Establishing a diverse range of subscriber growth channels is essential to success in a reader revenue model – to gradually build interest over time and educate readers on the value of your premium offers. They may not be convinced on the first, second or third promotion, but when presented at the right time, in the right way, with the right messaging, they’ll be ready to click through and subscribe! It’s about effectively balancing frustration and engagement.
To inspire these efforts, here are 45 subscriber growth channels to make use of, mainly on owned channels.
Paywalls
Blocking content and asking readers for a value exchange is one of the most widely recognized conversion strategies, mainly thanks to the fact that it very clearly shows what a reader vs subscriber has access to.
- Classic paywall in-article: This method blocks a portion of the article, prompting the user to subscribe to continue reading. ELLE France informs the reader that “vous reste 50% de l’article à lire” (you have 50% of the article left to read) to encourage subscriptions.
- Anti-Scroll Banner Paywall: This type of paywall uses a persistent banner that appears as the user scrolls, indicating a limit on free articles. In this case, we can often see the headline and tag line but no or little text. WIRED‘s banner tells readers “This is your last free article,” with a discounted offer.
- Pop-up Paywall: A pop-up appears on the screen, obscuring all content, to present a subscription offer. It’s one of the more frustrating paywalls so should be reserved for engaged readers. Examples include The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Post, Corriere della Sera and Houston Chronicle.
- Full Page Paywall: This completely covers the content, requiring a subscription to view any part of the article, making it a tough strategy. The Seattle Times highlights “You’ve reached your limit of free articles” and emphasizes their reliance on paying subscribers.
- Double Wall Paywall: This combines a registration and paywall in one, offering readers the option of creating an account for limited access or subscribing for full access. The goal here isn’t necessarily to convert the reader to a subscriber but to promote this offer and highlight the differences in value. Alternatively, The Chicago Sun-Times offers two ways to read an article: watching a 30-second video or subscribing for unlimited access and exclusive benefits.
Insider information: one publisher tested this type of wall but research proved there were too many choices for the reader and that it was more effective to focus on one goal for the wall.
- Soft Wall Paywall: This paywall encourages subscription for unlimited access but is closable, meaning it’s mainly for marketing purposes than to block entirely. Alternatives Economiques employs this wall on the first premium article that a registered member tries to access, allowing them to discover the value in subscribing before blocking.
- Dynamic paywall: Dynamic paywalls, that adapt to a reader’s profile or context, have been proven time and time again to be the most effective for conversion rates. These paywalls provide targeted experiences, messaging, offers and design to different audiences based on such factors as their level of engagement, source of traffic, location or the content they’re trying to read. For instance, Bloomberg offers “5 free articles” for those coming from Reddit in exchange for registration. Le Journal du Dimanche partners with Upday to offer a free article, then prompts for a subscription for unlimited access.
> How to get started with a dynamic paywall
Banners and CTAs
Banners and calls-to-action (CTAs) are strategically placed to prompt subscriptions but less invasive than paywalls and can be effective for the home page or on free content.
Le Point includes a CTA button at the top of articles, highlighting that readers can cancel anytime (“S’abonner sans engagement”).
Whilst taz and Bild have developed a top banner to increase the visibility of their premium or support offer, meaning they don’t rely on scrolls.
End of Article CTAs
For articles without a paywall, the end of the article is a valuable promotional spot, especially when the “ask” blends into the journalism, something that The Guardian is famously good at. Their “Epic” includes an “Article count” to prove how much a reader benefits from their work, asking “Can you help us hit our support goal?” while explaining the importance of independent journalism.
> Read about The Guardian’s revenue model and proposition development
Homepage Pop-ups
Pop-ups on the homepage are used to present offers as soon as a reader arrives on-site. Although valuable for promoting special offers, they’re highly more frustrating, especially for new audiences who haven’t yet had the opportunity to discover the site. For this reason, targeting pop-ups like this is essential.
Top Banners
A top banner, or pre-home, can be a less frustrating alternative that’s just as visible. Here, The Times offers “unlimited digital access. Just £1 for £1 a week”. The Washington Post advertises a “Memorial Day sale: 12 months for 1.99 €/month”. Süddeutsche Zeitung promotes a 5-year subscription.
Bottom Banners (Homepage)
Banners at the bottom of the homepage often focus more on the value proposition, or promote special offers. These are often closable or foldable.
Cookie Walls
These require users to make a choice regarding cookie usage – if they’d like to reject cookies (something that has a negative impact on publishers’ ad revenue models), they’re asked to subscribe. Bild for instance presents options to use the site “Mit Tracking und Cookies nutzen” (with tracking and cookies) or “Ohne Tracking und Cookies nutzen” (without tracking and cookies) for a fee.
Menu Integrations
Subscription prompts can be integrated directly into the website’s menu. La Croix offers “1€ le premier mois sans engagement” directly in its menu. The New York Times menu includes “Subscribe for more access” if the logged-in email has limited access.
UX Features: Listening to Articles
One effective way to show the value of subscribing is to ensure premium benefits, such as access to certain UX features, are visible to non-subscribers. For example, The New Yorker and The Atlantic provide an option to “Subscribe to listen” to articles, displaying this to all audiences.
Registration
After a user registers or updates their login, a confirmation screen can encourage subscription. The New York Times confirms registration and offers “unlimited access to all of The Times” with their subscription offer.
Subscription options can also be presented to newly registered users during their onboarding journey.
Newsletters
Newsletters are an extremely effective engagement-driver, and thus a valuable channel for increasing subscriptions.
- Newsletter Banner: A banner within a newsletter promotes subscription for unlimited access.
- Promotion Inside Content: Newsletters can directly promote subscription within their content, either as part of the journalism (like Bloomberg, where it’s the writer themselves suggesting that we subscribe. This feels more personal) or as a separate block.
- Subscriber-Only Newsletters: Exclusive newsletters are often offered as a benefit of subscription, but can be placed alongside free newsletters to highlight the value of subscription.
- Paywalled newsletters: Substack, for instance, allows content creators using their platform to integrate a paywall into the newsletter itself, blocking part of the text for non-paying subscribers.
Marketing Emails
Various types of marketing emails are used to convert readers into subscribers.
- After Clicking Through an Email: If a user clicks on an email but doesn’t subscribe, a follow-up email encourages them to complete the process. This is exactly what Daily Maverick does, explaining the benefits of supporting their journalism.
- Abandoned Shopping Cart: Emails are sent to users who initiated a subscription but didn’t complete the purchase. L’Équipe saw a 300% increase in subscriptions by optimizing these emails, focusing on timing and directing users to their chosen offer.
- After Creating a Free Account: Welcome emails after free account creation encourage further engagement and hopefully subscription in the long-run. HBR.org welcomes new users and prompts them to “Access even more content when you subscribe to HBR”.
- General List Marketing Email: These emails are sent to a broad audience, highlighting various subscription offers and benefits. The New York Times sends emails promoting “unlimited possibilities” with their All Access subscription, showcasing different price points and savings.
Events
Exclusive or reduced-price tickets to events can be a subscriber benefit. Weekendavisen offers different ticket prices for subscribers vs non-subscribers for an event on satire.
Out-of-Home Advertising (IRL)
Physical advertising can promote subscriptions and engagement. Examples include transit advertising (train stations, subway cars) and QR codes in public spaces that link to content or subscription offers.
Subscription Landing Pages
Dedicated landing pages present various subscription options and are often accessible from across the site. The Independent emphasizes “News you can trust” and lists key benefits and FAQs for subscribers.
> The essentials for a successful subscription landing page
App Features
Mobile apps offer unique ways to drive subscriptions and engagement.
- Downloading the App: App stores or website-prompts encourage readers to download the app, where subscription plans are presented as part of app onboarding.
- Accessing Features on the App: Within the app, certain features or content may be gated, prompting a subscription. Below, the “Saved” articles section is exclusive to subscribers.
Free Trials
Offering a free trial allows users to experience the value of a subscription before committing. Some of the examples below are permanent offers, others are seasonal or based around key news events.
Free Access for Certain Audience Segments
Some publishers offer free access to specific groups, like students. The Telegraph provides “a year of free access with your student email address” whilst The Economist’s Espresso offers free access for students over 16.
Triggered Pop-ups
Pop-ups can be triggered by user behavior, such when leaving a page or visiting certain content. For example, after leaving the subscription offers page, The Sydney Morning Herald uses a pop-up that asks readers to share their thoughts on why they didn’t subscribe.
Discovery Passes
These offer limited, often temporary, free access to content to encourage discovery. The National Assembly provides “14 days free to read all our investigative and in-depth journalism”.
Weekend/Day Open Access
Publishers may temporarily remove paywalls for a specific period, such as over a weekend, to attract new readers. In March 2025, The Sunday Times did just this, offering full access to their site. However, this isn’t something that can be done on a regular basis.
Completely Closed Access for a Day
In rare cases, publishers might temporarily shut down their site to highlight the importance of journalism and encourage support, as Daily Maverick did to flag the global crisis in journalism.
Limited-Time Open Access
A specific story or section can be temporarily unlocked to showcase subscriber-only content. The Ken temporarily unlocked a “subscriber-only story” and prompted users to “Sign up for free with just your email address”.
Gift Subscriptions and Articles
Allowing users to gift subscriptions can introduce new readers to the content. The Atlantic offers “Gift The Atlantic” with various digital and print options. The Athletic promotes “The gift for every sports fan”.
The New York Times allows subscribers to share articles, giving recipients free access and encouraging them to create a free account.
Apple Music/Spotify Integrations
Publishers can offer podcast content through popular audio platforms, with premium content available to subscribers. Economist Podcasts+ provides show access with subscription benefits, encouraging users to subscribe via The Economist app for full access.
Partnerships
Collaborations with other companies can expand reach and attract new subscribers. Streamer Max and French Publisher Le Monde bundled up to attract new subscribers. BILD Group and Schwarz Group entered a digital partnership for exclusive offers in the Lidl Plus app. The Atlantic partners with SZ Plus to offer five original articles.
Referrals
Existing subscribers can be incentivized to refer new ones. Politis offers “PARRAINEZ VOS PROCHES” (Refer your friends and family) for a reduced subscription price.
Native Ads
Advertisements that blend seamlessly with the content can promote subscriptions.
