Terms
The process of securing content with paywalls might be the most important decision a content creator can take. The ideal balance between making content that is free as well as monetizing it isn't easy. You want people to find your content, but you also need to build a sustainable business. Let's look at the aspects of the process of securing content, and address some of the most important questions.
What exactly is a paywall?
Think of a paywall as a gate restricting access to content, much as a garden shared with secured gates. For the people who own a key to unlock gates, they may enter the garden whenever they want, however for people without the key who do not have a key, they are required to remain in the secure gate.
As a garden gate opens to allow people to access the garden the same way, a content gate, also known as a paywall allows users to access a portion of your digital content (which is referred to as content that is gated). This content may be a podcast, newsletter or blog article, course or similar and the 'key' in this instance is probably a special account or password that allows access to specific users. A key could be achieved by becoming a subscriber to this podcast, buying an online course or by becoming part of the blog.
What is the reason to use a paywall?
There are two primary reasons behind the need to block content behind a paywall. Both have to do with the development of your company's growth:
Placing content behind a paywall means that your audience will have to pay to view it which can be done by setting up a monthly/annual subscription or making a single purchase like a life-time membership or donation. The payment will open the gate' and provide access to your blog, page or podcast. There are numerous software platforms out there that offer the ability to make it easier to connect people as well as paid content.
The ability to categorize content lets you collect information from customers, to gain more of an understanding of them and build stronger connections. It is possible to use this information to gain a better understanding of your visitors by creating an email database or making changes to the way you interact with your website. You could, for instance, ask for a member's preferred language, and then show the content they prefer in their language. Naturally, you'll have be clear about the fact that you're asking for your data for the purpose of contacting them as per GDPR.
Why not use a paywall?
In all choices there are pros and cons to gating content. "Hiding" content behind a paywall means that it's hidden from Google's crawling algorithms. If not strategic the paywall could have a significant impact on the effectiveness of your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts, which is one of the most important ways for searchers to locate you. This is why it's not recommended to gate/restrict all your website's content.
Additionally, for individuals to be willing to spend money you must convince them to invest in your brand and this trust is built by someone engaging with your content. Share a bit of your top and (popular) content publicly and at no cost. This helps to build confidence from readers.
Why should you choose to put up an online paywall?
There needs to be a balance between giving away content for free and what to place behind a paywall. The process of finding this balance is about the hardest and most crucial thing for anyone looking to make money from their work.
Customers and potential customers frequently ask us "How much content do I need to place behind a paywall?" but it's better to take into consideration the type of contents should be protected instead of the amount. When deciding what content is appropriate to be locked then you must ask yourself a few critical questions:
What is your goal? When creating a blog, article or podcast, think about your (primary) objective of that piece of content. Are you seeking to improve your visibility as a brand, and also making yourself an authority in your industry? Are you looking to monetize or earn revenue from your material? Do you want to create your database (often called "generating leads')? These questions can help you determine what data to gate/restrict.
What is your competitor? There's not much point asking people to pay for things if they could get it for free elsewhere! While researching your next piece of content look up if related content from the same subject is readily accessible and free. It's not a problem to create more content on the same theme but, as always the key is to be sure that the readers get an advantage that the others don't have. This could be a personal experience or unique information that no other source can provide.
Are you bringing sufficient to the value? If your content does not add value for the people who read it, then it shouldn't be censored. The content you offer must be unique and provide information that isn't found anywhere else, or be in a format which has a significant 'production value'. For example, longer content such as in-depth analyses and ebooks or downloads can be used as paywalled or gated material, whereas shorter pieces like blogs with 1,000 words or less are usually better as ungated/free content.
Where to build the gate
There's one extra aspect to take into consideration when gated content and that's how much of the piece itself must be gated. Recall the garden gate analogy If you'd like to invite people to visit a special part in your garden (perhaps a building within the garden) is it better to allow them to visit a small part of the garden to get them interested, then show them the secret area that they need to unlock.
You can then sell a ticket to the private area. In this scenario it would be a good idea to construct the gate once guests have had a look around the public garden, and not at the entry point to your land.
When it comes to digital content, the equivalent is to let the user take a look at a few paragraphs your material before the gate/paywall gets activated. The reader will be already engaged in the story and is more likely to divulge the information they have about themselves or purchase an annual subscription to read on.
How to gate content that is behind a paywall
There are a variety of other platforms that can aid you in building the gateway'. Instead of offering the entire list but instead, let us stick with what we know best: gatekeeping content on WordPress. There are a handful of well-established WordPress plugins that can aid you with gating your website's content
If you'd like to know more, don't hesitate to contact us. Press the red button below to begin chatting with us today!