10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
(New York time)

Master Class moderator

Grzegorz (Greg) Piechota
Researcher-in-Residence, International News Media Association (INMA)

About this module

In this module, we are looking at the new and proven benefits and claims that attract readers to try a subscription, or come back and buy again.

Key themes:

• How to market your core journalistic values?
• How to spice up your subscriber bundle?
• What features get readers excited and ready to convert?

Today's classes

10:00 a.m.-10:10 a.m. (New York time)

Introduction

10:10 a.m.-10:50 a.m. (New York time)

Keynote: Rebundling the news

Massive shifts in consumer behaviour, the abundance of online news, and the willingness of publishers to unbundle their content to grow digital audiences made journalism hardly sustainable. Can the unbundling of news be undone? How? Who’s succeeding?

Steve Dempsey, Group Director of Publishing Products, Mediahuis Ireland

10:50 a.m.-11:00 a.m. (New York time)

Executive briefing: Subscription bundles of the top 50 news publishers

A new INMA study reveals the leading news subscription brands charge for premium content, software features, and user experiences. A new category of benefits emerges: 60% of the top brands charge for journalism qualities and impact. What qualities are the most popular?

Greg Piechota, Researcher-in-Residence, INMA, United Kingdom

11:00 a.m.-11:40 a.m. (New York time)

Fireside chat: Marketing core journalistic values

The Guardian in the United Kingdom pioneered a mission-driven value proposition and marketing with its unique open access model. It hit this year the record number of 961,000 of digital subscriptions and recurring contributions. Additionally, it collected 585,000 single contributions globally. What can others learn?

Jessica Hayes, Deputy Director, Global Supporter Strategy, The Guardian, United Kingdom

11:40 a.m.-12:20 p.m. (New York time)

Research review: Motivations of consumers for paying for online news

Oxford’s Reuters Institute surveyed 92,000 online news consumers in 46 markets around the world, and explored their awareness of journalism sustainability and attitudes towards financing the media. Who are the subscribers? Why do they pay? How to appeal to those who haven’t yet started paying?

Nic Newman, Senior Research Associate, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford, United Kingdom

12:20 p.m.-12:30 p.m. (New York time)

Summary and takeaways

10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
(New York time)

About this module

In this module, we are analysing the evolution of payall and membership models, as publishers’ are testing hypotheses who’s going to buy next.

Key themes:

• How to open doors for light readers and keep a tight paywall?
• Is this a time to change your paywall model to hybrid?
• How to plan reader journeys based on analytics?

Today's classes

10:00 a.m.-10:05 a.m. (New York time)

Introduction

10:05 a.m.-10:40 a.m. (New York time)

Converting light readers: Ups and downs of attracting first-time subscribers

In order to reach its North Star goal of 450,000 digital subscribers, Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza finds and engages new reader segments such as young women, with civic mission-driven offers, and help from online influencers. But do the new readers stay around?

Dorota Adamczyk-Mroczek, Chief Revenue Officer, Gazeta Wyborcza, Agora, Poland

10:40 a.m.-11:20 a.m. (New York time)

Newspaper open-house: Unlocking the paywall to allow discovery

Singapore’s Business Times faced a challenge: how to open doors for casual readers AND keep a tight paywall? Its successful registration-focused events showed journalism is the single best marketing asset in subscriber acquisition. How do they help the newsroom transform to audience-centric and data literate?

Tee Zhuo, Assistant Audience Editor, The Business Times, Singapore

11:20 a.m.-12:00 a.m. (New York time)

Growth hacking in practice: Greatness in small experiments

When Sweden’s Expressen formed a cross-functional team with editorial, marketing, tech and analytics it expected to take great strides and make big changes to see results. Instead, it discovered the surprising power of small improvements, sometimes as small as a Buy button. What should you test next?

Helena Sund, Editor, Premium, Expressen, Sweden

12:00 p.m.-12:40 p.m. (New York time)

New reader journeys: Registering casual readers to engage and convert

With 3,000,000 digital subscribers, the Washington Post is one of the fastest growing news subscription brands on the planet. It ditched traditional funnels for engagement loops that trade articles for registration, allowing the Post to welcome, nurture and grow engagement of its casual readers. How to adjust the product and marketing for new reader journeys?

Nancy Cutler, Head of Global Brand Partnerships and Marketing, The Washington Post, United States

Meredith Kirsch, Senior Product Manager, The Washington Post, United States

12:40 p.m.-12:45 p.m. (New York time)

Summary and takeaways

10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
(New York time)

About this module

In this module, we are examining the latest pricing strategies and experiments, including personalised prices and bundling.

Key themes:

• How to price your trials to acquire readers that stay around?
• What conversion experiments are worth trying?
• How to optimise your check-out flow?

Today's classes

10:00 a.m.-10:05 a.m. (New York time)

Introduction

10:05 a.m.-10:40 a.m. (New York time)

Data in action: Segmenting readers to orchestrate their journeys

The U.S.-based Daily Beast found some readers, while loyal, were never going to convert. Data analysis led to a new segmentation and revamp of its funnel. What behaviours best indicated readers’ willingness to pay? What tactics do help drive them into more products they love?

Lauren Bertolini, Chief Product Officer, The Daily Beast, United States

10:40 a.m.-11:15 a.m. (New York time)

Best practices in newsletters: Converting readers with e-mail newsletters

As the U.K.-based Telegraph reached 500,000 paid digital subscribers this October, it found its 40+ newsletters as an unrivaled subscriber tool. People who signed up to multiple e-mails converted and retained at significantly higher rates. How does the Telegraph score its newsletters to evaluate their performance? How does it manage their portfolio?

Michelle Brister, Head of Newsletters, The Telegraph, United Kingdom

11:15 a.m.-11:50 a.m. (New York time)

Value-based pricing: Psychology of choice and price increases

Can one increase the price and still keep readers happy? Yes! Through a series of experiments, German regional news media group Funke found how to learn what readers value, and how best to communicate its prices. How to set up a rigorous pricing experiment? How to evaluate the long-term impact?

Sarah Barth, Senior Conversion Manager, Funke Digital, Germany

Kira Reibe, Head of Digital Subscription, Funke Digital, Germany

11:50 a.m.-12:25 p.m. (New York time)

Bundling news: Opportunities in upselling subscribers

Amedia is Norway’s largest publisher of local news, with more than 70 brands. While it publishes 1,000 articles every day, most reach local audiences only. Would there be any interest in getting news from other towns? This product started with a smoke test, and then 120,000 subscribers bought in by the end of 2020.

Ole Werring, Chief Product Officer, Amedia, Norway

12:25 p.m.-12:35 p.m. (New York time)

Summary and takeaways