A digital news site serving a city of about 180,000 people moved to PaywallProject in July 2022. Since then, its monthly subscription revenue has more than doubled and its email list has tripled.
2×
Monthly subscription revenue, more than doubled since July 2022
3×
Email subscribers, from about 10,000 to close to 30,000
$30K+
A month in recurring revenue today, all from paid subscriptions
The starting point
In July 2022 the publisher had an established base of paying subscribers and about 10,000 email subscribers.
The approach
PaywallProject is built around one idea: turn visitors into email subscribers, then turn email subscribers into paying readers.
- A free registration wall. Readers leave an email address to keep reading, which creates an account and adds them to the newsletter list.
- Newsletters built in WordPress. Regular sends bring registered readers back to the site.
- A metered paywall. When a reader’s free views run out, an upgrade message offers a paid plan on the spot.
- A managed site. We host, monitor and maintain the site, with support from real people on our team.
The results
By October 2026, monthly recurring subscription revenue had more than doubled, to over $30,000 a month. The email list has grown to close to 30,000.
All of this revenue comes from paid reader subscriptions. It does not include advertising or any other income. Subscription prices were also raised during this period.
