A paywall blocks users and asks or requires them to pay for subscription in order to access content. And with digital reader revenue strategies on the rise across the globe, paywalls are popping up across publisher's websites.
Here are 50 paywall benchmark examples to inspire your own paywalling efforts!
The Irish Times ๐ฎ๐ช โ
A metered strategy allows users to discover the value of your content before being blocked โ Weak value proposition Courrier International ๐ซ๐ท โ
Premium content is labelled to reduce frustration โ
Benefits of the subscription offer listed in the wall Dagens Nyheter ๐ธ๐ช โ
Form fields directly in the wall โ
Registration to increase engagement El Mundo ๐ช๐ธ โ
Subscription offers in the wall to reduce a step in the funnel โ
Subscribe with Google option Alternatives Economiques ๐ซ๐ท โ
Payment integrated into the wall to reduce a step in the funnel โ
Countdown to create a sense of urgency to convert Fyens.dk ๐ฉ๐ฐ โ
Premium content labelled to reduce frustration โ
Value proposition focused on supporting quality journalism Harvard Business Review ๐บ๐ธ โ
Metered registration strategy โ
Personalized wall based on data collected through registration Il Sole 24 Ore ๐ฎ๐น โ
Bold colors and special offer forefronted โ
Subscription benefits in the paywall Journal du Dimanche ๐ซ๐ท โ
A single color represents subscription across the site โ
Strong value proposition Kleine Zeitung ๐ฆ๐น โ
Benefits in a readable bullet-point format โ
Freemium strategy to increase engagement L'OBS ๐ซ๐ท โ
Illustration supports comprehension โ
Reassurance: โsecure payment', โno commitment', โaccess to client services' La Voz de Galicia ๐ช๐ธ โ
Offers presented directly in the wall โ
Key benefits of subscription forefronted in the wall The Seattle Times ๐บ๐ธ โ
Metered model to allow for premium content discovery โ
100% visibility taking up the whole page with offers included to reduce a step in the funnel NZ Herald ๐ณ๐ฟ โ
Premium content labelled to reduce frustration โ Additional click needed to discover other subscription offers The Economist ๐ฌ๐ง โ
Hybrid paywall/registration wall to increase engagement โ
Subscription benefits listed clearly The Globe and Mail ๐จ๐ฆ โ
Strong value proposition fore-fronted โ
Dynamic strategy to adapt to the reader The Initium ๐ธ๐ฌ โ
Freemium model to balance frustration & engagement โ
Good visibility The NYT ๐บ๐ธ โ
Dynamic strategy adapts to the reader โ
100% paywall visibility rate with a sticky banner โ
Clear value proposition Dei Welt ๐ฉ๐ช โ
Subscription benefits โ
High premium content & paywall visibility rate Herald Sun ๐ฆ๐บ โ
Account creation & offers on the same page, reducing clicks โ No chance to discover content as this wall blocks on first visit Keskisuomalainen ๐ซ๐ฎ โ
High visibility rate โ Extra click needed to see the subscription offers The Washington Post ๐บ๐ธ โ
Subscription offers in the wall โ
100% visibility rate (sticky wall) โ Hard wall doesn't allow for content discoveryApple TV ๐บ๐ธ โ
7-day free trial to increase engagement โ No list of benefits or chance to select our chosen subscription offer Berner Zeitung ๐จ๐ญ โ
First-party data collection through registration Bloomberg ๐บ๐ธ โ
Registration gives access to one article for free โ
Sticky banner format means 100% visibilityDe Standaard ๐ง๐ช โ
Email collection in the wall โ No benefits of subscription shown at this stage Disney+ ๐บ๐ธ โ
First-party data collection as a first step prior to the wall โ Can't view any content before subscribing ELLE ๐ซ๐ท โ
Subscription advantages detailed in the wall โ
A single color represents subscription across the siteManorama Online ๐ฎ๐ณ โ
Premium content labelled to reduce frustration โ
Free registration offered before the paywall to collect data MasterClass ๐บ๐ธ โ
Video extracts to help users discover premium content โ No benefits of subscription detailed in the paywall Neos Kosmos ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ฌ๐ท โ
Benefits of subscription detailed in the wall โ
Optional paywall (with a โno thank youโ button) allow for content discovery and reduces frustration Netflix ๐บ๐ธ โ
Email collection as a first step โ No possibility to discover content prior to the paywall News24 ๐ฟ๐ฆ โ
Premium content labelled to reduce frustration โ
Free trial to increase engagement Nikkei ๐ฏ๐ต โ
Well-communicated value proposition โ
Benefits forefronted on the paywall The Herald ๐ฌ๐ง โ
High paywall visibility rate โ More work needed on their value proposition The Standard ๐ฐ๐ช โ
Data collected in the paywall โ No premium content discovery prior to being blocked The Times ๐ฌ๐ง โ
High visibility rate with a sticky banner โ No chance to discover premium content before subscribing The Toronto Star ๐จ๐ฆ โ
High visibility rate โ
Reassurance: โCancel anytimeโ Vecฬernji list ๐ญ๐ท โ
Subscription offers in the paywall โ
Benefits forefronted โ A lot of scrolling needed to view the whole paywall South China Morning Post ๐ญ๐ฐ โ
Strong value proposition โ
Premium offers in the wall O Globo ๐ง๐ท โ
High visibility rate โ
Registration prior to the paywall to collect data and increase engagement Publico ๐ต๐น โ
Photos of journalists placed in the wall to encourage readers to support โreal' people โ
A single color represents subscription across the site Luxembourg Times ๐ฑ๐บ โ
Subscription offers placed directly in the wall โ
High premium content and paywall visibility rate Le Progrรจs ๐ซ๐ท โ
Subscription offers included in the wall โ
โSupport your local journalism!โ strong value proposition La Vanguardia ๐ช๐ธ โ
Subscription offers included in the wall โ
Strong value proposition Financial Times ๐ฌ๐ง โ
Subscription offers presented directly in the wall โ Hard paywall means no premium content discovery Sydney Morning Herald ๐ฆ๐บ โ
Soft conversion strategy to increase engagement (thanks to a metered registration model) โ
Strong value proposition The Africa Report โ
Strong value proposition โ No benefits or subscription offers included in the wall Les Jours ๐ซ๐ท โ
Reassurance: โNo commitmentโ, โUnsubscribe anytimeโ โ
Additional link dedicated to students and companies Fakt ๐ต๐ฑ โ
Subscription offers included in the wall โ Scrolling needed to view the whole paywall BZ Berner Zeitung ๐จ๐ญ โ
Subscription discount highlighted โ
List of benefits Dennik N ๐ธ๐ฎ โ
Free test with promise of being reimbursed โ Additional click needed to see the offers Die Presse ๐ฆ๐น โ
Offers integrated into the wall with one highlighted โ
Benefits of subscription The Business Times ๐ธ๐ฌ โ
Value proposition focusing on a single benefit of subscription โ
Offers & benefits integrated into the wall
Paywall best practices to takeaway:
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Consider a soft conversion strategy, such as registration, to increase engagement prior to fully blocking the reader
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Ensure users have the chance to discover the value of your premium content
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Communicate a strong value proposition
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Include brand colors, selecting a single color to represent subscription
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In a freemium model, label premium content to reduce frustration
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Integrate other funnel steps into the paywall (such as the offers, payment or data collection) to reduce clicks and potential friction points
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Work on optimizing paywall visibility rate, aiming to balance frustration and engagement (we found 80% to be optimal, but A/B testing is recommended to find the best visibility for your publication)
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Make subscription easy, such as by offering account creation through Facebook/Google or payment through PayPal or Apple
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If you've already collected key data points (such as name or content interests) make use of it to personalize the paywall and experience. For instance, you could build a subscription offer suited to content consumption habits, or adapt the value proposition to their profile