On one hand, paywalled outlets offering an exception for subscriber-shared articles isn’t new. But the framing of this — as a “gift article” — is interesting, and plays up the membership-has-its-privileges angle of being an FT subscriber.

The Financial Times has launched a new ‘gift article’ feature for subscribers which simplifies the sharing of articles with their networks. At launch, the service allows FT subscribers to share up to 10 articles per month through email to non-subscribers.

Rob Grimshaw, managing director of FT.com, said: “The gift article is a great example of the tools we are developing to advance our community focus and bring new benefits to subscribers. It is also an important opportunity to further our readership and reach new audiences.”

The only downside is that the “gift” only works the first time someone clicks on the link, which means it’s usefulness is basically limited to sharing over email or chat, not over Twitter, Facebook, or anywhere else where the shared-with crowd would number more than one.