Challenges of transitioning to digital

Michael Ribero explains that the first wave of transitioning from print to digital for The Washington Post was relatively easy. The second wave was more significant, involving meeting increased demand for news during the Trump presidency and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Post successfully rose to this challenge (60+ million monthly readers, 3 million active subscribers) but transitioning to digital is hard, especially with so many free options available and macroeconomic trends tightening people's belts.

Accommodating and understanding changes in technology

Michael emphasizes the rising interest in generative AI for journalism and its potential for increasing productivity, while acknowledging questions around copyright concerns and potential risks. Staying up to date with technological advancements and being open to incorporating them into journalism can provide a competitive edge.

Personalizing with ethical considerations

The Washington Post wants to personalize its product to ensure the right articles reach the right people, but Michael acknowledges the ethical questions that arise, including the risk of becoming an echo chamber. The Post is working to address these issues while still giving readers access to a wide range of perspectives.

Subscription pricing and retention

Michael reveals that The Washington Post manages paper and digital subscriptions as separate P&Ls, with price increases historically done on the paper side. Cross-selling between newspapers and digital is a delicate dance, since they don't want to encourage people to switch to a lower-profitability product. The brand targets former paper subscribers through direct mail, email, and paid media, while preparing for upcoming privacy legislation in California, New York, and Virginia.

Following a scorecard approach rather than a single North Star Metric

Rather than one metric, the team uses a balanced scorecard approach with several metrics, including unique visitors, leads, and engagement metrics, guided by their executive editor and CEO's vision.

Improving the purchase experience for mobile users

After testing Apple Pay as the default payment method, the Post saw a remarkable increase in conversion rates of over 20%. This experience led them to focus on making the purchase process as seamless as possible, especially on mobile devices. Michael also emphasized that making the cancellation process easy can be an opportunity to delight customers, as they are likely to come back in the future.

More about Michael

Michael Ribero is the Chief Subscriptions Officer for The Washington Post, overseeing The Post's digital subscriptions business and playing a vital role in its international growth. He works across marketing, product, analytics, finance, and news. Michael joins The Washington Post from Paramount+, where he was Vice President of Global Marketing, and was previously General Manager of Brand and Media at Sling TV and worked at Visa. Earlier in his career, he was a technology investment banker. He graduated from Dartmouth College and holds an MBA from Kellogg Graduate School of Business at Northwestern University.

Episode 25 sneak peek

• On the transition to digital: "We still deliver here locally in the DC area. We have a very established base, a very committed base. But there were individuals who preferred, whether it's the price point or just the form factor, going to digital. That also opened up. We overnight became a national paper."
• On the North Star Metric: "I would say that's a lagging metric than a leading metric. Things that we think about otherwise in that scorecard is unique visitors to the site, leads. In 2023, we've done this push forward into more first-party data capture to really benefit the entirety of the enterprise."
• On challenges: "People are trimming down their subscription portfolio. I think the streamers are definitely feeling it. But really, the entirety of the subscription world, free is always hard to beat. Privacy is becoming just a greater portion of all of our conversations."
• On AI: "Generative AI for journalism is really something. There's a lot of questions to ask. We are looking into it, how it can help us have more productivity and what are the risks and all the copyright issues."
• On facilitating the purchase experience: "The vast majority of people that buy from us have an iPhone. We tested Apple Pay as the default payment. Just in terms of the conversion versus control was just out of this world. I mean, I want to say 20 plus percent. That was such an unlock for us."