With a few weeks ahead of its objectives,
Le Figaro
has just passed the milestone of 200,000 digital subscribers.
With the aim of reaching 300,000 subscribers in the medium term.
The newspaper's online offering has grown steadily since its launch five years ago.
This increase in subscriptions has accelerated since the first wave of the coronavirus epidemic and the first containment in March.
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For Bertrand Gié, director of the News section of
Le Figaro
,
“the current crisis is amplifying two phenomena
.
It fundamentally increases a legitimate demand for information from the general public, and at the same time it accelerates the propensity of Internet users to subscribe to offers that they consider reliable and complete. "
Even before the first lockdown began in mid-March, the number of new weekly digital subscribers tripled or even quadrupled, and it lasted at that rate until April and May.
"The phenomenon is all the more virtuous as this wave of recruitments was not followed by a wave of departures",
specifies Bertrand Gié.
Like all major news titles,
Le Figaro
has placed the conquest of paying digital subscribers at the heart of its growth strategy.
With two objectives in mind: to defend its status as the French leader in generalist information, and also to succeed in further monetizing its very large audiences.
In September,
Le Figaro
returned to the top of the most frequented news sites with 24.5 million unique visitors per month, according to the ACPM.
Several formulas
This overhaul of the economic model of the press, which aims to increase the share of revenue from distribution, has resulted in a reformulation of the offer of monetizable content.
This has grown since July 2019. The digital offer already offered access to all the contents of the
Figaro
site
for 9.90 euros per month.
It was extended by the creation of two new subscription formulas, one at 14.90 euros per month including the PDF version of the daily paper, a games application and a right of access for three accounts, and another , at 19.90 euros per month, giving access to PDF versions of the Figaro Group's publications, such as the History or Health specials, as well as ten thematic newsletters.
An offer suitable in particular for families because it gives the possibility of activating five accounts.
Since September, Le Figaro has also launched an offer dedicated to students under 26
By increasing its offers,
Le Figaro
was able to develop its subscriber portfolio,
"by modulating growth in volume but also in value",
explains Bertrand Gié.
Since September,
Le Figaro
has also launched an offer dedicated to students under the age of 26.
At a price of 4.90 euros per month without any commitment, this new subscription gives unlimited access to the 100% digital offer of
Le Figaro
, and in particular to analyzes and surveys that concern them (housing, schools, careers, student jobs, etc. ) provided by the
Figaro Étudiant team.
A specific weekly newsletter,
Update
, is also reserved for them.