Do paid subscriptions make sense for my site's content?

If we may be so bold, the answer is: probably. Many online publishers think they must choose between a free or paid model, as if the two options were mutually exclusive. The right question is: What is the optimal mix of free vs. paid content for my specific website? For some sites, making more than half their pages paid makes sense. For others, less than 5% may be optimal. Each site's subject matter and content is different, but there is always an appropriate mix to maximize your revenue.

Our publishers use Media Pass in different and creative ways. Some examples are:

1. Choosing specific sections of their site that are paid
2. Only requiring payment for their archived content
3. Starting a new subscription section to make more money but leaving all core content free
4. Subjectively choosing which content intuitively appears to be a little better for subscriptions

Is there any long-term committment?

No. You can stop at any time. Since you pick which content requires a subscription, you can simply choose to make no pages paid by taking the subscription code off your site as easy as you put it on. Our entire goal in creating MediaPass was to make a subscription system that is easy to try with no obligations. We wanted to create a service in which publishers would ask themselves "Why not?"

Are there any upfront costs?

No. It is important to us that we don't make any money unless you do. Like Google AdSense, we share in a percentage of the revenue.

What percentage of the subscription revenue does MediaPass take?

It changes depending on our current offer. For a limited time we are offering a promotion in which our share is only 35%. The introductory rate you get when you sign up will never increase.

What does MediaPass do for its percentage?

Lots! In short, we do everything so you don't have to. We pay all merchant processing fees, handle all customer/subscriber support, monthly billing, publisher support, customization, backend database management, development, PCI compliance, upkeep and much more. You only have to keep putting out the great content you always have and we handle everything else.

Can I try MediaPass out on as little as one web page?

Of course! It's your subscription model. You decide which content is free and which is paid. You can even set up your account with us now and wait before deciding to require a subscription for some of your content. Some of our publishers sign up just so they have the ability to charge for some of their content at a moments notice in the future.

How do I get started?

It's extremely easy! Click any one of our orange Sign Up buttons to get to our simple wizard. There are four quick steps in the wizard. You simply register, choose which pages to charge for and how much and you're ready to go. You'll grab your code snippet and put it on any page you want to require a subscription.

When and how will I be paid?

On the 1st and 15th of the month either by check or directly into your bank account through ACH transfer.

What about customer service?

As part of our service we handle all customer service for you. An experienced customer service representative who is knowledgeable about your site and content will be available to answer all customer questions.

What are the customer service hours?

Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm Pacific for both publisher and subscriber support. We are currently looking into extending these hours and possibly providing 24/7 support in the future.

Does MediaPass handle all credit card security compliance?

Yes. We handle all security compliance requirements such as PCIDSS, Financial Privacy Act and all other compliance requirements.

What name will appear on the customer credit card statement, MediaPass or my site?

MediaPass. This is for a couple reasons:

1. As part of our service we handle all customer issues for you so the subscriber must know who to call with questions.
2. Per Visa and MasterCard rules we cannot process credit card transactions for another company. We follow credit card processing rules very strictly which means we must be a reseller of your content. Credit card processing rules can be very complicated. If you have any questions regarding us as a reseller, please contact us.

Since MediaPass is a reseller, does that mean MediaPass will have any ownership of my content?

No. None at all. We will only have a license to sell your content to your subscribers and we will only do so on your website. You choose all of your own prices and subscription terms and we simply follow the rules you have set.

SEO: Will a subscription model affect Google and Yahoo's ability to spider my pages and affect keyword ranking?

No. The subscription page will be simply laid over your content so it is still readable by search engines.

Are all major credit cards accepted?

Yes.

Does MediaPass have an affiliate program?

Sure do. Actually one the most lucrative programs you'll find. For anyone you refer you'll receive 10% of the subscription revenue for the lifetime of their subscription campaign. So you'll receive checks every month for years of doing nothing. And don't worry, the 10% comes out of MediaPass' share of the revenue so you won't be taking anything from your buddies. Yes, MediaPass will make much less but you promoted us so, you know, thanks.

If you want to participate in our affiliate program just click on the tab labeled "Earn More Money". Just send the link in that tab to anyone you want and their revenue will be forever tied to you.

Is there any system, CMS or hosting service in which Media Pass doesn't work?

Currently if you are being hosted by Wordpress, our subscription code will not work. This does NOT mean that if you are using Wordpress as your CRM our subscription service won't work. It will. Only if you are a smaller blog actually hosted by Wordpress will our service not work (I.e. your domain name probably looks something like "http://yoursitename.wordpress.com"

I don't have a hosting company for my site yet, are there any reputable companies you can recommend?

There are a lot of great hosting providers in the market and they each help with different needs. A good one that hosts for many of our publisher's is CoolHandle.

For web hosting please go to http://www.coolhandle.com

Have a question that didn't get answered here?

We are always improving our FAQ's. Please email us your question to publisher@mediapass.com. We're pretty fast at getting back to you with an answer.