We believe publishers should own their future.
Since 2010, we’ve helped over 1,000 news and magazine publishers build sustainable subscription revenue on their own terms, with their own data. Powered by Leaky Paywall.
It started with a magazine that refused to be a PDF.
In 2010, Dartmouth College came to us with a challenge: bring their alumni magazine online, but not as a clunky flipbook or downloadable PDF. They wanted something that lived on the web, played nice with search engines, and could be shared on social media.
That challenge became IssueM, and those early conversations became the foundation of everything we’ve built since. Yale, Middlebury, Simmons, Amherst, and others soon followed.
“Publishers needed a new way forward. We suspected, and have since proven, that digital publishing offers more revenue possibilities than most thought possible.”
Three years later, another publisher came to us with a different problem: how do you charge for content without disappearing from Google and killing your social reach? We modeled our answer after The New York Times: a metered paywall that lets casual readers sample content while converting your most engaged audience into paying subscribers.
We called it Leaky Paywall. Today it powers subscription revenue across news, magazines, and niche content. Audience and revenue grow together instead of trading off against each other.
The Journey
IssueM is Born
Built for Dartmouth College: a new way to publish digital magazines on the open web. Yale, Middlebury, Simmons, Amherst, and others soon follow.
Leaky Paywall Launches
Modeled after The New York Times, the first WordPress-native metered paywall. Publishers charge for content without sacrificing reach.
UniPress Mobile Apps
Launch iOS and Android apps for publishers. Readers get a native mobile experience, powered by the WordPress site you already run.
Reader-First Framework
We codify our approach: nurture readers from anonymous visitors to registered users to paying subscribers.
Newsletter Platform for Publishers
Launch Flowletter, a faster newsletter workflow built for subscription publishers. Automatic newsletters from your content, plus auto-login links for subscribers.
LocalCalendar
AI-powered events calendar for local publishers. It automates updates, builds email segments, and opens up new sponsorship opportunities.
Subscriber Insights
Know your subscribers, grow your revenue. Analytics built for Leaky Paywall publishers. It flags at-risk subscribers, recovers failed payments, and surfaces warm readers who keep hitting the paywall. The Offer Engine takes it from there: it converts engaged readers into paying subscribers automatically, every week.
What We’ve Learned
Reader Revenue Beats Ad Revenue
Ads need huge scale and put you at the mercy of algorithms. Subscriptions build direct relationships with readers who actually value what you create.
Your Paywall Is Your Growth Engine
A well-configured paywall is your nurturing system. It captures emails, segments readers, and moves them from casual visitors to paying subscribers.
WordPress Gives You Control
Own your data. Own your subscriber relationships. WordPress lets you build the reader experience you want, with no platform lock-in.
Content + Audience = Your Superpowers
You have two assets most companies can’t buy: original content and a built-in audience. Use both properly and growth follows.
Engaged Audiences Drive Traffic
Stop chasing algorithms. An engaged subscriber base shares your work, returns daily, and grows your reach organically. Build the audience first. Traffic follows.
AI Won’t Save You. Your Audience Will.
AI can scrape content, but it can’t replicate reader relationships. Take control of your growth by building an owned audience that no algorithm can take away.
Ready to build sustainable subscription revenue?
Starting from scratch or fixing what you already have, we’ll show you what’s working for publishers right now.