In the current digital media landscape, news publishers are facing their challenge to turn casual visitors into loyal, paying subscribers.

In the recent INMA Media Subscriptions Summit, Bihag Karnani, product manager at Google, and Martin Hudak, product manager at Ringier Slovakia Media, shared insights on how Google’s Reader Revenue Manager (RRM) has helped Slovakia’s most-visited news Web site grow reader engagement and subscription revenue. The tool is free to news publishers.

Ringier: converting casual readers

Ringier Slovakia Media’s flagship, Aktuality.sk, implemented RRM to address the challenge of growing and retaining its subscriber base. Despite being the leading news Web site in Slovakia, the majority of its revenue still came from advertising, and its subscription model was relatively new compared to competitors.

To enhance engagement and drive conversions, Ringier structured its reader revenue strategy into four key stages using RRM:

1. Paywall: Offer (subscribe with Google) — readers who reach the paywall are given an easy one-click subscription option via Google Pay. This reduces friction and improves conversion rates.

2. Survey: Understand your audience — once a user subscribes or registers, they are prompted with a survey to collect first-party data. These insights help tailor content and optimise reader engagement strategies.

3. Custom CTA: Drive reader action — publishers can add a customisable call-to-action (CTA) button to guide readers toward specific actions, such as event sign-ups, exclusive content, or donations.

4. Newsletter sign-up to deepen reader engagement: Readers are encouraged to sign up for newsletters, ensuring ongoing engagement and building long-term relationships.

One of the biggest advantages of RRM is its ability to automate and simplify subscription management, reducing the workload for marketing and product teams, Martin said.

Aktuality.sk saw a 90% increase in subscriptions after making reader revenue their priority and implementing RRM as part of their strategy, Martin said.He shared a practical example of how Aktuality.sk is using RRM to turn casual visitors into loyal subscribers. 

Their strategy follows a structured reader journey:

1. Initial engagement: A reader encounters a metered paywall after consuming a few articles. If they return frequently, they face a registration wall to capture their email. Personalised content recommendations encourage continued engagement.

2. Monetisation: The reader is offered the first three hours of newly published premium content to explore. Custom subscription offers are presented based on their reading behaviour.

3. Retention: Subscribers receive payment reminder e-mails to prevent involuntary churn. Win-back campaigns also target users who cancel their subscriptions.

RRM for small- and medium-sized news publishers

According to Bihag, 80% of a publisher’s Web site visitors are casual readers, meaning they visit only once per month. In contrast, brand lovers —  those who visit more than eight times a month — represent the core audience for subscriptions and ad revenue. 

However, many publishers lack the tools and resources to convert these casual readers into subscribers.

RRM was designed to fill this gap by providing an easy-to-use, flexible, and free platform that helps publishers optimise their reader funnel.

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