Inside Grupo Joly’s subscription strategy: How Spain’s regional giant leverages registration and dynamic paywalls

Building a sustainable digital reader revenue strategy requires a careful balance between user experience, advertising revenue, and subscriber acquisition. For Grupo Joly, Andalusia’s leading regional media group spanning 11 publications, including Diario de Sevilla and Diario de Cádiz, navigating this transition meant laying strategic groundwork years before launching paid subscriptions.

We spoke to Ana María Ferrand, Head of Data Analytics & Project Manager, Pedro Moreno, Product Manager, and Laura Grimaldi, Head of Engagement & Retention, about this strategy. 

> Grupo Joly, Andalusia's leading regional group with 11 titles including Diario de Sevilla and Diario de Cadiz, spent years on groundwork before charging for anything. A free registration wall launched in 2021 turned anonymous readers into known ones, and registered users spent longer on site and read more pages per session than anonymous ones

> Simpler won twice. A/B testing found clean, text-focused paywalls converted better than elaborate visual designs. And a single high-value annual offer beat showing monthly and annual side by side, lifting click-through across every reader segment. Over 92% of subscribers now take the annual plan

> Paywall visibility sits at around 34%, rising slowly. Fast-breaking general news stays open under a high metered threshold to protect traffic and programmatic revenue, while opinion columns, local analysis and regional sport go behind the wall

> Calls to action are embedded natively between paragraphs and in inline cards as readers scroll, rather than as pop-ups, to avoid ad-blocker and intrusive-interstitial penalties. The whole programme is run by a four-person core team, rolled out brand by brand rather than across all 11 at once

1. The pre-subscription phase: building an engaged database

Before introducing paid access, Grupo Joly focused on cultivating reader loyalty and collecting valuable audience data.

• The registration wall as a stepping stone: In 2021, the group launched a free registration strategy. By requiring users to create an account to access key benefits, such as tailored newsletters or exclusive reader contests, they transformed anonymous visitors into known, registered users.
• Habit-building value proposition: Free registration was presented as a premium service, helping readers build strong habits prior to any payment requirement.
• Increased engagement: Registered users demonstrated significantly higher engagement metrics, spending more time on site and consuming more page views per session compared to anonymous visitors. This registered pool established the ideal target audience for eventual paid conversions.

2. Launching subscriptions

When Grupo Joly launched paid subscriptions, they integrated Poool to manage paywalls, content access, and user journey optimization.

• Phased brand rollout: Rather than implementing paid models across all 11 brands simultaneously, the small 4-person core team opted for a progressive rollout. They began with flagship publications like Diario de Sevilla before expanding to title brands like Diario de Cádiz.
• Testing and simplifying design: The group initially tested elaborate visual paywall designs, but discovered through A/B testing that clean, text-focused, straightforward designs led to higher conversion rates.
• Single vs. dual offer messaging: While paywalls showing both monthly and annual plans were tested, presenting a single, high-value annual offer drove significantly higher click-through rates (CTR) across all reader segments. Over 92% of subscribers ultimately opted for the annual subscription.

3. Revenue balancing & paywall visibility

A primary challenge for regional publishers is safeguarding existing programmatic and advertising revenues while scaling subscription income.

• Targeted paywall visibility: Grupo Joly maintains an overall paywall visibility rate of approximately 34%, a figure they’re going to slowly increase over time.
• Hybrid access model: Fast-breaking general news is kept accessible under a high metered threshold to preserve traffic and programmatic ad revenue. High-value, unique content, such as opinion columns, local analysis, and regional sports coverage, is placed behind paywalls.
• Non-disruptive messaging: To prevent intrusive ad blockers or pop-up penalties, calls-to-action are embedded natively between article paragraphs or featured in inline content cards as users scroll.

4. Key metrics and future focus

Grupo Joly continues to refine its reader revenue strategy based on direct audience metrics.

Thank you to Ana, Pedro and Laura for their help with this article!