another major factor is site speed. Users abandon sites that load slowly, and they are less likely to respond to subscription prompts on a slow site. Google also ranks content based on site speed, so a slow site can hurt your content’s ability to rank in search results. Many of our publisher customers rely on BigScoots for fully Managed WordPress Hosting management and the performance services they offer to boost their core web vitals, improve page speeds, and even increase security to protect their site. I can’t recommend them enough.
The Bottom Line
To build a successful subscription framework, start with a free registration level to quickly build a higher-quality email list. Use your email newsletter as the primary direct marketing tool to engage readers and promote subscription upgrades. Ensure your website has a clean, simple layout with minimal subscription options and non-intrusive ads. Prioritize site speed to retain users and improve search rankings. These strategies will nurture the reader relationship, and convert sustainable subscription revenue growth over time.
Want to automate this nurturing approach to growing reader revenue?
Visit the Leaky Paywall profile on our WordPress Partners page to learn more about their services or how to connect with them.
