Article Gifting Feature to Boost Engagement & Accessible Journalism

Project Overview

Goal:

Develop an article gifting feature that supports both customers sharing free links with friends and family, and newsroom sharing free links with sources.

My Role:

Lead Product Designer

Team:

Product Managers, Engineers, UX Researchers, and Marketing

Timeline:

October 2023 – March 2024

Impact:

Strengthened newsroom-source relationships while increasing subscriber satisfaction and content reach.

The Problem

We received frequent feedback from subscribers requesting the ability to share paywalled articles with friends and family. At the same time, community members expressed frustration that they couldn’t access stories in which they were featured or interviewed unless they were a paid subscriber. This gap created friction for both paying subscribers who wanted to share content and newsroom operations that relied on open access for sources.

To solve this problem, we designed an article gifting feature that:

Enabled subscribers to share a limited number of free articles each month.
Allowed Inquirer employees to provide unrestricted access to sources featured in stories.

UX Strategy

Preliminary Research

Our Senior UX Researcher, María Elizabeth Rodríguez Beltrán, conducted industry research and a comparative analysis of gift linking adoption across publishers. She examined engagement trends, identified common usability challenges, and assessed how users interacted with similar features.

Key Findings

Other publishers experienced low adoption rates but high engagement from a niche group of users.
Many users misunderstood the gift icon, leading to confusion about its purpose and functionality.

We implemented a two-phase approach for implementation. We used Phase 1 to build and test the feature internally and fix potential bugs.

Design

Using research insights, I designed intuitive user flows to streamline the experience both for subscribers and Inquirer employees. Additionally, I worked closely with the marketing and research teams to develop clear, effective messaging strategies that would drive awareness and adoption of the feature.

Black-and-white wireframes illustrating the user flow for different user types. The first screen shows the initial view shared by all users. Subsequent screens show variations in the experience for subscribed versus non-subscribed users, including what occurs when a user copies a gift link.

Two-Phase Approach

We took a two-phase approach starting with internal testing and feedback before rolling out the feature publicly. Our process included:

Phase 1: Internal Testing & Iteration

We launched the initial design internally, asking 10 reporters to use it and provide feedback on what’s working and what’s not working for them.

Key Research Findings

We quickly discovered that the header text seemed clickable when it wasn’t. And most testers used 'Copy Link' over other options. Therefore, we removed the icon from the header and styled it to ensure it didn’t look clickable and we moved ‘copy link’ to the top.

Design Iterations

Removed the gift icon from the header to eliminate confusion.
Moved ‘Copy Link’ to the top for easier access.

Side-by-side mobile screenshots showing user feedback and design updates. Left screen shows the original design with a circled “Gift this Article” link and a comment from the user noting it doesn’t work as expected. Right screen shows the revised design based on the feedback, with the icon removed, clearer descriptive text added, and styling adjusted to indicate it's no longer a clickable link.

Phase 2: Public Rollout & Adoption

Following successful internal testing, we launched the feature to all subscribers in October 2024. Key considerations included:

Gifted articles could be read without requiring registration or sign-ups.
Readers who receive gift articles from subscribers saw an optional call-to-action to register
Sources receiving newsroom-gifted links were excluded from marketing messages.

The Outcome

The final design allowed Inquirer employees and subscribers to gift access to individual articles each month, with clear guidance on:

Gift link availability: How many free shares each subscriber had left.
Access clarity: Who could view shared content.
Subscription value: Reinforcing benefits tied to the gifting feature.

Over the course of a year, about 40K people shared gift links more than once, majority by copying the link. Additionally, more than 500K non-subscribers read our stories through gift links—that’s 500K people The Philadelphia Inquirer wouldn’t have been able to reach without the gift linking feature.

Animated GIF demonstrating the gift-linking feature on an Inquirer article. A user clicks the gift icon, triggering a drawer with sharing options: copy link, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and email. The user selects “Copy link,” and a confirmation message appears: “Gift link copied to clipboard.”

Key Learnings

Gift links had a low adoption rate, as expected, but were valuable to a niche group of highly engaged subscribers.
Subscribers preferred the feature on mobile apps, leading to plans for an app rollout.
Gift links were a top-selling point in premium subscription research, leading to unlimited gift links for premium subscribers.
No significant revenue loss from paywall workarounds, confirming the feature was low-risk and sustainable in the long term.

What’s Next?

Increase subscriber awareness of the feature
Expand to mobile app integration for a seamless experience.
Introduce unlimited gift links as part of premium subscription perks.