The trial came about when we modified our site to allow Google news users to access one free article from our paid archive before they hit our subscription wall. The system worked brilliantly, and we realised very quickly that it could be modified to allow single-page access to visitors from any site we chose. We emailed a few of our blog buddies inviting them to try it out – and of course they were delighted to be able to link to content that was previously out of bounds. Since implementing the system, our traffic has gone up alarmingly and our weekly paid subscriptions have increased by 20%. And we’re just small fry.
Why bloggers are good for profits
Paul Carr of The Guardian writes about how The Guardian and other media outlets have embraced bloggers and seen monetary results. Free content for partners equals more traffic, profit, and credibility for the paper.