Category Archive: 'Subscription Business Model'

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Top 15 Lessons From Subscription Site Insider’s Summit in SF

Date: April 27, 2012 Topic: Events, Subscription Business Model Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

For those of you who missed it, our Subscription Site Summit in San Francisco was a smashing success, with two days full of practical tips and inspired business advice. I’ll be writing a more in-depth summary next week, but for now, here are the top 15 takeaways from our guest speakers:

  1. The paid content business is a $15 billion a year industry — Anne Holland, Subscription Site Insider
  2. “Faked” overlays can convert more than traditional landing pages — Mike Manning, LoopNet
  3. Come up with a demographic and psychographic profile of your “average” customer and, when in doubt, ask what he/she would want and respond to any new initiatives — James Taylor, ArtistWorks
  4. An attitude of “Everything is new again” will help you survive a shrinking/changing market — Torry Burdick, Mortgage Success Source
  5. When your site relies on member engagement, increase it by not only providing them with concrete tips on how to best use your service, but send those tips via postal mail — Mitch Davis, ExpertClick
  6. If you’re using Google for your PPC campaign, ask them for access to their Beta programs, like Google Dynamic Search Ads or Google Communication Ad Extensions — David Herscott, NetX
  7. Test! — Justin Rondeau, WhichTestWon.com
  8. Marketing is not about getting people to buy, but rather, getting people to buy now — Bill Baird, Baird Digital
  9. If you’re running both print and online subscriptions, renew your subscribers the same way they came in — Helen Hoart, Harvard Health Newsletters
  10. It’s easier to sell “content and data” than “news” (even though they’re often the same thing) — Brain Hunt, The Recorder
  11. Kindle has 80% of the eBook market, so start there — Fred Gleeck
  12. Don’t use a flip camera when creating videos. Do use the less expensive cameras that are used to create B-roll — Brenda Power, ChoiceLiteracy
  13. Subscription revenues can be 3 times the revenue lost by CPM drop when going to a metered access model — Alisa Cromer, Local Media Insider
  14. When onboarding, offer subscribers a welcome video, a congratulations and thank-you email, an email with suggested first steps, and notification about how they can get help/support (but not all on the same day) — Noah Fleming
  15. Events are hard, but worth it — Andrew Krauss, Inventor’s Alliance

Look for more tips and advice over the coming week, here on Paywall Times and on our sister site, Subscription Site Insider.

Posted by MinalB21
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Politico Charges $3K for Exclusive ‘Pro’ Subscription Plan for DC Insiders

Date: April 24, 2012 Topic: Subscription Business Model Tags: , ,

Thought Vogue’s $1,000+ annual subscription option was steep? Check out what Politico’s pulled off.

A year ago, the DC-based political site created a unique “Pro” subscription plan catering to Hill staffers, lobbyists, and others who need policy news on their BlackBerry — now. Politico Pro offers subscribers up-to-the-minute updates on four major policy areas: technology, energy, health care, and transportation. And while the site mysteriously doesn’t offer a price (just a number to call if you’re interested), Neiman reported that an individual plan is priced at $3,295 a year and $8,000 for a site license for five people (the plan forbids forwarding or sharing emails and updates).

While Politico has not released the number of paying subscribers who have signed up for the plan, they say it’s been highly lucrative. And it’s definitely an interesting model to watch — create general news for the masses and make it available for free, but charge the readers whose careers are dependent on getting your information first and fast a high premium. Often the difference between getting an update via Politico Pro and seeing the story on the site is a matter of minutes (16 for one story in particular), but for the adrenaline-filled arena of national politics, that can make all the difference.

Of course, an endeavor like this takes staffing power, and Politico has 45 of their 150 editorial staff members dedicated solely to Pro. With renewal rates “overwhelmingly” surpassing the market-based predictions of 85 to 90 percent, it’s definitely a model to watch and keep in mind for similar breaking news organizations that have an innate niche in their audience.

Posted by MinalB21
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Don’t Miss James Taylor at the Subscription Site Summit!

Date: April 23, 2012 Topic: Events, Subscription Business Model Tags: , , ,
James Taylor of ArtistWorks

James Taylor of ArtistWorks

Our Spring Summit for Subscription Sites is starting tomorrow. And we’re super excited to have James Taylor, VP of Global Business Development for ArtistWorks, give his inside tips for scaling up your subscription-based business.

Why be content with one subscription site when you can have dozens? With 30 ArtistWorks sub-sites, James is an expert at sniffing out profitable niches. His open-kimono style presentation will let you see what software they use to manage subscription billing for so many different sites. Plus, you’ll learn how to create a winning sales team and build super-brands and sub-brands.

The conference is starting at 8am tomorrow (Tuesday, April 24th) and the super-cool SPUR center (I’m currently camped out in the light-filled lobby, listening to Justin Rondeau, Editor of our sister site, WhichTestWon.com, give a great workshop on A/B testing). If you’re in the San Francisco area and looking to increase your revenues and grow your subscription business, you should definitely come. Just pop on by tomorrow morning at 654 Mission Street and buy a discounted ticket on the spot!

Posted by MinalB21
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Hulu Hits 2M Paying Subscribers, $192M in Subscription Revenues

Date: April 20, 2012 Topic: Subscription Business Model, Video subscriptions Tags: , ,

Hulu recently announced that of its 38 million monthly visitors, 2 million are now paying Hulu Plus subscribers, indicating a 5% conversion rate for the online TV and video site.

Those subscribers translate to approximately $192 million in subscription revenues, which is only a partial amount of gross revenues given that the site boasts a robust advertising revenue stream. After expenses, the company claims to have netted $420,000 in total revenues.

These are impressive numbers for the site, which seems to be competing in recent months with YouTube (there was even some speculation that Google — YouTube’s parent company — was looking to buy Hulu). Both sites are seeking to augment their original programming, with Hulu stating it wants to be the first true Internet-based premium television network. Yet Hulu seems more poised for success given its partnership with professional content producers (i.e., its owners NBCUniversal/Comcast, Fox/News Corp., and ABC/Disney). In fact, the site is already pitching advertisers for its upcoming crop of original shows.

Posted by MinalB21
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The New York Times Expands Into Online Niche Publishing

Date: April 18, 2012 Topic: Launches, Subscription Business Model Tags: , , , ,

It seems like the New York Times is finally catching on to what you knew all along — niche markets are where the money’s at online.

The Times recently decided to revamp its health blog “Well,” making it look more like an independent website than a Times blog (see pre and post design samples below). The new design clearly reflects editorial and marketing changes, such as giving non-timely stories more prominence, forcing heavily commented stories to a sidebar called “Well Community,” pushing tools, quizzes and recipes up higher, and allowing readers to peruse the site by subtopic (Body, Mind, Food, Fitness, and so on).

Well is also getting more writers, another move that subtly differentiates a publication from a blog. And the navigation bar and other visual cues found on the rest of NYTimes.com are mostly missing.

The branding of micro-sites is a smart move by the Times, especially since Well has not only seasonal stories, but content that’s sure to get consistent search engine traffic (such as an article on what works when trying to lose weight). But the design also lets the site stay current with news-cycle content and timely articles.

One catch in all this smart marketing might be tying Well to the Times’ metered paywall. Fans of an independent microsite may not see any worth in buying a subscription to an entire new agency if they don’t really view the other content. But I suspect that this re-branding move is a precursor to the Gray Lady rolling out micro-subscriptions. And as we all know, niche subscriptions are better revenue models online.

The original Well blog (right) and the newly designed micro-site.

The original Well blog (left) and the newly designed micro-site.

Posted by MinalB21
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