Messaging apps are now a core part of how people communicate every day. For subscription businesses, they increasingly offer a way to build stronger relationships with audiences and to monetise those connections in a more direct, habitual way.
This holds true for large-scale brands and those that serve specialist, niche communities—especially when they do so with a clear sense of purpose. FXStreet is an example of the latter.
About FXStreet
FXStreet is a specialist financial publisher focused on foreign exchange markets. The company has spent the past five years integrating messaging apps into its consumer and B2B models.
Its experience offers valuable lessons for publishers building subscription propositions in high-consideration markets. I spoke to Pere Monguió, co-CEO of FXStreet, about the value of different messaging apps and where they fit into their broader audience engagement and DTC strategy.
Launched in 2000, “FXStreet is a well-known media brand in the retail finance industry,” says Pere. “We strive to empower independent traders to navigate the financial markets confidently with timely, accurate, and actionable information. Our coverage provides real-time and reliable market news and analysis to over two million unique traders monthly.”
Part of a wider shift
The company’s use of messaging apps is rooted in a broader shift that started several years ago: a movement from open social platforms to more private, closed digital spaces. According to Pere, this was driven by multiple factors—privacy concerns, the need to bypass algorithms, the impact of Covid, and Twitter’s transition to X.
“In a way, this all happened in the background,” he explains. “Because these spaces are closed, the impact is hard to gauge publicly and has gone relatively unnoticed for years. However, it is slowly becoming mainstream knowledge.”
Semafor co-founder Ben Smith captures the trend well in his article on messaging apps in political organising. While that piece focuses on politics, the underlying insight applies across the board: people are increasingly gathering in smaller, trusted spaces where they can connect, share and influence—without the noise, performance pressure, or manipulation of public platforms.
This shift creates opportunities for brands, publishers and creators to foster loyalty, increase engagement, and drive subscription growth inside these quieter, high-intent ecosystems.
One strategy, multiple platforms
FXStreet launched its messaging strategy in 2020, starting with Telegram because it allowed easy news reposting and RSS integration. It gained traction quickly.
“We soon created an exclusive paid group where users could access content and ask questions,” says Pere. But spam and feature limitations led them to migrate to Discord in 2021, where trader communities already existed.
Today, they use Telegram, WhatsApp and Discord, each platform with a distinct role:
Telegram is high-volume and open, pushing news to drive traffic and brand presence.
WhatsApp is curated, with a few key posts daily—ideal for users with only one messaging app. Along with Telegram, it is a top social traffic source—well above Facebook or X
Discord is for premium subscribers, offering exclusive content, real-time access to analysts, webinars and moderated discussion.
FXStreet’s premium subscription Discord benefits:
What Messaging Apps Do for Growth and Retention
Traffic and Subscriber Acquisition
Messaging apps lag when it comes to driving scale, which, in the case of FXStreet, comes predominantly from organic search. However, they far outperform organic search when it comes to converting to premium subscriptions.
FX Street’s internal data shows that messaging apps bring far less traffic than SEO. However, they outperform other channels when converting users to premium subscriptions. “Telegram and WhatsApp (Discord is part of the premium package itself) delivered the same number of purchases as search, but from around one-twentieth the sessions.”
It makes it, along with email and push notifications, one of the best channels for conversion.
Churn, loyalty and retention
As with subscription businesses in other industries, FXStreet’s biggest challenge is churn. However, it’s especially pronounced because of the nature of their market. “The average active career lifespan of a retail trader is short—once they realise how difficult financial trading is, they often lose interest or money and cancel their subscriptions.”
The issue isn’t the product quality but rather the trading environment’s volatility and steep learning curve. “No matter how good the product is, if they lose interest or money, they cancel. That’s the reality.”
FXStreet, therefore, works very hard to make its product part of traders’ routines. Apart from selling longer-term plans (e.g., 2 years) by offering substantial discounts, they focus hard on customer success and helping those traders’ career longevity, making engaging with FXStreet part of their routine. “If it does not become a habit, renewal is unlikely.”
FXStreet’s pricing model:
Messaging Apps Are Strategic—But They’re Not the Strategy
FXStreet’s mission is to assist financial traders in their decision-making. “To achieve this, we must focus on producing highly reliable and actionable content, while also ensuring it reaches our target audience.”
In Pere’s view, messaging apps have moved from being “nice to have” to playing a central role in subscription strategy. “I used to believe messaging apps were great platforms to be present on. Now, I believe they’re not just an option—they’re essential.”
Why? “Because they meet people where they already are. From a 60-year-old forex trader in Mississippi to a twenty-something crypto enthusiast in Singapore, just about everyone has a messaging app on their phone—and they’re used to sharing news and updates there.”
But there’s a critical nuance here.
Messaging apps are distribution channels, not the foundation of your audience relationship. Building a successful subscription model still relies on owning that consumer relationship—via email, websites, apps, and CRM. Messaging apps can support this but do not replace it. Pere’s advice: “Use messaging apps as a plug-and-play layer to deliver, convert, and retain—but don’t let the platform own your relationships.”
Pros, Pitfalls and a Top Tip
Messaging apps boost subscription stickiness. “People use them daily, so it’s easier to create a habit.”
Operationally, it also saves on building custom tools. “It’s plug-and-play,” he says. “Instead, you can focus your skills on great content and growing your audience.”
But there are risks. “Third-party platforms don’t owe you anything,” he warns. “Facebook and Twitter changed algorithms. Messaging apps could too.”
Telegram, for example, now inserts ads after posts. “You can’t opt out. Any competitor can buy access to your audience. Telegram shares 50% of the revenue—but still, it’s not your choice.”
And Pere’s top tip?
“Get verified. Bad actors and impersonators pop up quickly. Whatever colour the checkmark—get it.”
Five takeaways for subscription businesses
1. Use each platform with purpose
FXStreet treats Telegram, WhatsApp, and Discord differently—each with a defined role. That’s just as important for retail as it is for media brands. For example, Telegram or WhatsApp might be used to push out product drops or flash sales. Discord might be the home of your premium, insider community.
2. You don’t need scale to succeed
This is crucial for niche retail brands and DTC operators. What matters is having a focused audience and a clear value proposition. Despite having far fewer sessions, FXStreet converts better from messaging platforms than from SEO. That’s because the intent is high, and the context is intimate.
3. Messaging is strong for conversion and retention
Messaging apps won’t rival search or marketplaces for traffic. But when it comes to building habit, converting fans to paying subscribers, or re-engaging dormant ones, they punch above their weight.
4. Churn is normal—but can be managed
FXStreet deals with fast churn cycles due to its market. Longer plans, bundles, exclusive content (or product access), and habit-building interactions can extend customer life. Messaging can help embed your brand into someone’s daily rhythm—especially if you show up with value, not just volume.
5. Stay alert to platform changes
This one’s universal. Messaging platforms aren’t your owned infrastructure. Treat them as high-performance rented space—not a home base. Always keep the DTC channels you control in focus: email, app, web.
A Mini-Checklist
Are messaging apps right for your subscription strategy? If you select three or more, it might be worth testing a messaging layer.
☐ Do you have high-intent users who value speed, access, or community?
☐ Can your content or product updates be delivered in bite-sized, high-frequency formats?
☐ Do you offer exclusive value (content, experiences, offers) that justifies a closed group?
☐ Is your team equipped to manage and moderate direct conversations?
☐ Do you have mechanisms in place to convert messaging contacts into owned-channel users (e.g., email signups or app downloads)?
Interested in More?
Here are some suggestions for listening or reading from my colleagues at Atlas:
Media Voices has a podcast with Women’s Running’s Esther Newman, where she explains, among others, their use of Discord. While running is the banner that attracts readers to the brand, a host of interests drive the community. This includes a monthly print magazine, weekly podcast, Patreon Discord, and social channels. There is more here.
The Audiencers has a case study exploring how an innovative hyper-local news provider on WhatsApp is taking the Spaning town of Pamplona by storm. There is more here.
INMA has a case study about how Reach plc uses WhatsApp to drive engagement and revenue. There is more here.
Heyl is a Content Partner at Atlas and Founder of That Coalition, a fractional event services and content provider.
Heyl has worked with third-party clients such as Chartbeat, Lineup Systems, and Tubular Labs in Europe and the US, Prospect in the UK, and industry bodies such as PRCA (Communications and Public Affairs) in the UK, MVFP (German Publishers Association) and the Association of Indian Media (AIM).
Subscribe! Our editor carefully curates two InternetRetailing newsletters a week filled with up-to-date news, analysis and research. In addition to this, there is a dedictaed mailer focusing on the subscription economy with detailed commentary from Heyl every second Wednesday – click here to subscribe to the FREE newsletter.
And why not follow us on LinkedIn to receive the latest updates on our research and analysis.
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You are in: Home » Subscriptions » The growing role of messaging apps in DTC subscription strategies
The growing role of messaging apps in DTC subscription strategies
Cobus Heyl
Messaging apps are now a core part of how people communicate every day. For subscription businesses, they increasingly offer a way to build stronger relationships with audiences and to monetise those connections in a more direct, habitual way.
This holds true for large-scale brands and those that serve specialist, niche communities—especially when they do so with a clear sense of purpose. FXStreet is an example of the latter.
About FXStreet
FXStreet is a specialist financial publisher focused on foreign exchange markets. The company has spent the past five years integrating messaging apps into its consumer and B2B models.
Its experience offers valuable lessons for publishers building subscription propositions in high-consideration markets. I spoke to Pere Monguió, co-CEO of FXStreet, about the value of different messaging apps and where they fit into their broader audience engagement and DTC strategy.
Launched in 2000, “FXStreet is a well-known media brand in the retail finance industry,” says Pere. “We strive to empower independent traders to navigate the financial markets confidently with timely, accurate, and actionable information. Our coverage provides real-time and reliable market news and analysis to over two million unique traders monthly.”
Part of a wider shift
The company’s use of messaging apps is rooted in a broader shift that started several years ago: a movement from open social platforms to more private, closed digital spaces. According to Pere, this was driven by multiple factors—privacy concerns, the need to bypass algorithms, the impact of Covid, and Twitter’s transition to X.
“In a way, this all happened in the background,” he explains. “Because these spaces are closed, the impact is hard to gauge publicly and has gone relatively unnoticed for years. However, it is slowly becoming mainstream knowledge.”
Semafor co-founder Ben Smith captures the trend well in his article on messaging apps in political organising. While that piece focuses on politics, the underlying insight applies across the board: people are increasingly gathering in smaller, trusted spaces where they can connect, share and influence—without the noise, performance pressure, or manipulation of public platforms.
This shift creates opportunities for brands, publishers and creators to foster loyalty, increase engagement, and drive subscription growth inside these quieter, high-intent ecosystems.
One strategy, multiple platforms
FXStreet launched its messaging strategy in 2020, starting with Telegram because it allowed easy news reposting and RSS integration. It gained traction quickly.
“We soon created an exclusive paid group where users could access content and ask questions,” says Pere. But spam and feature limitations led them to migrate to Discord in 2021, where trader communities already existed.
Today, they use Telegram, WhatsApp and Discord, each platform with a distinct role:
FXStreet’s premium subscription Discord benefits:
What Messaging Apps Do for Growth and Retention
Traffic and Subscriber Acquisition
Messaging apps lag when it comes to driving scale, which, in the case of FXStreet, comes predominantly from organic search. However, they far outperform organic search when it comes to converting to premium subscriptions.
FX Street’s internal data shows that messaging apps bring far less traffic than SEO. However, they outperform other channels when converting users to premium subscriptions. “Telegram and WhatsApp (Discord is part of the premium package itself) delivered the same number of purchases as search, but from around one-twentieth the sessions.”
It makes it, along with email and push notifications, one of the best channels for conversion.
Churn, loyalty and retention
As with subscription businesses in other industries, FXStreet’s biggest challenge is churn. However, it’s especially pronounced because of the nature of their market. “The average active career lifespan of a retail trader is short—once they realise how difficult financial trading is, they often lose interest or money and cancel their subscriptions.”
The issue isn’t the product quality but rather the trading environment’s volatility and steep learning curve. “No matter how good the product is, if they lose interest or money, they cancel. That’s the reality.”
FXStreet, therefore, works very hard to make its product part of traders’ routines. Apart from selling longer-term plans (e.g., 2 years) by offering substantial discounts, they focus hard on customer success and helping those traders’ career longevity, making engaging with FXStreet part of their routine. “If it does not become a habit, renewal is unlikely.”
FXStreet’s pricing model:
Messaging Apps Are Strategic—But They’re Not the Strategy
FXStreet’s mission is to assist financial traders in their decision-making. “To achieve this, we must focus on producing highly reliable and actionable content, while also ensuring it reaches our target audience.”
In Pere’s view, messaging apps have moved from being “nice to have” to playing a central role in subscription strategy. “I used to believe messaging apps were great platforms to be present on. Now, I believe they’re not just an option—they’re essential.”
Why? “Because they meet people where they already are. From a 60-year-old forex trader in Mississippi to a twenty-something crypto enthusiast in Singapore, just about everyone has a messaging app on their phone—and they’re used to sharing news and updates there.”
But there’s a critical nuance here.
Messaging apps are distribution channels, not the foundation of your audience relationship. Building a successful subscription model still relies on owning that consumer relationship—via email, websites, apps, and CRM. Messaging apps can support this but do not replace it. Pere’s advice: “Use messaging apps as a plug-and-play layer to deliver, convert, and retain—but don’t let the platform own your relationships.”
Pros, Pitfalls and a Top Tip
Messaging apps boost subscription stickiness. “People use them daily, so it’s easier to create a habit.”
Operationally, it also saves on building custom tools. “It’s plug-and-play,” he says. “Instead, you can focus your skills on great content and growing your audience.”
But there are risks. “Third-party platforms don’t owe you anything,” he warns. “Facebook and Twitter changed algorithms. Messaging apps could too.”
Telegram, for example, now inserts ads after posts. “You can’t opt out. Any competitor can buy access to your audience. Telegram shares 50% of the revenue—but still, it’s not your choice.”
And Pere’s top tip?
“Get verified. Bad actors and impersonators pop up quickly. Whatever colour the checkmark—get it.”
Five takeaways for subscription businesses
1. Use each platform with purpose
FXStreet treats Telegram, WhatsApp, and Discord differently—each with a defined role. That’s just as important for retail as it is for media brands. For example, Telegram or WhatsApp might be used to push out product drops or flash sales. Discord might be the home of your premium, insider community.
2. You don’t need scale to succeed
This is crucial for niche retail brands and DTC operators. What matters is having a focused audience and a clear value proposition. Despite having far fewer sessions, FXStreet converts better from messaging platforms than from SEO. That’s because the intent is high, and the context is intimate.
3. Messaging is strong for conversion and retention
Messaging apps won’t rival search or marketplaces for traffic. But when it comes to building habit, converting fans to paying subscribers, or re-engaging dormant ones, they punch above their weight.
4. Churn is normal—but can be managed
FXStreet deals with fast churn cycles due to its market. Longer plans, bundles, exclusive content (or product access), and habit-building interactions can extend customer life. Messaging can help embed your brand into someone’s daily rhythm—especially if you show up with value, not just volume.
5. Stay alert to platform changes
This one’s universal. Messaging platforms aren’t your owned infrastructure. Treat them as high-performance rented space—not a home base. Always keep the DTC channels you control in focus: email, app, web.
A Mini-Checklist
Are messaging apps right for your subscription strategy? If you select three or more, it might be worth testing a messaging layer.
Interested in More?
Here are some suggestions for listening or reading from my colleagues at Atlas:
Cobus Heyl
Heyl is a Content Partner at Atlas and Founder of That Coalition, a fractional event services and content provider.
Heyl has worked with third-party clients such as Chartbeat, Lineup Systems, and Tubular Labs in Europe and the US, Prospect in the UK, and industry bodies such as PRCA (Communications and Public Affairs) in the UK, MVFP (German Publishers Association) and the Association of Indian Media (AIM).
Subscribe!
Our editor carefully curates two InternetRetailing newsletters a week filled with up-to-date news, analysis and research. In addition to this, there is a dedictaed mailer focusing on the subscription economy with detailed commentary from Heyl every second Wednesday – click here to subscribe to the FREE newsletter.
And why not follow us on LinkedIn to receive the latest updates on our research and analysis.
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