A simple "trick" for more subscription conversions

At Upscore, we're often asked for simple tips and tricks to help sell more premium subscriptions. Of course, it's never really that “simple.” Selling requires expertise. But there's one important piece of advice we’re always happy to share – with complete confidence:

Listen to the subscribers you already have!

The principle behind this is much older than the internet, but the web has turned it into a powerful growth engine: highlight the things that are already proven to resonate with your existing customers. Amazon aggressively “recommends” products that are already bestsellers. Spotify shows us songs that others are listening to heavily. And Google works the same way – search and Discover links with high click-through rates are given even more visibility.

So how does this translate into gaining new subscribers? My colleague Andreas Demuth put it well in a recent Kress Pro article:
“Pay close attention to what your existing subscribers are reading. It’s a strong indicator of the kinds of topics that will also work well for attracting new customers.”
This principle applies across the board – from local and regional news publishers to national media outlets and special-interest or magazine publishers.

Here’s a short (and by no means exhaustive) list of practical tips we use in our consulting projects with Upscore GRIP, compiled by Joachim Dreykluft, that can offer real support:

• Analyze which content your current subscribers engage with most deeply.

• Prominently showcase that content to non-subscribers – on your homepage, in recommendation modules, or in your newsletters.

• Use editorial data analysis to identify the most successful article types, topics, keywords, or formats among existing subscribers.

• Replicate high-performing pieces, and keep in mind the different perspectives from which content can be relevant to users. Articles that appeal to emotion and intuition tend to convert far better than those that only target the intellect.

• Optimize these pieces for channels where you can reach potential new users, such as Google Discover.

With these “tricks,” you’ll convert more users into subscribers – while also building a deeper understanding in editorial and marketing teams of your readers and how your product works. And that’s what drives us at Upscore: using data to help journalism build sustainable digital business models.

Christian Hasselbring is responsible for Business Development at Upscore.