The Washington Post tests week-long paid content passes

The Washington Post has begun offering readers an alternative to a recurring subscription: a 7-day one-off pass that does not automatically renew. The publisher appears to be testing a range of price points for the product from $4 to $10 for a week of access.

The Post’s CEO Will Lewis told employees in May that the paper was losing money and that it would explore more “flexible” options designed to make it easier for readers to pay for news. Lewis sent a memo to staff last week describing the offering as “the very first test of its flexible payments product.”

The company has also tested a product it calls “Limited Pass” which offers access to a limited number of articles per month for a small financial commitment. Readers in the U.K. have been offered access to four articles per month for £1 every 4 weeks, for example.

The adoption of easier self-service cancellation mechanisms is helping to accelerate publishers’ move toward more flexible subscription products and plans more broadly. Publishers are increasingly breaking apart existing subscriber features and positioning them as standalone products designed to service the needs of more targeted and granular segments of their audiences.

Publishers primarily designed this approach to help initiate paying relationships with larger portions of their audiences by offering clearer value propositions at lower price points, but it’s also helping to boost retention by enabling subscribers to downgrade to less expensive products and commitment levels they feel are right for them.

Meanwhile, publishers’ skepticism towards “micropayments” also seems to be softening somewhat as the thirst for new marketing and monetization options becomes more acute. Some, such as The Toronto Star, say they’re testing the approach to appeal to their casual and/or younger audience segments, and to highlight the relative value of their other subscription offerings.

The value of micropayments and flexible subscription options for publishers will ultimately depend on how they’re implemented and what publishers are hoping to achieve with them. Publishers need not reorient their entire businesses to find ways to leverage them to their advantage, particularly if single articles and “light” subscription tiers are priced carefully and intentionally. 

In The Star’s case, it’s hoping micropayments will help it sell long-term subscriptions and it doesn’t necessarily expect them to drive significant revenue as a standalone revenue stream. “This is another tactic to try to get people to use the product and eventually subscribe… This will just be another tool we can use to do that,” Torstar’s chief revenue officer, Brandon Grosvenor told Toolkits.

The Post’s week-long tier is likely intended to achieve similar results, acting as an on-ramp to more long-term subscriptions without simply leaning on free trials or heavily discounted introductory offers.