Summary
Linking to paywalled content in emails carries risks to sender reputation and engagement. Key to mitigating these risks is transparency with subscribers; they should be informed about paywalls before clicking. Understanding the audience and segmenting based on their likelihood to engage with paywalled content is also crucial. A valuable exchange must be perceived, where the content's worth justifies the cost. Accessibility and user experience should be priorities. Integrating paywalled links into a wider content strategy is recommended, ensuring initial emails offer value. Finally, the reputation of the linked site itself needs to be verified.
Key findings
- Reputation at Risk: Linking to paywalled content increases the risk of spam complaints, which damages sender reputation and potentially deliverability.
- Engagement Dips: Unexpected paywalls frustrate users, reducing engagement and potentially increasing unsubscribe rates.
- Audience Matters: The impact hinges on the audience's expectations; subscribers accustomed to paywalls may react differently.
- Transparency is Key: Clear communication regarding subscription requirements sets expectations, preventing frustration and guarding sender reputation.
- Value Exchange is Essential: Subscribers must perceive a strong value exchange; content must justify the cost to mitigate negative sentiment.
Key considerations
- Be Transparent: Explicitly state when linked content requires payment or a subscription, for example, "access the full article here".
- Know Your Audience: Segment your audience based on the likelihood they will engage with paywalled content.
- Content Strategy: Incorporate paywalled links strategically within a broader content strategy that provides upfront value.
- Guarantee Value: Ensure the email itself delivers sufficient value to warrant directing users to content that requires payment.
- User Experience First: Optimize the user experience to avoid frustration and negative perceptions, considering accessibility.
- Assess Link Reputation: Verify the reputation of the linked site before including it in your email.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
Linking to paywalled content in email marketing requires careful consideration to avoid negatively impacting sender reputation and engagement. Transparency with subscribers regarding paywalls is crucial. Understanding your audience, segmenting them appropriately, and providing value before directing them to paid content are also key. A clear value exchange must be established, and the user experience, including accessibility, should be prioritized. A strong content strategy should support the inclusion of paywalled links.
Key opinions
- Spam Complaints & Reputation: Linking to paywalled content can increase spam complaints, negatively impacting sender reputation if not handled carefully.
- User Frustration: Unexpected paywalls lead to user frustration, decreased engagement, and higher unsubscribe rates.
- Audience Sensitivity: The impact depends on the audience; a segment accustomed to paywalled content may react differently than one expecting free access.
- Transparency: Being upfront about paywalls sets the right expectations and avoids misleading users.
- Value Proposition: The perceived value of the paywalled content must justify the cost to avoid negative reactions.
Key considerations
- Transparency: Clearly communicate that linked content is behind a paywall (e.g., 'access the full article here').
- Audience Segmentation: Segment your audience based on their likelihood to engage with paywalled content.
- Content Strategy: Incorporate paywalled links as part of a broader content strategy that provides value upfront.
- Value Exchange: Ensure the email content offers enough value to justify directing users to paid content.
- User Experience: Consider the user experience, including accessibility, to avoid frustrating users.
- Alternative Options: Consider if a free article or resource would be more beneficial.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Litmus explains that ensuring email accessibility is critical. Linking to a paywalled site can be problematic if the email doesn't clearly indicate this, and users with accessibility needs may find it frustrating, impacting engagement. Consider the overall design.
1 Feb 2023 - Litmus
Marketer view
Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that linking to paywalled content can frustrate users if they expect free access. It's crucial to consider the user experience and whether the content provides enough value to justify the paywall.
2 Sep 2024 - Neil Patel's Blog
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Linking to paywalled content can affect sender reputation and engagement. If the linked content is from a reputable source, deliverability might not be directly impacted, but future engagement can be negatively affected if users are dissatisfied. Crucially, it is important to consider user expectations and be transparent about content requiring payment or subscription to manage expectations and avoid frustration.
Key opinions
- Source Reputation: The reputation of the third-party site hosting the paywalled content influences deliverability; poor reputation may impact it.
- User Expectations Impact Engagement: Mismatched expectations (believing content is free when it's paywalled) lead to decreased engagement.
- Transparency Protects Reputation: Clear communication about subscription or payment requirements can safeguard sender reputation.
Key considerations
- Third-Party Reputation: Verify the reputation of the linked site before including it in your email.
- Transparent Communication: Explicitly state when linked content requires payment or a subscription.
- User Experience: Prioritize managing user expectations to avoid frustration and negative perceptions.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares that if the 3rd party doesn't have a poor reputation, it shouldn't impact delivery, but it will probably depress future engagement.
21 Apr 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that it's crucial to consider user expectations. If the user is led to believe the content is freely accessible, but encounters a paywall, this can negatively impact their perception of the sender and brand, ultimately affecting engagement and potentially sender reputation.
30 Aug 2024 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Linking to paywalled content can negatively impact sender reputation if not done carefully. Clear communication about the paywall is vital. Low-quality or misleading content can lead to increased spam complaints. Linking to sites with poor reputations, even if they host paywalled content, can be problematic. Ensuring email integrity and not misleading users helps avoid negative reactions and spam markings. Using appropriate HTTP status codes to manage expectations around paywalls can improve user experience.
Key findings
- Gmail Reputation Impact: Consistently directing users to irrelevant or inaccessible content, including paywalled content without context, harms sender reputation with Gmail.
- Misleading Content & Spam: Low-quality or misleading content, including paywalled content without clear indication, increases spam complaints.
- Link Reputation Matters: Linking to sites with poor reputations, even if they host paywalled content, is problematic and can damage sender reputation.
- Email Integrity & Spam: Misleading users (e.g., not indicating a paywall) increases the likelihood of emails being marked as spam.
Key considerations
- Provide Context: Always provide clear context when linking to paywalled content.
- Maintain Link Quality: Ensure linked sites have a good reputation.
- Be Transparent: Clearly indicate that linked content is behind a paywall.
- Consider HTTP Status Codes: Explore using HTTP status codes (like 402) to manage paywall expectations.
- Ensure Message Integrity: Make sure message clearly informs users of the experience they should expect.
Technical article
Documentation from RFC Editor explains that using appropriate HTTP status codes can help manage expectations. Using a 402 Payment Required (while not widely adopted) or clearly indicating the paywall before the click can improve user experience.
6 Oct 2022 - RFC Editor
Technical article
Documentation from Spamhaus explains that linking to sites with poor reputations can negatively affect your sender reputation. While not directly about paywalls, linking to untrustworthy sites (even if they host paywalled content) can be problematic.
18 Sep 2024 - Spamhaus
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