The Nudge
Intro
Reviving the buzz: How The Nudge boosted subscriber growth
The Nudge, London’s ad-free what's on guide, sought to boost its subscriber base. Surveys and interviews revealed that users didn't see enough value in the £5/month subscription. By mapping the user journey, pain points were identified, leading to UX improvements and new strategies. These included simplifying messaging and hosting in-person events, successfully increasing engagement and bringing The Nudge closer to its membership goals.
Sector/Lifestyle
The challenge
The Nudge, London’s only ad-free what’s on guide, has carved out a unique space in the city’s cultural landscape with its eclectic and irreverent content. Despite a decade of success, they faced increasing pressure from a crowded online publishing space and a growing number of apps offering similar user benefits.
The Nudge approached Neverbland with a critical question: how can we significantly increase our subscriber base?
Strategy
Understanding the reasons for user drop-off
We started by reviewing the current journey. Ideally, users would discover The Nudge, subscribe to the newsletter, sign up to a free trial, then stay on to become long-term monthly paying subscribers. But the data showed drop off at each point in the conversion journey - these were users who had shown interest in the Nudge’s offering, but something wasn’t meeting their expectations. We started by understanding why. We designed and sent surveys to address three pivotal questions:
- Why aren’t engaged newsletter subscribers starting a free trial?
- Why do many users who start a free trial end up cancelling?
- Why are so many members cancelling their subscription after just a few months?
With over 600 responses, we got immediate answers on why people weren’t converting. The most surprising insight was that users didn’t perceive enough value in The Nudge’s £5/month subscription, even after they’d started a free trial.
To dig deeper into the finding, we ran qualitative interviews with a selection of users. Among other insights, we found that there was a significant mental barrier to paying for written content in a generally free landscape. People immediately compared the cost of a Nudge subscription to their Netflix subscription, and couldn’t justify the value. As long as the core of The Nudge’s value proposition was recommendations-based, it would be hard to increase subscribers in a way that would transform the business.
Strategy
Presenting a single view of a user’s end-to-end experience
To get a birds-eye view of all pain points along a Nudge subscriber journey, we created a holistic user journey map which included direct quotes from interviewees. This visual representation helped The Nudge team see the bigger picture and get consensus on what to prioritise.
Strategy
A roadmap of quick wins and long-term innovation
At the end of the research phase we provided the Nudge with a list of immediate changes that would improve their members’ day-to-day experience - things like simplifying messaging and improving tagging. Together, these small changes could make a real difference to conversion rates, but weren’t the strategic moves we needed to future-proof The Nudge.
To uncover game-changing ideas, we facilitated strategy and ideation sessions with The Nudge’s team to explore how they could enhance their value proposition. We identified that they were uniquely positioned to run in-person events in London, providing opportunities for people to reconnect in an increasingly isolated, post-pandemic world.
Results
Sustainable subscriber growth
Since our collaboration, The Nudge have made iterative improvements to the UX of their app and website and have launched successful speaker series.
Recently, they have secured sponsorship for an ongoing events series aimed at helping single Londoners meet new people in person, in line with their expanded proposition.
Cumulatively, these strategic changes have led to a sustained subscriber growth, bringing them within 500 members of their long-term North Star goal for membership.
