Five tips for optimizing subscription landing pages

Tips for building an effective landing page (and a few things not to do) 

A key component of a successful reader revenue strategy is having an effective landing page to convert readers into donors, members or subscribers. Readers who land on this page have already indicated their interest in supporting your organization, so you have their attention. 

Here are five suggestions to maximize your conversion rate and simplify the process for readers who choose to support your organization.

1. Have a dedicated landing page

First things first—make sure there is a landing page dedicated to converting readers. Subscription popups are a great tool, but it’s important to also have a landing page that lays out the options for readers, can be referred to from emails or social media and is easily found via search. The page should be optimized for SEO and have a simple URL, such as acmetimes.com/subscribe. 

• What not to do: Don’t forget to test the reader experience regularly. Use a private browser and try searching for “your publication + subscribe” or test what it’s like navigating on the website to the landing page as a new user.

2. Craft clear, concise messaging

The messaging on the landing page should be clear and direct, with concise language around the calls-to-action. Since readers have already shown an interest in your work, the messaging should be simple and focused. Examples from Anchorage Daily News, The Texas Tribune, The Colorado Sun and the New York Times use just one sentence of messaging before readers see options to subscribe, become a member or donate.

3. Keep the reader’s eyes on the prize

Design the subscription landing page to direct readers toward the preferred option for subscribing, and feature a design that helps focus the reader on completing their purchase. Do what’s possible to remove ads, competing calls-to-action, links to other pages or even navigation menus that could distract or send the reader away.

Try presenting the options in a series of vertical columns and use tactics like borders, varying CTA colors, altering the size of columns or using banners to push readers toward a particular option.

• What not to do: Avoid giving readers too many choices for subscribing or presenting complicated math as they’re weighing the options. Try to present three or fewer main choices. Other subscription options can be linked to below, or marketed to appropriate readers separately through emails.

4. Seek inspiration 

Planning to redesign your subscription landing page? Start by studying the pages of other organizations whose work you admire, and look to companies outside the news industry for ideas. E-commerce companies selling everything from subscription boxes (Barkbox, FabFitFun), movies and television (Netflix, Paramount+), or tech offerings (Spocket, Mural) utilize conversion landing pages, and many have been working for years to perfect what works. These companies emphasize the importance of maintaining visual consistency between ads, landing pages and CTAs.

5. Test and learn 

Each audience is different and it’s ultimately the reader’s response to the page that means more than any best practices out there. As changes are made to a subscription or membership page, give it time and pay close attention to how readers react. Try performing an A/B test to see whether there is a difference in conversions after changing one aspect of the page, such as the pricing, or adding visual cues to direct a reader to a certain option. Continually looking for ways to optimize and improve subscription landing pages will help conversion rates and boost a publication’s overall success with reader revenue.

Want to learn more about BlueLena? Contact us at solutions@bluelena.io

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About BlueLena

BlueLena is a strategy consulting and audience management platform founded in 2020 to support the sustainability of independent local media. By combining cutting-edge technology with expert-driven services, BlueLena helps over 250 news organizations across North America develop and manage subscription, membership, and donation models. Its unique shared-resource management approach provides publishers, regardless of size, with access to enterprise-level tools and personalized support, enabling them to focus on high-quality journalism while building loyal, revenue-generating audiences. 

BlueLena is majority employee-owned, and backed by investors including Automattic(the parent company of WordPress), the Local Media Association, and Old Town Media.