RESEARCH AND INSIGHTS HOW WE CAN HELP ABOUT US Reader Revenue Toolkit Revenue that comes directly from readers in the form of subscriptions, memberships, donations, events and more is crucial for the long-term sustainability of news organizations — especially those serving local communities. To help create that future, the American Press Institute maintains this Reader Revenue Toolkit — practical guides and resources to help publishers get started or go to the next level with their reader revenue strategies. The Toolkit contains API’s subscription-related research and in-depth guides. We also are creating collections of posts that address key challenges that we have found most pressing for publishers, starting with potential ways to acquire new subscriptions. You can sign up here for Reader Revenue Toolkit notifications about new resources. This Reader Revenue Toolkit will continue to grow over time as more resources are added. Question you need answered? Something missing? Are your own reader revenue initiatives and projects proving successful and you want to share? Reach out to readerrevenue@pressinstitute.org. BY GWEN VARGO December 5, 2019 How to win the loyalty of new subscribers through great onboarding A reader has paid for a subscription. Now what needs to happen? This is a critical moment to shape the experience of subscribers and influence their sense of attachment to your organization. You want them to embrace you as a valued part of their daily lives, not stop the subscription as soon as the initial […] BY GWEN VARGO October 21, 2019 How to retain subscribers by keeping their engagement levels high over time Say you’ve implemented a well-designed program to onboard new customers. It’s getting them to look back favorably on their decision to subscribe, and to learn how they like to interact with your content. What’s your next priority? At this point, the goal should be to deepen the relationship — to build loyalty and make them […] BY GWEN VARGO February 6, 2019 What are the keys to an effective subscription offer page? Well-constructed offer pages are vital to the goal of increasing reader revenue. They can influence a user’s entire perception of your publication and service — for better or worse. Each detail deserves careful thought and planning. Yet just like registration pages, their importance is often overlooked. When readers land on a subscription offer page, they […] BY P. KIM BUI AND GWEN VARGO December 5, 2018 How to understand different reader types and drive each type to subscribe The path from a casual reader to a paying subscriber isn’t a short one, but by understanding how audiences get from one place to another, publishers can begin to devise strategies to get more readers to complete that journey. A recent study published by the American Press Institute as part of The Media Insight Project […] BY GWEN VARGO November 28, 2018 How to improve subscription registration and payment forms Ensuring the best possible user experience is crucial to moving potential subscribers through your digital checkout line. Every step matters. Yet publishers often overlook — and undervalue — the registration and subscription pages they rely on to sign up these readers. That is a costly mistake. The importance of user-friendly registration and subscription pages should […] BY GWEN VARGO October 31, 2018 Beyond email: Other tactics to drive users to subscription offers While publishers should seize on the opportunities offered by email marketing, they should not view email — or any single approach — as the magic bullet to gaining subscribers. Wherever possible, news organizations should be using multiple touch points to connect with prospective subscribers, both on and offline. Email campaigns, while effective, rely on having […] BY GWEN VARGO October 17, 2018 How to get the email addresses you need to drive new subscriptions Nothing is more important to the brave new world of building subscriptions than the relatively old world of email. An email address gives publishers ways to target and connect with potential subscribers that are much more effective than metrics like “unique visitors,” a potentially misleading number due to the fact that the same person may […] BY DAMON KIESOW October 2, 2018 What it takes to shift a news organization to reader revenue Launching a paywall is easy. Pivoting a whole business from an advertising-centric mindset to one focused on reader revenue is not. Despite 10 years of experimentation and increasing attention, the news industry still needs to develop some of the attitudes, technology and skills needed to sustain exceptional membership and subscription programs. To succeed with reader […] BY GWEN VARGO October 2, 2018 Welcome to the Reader Revenue Toolkit Revenue that comes directly from readers in the form of subscriptions, memberships, donations, events and more is crucial for the long-term sustainability of news organizations — especially those serving local communities. To help create that future, the American Press Institute maintains the Reader Revenue Toolkit — practical guides and resources to help publishers get started […] Newer Posts Older Posts NEWSLETTER NEED TO KNOW Fresh useful insights for people advancing quality, innovative and sustainable journalism. 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