Multiplatform, events, & social help define digital publishing strategy for top titles
Three of the biggest names in the business recently gave us a glimpse inside their digital publishing strategy via interviews with top trade magazine min.
Let’s take a look at how Wired lengthens its audience reach with a multiplatform approach; how Meredith matches its readers up with advertisers by way of events; and how Entertainment Weekly breaks through the social noise to achieve engagement.
Wired Does Wonders With Multiplatform Content
For our money – and yours – multiplatform content is the foundation of any digital publishing strategy. Wired, one of the most successful and respected magazines in the world, seems to agree.
How “to capture attention with regard for message, mode and medium. Notably, this is the only question we are looking to answer. Having and embracing over 60MM touch points across print, digital, social and mobile makes it easier to experiment and get it right at scale. Seems to be working as February saw our largest omnichannel audience in Wired’s history,” Associate Publisher Doug Grinspan told min.
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“With each of our vibrant channels we see variation and a somewhat surprising lack of overlapping eyes. Our print circulation has less than 6% overlap with our digital audiences and both maintain intrinsically similar demographics … In the early days since site relaunch (on March 1st), it’s been incredibly exciting to see how some of our hypotheses have netted out: longer time spent across each of our screens, expanded interest in exploring our ad products as they have been redrawn and sewn anew among our editorial pixels.”
Meredith Takes Event Sponsorship to Another Level
Sponsoring the CEW Insiders’ Choice Beauty Awards has given Meredith a chance to find a foothold in a lucrative niche. Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Nancy Weber told min that the publisher reaches upward of 33 million beauty consumers, and that 67% of its readers are more likely to buy a beauty product that has received awards or honors: attractive numbers for advertisers.
Meredith doesn’t stop with ceremonies: conferences, marathons, and more also dot its event schedule. Weber says the aggressive sponsorship model helps tie together the company’s editorial, marketing, and sales efforts.
Entertainment Weekly Shares Social Philosophy
Social media is a surefire way to repurpose content and keep it fresh for months and even years. The only problem these days is carving out a place and establishing your voice among the crowded and evolving social channels.
“Social users are busier (and more mobile) than ever. In addition, there’s also an ever-increasing amount of brand content being pumped into the social feeds of users—all competing for the same eyeballs and real estate. It’s absolutely critical to stay abreast of how people are interacting on certain platforms and adapt accordingly. It’s also important to break your own mold of communicating and find new ways to tell stories through social platforms,” Entertainment Weekly Senior Social Media Editor Chris Rackliffe told min.
“I think a lot of people are tired of clickbait and the reductive “X did this, and you won’t believe what happened next …” headline. It’s time for us to move beyond the bait and stay focused on exemplary editorial, compelling photography, witty social copy and create content that people truly want. Then, deliver it to them when and where they want it. That’s the key.”
Still charting out your digital publishing strategy? Download our free Digital Magazine Publishing Handbook for tips on both short cuts and taking the long view.
To read more about digital publishing strategy from three of the best in the business, visit minonline.com.
