What is it?

Audience Management is Newspack’s suite of tools designed to help publishers deepen reader engagement, grow newsletter lists, and convert readers into paying supporters.

It provides flexible options for metering, gating content, prompting registration, and managing paid subscriptions — all integrated into a cohesive system that’s easy to manage and customize.

What are the benefits?

  • Unlock new revenue streams: One-time or recurring donation, membership and subscription modules provide the flexibility to name your price and offer variations.
  • Real-time audience segmentation: Segment your audience for top-of-funnel, mid-funnel, and lower funnel messaging to optimize engagement and conversion. 
  • Simplified flows: Frictionless authentication and checkout flows maximize signups and conversions. Users simply need to provide an email address to create an account and are only asked to establish a password-protected account when they want to manage personal data.
  • Content gating: Offer premium content or features exclusively to subscribers/members, adding value to your product offerings.

Regular campaign prompt with reader registration block

Core Components

Audience Management includes several tightly integrated parts that work together to manage audience engagement and access:

  • WooCommerce Subscriptions: Handles recurring payments and pricing tiers for paid plans.
  • WooCommerce Memberships: Controls which content is gated and who can access it based on their subscription status.
  • Newspack Metering: Provides customizable content gating options like registration walls, metered content, and paywalls.

What’s possible?

Offer premium newsletters

  • Tie subscription tiers to access for premium newsletters.
  • Let users opt into specific newsletters (like neighborhood editions) at checkout.

Support free trials and discounted intro offers

  • Offer pricing like “$1 for 3 months” or “$50 first year, then $100/year after” using WooCommerce’s Sign-Up Fee + Free Trial options.

Meter and gate content

  • Set separate meter limits for anonymous and registered users.
  • Gate content based on tags, categories, or post types.
  • Apply different rules across your site — e.g., a registration wall for local news and a paywall for investigations.

Content gate

Customize the gating experience

  • Use the block editor to fully style and customize your registration, metering, and paywall prompts.
  • Include newsletter signups, registration modals, and calls to action.

Provide group or institutional access

  • Grant access by:
    • Email domain (e.g., @university.edu)
    • IP address (e.g., libraries, schools)
    • Manual group setup (multi-seat logins)

Common use cases include library access, institutional licenses, or family/household subscriptions.

Allow one-time access

  • Offer one-time payments that unlock access for a fixed duration (e.g., a $100 donation unlocks 1-year access).

What are the best use cases?

Audience Management is ideal for:

  • Newsletter growth: Use dynamic prompts to capture your readers at the top of the funnel.
  • Targeted messaging: Merge tags and audience targeting allow you to get the right message in front of the right person at the right time.
  • Freemium models: Use a registration wall to collect leads and convert them to paying subscribers with a metered paywall.
  • Premium newsletter offers: Make newsletters a benefit of paid subscriptions.
  • Reengagement campaigns: Offer discounted trials or win-back pricing for lapsed subscribers.
  • Group/institutional sales: Provide access by IP or email domain.
  • Branded experiences: Customize gate design to match your site’s voice and promotional offers.

Quicklinks for publishers

Here’s how to set up and use Audience Management.

Quicklinks for your readers

Here are some answers to common questions for publishers to use in communication with readers.

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Engagement Table of Contents

Audience Management Table of Contents