Within our business, we recently underwent through a rethink of the look and feel as well as the functionality of PSFK digital experience, and I wanted to share some of the ideas we pursued in case they might spur new thinking among our peers. The main driver was a need to shift away from the mindset informed by 15 years of (profitable) b2b publishing.

We had transformed from a personal blog into an advertiser-driven publication, and from there into a paid business intelligence service over the last 3 years. While we remain relatively nimble, muscle memory kept coming into play…

Publishing platforms are creating membership and subscription offerings that empower fans to contribute their own ideas, insights and feedback to make for a collaborative and more engaging experience.

The Daily Beast

American news, politics and culture website The Daily Beast’s membership service called “Beast Inside” gives members opportunities to share opinions and insights to be published on the Daily Beast homepage. Additionally, members gain access to an array of products, including a deep-dive newsletter, early access to the publication’s weekend stories, a customized version of The Beast’s Cheat Sheet newsletter, a Trump-centric podcast.

bit.ly/2RIW8CJ

Quartz

Quartz introduced a membership program…

Publishing platforms are adding a social element to their platforms, by providing access to private groups, tools and spaces that give customers the ability to organize themselves around shared interests.

Slate

Slate Plus members gain access to a private Facebook group where they can interact with Slatesters and fellow members, as well as a weekly newsletter, the Slate Plus Digest, and access to reoccurring special events like Pitch Slams and State of Slate Q&As with editor-in-chief Julia Turner. Additionally, members receive access to bonus episodes of Slate’s hit podcast Slow Burn, the library of Slate Academies, including Jamelle Bouie and Rebecca Onion’s The History of American Slavery, and the full edition of the Dear Prudence Podcast.

bit.ly/2RSn9nf

Glossy

Fashion and beauty platform Glossy launched its membership program, Glossy+, which provides…

Too often media strategists picture memberships and subscription strategies as a flow from one point to another — when they should consider multiple funnels.

When we talk to media companies who are planning future paywall systems, a common assumption we hear is that they are considering an approach with a simple flow that moves audiences from non-paying to paying to upsold. This approach does not reflect the complexities of their audiences needs and will likely fail to deliver sufficient revenues for the business.

An audience segmentation exercise should reveal different needs for different audience members and this should be the…

Media and publishing platforms like The Atlantic, New Statesman, Vanity Fair and CollegeHumor are giving their subscribers and members access to unique content behind the paywall.

IAC-backed online comedy brand CollegeHumor has taken a membership-style approach by launching Dropout, a subscription product that will include original video series and other forms of media including digital comics and fictionalized chat conversations. Dropout has a tiered subscription model: $3.99 for the first three months, followed by $3.99 per month for an annual subscription; $4.99 per month for a six-month plan; and $5.99 per month for subscribers who want to pay on a monthly basis.

The New Statesman’s paywall gives subscribers access to the digital version of the print magazine, what it’s calling NS Instant, two days before it…

Scandinavian publisher Aller Media is testing a personalized paywall that uses its own algorithm to show subscribers personalized content. The algorithm is based on four factors: how recently the content was posted, collaborative filtering (or, what similar audience profiles are reading), impressions (how many times an article was served but not clicked on), and how many times an article converted readers to subscribers. Tests resulted in a significant increase in getting readers to subscribe, especially to one-month and three-month subscriptions (the publisher also offers weeklong and annual subscriptions).

Additionally publishing platform Taylor &Francis is using AI to personalize content and…

Exploring New Revenue Opportunity with Hard-To-Monetize Audiences Despite Traffic-Loss

One of the immediate objections we hear when my team talks to publishers about subscription systems is their very real concern over traffic loss. With the dominance of the tech giants in the media space, publishers are continuing to witness a decline in advertising revenue but despite this they’re still hesitant about employing a metered paywall system that could potentially collapse traffic numbers.

The sales-team at Wallkit often respond to this challenge by asking decision makers to approach these systems with the concept of membership in mind. …

Media and publishing platforms are innovating in the loyalty and services space and providing customers with elevated membership experiences. Some publishers are allowing audiences to access a large number of articles before paying for the privilege, as a way to demonstrate value and give readers the ability to test out the platform in a low-pressure experience before deciding to purchase or commit long-term.

Hearst Newspapers updated its paywall to allow first-time readers to consume as much content as they want, and the amount they consume dictates when they hit the paywall and if or when they are shown a subscription…