Carolyn Morgan presented 10 ways for media businesses to grow revenue per subscriber. These included offering digital upgrades, creating premium membership tiers with exclusive content, adding premium products that build on editorial insights, packaging discounts with retailers, selling merchandise, tickets, holidays, training and skills, launching events, and providing a promotional platform for professionals within the subscriber base. Key requirements for growing subscriber revenue included having a sophisticated subscriber database, smart email marketing capabilities, collaboration with editorial staff, insights into subscriber interests, web development resources, transaction tracking, third party partnerships, and considering opportunities outside the core market sector.

1. 10 ways to grow
revenue per
subscriber
Carolyn Morgan @carolynrmorgan
Dovetail User Group
British Library, London, 25 June 2014

2. — Carolyn Morgan
— Publisher, Event Director, Strategy Director, Digital
Director at EMAP Specialist
— Launched Specialist Media Show in 2010
— Sold to SIIA in 2013; ran their London media events for
Information Industry Network
— Consultancy for media businesses on digital strategy
— @carolynrmorgan
— https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynmorgan
— www.penmaen-media.co.uk
— carolyn@penmaen-media.co.uk 07887 625229

3. Why grow revenue per
subscriber?
— Specialist markets limited in size
— Subscribers most enthusiastic customers
— Easy to collect data
— Build intelligence about purchases
— Direct marketing channels
— Move to premium membership
— Not just direct subscriber revenue: ads, merchandise,
events…
— Total Lifetime Value

4. 10 ways to grow subscriber
revenues
— Idea
— Examples
— Your experiences
— Practical tips

5. 1. Digital upgrades
— Make digital upgrades
affordable for print subs
— Direct promotion (carrier
sheet, email)
— Add extras for digital
subscribers
— Motorsport F1 Grand Prix
reviews & photo galleries
— Revenue up 39% yoy
— Plus new ad revenue

6. 2. Create a premier tier
— Exclusive online content
— Digital back issues
— Retail discounts
— Premier members card
— Editorial access
— Reader events
— Product testing
— Priority booking

7. 3. Add premium products
— B2B mentality
— Small group of buyers: high
value deals
— Build on editorial insight
— Gather public and
proprietary data
— Useful interface
— Premium pricing
— HSJ Intelligence, Wind
Intelligence
— Prosumers?

8. 4. Package discounts
— Subscribers are powerful
buyers
— Negotiate discounts from
retailers
— Provides added value to
subscribers
— And can generate new
advertising revenues too

9. 5. Sell holidays
— Bespoke packages
— Like-minded travellers
— Tailored travel content
— Investment in database
and skilled team
— Editorial buy-in
— Smart e-marketing
— £4m bookings for partners
in year 1

10. 6. Sell merchandise
— Detailed database
— Select products
— Retail partnerships
— Who holds stock?
— 220 Triathlon
— Songlines: editorial
content: collections &
awards albums

11. 7. Sell tickets
— Time Out
— Event Reviews > tickets
— Multi channel: web, mobile,
daily email
— 2 Fore 1 discount green
fees
— Search hundreds of
courses online
— Plus e-marketing
— Readers buy e-vouchers;
redeemed by golf course

12. 8. Launch events
— Future Photography Show
— Editorial contacts
— Secure key sponsors
— Promote across media
channels
— Subscriber packages
— Co-market with sponsors
— Logistics team needed

13. 9. Sell training and skills
— Prosumers
— Editorial knowhow
— Brand trust
— Marketing reach
— High value events
— Guardian Masterclasses
— Econsultancy training
— Wired consultancy

14. 10. Promotional platform
for professionals
— Sub group in audience
keen to promote
themselves
— Leverage brand trust &
traffic of core site
— Add relevant editorial
content
— Provide simple online
platform
— New revenue stream

15. Key requirements for
growing subs revenue
— Sophisticated database – to segment your subscribers
— Smart email marketing – good analytics
— Close collaboration with editorial
— Insight into your skills and your subscribers interests
— Web development resource
— Transaction tracking/ single customer view
— Third party partnerships
— Open mind: look outside your market sector