Monetisation model
The subscription wall decision
Each wall changes traffic, search visibility and revenue per reader. The wall is a product decision made before the content model, because it decides what the app must track about every reader.
Free + ads
Free and ad-supported: maximum reach, lowest revenue per reader
Every story is open. Inventory and fill rate set revenue. The app must track sessions and ad slots, not entitlements.
Registration
Registration wall: free, but the reader hands over an email first
Reach stays high after signup. You gain an identity graph and marketing permission. Soft friction still loses readers who refuse to register.
Metered
Metered: a set number of free articles, then pay
The app must count articles per reader, reset windows and decide what happens when the meter trips mid-session.
Freemium
Freemium: some content free, premium content locked
Editors need content classes the CMS and app agree on. Mis-tagged premium pieces train readers to ignore the wall.
Hard
Hard paywall: nothing without a subscription
Highest revenue per paying reader, lowest casual reach. Search and social still need a plan for what crawlers and previews can see.
Search
What each does to search: how paywalled content can still be indexed, and what happens when it cannot
Flexible sampling, first-click free and blocked body text behave differently in search. Decide indexing rules with the wall, not after launch.
Epaper
Epaper as a separate product from the article feed
Print-replica editions often carry different rights, pricing and offline behaviour. Treating epaper as another section of the feed breaks both products.
Breaking
What breaking news does to a metered wall: the reader who arrives for one story
A spike story can burn the free allotment or force a temporary unlock. Without a written rule, editors and the app fight each other on deadline.
Consequence: the wall is decided before the content model, because it decides entitlements, metering, search sampling and what every reader record must store.
