Prediction: Hearst Could Sell More Digital Subscriptions in Coming Year

Keep in mind, we’re saying this even though at Nxtbook Media, we only (currently) work with Hearst b-to-b titles. But still, we’re going on record saying that the publishing giant stands to be more successful with digital magazines next year. Here’s why:

When speaking with consumer magazines, a good question to ask them is, "What percentage of your new subscriptions currently come from the Internet?" Simply put, if a publisher can’t sell subscriptions online, the chances of them selling a digital subscription are that much less. In this recent story in Publishing Executive, Hearst reports they’ve improved greatly in this regard:

At Hearst, Loughlin cites the circulation-development tool Circules as a key product reflecting the company’s approach. Circules allows Hearst to tailor subscription offers to a consumer based on his or her specific online browsing history—again, an approach made possible by the development of tools in (and coordination between) the company’s digital media, consumer marketing and subscription-fulfillment
operations.

The project, launched in November 2006, has allowed Hearst to capture 1.6 million net paid subscriptions in 2007, up from 400,000 the year before. The company expects the number to top 2 million this year.

The article doesn’t say if any of these subscribers were offered (or accepted) digital subscriptions, but it is indicative of a more focused effort on the part of Hearst to use the Web to generate subsriptions. If a publisher can do that, they can also use the Web to generate digital subscriptions, too.