BFM+Exclusive

Converting Readers into Paying Subscribers (or not)

6 mins

Case study

Paywalls may be a necessary annoyance in journalism—without it, content platforms could be reliant on advertisers, and influenced by their motives.

In 2021, approximately 20% of Americans paid for news in some format, more than double the 9% of Britains. The worldwide average appears to be ∼20%.

I support paying for journalism, but why does the experience have to be so uncomfortable?

The plans can be confusing, there are introductory rates which silently shoot up 1000% after 3 months, and cancelling can be a nightmare.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is a prestigious outlet, and with 3 million paying subscribers, has been one of the most successful at converting eyeballs.

So why does it take more clicks to subscribe to the WSJ, than it does to open a bank account?

Snorkels on; let's dive in.