Consumers are not used to subscribing to content. If you consider television, a vast number of people still tune in at a specific time on any given day to watch their favorite show. Unfortunately, that isn’t possible on the web for a number of reasons:
- Distribution partners: Digital media is all about distributing content to multiple sources. While this is beneficial to users discovering new content, it’s difficult to determine when a particular show will be available. Therefore, the concept of subscription fails.
- Television on the web: Getting people to understand the concept of “TV on the Web” is challenging. Users are not accustomed to a high level of interaction and open communication. Therefore, a user may be confused when they visit a particular site by not only finding video, audio, photos, and advertising, but also forums, chats, games, etc. In this case, what do you want your audience to subscribe to? If on any given page, you have an advertiser ‘sign-up’ form and another button that says subscribe, is it not challenging for the average user?
- Destination: Last, but not least, a computer screen is often not considered to be a destination for video entertainment. So, how would you explain — in simple terms, what subscribing means?
Given the above problems, how do content producers and content owners advocate content subscriptions? By educating users. Before doing so, it’s essential to keep one technology in mind:
- Feeds: “A web feed (or news feed) is a data format used for providing users with frequently updated content. Content distributors syndicate a web feed, thereby allowing users to subscribe to it.” — Wikipedia
If you’re a new media producer, explain what a feed is and show them how to subscribe to a feed. The process should look something like this:
- When a user clicks on a ‘subscribe’ button, take them to a dedicated page that allows experienced users to subscribe to content, but also teches new viewers to learn about feeds.
- Describe the term ‘subscribe’ and how it benefits them. Example: Clicking on the sample button allows you to be informed when we publish a new show. Subscribe now so that you don’t miss out on upcoming episodes!
- Create and use screenshots / video for every media property and for every scenario that demonstrates the subscription process and it’s benefits from start to finish.
- Provide your contact information on the ‘subscribe’ page for users that wish to learn more about the process.
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