Subtext, an award-winning texting platform that connects media companies, brands, artists, and creators to their audiences, today announced that it has won "Best Subscription Platform" in the Digiday Technology Awards 2026. The award marks Subtext's second industry recognition of 2026, following its win as "Conversational Marketing Company of the Year" from MarTech Breakthrough Awards in August 2026.
As AI reshapes how audiences find and consume content, search traffic is becoming less predictable, and email inboxes are more crowded than ever. Media and publishing companies are increasingly looking for a channel they own outright, one that does not depend on algorithms, platform policies, or a third party standing between them and their subscribers. SMS offers that channel: a direct, permission-based line to readers, viewers, and fans that publishers control end to end.
"Receiving awards from both Digiday and MarTech Breakthrough in the same year reflects the trust our clients place in Subtext every day," said Mike Donoghue, co-founder and CEO of Subtext. "Our platform now reaches more than 50 million subscribers and delivers more than 10 billion texts a year. We remain focused on helping clients build direct audience relationships they own, deepening engagement, and turning that engagement into measurable results”.
Customer Results
Subtext's approach has produced measurable outcomes for its media and publishing clients:
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New York Post, Post Sports+: 25% of subscribers opted into at least one texting campaign, more than 41% of opted-in subscribers joined two or more campaigns, and the publisher saw 87% retention when retargeting SMS followers into a new NFL Draft campaign.
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Tangle News: More than 12,000 subscribers joined within 48 hours, with survey participation exceeding 30% and an average click-through rate of 15%.
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WEHCO: Reactivated digital subscriptions increased more than 350%.
The Digiday win follows Subtext's August 2026 recognition as "Conversational Marketing Company of the Year" from MarTech Breakthrough Awards, giving the company back-to-back industry honors in 2026.
We started Subtext with a simple belief: brands, publishers, platforms and creators should be able to build direct relationships with their audiences without an algorithm or third party standing in the middle. That idea continues to drive what we're building today.
Media companies and publishers looking to build direct, owned relationships with their audiences can request a demo to see how Subtext's SMS platform can help them grow and monetize subscriber engagement.
