Content from the Mequoda Summit Boston 2010
At last week’s Mequoda Summit Boston 2010, Don Nicholas, the Executive Director of Mequoda Group and Phil Ash, Publisher of National Institute of Business Management and KCI Investing hosted an interesting session on subscription websites. In today’s digital landscape, it’s easy to see the value in the many subscription website models that exist. As an online publisher, how familiar are you with subscription websites? More information on subscription websites will be added to the blog in the next few weeks since content producers and Internet marketers can greatly benefit from the parameters set for content consumption.
“What is a subscription website?”
That question might be harder to answer than expected, mainly because there are different types of subscription websites. Some subscription websites offer a vast majority of content for free, with only a miniscule amount requiring a subscription for access. Our Mequoda Daily is a good example. For instance, we have almost 2,000 posts and pages residing under our website which can all be accessed for free. However, if someone would like to read one of our free reports, they would have to register for a free subscription with us.
In another vein, some subscription websites will not offer anything without first receiving money from the user. So as you can probably see, there is a difference in subscription websites, although they are all designed to house content and allow users to access that content as easily as possible.
6 types of subscription websites
As a better illustration, the following subscription websites are listed and identified so the nuances can be understood.
Subscription Website Type #1 – Newsletter: This form of a subscription website can be fully behind a wall, or mainly free to access. Most newsletters will include a download like a free report or podcast as well.
Subscription Website Type #2 – Periodical: This form of a subscription website does not have specific issues or any downloads associated. Here, all of the content can be viewed for free. These sites are typically searchable so that the desired content can be found easily.
Subscription Website Type #3 – Membership: This form of a subscription website labels the member as the primary information unit. A good example of a membership website is any number of dating sites on the Internet where the people and their profiles are the deliverable.
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Subscription Website Type #4 – Magazine: This form of a subscription website is similar to a newsletter and often has a downloadable format which allows for the internal downloading of content.
Subscription Website Type #5 – Application: This form of a subscription website is typically software based and allows users to download the software they desire internally.
Subscription Website Type #6 – Reference: This form of a subscription website can be thought of like a library; loads of information can be found within and the content is updated frequently. The value of the reference website comes in the continued access.
Whether free or paid models, these subscription websites are used by a variety of online publishers to serve their audience properly and efficiently.
If subscription websites are of interest to you, join Don Nicholas and Phil Ash for their upcoming webinar Building Subscription Websites: Six Proven Models for High Profit Publishing Websites.
