Audience Growth – Publisher Revenue

Audience Growth, Insights, Revenue Strategy, Subscription Growth

Salem Reporter’s 5-Month Journey to Audience and Revenue Growth

Salem Reporter, a digital-only local newsroom in Oregon's capital, added 71 paid subscribers, 640 free registrations, and 57 paid trials in a single 30-day window. The setup is strict on purpose: one free article, then a required free registration for one more, then an upgrade message. In this teardown, Pete and Tyler Channell of Paywall Project walk through every step of Salem's funnel and the fear each one answers. You'll see why an in-article registration wall beats popups, why a paid newsletter can stay small, how two standing asks in every free send drive conversions, and how direct local ads and paid obituaries add revenue on top of subscriptions.

Pete Ericson
September 28, 2026

Audience Growth, Insights

Copy Clarity 101: Turning Scanners into Subscribers

Pete and Tyler break down every touchpoint between a first-time reader and a paying subscriber: registration walls, subscription messaging, welcome emails, subscribe pages, and newsletters. Simpler wins at every one of them.

Pete Ericson
September 14, 2026

Audience Growth, Insights

Who Actually Owns Your Subscriber Data?

Publisher Summary Every subscription business rents infrastructure from somebody else. The subscriber list is only the visible part of that arrangement. Payment history, engagement data, and the record of who reads what all live on someone’s servers, split across your…

Pete Ericson
August 2, 2026

Audience Growth, Revenue Strategy

The “No-Paywall” Paywall Strategy

Episode Summary An incognito local news publisher (about 60k monthly visitors) keeps every article free, yet still pulls reader revenue. A generous registration wall (3 free articles, wall on article 4) is converting at 5.7% and brought in 2,200+ registered…

Pete Ericson
July 12, 2026

Audience Growth, Insights

Getting Found When AI Answers Everything

James Baldacchino on making publisher content extractable for AI search, mining your archive for assets only you can build, and owning the audience directly.

Pete Ericson
June 25, 2026

Audience Growth, Case Studies

How Small Boats Monthly Grew Its Audience 20% in 30 Days (and Converted 30% to Paid)

Small Boats Monthly grew audience 20% in 30 days and converted nearly 30% of free registrations to paid by ditching PDFs for web-native issues and a registration wall.

Pete Ericson
May 22, 2026

Audience Growth, Insights

AI-Powered Local Calendar: How Salem Reporter Became the Go-To Events Destination

Salem Reporter's AI events calendar drove 16,000 page views in two months, 60%+ newsletter open rates, and a 4% bounce rate. Here's what made it work.

Pete Ericson
May 3, 2026

Audience Growth

The Newsletter Setup That Grows Email Lists 20% Faster

Three steps to turn your newsletter into a paid subscription engine: free registration, separate free and paid newsletters with distinct purposes, and fearless send frequency.

Pete Ericson
February 11, 2026

Audience Growth

The Truth About Paywall Evasion: AI, Google, and Password Sharing

Yes, people can bypass your paywall. No, it doesn't matter. The priority is growing your email list—your owned audience that converts regardless of who sneaks through.

Pete Ericson
January 29, 2026