How BNP Media Built a Smarter Metering System to Capture More than 10,000 New Registrations
BNP Media replaced a rigid, black-box metering system with a flexible, data-driven platform that provides full visibility into user behavior, enables A/B testing, and allows payment inside the meter. They also introduced a unified My Account Center, giving subscribers one place to manage renewals, upgrades, billing, and email preferences.
This transformation created a cohesive, branded subscription journey, from anonymous visitor → registered user → paying subscriber. Frictionless journeys improved retention and long-term loyalty almost overnight.
The Challenge
The previous metering system constrained growth. It provided no analytics, no customization, and no ability to transact within the meter. Every visitor received the same experience, and BNP Media had no insight into who was hitting the paywall, which audiences were most likely to subscribe, or where conversion friction occurred.
Meanwhile, subscribers lacked a central hub to manage account details, creating support burdens and limiting engagement.
BNP Media needed a smarter, more flexible platform that supported data-driven acquisition and a seamless self-service experience.
Key Pain Points
- No visibility into meter activity: The team couldn’t see who was hitting the meter, how often, or which content triggered subscription interest.
- No ability to test or optimize: Without A/B testing or configurable rules, BNP Media couldn’t improve messaging, thresholds, or offers.
- High friction at the moment of intent: With no in-meter payment options, readers had to leave the flow to subscribe, resulting in drop-off.
- Uniform messaging for all audiences: High-intent readers, newsletter subscribers, and casual visitors saw identical prompts.
- Fragmented subscriber experience: Subscribers had no single location to update billing, renew, or manage preferences.
The Turning Point
BNP Media made the strategic decision to adopt a metering and account experience that aligned with modern consumer expectations. By shifting from a one-size-fits-all paywall to a dynamic, data-driven system, they could:
- Personalize prompts for high-intent readers
- Guide anonymous users into registration and payment funnels
- Reduce friction across the entire subscription lifecycle
- Build a unified foundation for sustainable audience and revenue growth
This marked the beginning of a measurable, iterative, and insight-driven subscription strategy.
Here is your expanded customer story structured exactly in the requested format, with polished language and clear case-study flow.
The Solution
BNP Media implemented a fully customizable metering platform paired with an intuitive My Account Center, creating a seamless journey from acquisition to retention. With the new system, the team can now track every article view and meter interaction, identify high-intent readers in real time, run tests on messaging, thresholds, and offers, and even surface payment options directly inside the meter. On the retention side, subscribers now have access to a transparent, self-service account hub where they can manage renewals, upgrades, and preferences with ease. Together, this unified approach replaces guesswork with actionable data and guides readers naturally toward paid commitment.
“We gathered actionable insights from over a thousand exit-intent survey responses, and that feedback shaped every improvement we made. Readers told us exactly where they hit friction, what confused them, and what they expected. So instead of guessing, we built a funnel based on real user behavior. It’s one of the most valuable inputs we’ve ever added to our optimization process.”
– Brandon Decker, Head of Audience Experience and Growth at BNP Media
Key Components
- Behavior-powered metering: The new meter tracks article views and surfaces personalized prompts as readers approach their limit.
- In-meter payment options: Readers can now subscribe at the moment of highest interest without leaving the experience.
- A/B testing framework: BNP Media continuously tests copy, thresholds, placement, and offers to optimize conversions.
- Unified My Account Center: A branded, self-serve portal allows subscribers to manage renewals, upgrades, billing, and communication preferences.
- Continuous analytics loop: All meter hits, conversions, and account interactions feed into dashboards used to refine the journey over time.
Results
Once BNP Media replaced its rigid paywall with a flexible, insight-driven system, the impact was immediate. Audience growth accelerated, conversion rates improved, and subscription revenue climbed, proving that a personalized journey can outperform even the most established legacy workflows.
The data tells the story: when BNP Media put readers at the center of the paywall experience, growth followed. From registrations to revenue, every stage of the funnel improved.
| Outcomes | How They Got There |
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Audience Growth & Engagement
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BNP Media followed a structured approach:
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Subscription Revenue Impact
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These results validate that a personalized, data-driven reader journey can meaningfully improve acquisition, activation, and retention. The approach ensured that improvements were driven by real reader data, not assumptions.
“The impact was immediate: more than 10,000 new registrations, over 1,600 account activations, and 500+ new paid subscriptions generating $17,000 in audience revenue. And that’s just from one of our smallest paid brands. These results validated that a personalized, data-driven paywall and a unified account center work together to acquire, retain, and even save subscribers, ultimately increasing their lifetime value.”
— Brandon Decker
Show and Tell
Wondering what this looks like in action? Here are a few examples of BNP Media pathways, built and executed in Omeda.
Design a frictionless registration-to-pay funnel based on real user pathways
“One of the biggest shifts we made was enabling in-paywall payments right inside the article. Instead of sending readers to a separate form outside the site, we brought the subscription process into the reading experience. The moment they hit their limit, they slide into a seamless flow and always return to the article they were reading. That single change removed a ton of friction and boosted conversions instantly.” – Brandon Decker
Path 1
Subscribe to keep reading a premium article.
Path 2
A free offer for a low-risk way to sample the content.
Path 3
Pop-over CTA prompt on a main page with easy close option if they’re not ready to subscribe yet.
Path 4
Choose your plan page with clear, frictionless options.
Path 5
A super-easy way to pay, embedded as part of the reader’s journey.
Launch a unified My Account Center to improve retention and reduce support burden
“Launching a unified, mobile-first My Account Center completely changed the subscriber experience. People can now update their profile, manage renewals, access group licenses, retrieve receipts, update payment methods, or even save a cancellation, all in one place. Functions that used to require multiple custom forms or customer service requests are now fully self-service. It dramatically reduced support volume and increased subscriber satisfaction.” – Brandon Decker
A self-service portal that gives the customer power over their own membership, with an easy two-field login form.
An “Are You Sure You Want to Cancel?” prompt for one last chance to bring the subscriber back
Organizational Benefits
BNP Media’s new system didn’t just improve the user experience; it reshaped internal operations and created a stronger foundation for long-term growth. With deeper visibility into audience behavior, teams can now see who is hitting the meter, what content drives engagement, and when readers are most likely to convert. This shared insight has brought marketing, product, editorial, and audience teams into closer alignment, enabling them to work from the same data and move strategy forward together.
The introduction of a self-service account center has also significantly reduced internal support demands, freeing staff from manual updates and routine customer service tasks. As a result, readers enjoy a smoother acquisition funnel and a more transparent account experience. These two factors contribute directly to higher conversion rates and lower churn. Perhaps most importantly, BNP Media now operates on a scalable foundation built for continuous improvement. With testing, analytics, and account management fully integrated, the organization benefits from a system that learns over time and supports smarter audience growth.
“We replaced guesswork with data, and the revenue followed.” — Brandon Decker
