Comments on: What is a subscription?

By: The best way to make money: Sell something — Eat Sleep Publish

The best way to make money: Sell something — Eat Sleep Publish — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:45:45 +0000

[...] Many newspapers are already selling merchandise through their sites. I think they should expand the operation, making it one-click easy to buy prints of great news photos, or simple to order mugs, send gifts, or become a member. [...]

By: Why the Financial Times can charge for metered content — Eat Sleep Publish

Why the Financial Times can charge for metered content — Eat Sleep Publish — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:41:57 +0000

[...] wallets than the prevailing wisdom allows, although in the past I’ve advocated charging for convenience and membership benefits rather than the content [...]

By: Who deserves a press pass? — Eat Sleep Publish

Who deserves a press pass? — Eat Sleep Publish — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:05:48 +0000

[...] think that any system that encourages subscriptions or memberships is going to yield a more engaged audience. This is more valuable than an audience of large but [...]

By: What business models work online? — Eat Sleep Publish

What business models work online? — Eat Sleep Publish — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:00:01 +0000

[...] But this is all academic now. The New York Times‘ failed TimesSelect initiative is proof enough that charging people for access to premium news online is not really a viable path. This business model is called freemium, and we can cross it off the list for content, although I’d keep it mind for other services. [...]

By: Knowledge is worth money, information is not : Eat Sleep Publish

Knowledge is worth money, information is not : Eat Sleep Publish — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 01:31:31 +0000

[...] doesn’t really apply to newspapers unless you think of it as a possibility for membership services. For example, a a paying member at the Seattle P-I might be able to sign in for a weekly webinar on [...]

By: Crowding the page : Eat Sleep Publish

Crowding the page : Eat Sleep Publish — Fri, 23 May 2008 01:11:25 +0000

[...] What is a subscription? [...]

By: Jason Preston

Jason Preston — Tue, 20 May 2008 02:08:02 +0000

@Mónica – thanks!

I think there’s a shortcut to new subscription adoptance (is that a word? apparently not), which is this: you already have tons of subscribers.

Part of my point is that it should all be one concept. If your paper has a daily circulation count of 352,000, then all you do is enable new services for every one of those paying subscribers.

Put a few promos in the paper delivery and people will start using the new services, because you’re marketing FREE services to an ALREADY loyal, paying audience.

Basically, the idea is to take the current subscription, and make it so that it forms a viable sales pitch going forward.

By: Should newspapers charge for access to their archives? : Eat Sleep Publish

Should newspapers charge for access to their archives? : Eat Sleep Publish — Tue, 20 May 2008 00:18:50 +0000

[...] What is a subscription? [...]

By: Monica Guzman

Monica Guzman — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:55:25 +0000

I like the WoW analogy. Thinking about member benefits as a function of how content is delivered is a good idea, too. I would guess the fear is that not many people would sign up. But it’s at least something — and could give papers something to advertise, some way to invite their committed readers to differentiate themselves from the hordes that find our articles on Google without ever noticing what paper it’s from. I hate that. :-p