As PR professionals, we work tirelessly to secure placements for clients in top-tier business publications. The “holy grail” is still that one article that you’ve spent months managing and that delivers concrete value. This is the “big hit” that elevates your client’s credibility and helps convert sales.
All too often, when we share a successful media placement with a client, we discover that the story is behind a paywall at a publication to which the client doesn’t subscribe. When hitting a paywall, most clients tend to grumble about the need to pay for content that once upon a time was free. The typical reaction is to cut and paste the story or make a scan and pass it along to the client. While this may seem trivial, this is a huge mistake and here is why.
The pressure on media companies today is real. The ad-driven model is reaching the outer limits of its viability, and digital subscriptions have emerged as a vital revenue option for many publishers. Publications including The Atlantic, Wired, Bloomberg and others have introduced paywalls in recent years, and for many, it has been an important step back on the path to profitability.
As communications professionals, it is in our collective best interest to offer full-throated support of the paywall and to encourage our clients to actively participate in a thriving publisher ecosystem, both within their industry and more generally.
Creating Value In The Minds Of Clients
Every time an industry publication folds, the marketing and sales funnels in that industry narrow as well. Supporting an industry publication means supporting a key business engine.
When clients invest in industry publication subscriptions, it serves as a tangible reminder that the publications in which you’re striving to place them offer quantifiable value. Many of today’s publishers that are moving to paywall models are also upping their focus on providing true category intelligence. It’s content that matters to people — to the point that people are willing to pay for it. This serves as a reminder to your client that your services are worth the price.
A Well-Read Client Is A Better Client
In PR we rely on clients to keep us abreast of changes within their businesses, but they often rely on us to keep them abreast of larger news within their industries. This process of trend-spotting works best when both sides are participating. When we recommend subscriptions to clients, we’re encouraging them to play a more active role in monitoring news and trends. This not only helps their businesses grow stronger, but it also improves the nature of the client/agency relationship.
If your client stays up to speed on important industry developments as a matter of course, your time can be better spent helping them figure out how to align with key news hooks and industry trends rather than simply explaining them. An educated client is also a lot more likely to bring their own ideas to the table, which is always welcome.
Opening Additional Opportunities For Clients
In enacting paywalls, a lot of publishers have innovated and improved their editorial products. Whether it’s a new vertical hub or members-only newsletters, paying subscribers often gain access not just to content, but also to new industry intelligence tools, improved user experiences and exclusive event opportunities. When making a subscription recommendation to a client, be sure to point out these value-adds.
One final reason all of us should financially support publications? It’s the right thing to do. Quite simply, there is real value in content. In advocating that clients support — financially and ideologically — the survival of premium industry journalism, you demonstrate yourself to be a person of integrity. The clients you truly want will appreciate that.
