This is a recap from The Audiencers' workshop in London in June 2024.
An INMA benchmark report recently suggested that publishers should convert readers into subscribers quickly, then put in the work to retain after conversion.
We love INMA, don't get us wrong! But there's perhaps a limitation to this model. And, in fact, the report revealed after that too many subscribers are churning… For us, converting quickly and not engaging pre-subscription can have a huge impact on ability to retain readers.
Instead, we propose a looping method, whereby readers are led through soft conversion steps pre-subscription, with the goal of increasing engagement and ensuring the habits are formed around content consumption before they start paying.
In this workshop, held in London in June 2024, we worked through 4 steps to consider retention throughout the funnel, not as an afterthought. We also heard from L'Équipe on how they've transformed their subscriber retention strategy and ran a fun subscription speed dating session! A round table was formed for each step in the funnel and attendees were given the chance to share strategies and best practices between each other and with the expert table lead.
The 4 steps to retention-minded acquisition, key takeaways
Soft conversion steps
- Analyze which actions can be associated with high lifetime value – for instance, subscription to a certain newsletter, playing a certain game, etc. – and integrate this into the journey pre-subscription
- Consider soft walls, such as newsletter walls or registration walls, whereby you create a certain level of frustration to move a user through the funnel
Dynamic paywall
- Adapt the reader's paywall experience to their profile or context. Perhaps you could change the journey (e.g. number of articles for free before the wall), the paywall messaging (e.g. forefronting different benefits based on the article the reader is on) or design (e.g. do you integrate one or two offers into the wall?)
- You can adapt to the source of traffic, the reader's level of engagement, the content type/topic, the reader status (anonymous, free member, ex-subscriber…), device used, etc
> How to be dynamic (and it's a lot more simple than you think!)
Onboarding
- Onboarding ensures a reader is engaged from the moment they convert and is aware of the value they now have access to
- Newsletter sign up, app download, product tour… the options here depend on your strategy but should cover multiple channels, shouldn't frustrate the reader, could be personalized, should have a clear goal for each step and give a good first impression of your brand
Long-term retention
- Identify post-onboarding opportunities to increase engagement
- Segment audiences and apply adapted churn-preventing strategies to put resources in the right place
