How Elevator World, Leaky Paywall, and MagHub increase subscriptions with tighter restrictions

Unique

Different magazines have different needs. Some are membership-based, some have free registration levels. Most share the field with kin and competition, but some stand alone in their industries. 

The value of these monoliths is that their content is unique. And unique is always valuable.

Unique requires its own, tailored protection levels.

Just ask Elevator World.

An Industry Leader

Elevator World is the premier publication on anything and everything elevator (or “the global vertical transportation industry”, in their own words).

It’s an impressive magazine, with more than 60 years in print and featuring large photographs of stunning architecture. The articles range from past glories to present ingenuity to future innovation in the design, engineering, and integration of elevators and escalators.

The veteran print publisher has designed a web-based magazine exactly tailored to their needs and it works for them.

Built on IssueM, the digital magazine follows the standards set by the print edition. Print issues are mirrored in IssueM, which collects and displays articles in the familiar magazine groupings.

They’ve integrated flipbooks for visual readers, who enjoy the page-turning experience.

They’ve even started building their archives, uploading back issues onto the site.

It’s a powerhouse of a publication, catering to a select audience, its content unique in the publishing industry.

Which is where the Leaky Paywall comes in handy — first set as a tightly-metered paywall and then integrated with CRM MagHub.

Exclusivity of content plus ease of access for paying subscribers makes for a successful publication.

Locked and Barred

It’s safe to say that Elevator World publishes content that its readers can’t get anywhere else. Which makes locking it down not only acceptable, but a priority. Which is why they’ve chosen to set a more restrictive paywall.

Leaky Paywall is a flexible metered paywall. Publishers can set as many free (or as few) free articles as they like. When readers reach the end of their allotment, they are prompted to subscribe for more access.

Elevator World has chosen to set their paywall to one free article. It’s an ideal choice. It allows the search engines to index all content but limits readers to just a taste. They can see everything on offer but it remains just out of reach.

The lockdown is also bolstered by Elevator World’s decision to integrate an IP blocker, preventing readers from incognito browsing to reset the meter.

A Well-Oiled Lock

Elevator World firmly but gently directs over-eager readers to become subscribers. Once they make that decision, the magazine makes it as simple as possible to continue.

The integration between MagHub and Leaky Paywall reduces friction on in sign-in/account creation process.

The sign-in screen also functions as the account set-up page. Signing up is as easy as entering an email address and password. MagHub either recognizes the reader info or flags them as a new user and creates the account on the fly.

New users are redirected to the payment screen, all of which is embedded on the Elevator World site. Unlike many CRMS, with MagHub, they don’t have to transfer back and forth.

From then on, MagHub and Leaky Paywall work in tandem to control subscriber access. All payment and subscriber info is stored with MagHub.

Leaky Paywall is the gate-keeper. It sends queries on access to MagHub’s source-of-truth database and then opens the gate or locks it down as needed.

It’s a great system: unique content, carefully guarded, but easy to access for the people with the keys.

Are you interested in protecting your content or integrating with MagHub? Let’s chat.

Learn how Leaky Paywall can help grow your subscription revenue