NY Times Puts Newsletters Behind Paywall

New York Times Co. is putting 18 newsletters behind a paywall, going toe to toe with rival offerings from Twitter, Facebook and Substack Inc. in an effort to boost subscribers, reports Bloomberg.

The subscriber-only emails will be a mix of new and existing newsletters written by Times journalists and contributors in its news and opinion sections. They’ll focus on a range of topics, including politics, technology, religion, economics, health and lifestyle.

The Times already produces about 50 newsletters that reach about 15 million people each week. Company executives say email, a relatively primitive method of digital distribution, has proved to be especially effective at attracting and retaining paying customers.

Readers who open newsletters are “far more likely to pay and stay,” Alex Hardiman, the Times’ chief product officer, said in an interview.

The company leads the newspaper industry, with more than 8 million total subscribers. But growth has begun to slow after a record 2020 driven by a chaotic news cycle. The newsletter initiative lets the company leverage its staff and contributors in ways that potentially boost customers and revenue.
nonsubscribers.

The 18 newsletters will become part of a Times digital subscription, including online access to the flagship newspaper, that starts at $1 a week and increases to about $200 annually after the first year.

The Times is competing with several subscription newsletter platforms. They are all vying for consumers’ wallets and, in some cases, even trying to poach Times’ journalists by offering them large advances.

Perhaps the most high-profile, Substack Inc., is a startup that helps writers publish email newsletters and takes a 10% cut from those who charge their subscribers. Twitter Inc. and Facebook Inc. have also recently introduced newsletter platforms.