Every subscriber who leaves has to be replaced before a subscription business can grow, which makes retention the quieter half of reader revenue and often the more profitable one. The first renewal is the real test of whether acquisition brought in the right people.
Retention starts with habit. The publishers that keep subscribers longest engage them well beyond the welcome emails, and renew on the strength of the brand rather than another discount. A surprising share of churn isn't a decision at all. Expired cards and failed payments quietly lose revenue that can often be recovered.
Some brands are losing subscribers and hard-fought revenue that could be saved with some attention and effort.
Tracy Larner Our subs retention strategy: William Reed
When someone does want to leave, how it is handled matters. Understand why before offering anything, and make the exit easy, because subscribers treated well on the way out are far more likely to come back.
Below you'll find some of our best feature articles on subscriber retention and churn, from engagement and renewal pricing to payment failure and cancellation, alongside our latest news and industry commentary.
Does your CEO know what your subscriber retention rate is? The chances are, probably not. But, according to Julian Thorne, author of our Guide to Retention Strategies for Publishers, this number should never be far from his or her (or your) mind.
A subscriber’s first 30 days are important to build habit but so is every day after, says Emma Robinson, head of customer experience.
You cannot improve a process until you have documented it, and you cannot achieve an objective until you have a process and system to support it, says Rosa Sherwood, head of CRM, engagement and loyalty.
It’s a well-known fact that engaged subscribers stay for longer, says Susanne Kinnaird, head of digital reader revenue.
It’s important not to lose subscribers and hard-fought revenue through involuntary churn, says Tracy Larner, subscriptions director.
It’s important to understand the reason for cancellation and to ensure the retention offer directly addresses the subscriber’s stated concern, says Mike Halstead, managing director of HH&S.
What determines pricing power is not only the category of need, says Andy Burden, founder of Substribe, it’s the stakes.
Making it super-hard to cancel a subscription does no one any favours.
At the PPA awards in July, Procurement Leaders won the Business Media Brand of the Year award. Last December, they won the Digital Product of the Year award at the PPA Independent Publisher awards. They’re clearly doing something right. David Rae giv
On 22 October, at One Wimpole Street in London, the Information Industry Network held its Business Media Insights conference. Carolyn Morgan heard first-hand how the leading lights in the B2B world were successfully reimagining their businesses.
The Times app has allowed lapsed print subscriber Jamie Jouning to rediscover the joys of his favourite newspaper and he doesn’t mind paying for the privilege.
The Financial Times has handled digital transition better than most. The result of meticulous planning? A bit of luck perhaps? Or simply because it’s a rock-solid must-read product? Ray Snoddy talks to John Ridding about their enviably successful pub
Earlier this month, TeamRock launched a new online subscription model, TeamRock+. Editorial Director Scott Rowley answers our questions.
Cracked Eye, a new digital magazine aiming to spark a “short-form revolution that caters for time-poor, tech-rich readers”, launched yesterday.
Centaur Media plc this week issued its interim management statement for the period from 1 July 2014, based on results for the four month period to 31 October 2014 and with commentary on trading up to 10 November 2014.
isubscribe, the online magazine and newspaper subscription superstore, yesterday announced a host of new initiatives and partnerships aimed at maximising subscription sales over the key Christmas period.
If the attendees who gathered for the start of this year’s PPA Customer Direct conference were in any doubt about where they should be focusing their efforts – it would soon be made abundantly clear, writes Martin Maynard. For the direct and digital
On 3rd November, as part of its on-going international expansion, TeamRock launches a brand new subscription service, TeamRock+, available via www.teamrock.com.
It was not only an interest in the political system which was given a boost by the Scottish independence referendum; it appears it sparked an enduring interest in current affairs as well, says the Herald & Times Group.
Readly, the app for reading digital magazines based on an “all-you-can-read” business model, and Europe’s largest magazine publisher Bauer Media Group has entered into a global agreement in reference to digital distribution of Bauer magazines.
Readly, the international digital platform allowing subscribers to read unlimited digital magazine content for a single monthly subscription, has been granted accreditation by ABC.
The PPA has announced the shortlist for the Customer Direct 2014 awards.
Simply Homemade, the monthly title from Practical Publishing, is to relaunch with a “fresher look and feel”. The first new look issue goes on sale 9 October, priced £4.99.
