The subscription model which is appropriately tailored to the needs of readers is a win-win strategy that allows achieving both sides’ goals. It’s possible when the customers receive value from the subscription. Only then will they be more likely to renew the subscription, and they’ll probably do it at an increased rate. The customers that don’t receive value, will return to the marketplace to look for different products that are better for them. Let’s take a look at five interesting subscription models that were implemented by well-known publishers. How do they monetize their content?

1. INTERESTING
SUBSCRIPTION
MODELS
5

2. We’re PressPad – the company that creates
mobile magazine apps, digital newsstands for
PDF issues, and WordPress-based news apps.
In this presentation, you'll see how big publishers
monetize their content thanks to a paywall.
www.presspadapp.com

3. The New York Times
01

5. In the beginning, The New York Times implemented an intelligent
paywall – 20 articles a month free. Over time, the number of free
articles decreased.
Now, they offer:
● 3 free articles per month,
● unlimited access to their website and app (€0.75/week).
With more than 6m paying online readers, they are the digital
subscriptions leader. Their success is based on focusing on the
customer, investing in high-quality journalism, and continuously
developing the subscription offer.

6. Vogue
02

8. The digital offer is an addition to the printed version; a catalyst for
selling print magazine.
While the print version typically includes long, detailed interviews
with celebrities, in the digital magazine we can find additional online
micro-content, e.g. Q&A videos.
This digital version is a nod to digital publishing changes and the sign
that Vogue has kept up with the trend.
Vogue puts Instagram first in its development strategy. Each month,
their online content receives 56 million monthly unique digital users
worldwide and has, in total, 141 million followers across its social
platforms.

9. BILD
03

11. On BILD's website, you'll find free and paid articles. The paid ones are
marked with BILD+. The subscription appears in two versions:
● access to all digital content including articles, videos and apps
(the best-selling product for which 94 percent of its users pay),
● the e-paper version of the printed newspaper together with
the basic digital bundle.
In January 2020, 458,942 readers used the paid digital service which
is the best result in Europe and the fifth in the world by subscribers
number.

12. The secret to their success is video content. They show in leveraging
its power to drive subscriptions.
The company offers one-minute-long videos that are available to
everyone on their websites, putting its more in-depth video stories
behind the BILD+ paywall.
Their example shows that video paywalls can be terrific ways for
media companies to generate significant revenue.
www.presspadapp.com

13. The Athletic
04

14. They leverage an ad-free, subscription-only model. As of July 2019,
they have obtained over 500,000 subscribers.
They use a paywall model from the very beginning. The founders
have never wanted the readers to encounter distracting pop-ups or
autoplay videos – people have to get a non-distracting, pleasurable
experience when reading.
We can check only a few sentences from a given article for free. The
subscriptions have two versions.
www.presspadapp.com

16. The Athletic experiments with advertising but not on the main
website.
They launched a daily podcast called The LeadNew that is published
entirely outside its paywall. It features ads, and its ultimate goal is to
attract potential subscribers.
www.presspadapp.com

17. The Independent
05

18. They decided to resign from print in 2016 and started focusing only
on the digital sphere.
In 2020 they announced a 9 percent jump in their annual turnover
and the third consecutive year of profits since its switch to a fully
digital publisher.
They offer readers exclusive editorial content, an ad-free live
website, an app experience, and “closer interaction” with its
journalists. They provide two subscription packages: Independent
Premium and The Independent Daily Edition.

20. The digital strategy implementation was based on identifying who
their readers are, what content will sufficiently engage them, and
how to increase the likelihood of subscription.
Since The Independent let go of its print edition, the newsroom has
been able to fully focus on the development of digital issues and the
newsletter which is the main driver for their subscriptions increase.
This example makes us wonder how many newspapers will follow this
path in the future – letting go of the print to spread wings in the
digital.

21. As you can see, the biggest players use
subscription strategies successfully.
It doesn’t mean that only giants can benefit from
using this method.
The paywall also pays off for smaller publishers.
www.presspadapp.com

22. If you need advice on how to implement a
subscription model and paywall, let us know.
We are here to help.
www.presspadapp.com
@presspadapp
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