Digital transformation in media often prioritises new products. But one question decides long-term success: How do we bring our most loyal print subscribers into digital — without losing them?

At Rheinische Post Mediengruppe, we treated this not as a tech challenge but as a confidence challenge. The result is the DigitalFit Academy: a service-driven support model that helps readers aged 60+ navigate digital life — while strengthening retention and digital growth.

The challenge: high loyalty, low confidence                            

Our 60+ audience is highly loyal yet faces specific barriers:

• Widely varying digital literacy levels.
• Fear of mistakes and low trust in technology.
• Physical limitations (vision, motor skills).
• Complex devices, interfaces, and jargon.

Product onboarding alone wasn’t enough. What was missing was ongoing human support.

Continuous support, not one-off training

DigitalFit Academy combines training and service in one package:

• Hands-on, jargon-free courses tailored to 60+ needs.
• A 24/7 support hotline for immediate help.
• Remote assistance directly on users’ devices.
• On-site consultations for individual guidance.

This creates a reliable system — from first steps to long-term usage.

Why it works (and scales)

 Several elements make it successful:

• Holistic: training + service + personal guidance.
• Scalable: standardised programme with centralised support.
• Retention-driven: deepens relationships with existing subscribers.
• Socially relevant: enables digital participation for an underserved group.

To meet offline audiences where they live, we built trust through offline channels:

• Print coverage and in-paper promotions.
• Flyers in familiar environments (e.g., doctors’ offices).
• Personal outreach and local partnerships (e.g., banks, transport providers).

Launched in Q4 2025, the programme has received very positive feedback and has already reached 50 participants.

Key learnings for publishers

• Start with emotions, not technology.
• Fear is the biggest barrier to adoption.
• Service is the new marketing.
• Offline touchpoints can be the fastest route to digital usage.
• Retention and transformation belong together.

This approach showed us that digital transformation can include — not exclude — older audiences. 

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