The Metered Paywall feature allows publishers to offer a limited number of premium articles for free before prompting users to subscribe. This helps balance audience growth with subscription conversion by allowing readers to experience premium content before encountering a paywall.

This article explains how to configure metering, mark stories as premium, display a metering counter, and enable metering on the storefront.

How Metering Works

Metering is controlled through AccessType and is based on the access level assigned to premium stories.

For example:

• A meter limit of 3 stories within 1 month allows users to read up to three premium stories during the configured period.
• Once the limit is reached, users will be prompted to subscribe before accessing additional premium content.
• The meter resets automatically after the configured duration expires.

You can configure metering separately for:

• Anonymous (non-logged-in) users
• Logged-in users

Only stories marked with the configured premium access level are counted toward the meter.

Configure the Metered Paywall

To configure the number of premium stories users can access before the paywall is triggered:

1. Log in to the AccessType Dashboard.
2. Navigate to Configure → Metered Wall Settings.
3. Depending on your requirements:
   • Enable Stories Behind Subscription for Anonymous Users to apply metering to anonymous users.
   • Enable Stories Behind Subscription to apply metering to logged-in users.
4. Set the desired Meter Limit.
5. Configure the Access Level that should be used for metering.
6. Save the configuration.

Example

If the meter limit is configured as:

• Stories: 3
• Duration: 1 Month

Users can access three premium stories during the one-month period. After the limit is exhausted, access to additional premium stories will require a valid subscription until the meter resets.
 

Configure Access Levels in Bold CMS

Before assigning premium access levels to stories, you must first configure the access level in Bold CMS.

Create an Access Level

1. Navigate to Settings → Configure → Access Control.
2. Click Add Access Level.
3. Enter the desired access level value (for example, 100).
4. Save the configuration.

The access level created here must match the access level configured in AccessType Metered Wall Settings.

Mark Stories as Premium

To ensure stories are included in the metering logic, assign them the appropriate premium access level.

1. Open the story in Bold CMS.
2. Navigate to Story Details → Metadata → Manage.
3. Scroll to the Access Level section.
4. Select Subscription.
5. Assign the configured access level.
6. Save and publish the story.

Only stories assigned with the configured access level will be treated as premium content and counted towards the meter.

Display a Metering Counter Message

You can display a message on premium stories showing users how many free articles they have remaining.

Example:
You have 1 of 3 free premium articles remaining.

Enable the Metering Message

1. Open Page Builder.
2. Navigate to Pages → Metered Paywall/Registration.
3. Open Settings → Metered Wall Settings.
4. Enable the Metering Message option.
5. Select the appropriate user type:
   • Logged-in Users
   • Anonymous Users
   • Both (based on your configuration)
6. Customize the message as required.
7. Save and publish the changes.

Once enabled, eligible users will see the configured metering message while consuming premium content.

Enable Metering in Page Builder

Metering must be enabled in Page Builder for the storefront to enforce the configured meter limits.

1. Open Page Builder.
2. Navigate to General Settings.
3. Click Manage.
4. Select AccessType Integration.
5. Enable the Metering option.
6. Click Save and Publish.

End-to-End Metering Flow

The following example illustrates a typical metering setup:

1. Create an access level (for example, 100) in Bold CMS.
2. Configure the same access level in AccessType Metered Wall Settings.
3. Set the meter limit as per requirement. (For both logged in and anonymous users)
4. Mark premium stories with:
   • Subscription access type
   • Access Level 100
5. Enable metering in Page Builder.
6. Optionally enable the Metering Message to display the remaining free article count.

Reader Experience

• First premium story → Access granted
• Second premium story → Access granted
• Third premium story → Access granted
• Fourth premium story → Subscription paywall displayed
• Meter resets automatically after the configured duration

Key Things to Keep in Mind

• Metering controls how many eligible stories a user can access before a registration wall or paywall is displayed.
• The story limit and reset period can be configured based on your requirements.
• Separate metering rules can be configured for anonymous and logged-in users.
• Stories must have the appropriate access level configured in Bold.
• A registration wall can be configured for anonymous users accessing stories behind login.
• For subscription stories, anonymous users can be shown either a registration wall or a paywall after reaching the configured limit.
• Number fields support a minimum value of 0.
• Access levels and metering rules should be reviewed together to ensure the intended stories are included in the metering experience.

By configuring the appropriate story limits, time periods, access levels, and user journeys, publishers can control how readers access premium content while creating a clear path from free content to registration or subscription.