10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
(New York time)

About today's module

AI, creators, and algorithmic discovery are reshaping how audiences encounter journalism. In this opening module, we focus on the top of the funnel: how publishers build brand awareness, earn attention, and communicate value when traditional search and social channels are disrupted. Learn from global leaders redefining marketing, SEO, and paywall strategies to attract new readers — and new subscribers — in the AI era.

10:00 a.m.-10:15 a.m. (New York time)
Introduction

INMA's researcher-in-residence opens the master class with an overview of the key challenges and opportunities shaping subscriber acquisition in 2025: from changing discovery pathways to emerging AI-driven marketing dynamics. He’ll introduce the master class speakers, and the logic behind his choice of case studies and independent research.

Greg Piechota, Lead, INMA Readers First Initiative, United Kingdom


10:15 a.m.-10:55 a.m. (New York time)
Marketing journalism in the age of AI: Inside Hearst’s new brand playbook

How do you grow readership and deepen engagement when algorithms, attention, and trust are all shifting? Mark Campbell shares how Hearst is redefining brand marketing for local journalism with its new multi-market, multi-platform effort to reconnect communities with trusted reporting. He’ll explore how Hearst balances brand storytelling, data, and AI-era audience behaviors to expand digital subscriptions and sustain loyalty across 26 news brands in the United States.

Mark Campbell, Chief Marketing Officer, Hearst Newspapers, United States


10:55 a.m.-11:35 a.m. (New York time)
SEO Hot Pot: Cooking up the future of search

As AI transforms how people search and platforms surface news, SEO for news is being reinvented. In this fast-paced session, Clara Soteras, consultant and author of SEO Playbook for News Publishers, reveals how newsrooms can adapt to generative engines, multi-modal search, and the collapse of evergreen traffic. She’ll share practical strategies for building visibility, authority, and loyal audiences in a world where traditional SEO rules no longer apply.

Clara Soteras, SEO, News Publishers Consultant and Author, SEO Playbook for News Publishers, Spain


Break: What have we learned about subscriptions in 2025

Take a refreshment break, or stay tuned for a brief update about the latest trends based on data of 288 news brands benchmarking with INMA.

11:40 a.m.-12:20 p.m. (New York time)
What really converts readers: Evidence-based insights on paywall strategies

Why do some readers subscribe while others stop at the paywall? Drawing on new behavioural data from his study “Converting Online News Visitors to Subscribers,” Professor Neil Thurman, Ole Fehling, and Zhengyi Xu reveals which tactics genuinely drive conversions and which fall flat. Their research challenges industry assumptions, for example, showing that teasers can deter sign-ups while targeted discounts can decisively close the deal.

Ole Fehling, Senior Manager Data Science, DRIVE/Highberg, Germany
Neil Thurman, Professor of Communication, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Germany
Zhengyi Xu, Research and Teaching Assistant, University of Zurich, Switzerland


12:20 p.m.-12:30 p.m. (New York time)
Takeaways of the day

Greg Piechota wraps up the first module with highlights from the day and outlines what’s next in the master class series.

10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
(New York time)

About today's module

Once audiences reach your site, the challenge becomes turning curiosity into commitment. This module explores the mid-funnel: how to convert motivated readers and keep them engaged. We’ll examine dynamic paywalls, the psychology of motivation, and case studies that prove loyalty and direct engagement can be engineered through experimentation, data, and trust.

10:00 a.m.-10:10 a.m. (New York time)
Introduction

INMA sets the stage for the second module, focused on mid-funnel optimisation: turning intent into action, and occasional readers into loyal subscribers.

10:10 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. (New York time)
Dynamic paywalls in practice: Alma Media’s path to sustained subscription growth

When readership and conversion soften, static paywalls no longer cut it. Johanna Strandholm walks through Alma Media’s evolving paywall strategy: from early models to a more dynamic, algorithm-driven system. She’ll cover implementation challenges, lessons learned, and outcomes from their optimisation journey.

Johanna Strandholm, Vice-President, Content Business, Alma Media, Finland


10:50 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (New York time)

Why people pay for news: The 6 motivations that drive subscriptions

What truly motivates readers to subscribe? Professors Esther Thorson and Weiyue Chen share research identifying six key drivers that explain why people pay for news: supporting journalism, valuing quality reporting, hitting a paywall, community attachment, affordability, and content usefulness. Their findings show emotional and mission-driven motivations often outweigh demographics, offering a practical framework for audience segmentation and messaging.

Esther Thorson, Professor of Journalism, Michigan State University, United States
Weiyue (Cynthia) Chen, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Sports Media, Butler University, United States


11:30 a.m. - 11:40 a.m. (New York time)
Break: What’s new in paywall models

Take a refreshment break, or stay tuned for a brief update about the state of paywalls based on data of 288 news brands benchmarking with INMA.

11:40 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. (New York time)
Winning back the audience: How Stuttgarter Zeitung doubled its direct traffic in 18 months

When over half your traffic comes from Google, building direct audience relationships becomes a matter of survival. Carsten Groß shares how Stuttgarter Zeitung nearly doubled its direct traffic in just 18 months — from 13% to over 22% — by focusing on loyal local communities, training editors to act on analytics, and aligning newsroom, product, and marketing teams around user needs.

Carsten Groß, Chief Executive Officer, Medienholding Süd, Germany


12:20 p.m.-12:30 p.m. (New York time)
Takeaways of the day

Greg Piechota concludes with the main lessons from Module 2 and a preview of the final day’s focus on advanced monetisation and the AI-driven funnel.

10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
(New York time)

About today's module

The final module looks at the lower funnel: where audiences decide to buy, renew, or leave. In a world where AI reshapes discovery and automation changes how people pay, publishers must rethink monetisation itself. Hear from leaders experimenting with new payment models, dynamic pricing, and funnel redesigns.

10:00 a.m.-10:10 a.m. (New York time)
Introduction

INMA opens the final module, highlighting how AI and new payment technologies are reshaping the lower funnel — from conversion mechanics to alternative monetisation models.

10:10 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. (New York time)
From experiments to excellence: How Mediahuis Ireland reached 100,000 digital subscribers

How do you grow digital subscriptions amid increasing competition? Paul Dunny shares the publisher’s five-year journey from launch to 100,000 digital subscribers through a culture of data-informed experimentation. From testing metered and hybrid paywalls to introducing 24-hour passes, flexible payment options, and win-back flows, Mediahuis Ireland continuously refined its acquisition and retention strategies.

Paul Dunny, Head of Customer Value, Mediahuis Ireland


10:50 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (New York time)
Face to face with a paywall: What readers really do, and how publishers can respond

Every 10th paywall stop is bypassed by users, but that’s not the whole story. Drawing on clickstream research, Professors Eric Overby and Adithya Pattabhiramaiah (Georgia Tech) and Vamsi Kanuri (University of Notre Dame) reveal what actually happens after readers hit the paywall: who subscribes, who leaves, and who learns to evade. Their findings show that paywalls work, even with low immediate conversions, and that evaders are often some of the most engaged readers.

Vamsi Kanuri, Viola D. Hank Associate Professor of Marketing, Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame, United States
Eric Overby, Steven A. Denning Professor of Technology and Management, Scheller College of Business, Georgia Institute of Technology, United States
Adithya Pattabhiramaiah, Sharon A. and David B. Pearce Associate Professor of Marketing, Scheller College of Business, Georgia Institute of Technology, United States


11:30 a.m. - 11:40 a.m. (New York time)
Break: What’s the state of subscriber engagement

Take a refreshment break, or stay tuned for a brief update about the state of subscriber engagement based on data of 288 news brands benchmarking with INMA.

11:40 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. (New York time)
Rethinking the news funnel in the age of AI: How to grow brand, audience, and revenue

As AI transforms how audiences discover and consume news, traditional acquisition funnels are breaking apart. Greg Piechota shares insights from INMA’s latest global research on how publishers can rebuild audience strategies for an AI-driven world. Drawing on case studies from News Corp Australia, Clarin, and The Athletic, he explains how to respond strategically and tactically to AI answer engines: from mobilising direct traffic to redesigning funnels, bundles, and brand engagement for the algorithmic era. Greg offers a step-by-step plan to estimate the size of the risk, and prioritise initiatives.

Greg Piechota, Researcher-In-Residence, INMA, United Kingdom


12:25 p.m.-12:30 p.m. (New York time)
Takeaways of the master class

Greg Piechota closes the master class with a synthesis of lessons from all three modules, highlighting the common patterns behind subscription growth in a disrupted discovery landscape, and what publishers should focus on next in 2026.