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.
Case study
Written by Peter Ramsey
