News narrative neglected
The Telegraph, one of Britain’s leading national newspapers, identified a significant opportunity to convert abandoned subscription sign-ups through strategic direct mail intervention. With potential subscribers showing clear intent but failing to complete their purchase, they needed a sophisticated approach to re-engage these high-value prospects and drive both immediate subscriptions and long-term customer relationships.
Authoritative approach
We developed a targeted abandoned subscription recovery campaign, reaching customers who had browsed subscriptions but hadn’t completed their purchase. The strategy included A/B testing two creative approaches “Telegraph for Clarity” and “Forgotten Something?” to determine the most effective messaging. Each communication was carefully crafted to reflect The Telegraph’s authoritative voice whilst creating urgency around the subscription offer and emphasising the value of their trusted journalism.
Headlines of success
The campaign achieved impressive results, with a 3.1% overall conversion rate from abandoned subscriptions and strong performance improvements over time. Most significantly, mailed converters were far more likely to upgrade to annual subscriptions, with 5% choosing annual plans. The “Telegraph for Clarity” creative slightly outperformed “Forgotten Something?” demonstrating the power of direct, value-focused messaging. These results prove the effectiveness of timely, brand-appropriate direct mail in driving high-value subscription conversions in the competitive media landscape.
