How Western Standard uses content insights to drive more visitors to their website
Understanding user behavior guides subscription messaging, but Western Standard has taken it a step further to aid in content creation.
Successes & Stories
How to use WooCommerce for digital subscriptions
Leaky Paywall and WooCommerce make it easy to set up and sell your digital subscriptions, with a versatile collections of tools.
How adding a free level is growing subscriptions for Small Boats Magazine
By adding a free registration level, Small Boats increased their email signups by 20% each month. Your email list is 10x more likely to subscribe.
Meet the Subscription Accelerator™ Part 1: The Free Subscription Level
The Subscription Accelerator™ shows you how to make your digital publication profitable, starting with The Free Subscription Level.
August 2021 Monthly Updates: The open highway to subscription success
This month we’ve got new tips, partners, integrations, and inspiration for your journey to subscription success.
How Foreign Lobby Report is increasing revenue with pay-per-article
Foreign Lobby is making the most of their content with a regular subscription, with donations, and with pay-per-post articles.
7 ways to successfully sell corporate, group, and bulk subscriptions
Paywall Podcast Episode 16 explores different ways to sell group subscriptions and explains how, when, and why you should use each one.
Boost revenue and readership with a sponsored subscription level
Rugby News has found a way to combine a free registration level, email-based bulk subscriptions, and advertising sponsorships into something new.
How blocking incognito mode creates more paid subscribers
IP Blocker stops incognito browsers from bypassing your paywall. Add a free level registration and they join your subscription funnel.
July 2021 Monthly Updates: Ready to accelerate your subscriptions? Let’s meet your readers.
This month, get tools and techniques for understanding subscriber behavior and pulling them into your subscriber funnel.
How apps actually increase digital subscription revenue (yes, really)
Having an app can increase your paid subscriptions by 10-30%. It opens up a whole new base of subscribers and improves reader experience.
The Publisher’s Quick Start Guide to Accelerating Digital Subscriptions
ZEEN101’s Ultimate Guidebook for News & Magazine Publishers is a quick start guide for accelerating your digital subscriptions.
The best way to publish a digital edition (spoiler: it’s not a flipbook)
The complete intro to IssueM, a publishing framework for every publisher. It creates searchable, shareable, mobile-friendly digital editions.
June 2021 Monthly Updates: An Cache of Revenue-Generating Tools, Already At Your Disposal
This month, learn how to generate revenue from tools you already have. Make the most of renewals and donations, build new products.
Easy ways to level up your website to build paid subscriptions – Part 3 – Paywall Podcast
Learn how to create new, revenue-generating products with features that already exist on your site, in Episode 15 of the Paywall Podcast.
Easy ways to level up your website to build paid subscriptions – Part 2 – Paywall Podcast
This episode of the Paywall Podcast walks you through the different ways of targeting your subscribers and what to say to them.
Easy ways to level up your website to build paid subscriptions – Part 1 – Paywall Podcast
Learn how to use your touchpoints to improve the reader experience and convert paid subscriptions in this short installment of the Paywall Podcast.
How Tea Journey Magazine Found A New Way To Increase Revenue With Donations
With Leaky Paywall, Tea Journey Magazine has found a way to make easy money with donations, with just a few clicks of a button.
Four ways to sell bulk subscriptions
Groups can be as unique as individuals. Find the four different ways to sell bulk subscriptions to different organizations.
May 2021 Monthly Updates: New Uses for Old Tools to Grow Your Subscriptions
The May update shares ways to increase subscriptions with new uses for existing tools: your paywall, your touchpoints, even your renewals.
How Stone Soup manages subscriptions with Leaky Paywall, WooCommerce, and apps
Stone Soup, a magazine for and by children, offers individual, group, school, and gift subscriptions with Leaky Paywall and WooCommerce.
Interview with Greg Grisolano of Land Line Media
In this Paywall Podcast episode, Greg Grisolano of LandLine Media discusses the redesign that brought a legacy publication into the future.
April 2021 Monthly Updates: New Updates & Tips to Enhance Your Experience
The April update shows off increased functionality in WooCommerce, corporate and group accounts, custom fields, VAT tax rates, and more.
How Elevator World, Leaky Paywall, and MagHub increase subscriptions with tighter restrictions
When your content is unique, it requires tailored protection. Setting a tightly-metered paywall with easy subscriber access is the key.
Paid Subscriptions and Virtual Conferences With Hal Niedzviecki of Broken Pencil Magazine – Paywall Podcast
Episode 11 of the Paywall Podcast looks at how a digital edition sells print subscriptions and how to take an annual conference virtual.
Why you need the most flexible subscription platform for WordPress
Leaky Paywall is built specifically for the needs of news and magazine publishers that use WordPress. In fact, you can generate more revenue streams than you thought possible by taking advantage of its core flexibility. Flexibility = More revenue streams We thought it would be a good idea to showcase how different publishers are using […]
March 2021 Monthly Updates: It’s ‘Make Your Life Easier’ March
The March update includes tips and tools to reduce friction, streamline your workflow, and master the mystery of social media marketing.
An Interview With Wally Wallace of 50Fish on Social Media – Paywall Podcast
Episode 10 of the Paywall Podcast is a primer on social media and email marketing from a career expert, based on real life successes.
How To Create A Subscription-Based Paid Newsletter With Leaky Paywall and MailChimp
Easily add a paid newsletter subscription with Leaky Paywall and MailChimp… complete with automated payments and expiration cut-offs
Exciting Things We’ve Been Working On – Paywall Podcast
Working Together Building new tools and functionalities is a collaborative process at ZEEN101. Sometimes the ideas arise internally: trends we see in the industry, weather-proofing the software for changes in technology, and so on. But often, we build new tools because a publisher had a wild idea and wanted to see if it was possible. […]
February 2021 Monthly Update: New Tips For Existing Tools
New Uses For Old Things We’re well into the new year and it’s time to take a look at the things we have and think: How could that be better? The result is a host of new ideas for using tools you already have in new and exciting ways. Now you can do AB testing on […]
Ensuring Website Accessibility Compliance
Don’t get caught out by website accessibility. Fortunately, compliance with the ADA website requirements doesn’t have to be difficult.
Local News Publishers: Subscriptions v. Memberships v. Donations – Paywall Podcast
The Question of Revenue Should your publication be seeking subscriptions, encouraging donations, or offering memberships? The three main revenue models are a hot topic in the publishing world at the moment. The simple answer? All three. Episode 8 of the Paywall Podcast is a roundtable discussion between ZEEN101’s Pete Ericson, Jeremy Green, and Tyler Channell […]
An Interview with Todd Moen of Catch Magazine – Paywall Podcast
The Lifecycle of an All-Digital Magazine In Episode 7 of the Paywall Podcast, ZEEN101’s Jeremy Green talks to Todd Moen of Catch Magazine. The Official Journal of Flyfishing Photography and Film, Catch has been an all-digital, high-resolution publication for over a decade. In that time, the magazine has weathered every storm and survived every evolution of […]
An Interview with Greg Wolfe on magazine renewals and gift subscription strategies – Paywall Podcast
A Lifetime of Knowledge It shouldn’t be a surprise that outreach tactics can be shared between print and digital publications. The two formats are inextricably linked in many ways. In this episode of the Paywall Podcast, Pete chats with Greg Wolfe of Four String Media, who has spent an entire career helping magazines of both […]
We help Deutsche Grammophon sell individual live stream concerts
Consider selling individual access to live stream concerts as Deutsche Grammophon does with Leaky Paywall
January 2021 Monthly Update: New Tools For A New Year
Happy New Year! It’s a new year for the world and for your publication. We’ve got some great new tips and tools for boosting your revenue and optimizing your publication. Now you can easily create a paid newsletter or charge individually for premium content. You can track your revenue on the dashboard and find new […]
Create meaningful revenue and content with paying advertisers
A Different Kind of Content Strategy Wouldn’t it be nice if someone else generated some of your content for you? Wouldn’t it be even nicer if they paid you for the privilege? The richness of your content is what draws and retains your readers. Valuable content that caters to the needs and interests of your […]
December 2020 Monthly Update: Gifts For The Season
Gifts That Keep On Giving The holidays are right around the corner and to help you spruce up your publication for the season, we’ve got a few new tips and tools. Add a flipbook, run some promotions, reduce your stress with simplified processes or new information, find some inspiration in the journeys other publications have taken: […]
How To Generate More Paid Subscriptions With Promotions – Paywall Podcast
More subscriptions, less stress Paid subscriptions are a key revenue source for most publications. Fortunately, there are any number of easy promotions and strategies a publisher can run to increase those crucial subscriptions. In this episode of the Paywall Podcast, How To Generate More Paid Subscriptions With Promotions, Pete, Jeremy, and Tyler go through a […]
Learn the step-by-step approach to growing your paid subscription and advertising revenue
In this video Nick Pataro from MagHub and I go over the strategy to building a strong email list that, in turn, attracts paying subscribers and advertisers. Follow along step-by-step to understand how to develop a free registration capture for your publication to rapidly build your email list, then convert paying subscribers, and also become […]
Managing multiple digital magazine editions
Knowing the waters The success of a magazine, digital or otherwise, hinges on knowing and appealing to its readers. Understanding and catering to the needs of your target demographic is vital to your publication. The Fisherman has gone all out to do just that. Fishing is, of course, a variable experience. It depends on the […]
An Interview With Street Photography Magazine – Paywall Podcast
A profile of a successful publication Every profitable publication is born out of a wealth of experience that can be shared. In this episode of the Paywall Podcast, Interview with Street Photography Magazine, Pete sits down with Bob, the founder of Street Photography Magazine, to discuss the journey and strategies that built its success. Listen […]
6 Examples of Successful Publication & Product Launches – Paywall Podcast
New ideas for a profitable publication Every publication is different, but even small or unusual publications can be profitable. In the third episode of the Paywall Podcast, 6 Examples of Successful Publication & Product Launches, Pete, Jeremy, share diverse examples of publishers who found creative ways to generate revenue. Listen now. Get our free […]
November 2020 Monthly Update: Leveling Up
Fine-Tuning For Fall You already have a fully-stocked tool kit for the success of your publication. But are you using every feature and function to its full potential? With a handful of updates, small and large, new integrations, and a whole bunch of tips on optimizing what you already have, it’s time to take your publication to the […]
How to optimize your registration page to encourage paid subscriptions
An Overlooked Opportunity A profitable digital publication has a lot of moving pieces. Your ever-growing archive of content, your paywall protector, the teasing newsletters, your various subscription levels: all of these play a part in your success. So it’s easy to overlook some of the smaller players. But every page can help the subscription process […]
How Leaky Paywall and WooCommerce open the doors to subscriptions and purchases using any payment gateway
Our WooCommerce add-on can cater to the payment needs of your specific region without disrupting the smooth subscription experience you’ve crafted for your readers.
October 2020 Monthly Update: Checking Your Foundation
Find Your Cornerstone This month, we’re focusing on perfecting the fundamentals. The first step to a profitable publication is getting the basics right. We kick it off with a few words on Leaky Paywall’s full compliance with SCA regulations. Then we unveil our new Paywall Podcast and a couple new integrations to simplify your workflow, […]
Introducing the Paywall Podcast
Looking to generate more subscribers with your paywall? We discuss paywall strategies and tactics for news and magazine publishers. With over 900 publishers running our subscription platform we have learned quite a bit about what works (and doesn’t) in digital publishing. Join Pete, Jeremy, and Tyler for a deep dive that will help you grow […]
Don’t design your new website… blueprint it
Grab a pencil and a couple of sheets of paper… this (true) story starts with a person I call the frenzied publisher. A big mess Some time ago I walked into the office of this publisher who was scanning a conference room table (with about 30 pieces of paper on it) in order to re-design […]
September 2020 Monthly Update: Big Changes For The Changing Season
There’s Something About MailChimp… Your email marketing isn’t just a sales funnel, it’s a sales vortex. It doesn’t just direct your readers to a paid subscription, it sucks them in. A reader on your email list is 10x more likely to purchase a subscription. Which is why, this month, we’re all about MailChimp and its […]
A visually stunning digital subscription magazine raises the bar
Catch Magazine: The Official Journal of Fly Fishing Photography & Film has a ten-year history of visually stunning digital editions. The magazine’s contributors are avid fly fishers but they are, first and foremost, gifted photographers.
Building a subscriber funnel with Leaky Paywall
How would you like to add 1000 new email addresses to your list in a week? Or 7000 new in just a few months? This is exactly what happened when The Business Journal launched their free registration wall, and new subscribers continue to sign up. After limiting access to free subscribers they turned on Leaky […]
How a local newspaper found new life with a metered paywall
The Welch News, a small paper serving McDowell County, West Virginia for almost a century, nearly buckled under the weight.
How to generate new revenues through tiered subscription levels
“We already had a digital magazine going out once a month that people were paying for,” he says. “But we also felt that the content we put out daily was of sufficient value to people that they probably wouldn’t be completely adverse to paying for that as well.”
How we redesigned a website in 60 days to boost engagement and subscriptions
An Overloaded Site Total Football Analysis provides exactly what’s in the name: in-depth analysis of the current world of soccer: its leagues, its players, its tactics and strategies. It’s an embarrassment of football riches. Between the monthly magazine and the daily site content, Total Football Analysis was providing so much material that their old site […]
How to deliver custom content to your subscribers
Let your subscribers select their topics of interest with a low profile custom news feed.
Build your email list using related articles
From Casual To Committed The key to winning the subscription game is capturing the attention of your casual readers. Most of those readers will find you by searching for a specific topic and finding a specific article or through a recommendation on social media. (That’s why you have a metered paywall, after all: to make […]
Grow subscriptions by blocking incognito browser use
Strong Content, Strong Protection The Heisenberg Report is a digital publication of real-time political and financial news. They pride themselves on content that is current, accurate, rich with information, and just snarky enough to be engaging. All of which means that the Heisenberg Report has much to protect with its paywall. And that is why […]
The 10+ plugins you need to polish your subscription management
A Full Toolbox Your content is the engine that drives your publication. But your platform is the chassis that gives your content structure and stability. ZEEN101 has chosen WordPress as its foundation and partner for a number of reasons, not least among them the versatile set of tools available for enhancing the experience for publishers […]
Increasing digital subscriptions with an All-Access pass
Stepping Up The Tempo Of Subscription Success Modern Drummer Magazine is at the top of their game for growing subscriptions. As a veteran print publisher who successfully made the leap to a digital issue, they’ve also mastered the art of setting their pricing to increase both print and digital subscriptions. Now they’ve found a new […]
How to effectively announce your new issues via email
If you publish regular or special issue content you are likely sending out email announcements to promote each edition. So how do you put together a compelling issue teaser?
How to double your email list by getting rid of your email popup
An Essential Process Time and experience (and even a formal study or two) have proven that growing your email list is an indispensable part of growing your subscriptions. Readers who join your email list are 10x more likely to become subscribers. It follows that building that email list should take a more proactive approach than […]
How we got into publishing with college magazines
This year, ZEEN101 observes its 10th Anniversary. That’s a full decade of providing publishers with the tools they need to be a true and vital presence on the web.
How to make flipbooks part of your digital subscription strategy
A Long History True West Magazine is a veteran publication, publishing a highly visual magazine on the history of the American West since 1953. They started adding their content on the web fairly early, before the evolution of the digital issue. At the time, it was a fairly natural decision for President and Executive Editor […]
Using free subscriptions to build paid memberships
A Different Goal For more than 30 years, Land Line has been the publication for independent truck drivers. As a veteran publisher with close ties to the industry it serves, Land Line has a thorough and intimate knowledge of its readership. But Land Line is also a little different than most publications. Despite its wealth […]
What if someone tries to get around your paywall?
There’s Always Someone… The success of a leaky/metered paywall is tied to the ability to offer a few free articles per browsing session so that your content is fully indexed by Google and can be shared in social media. Generally publishers are enjoying paid digital subscriptions by metering the content and accepting the fact that […]
Integrating Leaky Paywall with Publisher’s Creative Systems (PCS) & Data Joe for a smooth subscription flow
Value & Simplicity Publishers focus their efforts on crafting valuable content for their target audiences. That’s their main purpose. But the revenue comes from making sure that people are seeing and paying for that content. Making your content easy to access gives readers more reasons to subscribe. Making the subscription process frictionless increases the likelihood […]
How to sell a Super-Premium subscription level
Special Handling For Special Content All of your content is valuable, but for most publishers there are some pieces that are simply more valuable than others. Take iPolitics, for example. A leading online source for Canadian political news, iPolitics is offering in-depth coverage of its upcoming 43rd general election. For the months of September and […]
What should you set your Leaky Paywall meter to? – a Profitable Publishing Webinar
New Research and New Regulations On September 12th, ZEEN101’s Pete Ericson and Jeremy Green hosted our third Profitable Publishing Webinar. This edition of the webinar kicks off with Pete’s tutorial on how to set your paywall correctly to grow your subscriptions. Then, Jeremy gives a guided tour of new settings in Leaky Paywall and compliance […]
How To Use Ad Techniques To Promote Your Subscriptions
Creative Use For Existing Tools The Texan is a young publication that focuses on political news from the Lone Star state. The publication prides itself on being advertisement free, as part of its mission to focus solely on the news and on the reader experience. As a subscription-based service, it is not surprising that The […]
Do Flipbook E-Editions Really Work?
Flipbooks: Yea or Nay? Flipbooks (or e-editions) were an early development in field of digital publications. It was a logical step: they were a perfect replica of the print magazine, right down to the flipping pages (and sound effect). As the digital world has advanced, flipbooks have fallen out of favor for many good reasons. […]
How To Protect And Profit From Your Unique Content
A Different Kind of Content All content is valuable. Fortunately, just about any kind of content can be metered. Take a look at Automobl. Automobl is a new Canadian car comparison site. Founder Paul Webster has spent a lot of time compiling data on every trim available of more than 175 cars currently on the […]
The State of Subscription Management – A Podcast Interview
Chatting With the Experts Digital subscriptions are an issue critical to the world of publishing. So it’s not surprising that it would be a popular topic for discussion. That’s why ZEEN101’s Pete Ericson sat down for a chat with Vahe Arabian of the State of Digital Publishing podcast. The podcast runs for about 50 minutes and […]
How To Build Your Email List and Track GA Goals – A Profitable Publishing Webinar
Strategies and Walkthroughs On May 14th, ZEEN101’s Pete Ericson and Jeremy Green hosted our second Profitable Publishing Webinar. This week’s session included the importance and ease of building your email list and how to set up and track event goals in Google Analytics. The 22-minute session was presented live to our premium customers, with the […]
Why You Should Shift Your Focus To Inbound Marketing
A New Perspective All successful publications have found ways of marketing that work for them: print mailings and cold calls, tracking subscriber (and ex-subscriber) behavior. These outbound methods are valid and will continue to be so. But when you switch to a digital publication, you open up a whole new world of opportunity and your […]
How To Make Digital Advertising Work For You
Digital Advertising That Works In Autumn 2018, at the National Newspaper Association’s annual trade show, ZEEN101’s Pete Ericson led a roundtable discussion on digital advertising. The consensus was that digital advertising is a mess (big surprise). Fortunately, when traditional methods falter, innovators will always come up with something new. You just have to think on […]
How To Create A Better User Account Experience
The Finishing Touch Most of our efforts are focused on convincing readers to become subscribers. It’s easy to forget that there is still one last step: actually purchasing the subscription. Most subscription checkouts are an afterthought: one long, scrolling page collecting all the vital information at once. As if the publication is afraid that the […]