Nowadays, hard paywalls are a rare species, often overshadowed by hybrid models such as freemium and dynamic paywalls. However, this doesn’t mean that they don’t work. The WSJ, for one, has successfully leveraged a hard paywall strategy since the late 90s, which is a testament to their viability.
The crux of the matter is that paywalls are here to stay. Paywalls have become an integral and necessary part of any digital publisher’s digital strategy, without which you may struggle to stay competitive. That being said, simply implementing a paywall without further thought isn’t enough either. Any successful digital strategy is constantly being refined and reworked, and crucially, is data-driven. So although hard paywalls can work for certain businesses, a more effective and agile method exists in dynamic paywalls. To stay ahead, or even just afloat, consider opting for a flexible strategy that allows you to be creative and learn from your readers.