Transfer irregular online readers into your engagement funnel

Every second, millions of users search for news or entertaining content online. Some go straight to a certain URL/website. However, the majority reads an article on one website and then surfs to the next website, depending on their information or entertainment needs.

It always happens without paying. This behaviour is very common when it comes to online news and media consumption. Publishers find that 90% of users who contact their paywalls are irregular readers.

Who are these irregular readers and where do they come from?

Have these readers been redirected from search engines looking for a specific topic? Was an article recommended on social media? Or are they actually print costumers, who occasionally read news online?

When we talk to publishers, we often hear that irregular readers are already being categorised based on the frequency of visits and their source. Irregular readers are very important to publishers because there are so many of them. The publishers want them to visit the website regularly because the industry agrees on one thing: a higher frequency of visits on the website results in a higher probability of monetisation, for example through conversion to a subscriber.

It is absolutely right for publishers to focus on higher reader engagement. But some features on websites are keeping irregular readers from showing up more often. For example, registry-, pay-, adblock- and consent-walls.

Are you still paying for reader acquisition?

Welect is an integration into your paywall that convinces irregular readers to return more frequently and transfer them into the reader-retention-funnel. The integration is not only free but also monetises this traffic with an on-demand advertising approach with a premium price level. Readers get access to relevant content with a very user-friendly option that the publisher offers to encourage the reader to return.

Bounce rates at paywalls are often 90% or more. The Welect integration lowers them to as far as 50%. This works with an alternative access for the user to the content. That does not mean it's free. Readers pay with their attention. They actively decide to watch a video ad that the reader can choose for themselves. The fact that the reader actively decides to watch an ad, the possibility to choose this video ad by himself and the guarantee that only fully watched spots are billed to the advertiser, ensure the monetisation at a premium price level. But more important is the effect that many million readers will come back more frequently because of the user-friendly option to get access to the content. That’s how the publisher can establish a real relationship with the reader.