Should digital be free ? Texterity thinks so..

Texterity has been selling digital subscriptions separate from print subs.

But with only 1 percent of subscribers opting to pay extra for the digital version, Texterity has decided to offer the digital edition free to print subscribers.

“We’ve been trying for years to sell digital subscriptions instead of print,” said Martin Hensel, president of Texterity. “That really hasn’t worked.”

Hensel believes the new model will give publishers other ways to encourage trial, communicate with subscribers by email and lower publishers’ renewal costs. “Digital is a way to have low-cost sampling,” he said.

He expects that in a year’s time, 15 percent of subscribers will opt to add the digital edition.

Texterity also launched a new site, Coverleaf.com, where readers can browse through and buy its clients’ digital editions. Texterity’s roughly 70 consumer magazine clients include Meredith Corp.’s Better Homes and Gardens; and Condé Nast’s Bon Appétit.