“Free to Read”: Wait to Earn Free Keys

Many readers, after seeing how Tapas works, call it “Candy Crush? meets publishing.” Tapas utilizes monetization and user engagement mechanics popular in mobile games. Just think of your favorite story’s bite-sized chapters as “stages” of a game, and keys to unlock chapters as “gems”, and you can start to see the parallels.

Expanding on these gamification mechanics, we’re launching a new feature called “Free to Read.” This allows readers to earn free keys after a certain period of time. If you’ve played mobile games, you’ll be familiar with this type of timer-based unlocking option for virtual items or tasks. For example, in many mobile games, you’re given a set amount of stamina to progress through the various stages. Once you run out of stamina, you have to wait a set amount of time to replenish your stamina, or simply pay to refill instantly.  

How it works

When you visit a series with the Free to Read option and attempt to buy keys, you’ll see a “Free Key - Tap to start” menu option.

Simply tap the “Free Key” option, and the timer will begin counting down. When the timer reaches zero, you’ll be awarded a free key. It’s that simple! Now, all you need to do is collect the free key and use it to dive right into the next episode of the story.  

Of course, if you can’t wait and absolutely have to see how the story unfolds (which admittedly often happens when we read a really captivating story), you have the option to purchase a key to unlock the next episode immediately.

See it in action

You can check out how Free to Read works by visiting The Silent End, Moonlight Hair, and MED on Tapas now! We’ll continue adding this option to more series, meaning more free keys and more stories to discover every day!

Value for creators

"Free to Read" is a powerful way to increase engagement, and eventually, sales. Some might wonder, “hey, what if some readers just grind it out and wait forever to unlock the whole story without paying for anything?”

Contrary to this theory, data from Kakao Page, a Korean service that uses a similar model, shows the exact opposite. Free to Read dramatically increases engagement and sales. In order to get readers to pay for your stories, they have to experience and engage with the story first. It’s really about creating an emotional connection between the reader and your story. Readers can test the waters beyond the free episodes we already provide in order to solidify their decision to continue reading. The further readers delve into a story, the more invested they become! After all, nobody wants to leave a good story unfinished.

If you’re a creator and interested in trying out Free to Read, let us know. As always, thanks for using Tapas!