5 November 2020: Today, eight publishers from across Europe graduate from the nine-month Subscriptions Lab programme run by FT Strategies, the boutique consulting firm from the Financial Times, and its partners at INMA and the Google New Initiative.

The Subscriptions Lab focuses on strengthening participating publishers’ digital subscriptions capabilities and growing their reader revenue streams. 

The inaugural graduates from eight European countries are: 

“The Lab’s main objective is to inspire and instil a reader-first strategy and culture within an organisation. Each publisher has its own ‘North Star’ based on its unique value proposition and audience profile, and the programme is about finding and defining that essence, which will then translate into reader engagement and loyalty” said Tara Lajumoke, managing director of FT Strategies. 

“Launched just before the COVID-19 lockdowns in March, we couldn’t have known at the time how critical this work would be for so many organisations. We were blown away by the innovative ways each publisher approached the challenge of the Lab, and by the skill and commitment to quality journalism so evident within their organisational cultures.”

From the Lab, a two-part “Towards Your North Star” report details learnings and recommendations from the programme to inform other publishers about to embark on new reader-focused business models. 

Further resources and exercises can be found in the global GNI Reader Revenue Playbook. Additional information about the report can be found on FTStrategies.com. 

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For more information, please contact: Katrina Fedczuk / katrina.fedczuk@ft.com

About the Subscriptions Lab

FT Strategies and INMA, in partnership with the Google News Initiative, established the GNI Subscriptions Lab in Europe to engage publishers in a journey designed to help them define an ambitious vision for their digital subscription business and build the engine that will take them to their goal.

The Lab is a nine-month experience that addresses every step of the digital subscriptions process from discovery to conversion to retention.

Part of the programme involves participants sharing their successes and learnings with the broader news industry. This will be done with the INMA-hosted town hall.

About the Google News Initiative (GNI)

The Google News Initiative represents one of Google's largest-ever efforts to help journalism thrive in the digital age. Through its partnerships, programs and products, the Google News Initiative works with thousands of organisations worldwide to support quality independent journalism, financial sustainability, and development of new technologies that drive innovation. Google allocated US$300 million over three years to energise these collaborations, and to lay the foundation for new products and programmes for a diverse set of news publishers, to benefit the entire ecosystem. This includes supporting thought leadership on topics like consumer revenue, advertising, and data that are critical to the future of the news industry.

About the Financial Times and FT Strategies

FT Strategies is a boutique consulting firm within the Financial Times. Staffed by the experts who successfully transformed the FT’s business model in the face of disruption, FT Strategies works with organisations looking to innovate using data, helping build sustainable digital businesses. Find out more at ftstrategies.com.

About International News Media Association (INMA)

The International News Media Association (INMA) is a global community of market-leading news media companies reinventing how they engage audiences and grow revenue in a multi-platform environment. The INMA community consists of more than 15,000 members at 850+ news media companies in 71 countries. Celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2020, INMA is the news media industry’s leading ideas-sharing network with members connected via conferences, reports, webinars, and an unparalleled archive of best practices.