Save 50% on a 3-month Digiday+ membership. Ends Dec 5.
Digiday Research: The most effective tactics for driving subscriptions
This research is based on unique data collected from our proprietary audience of publisher, agency, brand and tech insiders. It’s available to Digiday+ members. More from the series →
For publishers looking to drive more subscriptions, email is king.
Digiday Research asked 136 publishing execs about various tactics they use to drive subscriptions and which they find most effective. The most effective tactic was “adapting the frequency of email,” followed by customizing content for each user.
Publishers use email in various ways to drive people to sign up for subscriptions — either with marketing via offers sent to those already in their database, or sending more email about specific parts of the subscription product, like dedicated member-exclusive pieces, to their audiences.
However, only 23% of respondents said sharing email lists has proved an effective tactic for them.
When Digiday last conducted this research, 65% of publisher executives said their most effective tactic for customer acquisition is email, and 16% said it was house ads.
Subscriptions are the most important focus for publishing execs. Almost 46% of respondents said growing subscriptions were a major focus for them over the next six months. Other major priorities are building direct-sold ads: 64% of publishers said that was either a large focus or a very large focus area for them.
More in Media
Marketers move to bring transparency to creator and influencer fees
What was once a direct handoff now threads through a growing constellation of agencies, platforms, networks, ad tech vendors and assorted brokers, each taking something before the creator gets paid.
Inside The Atlantic’s AI bot blocking strategy
The Atlantic’s CEO explains how it evaluates AI crawlers to block those that bring no traffic or subscribers, and to provide deal leverage.
Media Briefing: Tough market, but Q4 lifts publishers’ hopes for 2026
Publishers report stronger-than-expected Q4 ad spending, with many seeing year-over-year gains.