Ruth Spencer on how publishers should approach digital magazine apps + the latest updates from around the industry
Mobile interactivity is the biggest advantage you gain when deploying digital magazine apps as part of a multiplatform publishing strategy. But where they fit into that strategy depends on your product. Like any individual component, they have their limitations, and shouldn’t necessarily be leaned on more than any others. Still, we highly recommend integrating them, of course!
Digital magazine apps open up many options for publishers. With tablets, smartphones, and phablets accommodating different designs, editions, and content, you can develop new audiences, maintain relationships with your current ones, and enhance subscription packages while driving new ad revenue.
With advances in technology and monetization happening every day, the market for digital magazine apps is still evolving. Let’s look at the latest news from Talking New Media to get a better feel for how it’s taking shape.
Ruth Spencer: The Questions Publishers Should Ask
Ruth Spencer, chief blogger with Kaldor, producer of the Pugpig digital publishing platform, writes in Talking New Media that publishers wrestling with whether to commit to digital magazine apps or simply stick with the mobile web can ask themselves the following questions to help in their decision-making process. While we believe there’s room for both digital magazine apps and a site optimized for mobile, we also believe these are great questions to be reminded of whenever you’re evaluating your operations.
1. Where is your audience coming from?
2. How do they want to consume your content?
3. How would you like them to engage with it?
4. How do you want to publish your content?
5. Is your content fast moving or more long form?
6. Does it have a long shelf life?
7. How will I make money?
8. Would tapping into the native elements of a mobile device be beneficial to your content?
9. Do you want to offer subscriptions and paid-for single editions, or do you want your content to be available for free?
10. Do digital magazine apps cost more?
If you need a hand finding the answers to any of these questions, contact us!
Is Google Play Getting Serious?
No newsstand is perfect, and publishers have gripes with Apple, Magzter, Zinio, and others when it comes to delivering digital magazine apps effectively. Google Play is no exception, but it’s adding manpower to improve the service, Talking New Media reports.
“Several months ago, we began reviewing apps before they are published on Google Play to better protect the community and improve the app catalog. This new process involves a team of experts who are responsible for identifying violations of our developer policies earlier in the app lifecycle,” Google Play Product Manager Eunice Kim says.
“We value the rapid innovation and iteration that is unique to Google Play, and will continue to help developers get their products to market within a matter of hours after submission, rather than days or weeks. In fact, there has been no noticeable change for developers during the rollout.”
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Zinio Stays Competitive
Zinio isn’t standing pat, either. With 5,000 titles on its newsstand, the service has released version 3.1 with an update addressing technical support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Talking New Media reports. In the meantime, Zinio continues to make the most sense for library systems, as one after another adopts the service.
When done right, digital magazine apps can be an effective part of your strategy. Download our free Digital Magazine Publishing Handbook for tips on how to make the most of them.
To read more about digital magazine apps in the news, visit Talking New Media.
