Make It Free Redefines Digital Media Paywalls, The Mr. Magazine™ Interview

Paywalls have become a fixture of digital publishing, but they still frustrate readers and limit the reach of even the best journalism. More than 90 percent of people click away the moment a paywall pops up. Publishers protect revenue, but they lose almost everyone in the process. As the media landscape keeps shifting, the industry is looking for new ways to balance access and sustainability without shutting out the audience entirely.

In The Mr. Magazine™ Interview, Samir Husni spoke with Make It Free CEO Wade Bradley about a different way forward. Make It Free gives readers instant access to paywalled articles for free if they agree to receive four promotional emails. In exchange, Make It Free pays the publisher for each article read. The idea lets readers get the content they want, allows publishers to monetize the 90 percent they usually lose, and gives brands a direct, privacy-safe way to connect with engaged audiences.

Bradley shared that the idea originally came from the company’s experiments in streaming. Instead of forcing viewers through ads, Make It Free replaced them with a small number of branded emails. When they applied the same thinking to publishers, the opportunity immediately expanded. The numbers are telling. About 10 percent of readers click the “Read article free with Make It Free” option, and roughly a third of those users convert. Sports content has tested even higher, with conversion rates between 50 and 70 percent. Bradley expects magazines to perform especially well because their audiences are more immersed in long-form content.

The model is already operating with publishers, backed by 16 months of data. It works best with hard or semi-porous paywalls that show up early in the reader experience. Make It Free pays $0.10 per article across the board, regardless of how large or small the publication is. Integration is straightforward. Publishers sign a one-year agreement with a 30-day cancellation option, and Make It Free handles the technical setup. The first 45 days focus on learning who the audience is and matching the right brands to the right readers. Once that window closes, publishers begin earning daily revenue.

Bradley also stressed the transparency of the system. Readers get four emails, earn a reward coin for opening each one, and can use Make It Free across participating outlets without signing up again. On average, users return more than four times a month. In local news or niche categories, return rates climb even higher.

What Bradley finds most promising is how the model gently moves readers toward becoming subscribers. As people use Make It Free repeatedly, they get to know the publication. Make It Free reinforces that progression with a quarterly newsletter that highlights subscription offers when readers are most likely to be receptive. Bradley believes that pushing a paywall too early alienates audiences, but steady, value-driven engagement encourages loyalty.

The company is growing fast. Make It Free already has about 180 publications in line for integration. Brands like the approach because they become the “hero” that unlocks the paywalled article. They also gain access to informed, highly engaged readers who opted in intentionally.

For communications professionals, this shift matters. Earned media placements increasingly live behind paywalls, which means even major wins often reach only a small slice of the intended audience. A model that gives more people the ability to read coverage changes the visibility and longevity of PR efforts. It also creates a new channel for brand storytelling through the promotional emails that make the system work. For communicators, this becomes an opportunity to reinforce key messages with readers who are already curious, engaged, and willing to opt in.

All of these points lead to a bigger conversation that Bradley touches on throughout The Mr. Magazine™ Interview. Paywalls will not disappear, but the industry is exploring more flexible, reader-friendly options. The future may not be about choosing between free access and subscription-only content. It may be about finding smarter ways to meet audiences where they are, keep quality journalism accessible, and give publishers a sustainable path forward.