Case Study: Philadelphia Magazine achieves a successful paywall launch and reader-revenue growth with Piano

How Philly and Boston Magazines Pivoted to a Reader Revenue Model

Philadelphia Magazine, a 113-year-old local title, moved from an ad-driven model to reader revenue, launching a metered paywall in July 2020. With a small editorial team and the COVID-era traffic volatility, leadership wrestled with defining the paywall (set to appear on the fifth article) and targeted about 8% of their audience to be metered monthly.

A focused cross-functional team set actionable metrics (users with 5+ monthly visits), tested pricing ($4.99/mo, $49.99/yr with a $80 two-year decoy), and realigned editorial goals to drive “stops” (four target stops per piece). They shifted acquisition to owned channels, trialed subscriber-only content, and iterated on offers—resulting in steady subscription growth after launch, strong conversions from locked articles, and clearer revenue-driven editorial investment and hiring decisions.

Philadelphia Magazine

Paul Lopreiato

Associate Director of Audience Products and Analytics