FTC click-to-cancel demands create headaches for some publishers

Publishers adding new subscription cancellation methods in response to new FTC guidance will need to tread carefully to manage the impact they might have on their businesses. The Federal Trade Commission has made clear that U.S. publishers are legally required to let readers cancel their paid subscriptions online. Now, publishers that don’t offer the functionality will need to update their products and processes to enable it, and prepare themselves for increases in subscriber churn and dips in revenue that may result. As Nieman Lab pointed out last week, publishers that don’t currently offer self-service unsubscribe or click-to-cancel functionality haven’t rushed to introduce it. That’s not surprising; despite the FTC’s demands, publishers will likely tr