Oftentimes, brand awareness through audience reach is such a key business goal that content creators will want their output to be shared both freely – in every sense of the word – and widely. But there are business cases for creating content that’s a bit more exclusive, too.
Creating gated content – where a user login is required for access – can be an effective way to generate leads. It can be a way to reward loyal customers, too – with sneak-peeks, special offers and so on. Why not check out our simple, step-by-step guide: how to add user login to your online flipbook?
Setting up a paywall – and handling content as a revenue stream by introducing a charge to access it – is another approach being taken by media outlets.
3 ways to set up a paywall for your digital publication
1. Hard Paywall
Newspapers like WSJ and The Times take this approach. Just an article title and brief intro are displayed before the reader is prompted for payment.
And digital magazines, for example, can be placed in a restricted area on their publisher’s website. Or the publisher can set-up a simple system where user login is required to access the publications.
2. Metered Access
An approach taken by publications like Harvard Business Review, this enables the reader to access a number of free articles within a set time period before receiving a subscription prompt.
A similar feature could easily be added to digital magazines: allowing the reader to view a number of pages for free before the user login is prompted.
3. Content Segmentation
Some content creators segment their library into free and paid. Older publications might be free, for example, while the latest releases require a subscription.
The Irish Independent uses this approach: some news content is free to view while other content requires subscription to a premium service to access.
