December 12, 2002 2003 will be the year of tough subscription sales for online vendors. As if numbers for 2002 had not been disappointing enough, next year publishers will realize that those who converted were the "low-hanging fruit" - the biggest fans who were the easiest to convert, writes Contentbiz in an article published yesterday. They also explain the five most typical mistakes subscription pages make. The must read lessons apply to online sellers of print and web subscriptions alike.

Mistake #1: Missing, hidden and confusing links to subscription page

Mistake #2: Lack of strong (or any) 'benefits' description

Mistake #3: Awfully complex and long order forms

Mistake #4: No premiums such as special reports - something that would be natural in an offline pitch

Mistake #5: Generic barrier pages to password protected sections, which do nothing to reinforce impulse buys.