Elections Subscription Strategy: Segmentation, Messaging, and Full-Funnel Growth

At The Washington Post, I led the go-to-market strategy to transform election coverage (The Post’s Super Bowl!) into a growth engine for digital subscriptions. I developed a messaging framework tailored to three audience segments, each required distinct emotional and functional positioning, applied across both subscribers (to boost engagement) and non-subscribers (to drive acquisition).

Working cross-functionally with product marketing, brand, channel owners, creative/media agencies, product, engineering, newsroom, and organic channel leads, I activated the strategy across every major touchpoint: paid, onsite, app, email, and organic. We extended this into onboarding and retention flows, integrated it into new digital products like the real-time Election Day iPhone widget, and designed monetization strategies—like trial offers and content metering—to convert non-subscribers.

Results:

• +2x conversion during the first election pulse of a $17M campaign

• Launched The Post’s first audience-specific messaging framework, now a model for future campaigns

This work redefined how The Post approaches major (and polarizing) news moments—transforming high-interest coverage into high-impact subscription growth.