How Polaris Media Sør used A/B testing to drive digital subscriptions

A subsidiary of Polaris Media, one of the largest media groups in Scandinavia, Polaris Media Sør was established in 2020. The media company consists of eight media houses as well as service, print and distribution providers. It is a service provider for 21 independent regional publishers across Norway that all use Piano paywalls.

Despite readers being reluctant to pay for online news, Polaris Media Sør wanted to capitalize on its 1.8M monthly paywall views by creating a registration and subscription strategy. To do this, the digital team needed to reimagine their user paywall experience to drive reader trust in the brand, nudge them towards subscription and reduce churn after hitting the paywall as much as possible.

By working with Piano’s Composer, they were able to understand how to better engage their audience by A/B testing a range of paywall formats. The ability to rapidly create and run multiple paywalls at the same time allowed them to provide readers with a fresh paywall every time they land—as well as vary the messaging to create a more personal experience.

They then used Piano’s audience segmentation to target readers with tailored content and generate custom paywalls for specific article categories. By ‘getting to know their readers’ and personalizing the UX, they could convince them they have content worth paying for. This led to an uptick in conversions and boost in subscriptions.

Find out more about Polaris Media Sør’s success working with Piano in this case study.

Read the case study