We asked news publishers to answer, in their own words, these two questions:
- Is there anything you have changed or implemented recently that made a measurable improvement in subscriber retention?
- What is the single most effective thing you are doing to help with retention?
The responses were varied of course, but on the whole they cover a range of interesting ideas and include many relatively simple tactics that other publishers might consider adopting.
Here is a list of 31 things that publishers told us was helping them improve retention (download the graphic version here):
- In addition to sending an email series to lapsed subscribers, add a direct-mail piece.
- Make customer service calls to a subscriber after they are halfway through their grace period.
- Send renewal notices to subscribers who have not renewed, with a survey asking the reason for non-renewal.
- Encourage new subscribers to sign up for newsletters.
- For readers who unsubscribe from or are not interested in a daily newsletter, offer instead a weekly newsletter or alerts for a specific topic.
- Launch an exclusive, monthly, members-only newsletter
- Update and increase the number of email renewal notices.
- Implement automated email messages to users whose credit cards are set to expire or have expired.
- Create a set of reduced payment rates that customer service representatives can offer to help save a subscriber who is considering cancellation.
- Use existing engagement data to inform rate negotiations for renewals and cancellation win-backs.
- Prioritize subscriber retention in your organization by creating a dedicated team focused on it.
- Use in-person or virtual events, focus groups and surveys to create ongoing conversations with readers.
- Collect subscriber email addresses to send renewals through email, including to existing print subscribers.
- Encourage auto-renewals and automatic payments for as many new subscribers as possible, even if they are not buying online.
- Communicate the organization’s purpose of helping readers increase their level of awareness.
- Organize events to meet our journalists.
- For subscribers who have not opened emails in the last 3 months, remove them from the distribution list.
- Upgrade our paywall/subscription system.
- Use a payment vendor to automatically update credit card numbers when possible.
- Send subscribers personalized reading recommendations from reporters and editors.
- Engage subscribers with newsletters, and produce more content known to be popular with subscribers.
- Add an annual digital subscription option to our checkout page. Longer terms are usually more likely to retain.
- Test longer introductory rates (months), which could retain better than shorter term periods (weeks)
- Transition subscriptions that are renewed manually to auto-renew.
- Decrease the amount of initial discounts, and gradually raise a subscriber’s price from initial discount to full-rate over several periods of small increases to produce a higher, more consistent renewal rate.
- Use a paywall to focus on recurring donors and auto-renew subscriptions.
- Email series for new subscribers, including information about how to use their subscription and personal welcomes from reporters and editors.
- Create an onboarding program that nurtures new subscribers.
- Consistently communicate with our subscribers. Listen, and respond. It is extremely valuable, whether it comes in an email, a letter or a phone call. Make them feel special.
- Track newsletter engagement and use surveys to develop special events that match current concerns of readers.
- Be sure to calculate an accurate churn rate, and get data needed.
Share with your network
- What news publishers do to retain subscribers
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