Facebook is unveiling plans to allow users to subscribe to publications through a paywall platform called Instant Articles.

Free versus pay

In a bid to bring material directly to users, Facebook is experimenting with a process of presenting publications like The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and the Washington Post among others.

Certain articles will be brought to users through a freemium model, with the majority of content to be contained behind a paywall. However, different publishers want to have their own say in price point of subscriptions while Facebook strives for a unified experience.

Facebook’s payment method is a bit muddled at present as app stores take a 30% cut of subscriptions. Publishers would see less traffic through their own sites for payment but Facebook offers a more efficient click-through rate.

Social giant shares its sweets analytics

One of the greater appeals that Facebook is pushing to its publishing partners is the data they can share on perspective subscribers.

Last January, Facebook rolled out the Facebook Journalism Project, collaborating with publishers to ascertain what they want most from an app delivery model.

Facebook’s efforts to monetise an appealing content platform for publishers has been an uphill battle. With publishers wanting control over which and how many articles appear before the paywall, Facebook still has a lot of work ahead of them.

Do you get your news through Facebook? Would you be interested in subscribing through a paywall? Let us know in the comments below.