Interested? Try our pilot

What Paperwall is

Paperwall adds an option to unlock a single article next to your subscription offer. Readers who don't want a subscription can pay for the article they came to read. See it on our Ghost blog.

What we are proposing

A 6–8 week pilot to test whether single-article unlocks add revenue without reducing subscription conversion.

Pilot setup (what changes)

  • Add an unlock option next to your subscription prompt on a small set of articles, such as long-form pieces or articles with traffic spikes.
  • Paperwall only appears at the paywall. Readers stay on your site.

Publisher controls

You keep control of:

  • Identity and entitlements
  • Editorial rules and eligibility
  • Which articles are included
  • Pricing and placement rules (copy, positioning, when it shows)

What we measure

We will track results at the paywall and subscription funnel level, including:

  • Revenue per 1,000 paywall views
  • Unlock conversion rate and effective price per unlock
  • Subscription conversion and any observable changes during the pilot window
  • Basic operational metrics: refunds, payout accuracy, and reader support volume

What we need from you

  • A point of contact for the pilot (revenue, product, or paywall owner)
  • Agreement on the pilot article set and suggested pricing range
  • Some implementation help to place the snippet next to your paywall. This is usually a small code change.
  • A quick check-in cadence, typically 20–30 minutes every 1 to 2 weeks

Timeline

  1. Week 0: align on scope, articles, and measurement plan
  2. Weeks 1–2: integrate and verify tracking
  3. Weeks 3–8: run the pilot and review results
  4. Wrap-up: a short readout with results and recommendations

Why this is low risk

  • You can turn it off at any time
  • It appears next to your subscription offer and doesn't change your subscription flow
  • Clear success metrics and a defined timeframe

Next step

If this sounds interesting, get in touch and we can set up a 20–30 minute call to understand your current paywall setup and see if a simple pilot could make sense for you.

Or, if you want to get right into it, you can try it out now.