While many publishers are still struggling to create a model to generate revenue from content online, The FT are continuing to increase profits through digital subscriptions for content.

“At the FT Group, the changes we have made to the business model and mix mean we are well placed to grow even in tough markets for print circulation and advertising,” says a news release from The Financial Times. “We expect digital subscriptions, now the engine of the FT Group’s growth, to continue to build steadily.”

FT Online Product Management Director Mary Beth Christie commented at the conference Paywall Strategies 2011: “Like the best systems, ours is simple. It gives users freedom of choice to consume media between the paper, the tablet and mobile. We allow our users complete freedom to read our content as they wish.”

This approach has culminated in more than 230,000 paying subscriptions for the FT/FT.com and 3.7 million registered online users.

Christie says the “majority are individual subscribers, not corporate”. She also added that “The goldmine is not paying for content, the goldmine is building greater reader engagement over time.”

Key features of the business/marketing model

• Registered users can sign up and get 8 articles for free a month, though payment is required for further access.

• Mobile platforms are a growing demographic — about 22 percent of all traffic to FT.com is from a mobile device and account for about 15 percent of new subscriptions.
• The home page with the lastest headlines if open to view without registration generating search results.

•  A wide range of content including blogs and podcasts is freely available without registration, generating search results and allowing journalists to engage in social media.

• Current deal ‘Try the Financial Times for 4 weeks for just £1. Then continue your subscription from just £5.19 a week