How Norwegian Daily Aftenposten Doubled Digital Subscribers in a Year

Hi Class – This article discusses the strategy that Norwegian daily, Aftenposten, used to increase digital subscribers. When focusing on reach metrics, the company realized that it was not getting the results that it had hoped. No matter how many people an article had reached, paid subscription rates would not increase at desirable rates. “There’s been a shift in mentality from views, reach and page impressions to how many subscribers we have and how we can make them happy,” says Schibsted’s (parent company of Aftenposten) chief commercial officer Tor Jacobsen. “The culture change we have had has been very important: Daily editorial meetings used to be about which articles drew the most traffic, now it’s about which articles drew the most subscribers.” With so many available sources, paid or free, and so many ways to consume media, it’s important to offer a true differentiator. While Aftenposten continues to use a metered paywall, allowing non-subscribers to read six articles a week, the real value in an Aftenposten subscription is now in the exclusive, emotional stories that drive engagement and conversations. Some of these subscriber-only articles also give user insight on themes of personal interest or personal gain. It is no secret that we, media consumers, will go out of our way to locate free content. When we are exposed to so much free content, the idea of paying for nearly identical content seems foolish. I believe that providing content that is emotionally engaging or personally valuable is vital in attracting loyal, paying audiences. Additionally, Aftenposten has become more data driven in how it acquires new subscribers by targeting audience segments on Facebook with ads featuring specific articles matched with audience gender, age, and location. This shift in strategy has paid off – now 65 percent of Aftenposten’s print and digital revenue comes from subscribers. This article is a good example of the success that can come from flexible and innovative media models.

http://digiday.com/publishers/norwegian-daily-aftenposten-doubled-digital-subscribers-year/