In need of a few ideas for exclusive content, features, or benefits that you could offer in your premium subscription offers to differentiate your offering and provide real value? Here’s 25.
Exclusive content:
In-depth analysis and explainers: Go beyond daily reporting with articles that provide deeper context, analysis, and explanation of complex issues. For example, a premium subscriber might get a weekly “deep dive” into a major political event or economic trend.
- The Ken (India): Known for its deeply researched and analytical articles on business and technology in India, often going beyond surface-level reporting. Subscribers get access to all their in-depth stories.
Exclusive Columns and Opinion Pieces: Feature renowned writers or experts who contribute columns or opinion pieces solely for subscribers. This could be a well-known political commentator, a business leader, or an industry analyst.
- The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia): Has premium opinion pieces and columns from respected local commentators available behind their paywall.
Many publishers highlight their columnists and opinion writers in the paywall and marketing campaigns to show this value point.
Interactive content: Access to games, quizzes and other interactive formats is a great way to build habits whilst engaging subscribers on-site with more entertainment-style content.
- Ouest-France (France): The regional newspaper has developed a diversified online gaming platform. While some are free to attract users, certain game options, statistics, and rankings are accessible only after creating an account, which can then be used to push audiences towards subscription.
- Apple News+ (USA/Canada): The subscription service within Apple News includes access to a daily word game called “Quartiles” that is exclusive to subscribers.
Investigative reports: Offer access to longer-form, in-depth investigative journalism (that requires significantly more resources than regular content). This type of content often provides unique and impactful insights not found elsewhere.
- ProPublica (USA): While much of their investigative work is free, they often have exclusive access or behind-the-scenes content related to their investigations for members who donate (a form of premium access).
- Mediapart (France): Known for its independent investigative journalism, much of which is exclusive to subscribers.
Curated content and newsletters: Provide exclusive newsletters that curate the most important news in a specific niche, or offer a unique perspective on the day’s events, saving subscribers time and offering added value.
- The Edinburgh Minute (Scotland): A popular local newsletter offering a curated, community-focused take on the news, with both free and paid tiers. Paid subscribers receive a weekend edition and can join the community discussions.
- The Globe and Mail (Canada): Offers a range of subscriber-only newsletters focusing on specific topics like business, politics, and personal finance.
Early access: Allow subscribers to see breaking news or access new features (like website redesigns or new app functionalities) before the general public.
- Le Monde (France): Subscribers to Le Monde Essentiel (their digital subscription offer) get access to the digital version of the paper every day from 1 PM, earlier than it becomes widely available. The “La Matinale du Monde” app, which is included in digital subscriptions, provides a selection of key articles and podcasts from 7 AM each morning.
Behind-the-Scenes Content: Offer glimpses into the newsroom, interviews with journalists about their work, or the story behind a major piece of reporting.
- The Telegraph (UK): Ask-Me-Anything sessions with reporters
Exclusive features:
Ad-Free experience: A common and highly valued benefit is an advertising-free website and app experience.
Enhanced interactivity: Offer premium commenting sections where subscribers can engage in more thoughtful discussions, or live Q&A sessions with journalists and editors.
- DER SPIEGEL (Germany): Their debating feature allows subscribers to vote and debate on subjects related to content.
- Malaysiakini (Malaysia): The comments section is reserved for subscribers and top comments are selected 3 times a week as top voices.
UX features: Ability for subscribers to personalize their experience by “Following” topics or authors, activating alerts/push notifications, customizable consumption format (reading, listening, summaries, etc), ability to save content for later, resume content, customize color themes, etc.
- Financial Times (UK): Save content for later and “Follow” features
- The Wall Street Journal (USA): Allows subscribers to customize their news feeds based on their interests and track specific companies or topics.
Personalized News Feeds (automated): Customized news feeds based on reading habits.
- Om finansavisen.no (Norway): Supported by Kilkaya technology, Subscribers and non-subscribers will see different home pages (from below the fold) in order to support different goals (conversion vs retention) and add value for subscribers. This has proven to increase page views and conversions amongst other metrics.
AI on-site search: Offer an Artificial Intelligence-powered search engine that only crawls content on your website.
- Ask The Drum (UK): AI search engine that’s weaved into their subscription model – registered readers can use the tool for a limited number of searches before being blocked by the paywall
- Ask FT (UK): “Ask FT is a generative-AI feature that will scour the FT archives as far back as 2004 to generate an answer to your query.”
Data and Tools: Provide access to exclusive data visualizations, interactive tools, or datasets.
Offline access: Enable subscribers to download articles, podcasts, or other content for offline reading or listening.
- Many news apps, such as The Economist (UK) and The New York Times (USA), allow subscribers to download articles and podcasts for offline reading.
Gifting articles: Allow subscribers to gift articles to friends and family
- The Atlantic (USA): For the article-gifting feature, The Atlantic’s goals were two-fold: 1) provide a new, highly-requested benefit to subscribers to improve satisfaction and 2) create a new way for those who aren’t subscribers to access their journalism.
Exclusive (less concrete) benefits
The chance to support your work: Quite simply the ability to support you work and help you to continue to provide quality journalism.
- The Guardian (UK): As a publisher without a paywall, The Guardian’s value proposition revolves around their mission of providing quality journalism to all.
- The Mill (UK) is another great example where the focus is very much on supporting their high-quality local journalism.
Collaborative Projects: Involve the subscriber community in certain projects, such as contributing to the development of a database, sharing local knowledge for a reporting project, or participating in surveys that inform future content.
Curated Community Content: Allow subscribers to contribute content (e.g. opinions, analysis, photos related to news events) that could be highlighted or featured within a dedicated community section (with editorial oversight).
- The Daily Maverick (South Africa): “Insiders” are asked to share their job and areas of expertise to be interviewed by journalists when relevant, allowing members to be included in content
Feedback and Input Channels: Create dedicated channels where subscribers can provide feedback on your content and suggest topics for future coverage, making them feel heard and valued.
- Single Track World (UK): Although less of a feedback channel, their forums allow readers to discuss topics, providing a source of inspiration for journalists to fill gaps in content
Benefits Inspired by Other Industries:
Community and Networking (Inspired by membership organizations): Create private online forums or groups exclusively for subscribers to connect with each other and the journalists. This fosters a sense of community.
- The Audiencers (France & UK): Exclusive WhatsApp group for subscribers
Exclusive Events (Inspired by events and entertainment): Host virtual or in-person events, such as webinars, town hall meetings with journalists, or subscriber-only meetups.
- The Texas Tribune (USA), a non-profit news organization, holds subscriber-only events and town halls.
- Tortoise Media (UK): What they like to call “organised listening” with free events for subscribers to listen to live and unscripted conversations with Tortoise editors and fellow members.
Merchandise or Perks (Inspired by e-commerce and loyalty programs): Offer exclusive merchandise (e.g., a branded tote bag), discounts on books or events, or early access to merchandise.
- The Atlantic and The New Yorker (USA) offer tote bags for new subscribers.
- The Sun Club (UK) offer access to free and discounted tickets for top UK attractions like Alton Towers.
Educational Content (Inspired by online learning platforms): Provide access to courses, workshops, or guides related to the topics they cover.
- Nursing Times (UK): “Online Learning Units” is their exclusive online learning units on fundamental aspects of nursing care, which can contribute to Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
Bundling with Other Services (Inspired by telecommunications or streaming): Partner with other publishers or services to offer a bundled subscription at a discounted rate.
- Le Monde and MAX (France): bundle with MAX streamer platform
- Business Insider and American Express (USA): Business Insider has previously offered free six- or twelve-month trials of their digital subscription to American Express credit card holders, depending on the card type. This leveraged American Express’s customer base to drive subscriptions for Business Insider.
- BILD and Lidl (Germany): As of May 2024, BILD and Lidl in Germany have an exclusive digital partnership where Lidl Plus app users who reach a certain monthly shopping volume are rewarded with one month of free access to BILDplus, BILD’s premium digital content.
Loyalty Rewards (Inspired by airlines or credit cards): Implement a system that rewards long-term subscribers with special benefits or recognition.
