{"id":8731,"date":"2019-03-22T19:28:52","date_gmt":"2019-03-22T19:28:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/piano.io\/?post_type=content_page&p=8731"},"modified":"2019-06-19T19:05:49","modified_gmt":"2019-06-19T19:05:49","slug":"the-getting-started-guide","status":"publish","type":"content_page","link":"https:\/\/resources.piano.io\/ja\/content\/the-getting-started-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"The Getting Started Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>Introduction<\/h1>\n

With circulation declining and digital advertising being commoditized throughout the media industry, it\u2019s more critical than ever to establish a direct relationship with users, and enable a direct-to-consumer revenue stream. Adding a subscription product can be a scalable, reliable and lucrative way to do so. But the shift in paradigm from a business revolving around ad revenue to one centered on the users themselves can be a massive undertaking that requires media companies learn new skills, understand unfamiliar metrics and think differently about both their customers and their business.<\/p>\n

As the industry’s most experienced team for developing and analyzing commercial digital experiences, Piano has worked with thousands of content websites and apps. Our experts in strategy, research and marketing know how to identify and build the right subscription product, and then optimize the customer journey, driving higher engagement and revenue.<\/p>\n

In working towards those goals, Piano has developed a process designed to help companies get started. Our product development process includes four main phases, with proven steps and deliverables at every stage.<\/p>\n

The Timeline<\/h1>\n

\"Piano \"Phase<\/p>\n

<\/a>Phase 1: Understand Your Audience<\/h1>\n

Most successful subscription products meet an existing, unmet customer need and integrate into current user behavior. The first stage in creating the best product for your business, then, should be understanding both that need and your audience\u2019s behaviors. In Phase 1, we suggest focusing on quantitative analysis and qualitative research, so that you can start to better understand your audience, business, content and market.<\/p>\n

Step 1: Analyze your audience and user behavior<\/h2>\n

Consider what audience segment (or segments) is consuming the largest share of your content. For most media sites, it\u2019s only a relatively small proportion of users \u2014 between two and 12 percent \u2014 who view roughly half the pageviews. What are those highly engaged users most interested in? Which devices do they use? How do they get to your site and what are their habits once they\u2019re there? Through this knowledge you can identify your target audience and their content behaviors. You\u2019ll also establish the size of that audience, essential for understanding your ultimate business opportunity.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Develop a richer profile of your loyal users<\/h2>\n

Consider recruiting a small focus group that mirrors the demographics of your audience \u2014 the actual size will depend on how many audience segments you\u2019ve identified. Interview these users, either individually or in a group, asking questions about their media habits and how they use your brand. What do they value? How does it fit into their routine? What would they change or improve? The goal is to understand their habits both on your site and on those of your competitors, to create a series of user personas that include their general routines and goals when it comes to your content category, as well as their unmet needs and pain points. Taken together, they will help you understand your audience \u201cjobs to be done,\u201d or what they\u2019re really trying to accomplish in their lives when they use your site and those of your competitors.<\/p>\n

Step 3: Talk to your team<\/h2>\n

Have a conversation with all of the key stakeholders on your internal team \u2014 including leaders from editorial, marketing, ad sales, product management, data and insights \u2014 about what they think the opportunities and challenges will be as you put together a subscription product. By talking to stakeholders across your business, you\u2019ll begin the process of aligning the editorial, advertising and marketing departments around the goal of developing a user-focused subscription product. Piano has found that internal alignment is one of the biggest challenges media companies face when launching paid products.<\/p>\n

Step 4:\u00a0Review the competitive landscape<\/h2>\n

\u00a0Explore what the other sites in your category or market are offering their users. Do they have a subscription product? What differentiates your site from theirs? Do you serve exactly the same market and, if so, what challenges might that introduce?<\/p>\n

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Primary deliverables:<\/h3>\n