A newspaper in a town of 758 people, in a county of 17,000, started selling online subscriptions with PaywallProject in early 2023. It began with virtually no online subscribers.
$2,500+
A month in subscription revenue, up from almost nothing in January 2023
3×
Email subscribers, from about 1,000 to close to 3,000
758
People in the town, and 17,000 in the county
The starting point
When the paper came to us around January 2023, it had virtually no online subscribers and an email list of about 1,000.
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, the paper was earning more than $2,500 a month in recurring subscription revenue, over $30,000 a year. Its email list has grown to close to 3,000, in a county of 17,000 people.
A market this small can still support a digital subscription business.
