Paywalls are central to publishers’ business models. It is important for teams to be able to quickly test and optimize their acquisition, engagement or monetization strategies. Web analytics metrics offer the keys to analyzing and optimizing audience interactions with websites and monetizing content strategy. In this list of tips designed specifically for media, press and content publishers, we offer you 15 ways to optimize the use of your paywalls around three main topics: understanding your audience, defining your strategy and optimizing it.

AUDIENCE

Understanding your audience and their behaviour — a critical first step

1. Analyze your current paywall; how exactly are you dissatisfied with its performance?
2. Study the key segments of your online audience.
3. Ensure you have a reliable, complete and quality source of digital analytics data to measure your audience behavior.
4. Look at the ways each of your segments serves each of your business models.
5. Map out the key steps your audience takes before reaching your goal, such as subscription.
6. Establish if there is a link between user engagement and conversion.

STRATEGY

Setting out an effective strategy — a methodological approach

7. Clarify your business models; which ones do you want to develop?
8. Consider which business goals you want to achieve for each segment.
9. List the KPIs that will determine if you’ve reached your goals.
10. Decide which hypothesis you will test to reach your objectives.
11. Make sure this test hypothesis is founded on reliable statistics.

MANAGING YOUR STRATEGY

Pin down precisely how your teams can optimize their strategy

12. Identify who will own this subject internally. Does this person have a comprehensive view of the company’s challenges and its different business models?
13. Considering your goals and segments, set out which reader scenarios should be implemented.
14. Decide if you intend to implement a reference pathway.
15. Ensure you document the various tests and their conclusions.

Piano’s comprehensive and never-sampled digital analytics data provides you with deeper insights on all your media interactions. Providing you with a complete 360° customer view, Piano Analytics allows you to fully understand audience behavior, identify key segments, determine the most effective paywall scenarios and measure KPIs. The result: immediate value based on reliable data and the optimization of your subscription offer.