As digital subscription businesses mature, many news publishers are discovering incremental optimisation is no longer enough to sustain growth.

At the INMA Media Subscriptions Summit in Toronto, executives from around the world shared case studies with 223 attendees, showing how organisations are challenging long-held assumptions about structure, editorial roles, product development, and paywall strategy to unlock the next phase of subscription growth.

Across the five-day programme, the message was consistent: Restarting subscription momentum often requires deeper organisational and product changes rather than simply refining existing tactics.

Several publishers described taking bold steps such as reorganising newsroom responsibilities, handing greater control to algorithms, rebuilding subscription products from scratch, or redesigning how content is created.

These experiments reflect a broader shift in the industry, where growth increasingly depends on rethinking the fundamentals of how subscription businesses operate.

NZ Herald moves subscription responsibility into the newsroom

Carolyn Adams, general manager/subscriber revenue at The New Zealand Herald, described a restructuring designed to align editorial decision-making more closely with subscription growth.

Traditionally, audience growth, marketing, and subscription strategy have often been managed outside the newsroom. But leaders at The Herald concluded editorial strategy itself plays a decisive role in converting readers into subscribers.

The company therefore reorganised its structure so digital subscription and brand marketing functions were brought under the newsroom, reporting to editorial leadership. The goal was to integrate subscription thinking more deeply into editorial planning without compromising journalistic independence, Adams said.

Rather than imposing quotas on individual journalists, NZ Herald emphasised shared accountability across teams. Editorial leaders regularly review audience and conversion insights alongside product and marketing colleagues, allowing the newsroom to better understand which coverage areas and formats resonate with paying readers.

The restructuring also created more frequent collaboration across departments, Adams said, helping the newsroom adapt more quickly to audience data and subscription trends.

For publishers seeking to restart subscription growth, The Herald’s experience highlights the importance of aligning editorial and commercial strategies rather than treating them as separate spheres.

FAZ lets algorithms guide subscription decisions

A case study by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) demonstrated how publishers are questioning long-standing assumptions about editorial control in the subscription funnel.

Historically, many newsrooms have manually decided which stories to place behind paywalls. But FAZ executives explained how the organisation began experimenting with algorithmic models that determine which articles should be presented to readers as subscription opportunities, Donika Lilova, head of subscriptions, told attendees.

The system analyses audience behaviour and dynamically selects articles likely to convert readers into subscribers. During testing, FAZ measured a 65% uplift in conversion rates on dynamically selected articles, while overall site conversions increased by nearly 6%, Lilova said.

Crucially, editorial teams retained oversight. Editors can override algorithmic decisions and maintain control over how journalism is presented.

That balance between automation and editorial judgement proved important in building newsroom support. Editorial staff ultimately became some of the strongest advocates for the system after seeing the results, Lilova said.

The experiment reflects a broader shift across subscription businesses: Instead of relying entirely on human judgement or fully automated systems, publishers are increasingly combining data science and editorial expertise to optimise the subscription journey.

Vocento rebuilds its subscription business from scratch

While some publishers are experimenting within existing systems, others have chosen to rethink their subscription businesses more radically.

Iñigo de Juan Sainz-Planillo, director of subscriptions at the Spanish media group Vocento, described how frustration with slow progress prompted the company to restart its digital subscription strategy.

Rather than continuing incremental improvements, Vocento launched a comprehensive transformation that included hiring a new product and subscriptions team, redesigning its app and Web site, and rebuilding the subscription proposition. The overhaul also focused on improving the customer journey through the subscription funnel, Sainz-Planillo said.

By redesigning the landing page experience, personalising offers, and refining the checkout process, the company significantly improved conversion performance. Conversions from landing page to checkout increased by 200% after redesigning the flow, Sainz-Planillo said.

For Vocento, restarting growth required acknowledging that existing systems and processes had reached their limits.

News publishers must sometimes be willing to question whether legacy structures are holding back innovation, Sainz-Planillo said.

Immediate Media changes how content products are built

Another example of challenging assumptions came from Immediate Media, the UK-based publisher known for brands including Radio Times and Good Food.

Immediate has undergone a transformation from a traditional magazine publisher into what executives described as a direct-to-consumer content ecosystem spanning Web sites, apps, subscriptions, and other digital products.

The company’s subscription strategy is built around specialised vertical brands rather than a single news product, Jess Burney, managing director of consumer marketing and subscriptions, told attendees. For example, its Good Food brand attracts tens of millions of users and has developed a strong base of paying app subscribers.

One of the most significant shifts inside Immediate has been reconsidering the starting point of content production, Burney said.

Instead of beginning with print magazine articles and adapting them for digital channels, teams increasingly develop content in formats that can work across multiple platforms, including video and digital-first experiences.

This approach reflects changing audience behaviour, particularly among younger users who often encounter content through video or social platforms before reading text, Burney said.

By rethinking how content is created and distributed, Immediate Media has expanded the potential entry points into its subscription funnel.

Organising teams around the customer journey

Several summit speakers emphasised that organisational alignment is becoming a decisive factor in subscription success.

At FAZ, for example, the company reorganised its teams around the customer journey, bringing together product managers, marketers, and data analysts within cross-functional “missions” focused on specific stages of subscriber acquisition and retention.

This structure allows teams to work collaboratively on subscription growth rather than operating within traditional departmental silos.

The model makes it easier to experiment with pricing, paywalls, and marketing campaigns while maintaining a shared focus on subscriber outcomes, Lilova said.

Other publishers described similar efforts to break down barriers between editorial, product, marketing, and data teams.

From optimisation to reinvention

The case studies presented in Toronto suggest the subscription industry is entering a new phase.

In earlier years of digital subscription development, many publishers focused on optimising individual components of the funnel: refining paywall rules, adjusting pricing, or improving marketing campaigns.

Today, however, many of the easiest gains have already been captured. As a result, publishers are increasingly experimenting with deeper organisational and product changes that challenge how subscription businesses have traditionally been structured.

Some are integrating subscription strategy directly into editorial decision-making. Others are introducing algorithms to guide paywall decisions or rebuilding digital products entirely.

While the approaches differ, the underlying lesson is the same.

For news publishers seeking to restart subscription growth, the biggest breakthroughs may come not from better optimisation but from questioning the assumptions that shaped their subscription businesses in the first place.

Photos by Robert Downs Photography.

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