A free local news site that gates nothing, yet readers still pay.
Putting up a wall is terrifying. We hear it from publishers every week, and the fear is real.
On the latest Paywall Podcast, Pete and Tyler break down a publisher who ignored almost everything we usually preach and made it work. Local news site, around 60,000 monthly visitors, nonprofit-style model. They gate nothing. Three free articles, then a free registration wall, then unlimited access. No payment is ever required to read.
It converts at 5.7%, and it's pulled in 2,200+ registered readers in about three months. That's a rate most publishers only hit with a much tighter wall.
So where's the revenue? Membership, not locked content. Reading stays free, but commenting costs money (which keeps the comments clean on its own), and there's a stack of other perks for paying members.
Churn has its own shape for publishers: engagement fades, renewals hide risk, payments break. A guide to the two types of churn and the tactics that keep readers paying.
