The Effectiveness of Gain and Loss Frames in News Subscription Appeals
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22010756 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yujin Kim (0000-0001-7744-1515, The University of Texas at Austin, corresponding author), Jessica R Collier (0000-0001-6711-7922, The University of Texas at Austin), Jessica Collier (0000-0002-0694-5270, Department of Communication Studies, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Media Engagement, Moody College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA), Natalie Jomini Stroud (0000-0003-3528-9986, The University of Texas at Austin) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 300-318 |
| Publication date | 2021-03-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Digital Journalism (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2167-0811 • E-ISSN: 2167-082X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/21670811.2021.1873812 |
| OpenAlex | W3122917426 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 48 |
Subscriptions are an increasingly vital part of newsrooms’ business models as the industry experiences sharp declines in advertising revenue. To date, research has not examined how digital subscription appeals affect news subscription intentions. The current study investigates the effectiveness of gain- and loss-framed messages on clicking on subscription appeals, connecting literature on prospect theory and investigations into why people use news. In collaboration with three U.S. newsrooms, we conducted 11 experiments with 222,385 users, varying whether the message included a gain-framed appeal, a loss-framed appeal, or just stated the cost of the subscription. Across the 11 tests, we also varied the call to action (subscription to newsrooms’ newsletter or paid access) and the medium used to distribute the subscription appeal (Facebook Sponsored Posts or direct email). In several tests, loss-framed messages yielded fewer clicks on subscription appeals compared to gain and control messages. Frame performance was moderated by the medium used, with greater effects for email than Facebook. We discuss theoretical and practical implications for how prospect theory can inform our understanding of why people pay for news
Advertising · Appeal · Business · Internet privacy · Political science · Public relations · Regret · Revenue · Computer Science · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Law · Psychology · Technology Adoption and User Behaviour
The Relative Persuasiveness of Gain-Framed Loss-Framed Messages for Encouraging Disease Prevention Behaviors
Paying for Online News
Paying Attention to Attention
Social media as a catalyst for online deliberation? Exploring the affordances of Facebook and YouTube for political expression
Rational Choice and the Framing of Decisions
The Influence of Message Framing and Issue Involvement
Message framing and sunscreen use
Facebook’s emotional consequences
The Affordances of Social Media Platforms
Prospect Theory
The Framing of Decisions and the Psychology of Choice
The Oxford Handbook of Political Communication
Content for Free? Drivers of Past Payment, Paying Intent and Willingness to Pay for Digital Journalism – A Systematic Literature Review
Still Unwilling to Pay
Effects of Gain Versus Loss Frame Antidrug Ads on Adolescents
The Effects of Mood, Message Framing, and Behavioral Advocacy on Persuasion
The Strategic Use of Gain- and Loss-Framed Messages to Promote Healthy Behavior
The Advantages of Compliance or the Disadvantages of Noncompliance? A Meta-Analytic Review of the Relative Persuasive Effectiveness of Gain-Framed and Loss-Framed Messages
An Empirical Study of Factors that Influence the Willingness to Pay for Online News
How News Images Affect Clicking on Subscription Appeals
Extending Society
Email Flaming Behaviors and Organizational Conflict
Stay informed’, ‘become an insider’ or ‘drive change
Perceived individual and societal values of news and paying for subscriptions
Is a Worried Citizen a Good Citizen? Emotions, Political Information Seeking, and Learning via the Internet
Trust, Civic Engagement, and the Internet
The Implications of Framing Effects for Citizen Competence
Cognitive Biases and the Strength of Political Arguments
Framing
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2025 (4) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |