Foliomag.com implements metered paid-access model

Bill Mickey

August 14, 2012 - Red 7 Media's Folio: has implemented a metered paid-access model for its content on Foliomag.com. Effective immediately, readers will have complimentary access to eight stories each month before a paywall kicks in. After eight articles, readers will be given the option to buy an annual subscription to Foliomag.com for $69.95 or sign up on a monthly basis for $14.95. Content value was the main driver for the decision, says Bill Mickey, editor of Folio: and Audience Development.

"Folio:'s digital presence has evolved into a product in its own right," explains Mickey. "It requires a significant amount of work to produce, and for many in our market it has become a standalone information resource. Generating more revenue from a product that is clearly able to produce it is a can't-miss opportunity."

Mickey says the model will mostly impact the website's "heaviest, most loyal visitors." The site intends to reinvest profits back into content, primarily in research and video.

"By putting our money where our mouth is, so to speak, the Folio: team is now more committed than ever to realizing more value from the content that's produced for the site," says Mickey. "Readers can expect more of it, in increasing frequency, along with a greater variety of formats and voices."

For Mickey's statement, click here.