Setting Up a Toll Gate for Content

by Marcia Yudkin

Contrary to dire predictions that people will never pay for 
content on the Internet, thousands of entrepreneurs are 
setting up successful subscription Web sites. Whether you 
have a content site that you plan to start charging for or 
are in the process of creating a new site with content 
behind a toll gate, success comes from understanding what 
people will pay for online and including two key marketing 
ingredients to persuade them to sign up.

Before committing yourself to a paid subscription site, 
think long and hard about the value you will be offering 
subscribers. Be ruthless and conservative in your 
assumptions! Here are some general categories of things 
that people in a number of niches are willing to pay for:

* inside or expert information that helps them make more 
money or save money

* fresher or more complete data than they can get elsewhere

* something that consistently brightens their day better 
than anything else

* solutions to their problem right this minute, especially 
if it's the middle of the night or a deadline looms

* tools, samples, templates, plans, patterns, checklists, 
downloads, scripts

* access to experts or celebrities

* opportunity to interact with other members of their niche 
or people who share a relatively unusual interest

* interactive or personalized features not available 
elsewhere

* fresh information available conveniently and on a reliable 
schedule

* reviews, recommendations, resources, case studies

* step-by-step instruction at their level

* the opportunity to feel they are making a difference and 
staying informed about a cause that's important to them

* information that is exactly tailored to their niche needs 
rather than generic

Since your paid content will be password protected, for 
members only, even the best offerings can't sell themselves. 
Therefore you need mouthwatering descriptive bullets making 
the content sound unusually tantalizing and valuable and 
testimonials from members who explain how they've more than 
gotten their money's worth from the site.

Instead of a dry, factual recital of what people will get 
from their site subscription, inject suspense and color into 
your descriptions of what they'll get. Especially, make 
explicit the benefit people get from your content:

* "Unlimited use our secret vault jam-packed with over 3,000 
pages of cutting-edge articles, programs and training tips 
created by professional strength coaches that are proven to 
give you results." (www.sportspecific.com)

* "Product Reviews: We search for the best luxury products, 
and because we accept no advertising, you receive unbiased 
product reviews." (www.luxurylifestyleadvisor.com)

Testimonials are equally important to persuade people to set 
aside their skepticism and fears and take the leap to pay 
for something they can't touch and examine in advance. Ask 
your earliest users or colleagues who have a reputation with 
your target niche to put into words what's valuable about 
your site. Particularly valuable are blurbs from people who 
got concrete results because of their subscription - made 
money, lost weight, found a sponsor, improved their SAT 
scores, etc. 

With content that passes the value test, mouthwatering 
marketing copy and quotes from satisfied site subscribers, 
you'll soon be proprietor of yet another successful 
subscription site.

Marcia Yudkin <marcia@yudkin.com> is the author of Poor 
Richard's Web Site Marketing Makeover, Six Steps to Free 
Publicity and 9 other books. She has recently created 
month-by-month marketing plans for site owners hoping to 
convert a free site to paid or to start a subscription site 
from scratch. Details: http://www.yudkin.com/plans.htm.