While most publishers treat departing subscribers like lost causes, News Corp Australia decided to leave the door deliberately open.

In 2024, The Australian and other News Corp’s brands launched what I call a “reverse metered” registration wall, essentially creating a middle ground between free access and full subscription.

The Australian’s Newspass product offers new visitors 10 free articles, videos, or podcasts over four weeks with no payment details required. (Other News Corp’s brands offer up to 12 articles over a 12-week period.)

But the genius lies in how they use it for retention. When existing subscribers want to cancel, instead of simply processing the cancellation, they offer a downgrade to Newspass as an alternative.

As Daniel Barratt, senior manager for subscriptions growth, reports, the results have been remarkable: 

• 7% of Newspass users eventually upgrade to full subscriptions. 

• More importantly, when Newspass is offered as a cancellation alternative, it achieves a 40% save rate. 

• Perhaps most telling of all: 85% of subscribers who return after churning had previously used Newspass, compared to just 15% who hadn't.

Barratt describes the main benefit of Newspass for the company as creating flexibility while maintaining direct relationships. 

The Australian has essentially created a way for subscribers to pause their relationship rather than end it entirely and kept their consent for regular nudges: “Here is some great journalism you have missed.”

Greg’s Readers First newsletter is a public face of a revenue and media subscriptions initiative by INMA, outlined here. INMA members can subscribe here.

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