How to create and apply standard paywalls

One of the key advantages of offering paid subscriptions is gaining the flexibility to implement paywalls. This feature allows you to highlight the benefits for paying subscribers (such as exclusive content, private community access, or weekend editions) while encouraging readers to upgrade.

You can make an entire post available only to your paying subscribers or strategically place paywall breaks within your post content, prompting free readers to subscribe in order to continue. To give free readers limited access and a set number of paid posts before the paywall appears, see How to set up metered paywall access.

We’ll start with a video walkthrough and written directions on creating custom paywall breaks, followed by instructions for locating your default paywall and setting up custom options. Then, we’ll cover how to restrict the web version of your newsletter to paying readers and conclude with steps for adding paywalls to individual posts.

Publications with paid subscriptions enabled will have a default paywall in their account. You can customize this default paywall and also create other custom paywall options to use at different parts in your posts. 

1. From the left panel in your account, go to Subscriptions.
    
2. Navigate to the Paid Tiers tab on the right.
   
   
   
3. Scroll down to Paywalls. Accounts with Paid Subscriptions enabled will have a Default paywall signified by a check mark. To create a new custom paywall, click Add Paywall.
   
   To set up metered access for free readers, see How to set up metered paywall access.
   
   
   
4. A new paywall form will open, with a preview on the left and the customization options on the right.
   
   
   

Paywall Customizations

• Smart fill from Paid Subscription Tier: Simply click and select a tier, to autofill your tier’s benefits.
• Name (required): Provide a name for your paywall. This is for internal use only and will not be visible to readers.
• Image (optional): Hover over the image to reveal icons for replacing or deleting it. A square image is recommended.
• Title (required): Enter a prominent title for your paywall — this will be the first thing readers notice.
• Description (required): Include a brief message guiding readers on the next action.
• Button (required): The button text defaults to "Upgrade," but you can customize it by replacing the default copy.
• Benefits (optional): Enter a Benefits Header to be seen in the paywall and then add the benefits one at a time. Once added, you can drag and drop the benefits into a different order on the left, or click the x on the right to delete a benefit from the list. 
• Offer (optional): If you have any Paid Subscription Offers set up, select one to apply. When a reader clicks the paywall button, they will be directed to the upgrade page for that offer, with any associated discount or trial period pre-applied. Note that the offer selection only controls which upgrade page the reader lands on, it does not affect where they are redirected after completing payment.

• Styles (optional): Click on the Styles tab to adjust the Background Color, Text Color, Button Background Color, Button Text Color, and the Shadow around the paywall popup. You can also disable the image from showing on the paywall by toggling the Show Image option off.
  
  

  
   
  Tech Note: If you are making a new paywall, the button to complete your customization will say Create.

4. Once you’re satisfied with the look of your paywall, click Save at the bottom right. You’ll be redirected to the Paid Subscriptions page, where your new paywall will appear under Paywalls.
   
   To manage a paywall (or customize the default paywall), click the 3 dots menu next to it to Edit, Delete, Duplicate, or Set as Default.
   
   
   

These steps cover how to restrict access to an entire web post using your default paywall. If you’d prefer to show some content before prompting readers to subscribe, you can add a custom paywall to specific sections of your post, as outlined in the next steps.

1. From a publication with paid subscriptions enabled, click Newsletter to open a post you would like to edit, or click + New to open a blank draft post.
    
2. At the top of the Post Builder, click to navigate from the Compose page to the Audience page. The Audience page is where you’ll find controls for both your Email Audience and Web Audience, along with a Summary on the right.
   
   
   
3. Under Web Audience, click into the Default audiences field and select one of your paid subscriber tiers or choose All Paid Subscribers.
   
   
   
4. After selecting your Web Audience, your choices will appear along with the default paywall. To remove any selections, click the X. Changes will sync automatically.
   
   You can also click Manage tiers, plans, and paywalls to go to the Paid Subscriptions page to edit your paywalls.
   
   
   

These steps will guide you through how to set up custom paywalls between individual sections within a post, giving you more flexibility in how you manage your content access.

1. From a publication with paid subscriptions enabled, click Newsletter to open a post you would like to edit, or click + New to open a blank draft post.
    
2. In the Post Builder, on the Compose page, create your content. 
   
   When you're ready to add a paywall, navigate to the desired area of your post. Enter a forward slash (/) and type Paywall Break to access the option. Click to add the paywall break to your post.
   
   
   
3. The default paywall or ones you’ve set up in your account will be listed. Select the one you want to feature in the post. Changes will sync automatically.
   
   
   

4. The paywall will display in the post and will trigger for free subscribers as they scroll past the designated section.
   
   

   
   Tech Note: If you wish to provide a link for complementary access to your post, the complementary links are designed to display paid content only. For the best experience, we recommend using complementary access links exclusively for posts that contain paid content. If any blocks in your post are set to free in their visibility settings, they will not appear in the complementary access link.

If your paywall isn't behaving as expected, the topics below cover the most common issues and how to resolve them.

If your paywall appears in email but not on the web version of a post, check your Web Audience settings:

1. Open the post in the Post Builder and click the Audience tab.
2. Under Web audience, confirm the audience field is set to a paid tier or All Paid Subscribers — not All subscribers or a free tier.
3. On the Compose tab, confirm a Paywall Break has been inserted at the correct location in the post and a paywall is selected from the dropdown.

Paywall text updates are live within a few seconds of saving. If you've saved your changes and the updated text isn't appearing, open the post URL in a private or incognito browser window to rule out a locally cached version in your browser.

To confirm your updates are saved correctly:

1. From the left panel, go to Subscriptions.
2. Navigate to the Paid Tiers tab and scroll down to Paywalls.
3. Click the 3 dots menu next to your paywall and select Edit.
4. Confirm the text in the preview pane matches your intended changes, then click Save.

If a subscriber completes payment but continues to see the paywall, this is typically a login or session issue. Direct the subscriber to log in using the link in their payment confirmation email, or by visiting your publication's login page. Once logged in, their paid access should reflect correctly.

After a reader completes a paid subscription upgrade, they are redirected to your publication's homepage by default. To send readers to a specific URL instead (such as a thank-you page or exclusive content) configure the Redirect URL after purchase field in your tier settings:

1. From the left panel, go to Subscriptions.
2. Navigate to the Paid Tiers tab and click the 3 dots menu next to the tier, then select Edit.
3. Scroll to Advanced Options and enter your preferred destination in the Redirect URL after purchase field.
4. Click Save tier changes.