Mather Economics | 15 March 2023
News & Events
Last week, the INMA Digital Subscription Summit brought together publishers to discuss the latest trends in digital subscription growth. Mather Economics was grateful to both present at the conference and connected with many clients and publishers from around the globe.
Here are our key takeaways from the inspiring talks at the summit:
Tackling digital subscriber growth
Despite the surge in digital subscriptions during the pandemic, growth is slowing down, and publishers are challenged to improve their subscription funnel from acquisition to retention to drive growth. Most publishers have experienced an audience decline over the last few years. By leveraging content analytics, they can identify content that resonates with different audience segments and develop strategies to reach them. This is a key growth driver.
Searching for the right offer at the right price at the right moment
Publishers are still uncertain about how to promote best introductory subscription offers, particularly concerning renewals and term-based offers. The industry is in search of an acquisition pricing playbook.
Looking at the music industry for subscriber win-back inspiration
The binary “sub vs. non-sub” approach to digital subscribers is no longer effective. Publishers need to personalize strategies to win back former subscribers by developing a former subscriber tier with benefits and a one-click repurchase option like the Spotify model. This can be done by introducing personalized experiences and relevant promotions incentivizing former subscribers to re-engage with the brand.
Positioning the news product
Publishers should shift their messaging from trying to be “everything to everyone” to offering “something for someone.” They need to develop a unique selling proposition for each audience segment and understand whether readers subscribe to the specific content, journalist, or brand.
Need for content analytics driven by audiences
Publishers need a view that looks at content by audience segment/type and not just at content clusters. Understanding and connecting the customer and the content journey will help publishers better understand the needs and behaviors triggering subscription growth and retention.
How Mather Economics partners with publishers to help them grow and maximize their revenue:
- Create a sustainable subscription strategy by helping publishers utilize content analytics to drive top-of-the-funnel, performing subscription audits to improve funnel conversion and throughput, and a content monetization framework as a volume growth driver.
- Develop a sustainable pricing strategy for acquisition, renewal, and win-back offers.
- Leverage a reader-first framework that extends beyond content clusters to enable subscription growth and retention through content analytics by audience segment.
Pete Doucette | Senior Managing Director-Strategy
Liesbeth Nizet | Managing Director-Europe
Learn more about Mather Economics’ subscription pricing services.
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