Case Study Lessons: With Hard Paywall Sites, Use Downloadable Reports to Generate Traffic and Leads

The preference for metered paywalls usually stems from fear of losing SEO traffic with a hard paywall. Yet, there are some sites — particularly

The preference for metered paywalls usually stems from fear of losing SEO traffic with a hard paywall. Yet, there are some sites — particularly B2B information publishers and Big Data sites — that are not conducive to metered paywalls.

For those publishers that need (or prefer) to lock up their quality content, we recommend you take a look at PitchBook. The B2B research firm and data-driven subscription site doesn’t let much out. There’s no free trial — just an opportunity for a free demo.

But the site does direct its 80 research analysts to create downloadable reports, and these reports get between 3,000 and 5,000 downloads a month, according to John Gabbert, PitchBook’s CEO. PitchBook’s inside sales team then follows up on the promising leads.

PitchBook also uses its research analysts and access to proprietary data to create custom research for media outlets. This is a great PR tactic — much better than the standard boring press release — since most journalists have an almost unlimited appetite for new research findings, statistics and data that has news value.

But what’s really impressive about PitchBook is their 100% renewal rate. To discover their secret sauce for this impressive number, check out the Case Study on PitchBook on Subscription Site Insider.