7 Factors for Successful Paywall Strategies

It’s been three years since our first client went live with the dynamic Upscore Paywall. The question “How does our performance actually compare?” came up soon after – with our second user. Even today, there’s a strong need for relative benchmarking – both to put numbers into perspective and to drive improvement.

This was the main trigger for the request from Kress Pro. Perhaps you’ve already seen it: At the end of April, the cover story in Kress Pro 03/2025 was published, featuring an interview with me, in which we discussed various aspects of successful paywall strategies and execution in detail.

Our main goal is to contribute to the ongoing industry discussion. Through our broad client base and extensive analyses, we’ve been able to statistically determine what works well and where caution is needed. It’s important for everyone in the industry to see that there are successful Plus strategies that enable consistently strong conversion rates and overall growth.

For the interested reader, I would highly recommend the full Kress interview. Essentially, it covers seven key success factors:

1. Strategy: Involve all areas

When acquiring digital subscriptions, the entire organization must pitch in. And the market potential is far from being fully tapped.

2. User Behavior: Don’t Overestimate Loyalty as a Factor

Highly loyal visitors are great, but up to half of all digital subscriptions are acquired by occasional users.

3. Reach: Targeting Precisely Without Clickbaiting

There is such a thing as "optimal reach" – more reach doesn’t necessarily lead to more subscriptions.

4. Content: Maximize the Amount of Content Behind the Paywall

Brands and offerings with a high paywall conversion rate achieve higher subscription sales.

5. Sales: Focus on Conversion, Not Longevity

The ability to sell your own journalistic product remains the most important factor. Cancellations are unfortunate, but "re-selling" and customer retention will become crucial sources of revenue.

6. Paywall: More Visibility

For a paywall to be effective, it needs to be visible – especially on smartphones, without requiring too much swiping.

7. Purchase Path: Keep It As Simple As Possible

The simpler and clearer, the better. Every unnecessary step leads to drop-offs and lost subscriptions.

How can you benefit from our benchmarks? Of course, through publications like in Kress Pro. We also regularly host webinars where we present the metrics, provide context, and share practical tips for implementation (announcement via LinkedIn)

Andreas Demuth is Founder and CEO at Upscore.