Social Media Optimization (SMO) is what we call the process of optimizing your content and your business, for social media.
Typically, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes first. This is the process
The first rule of choosing a business model that's ad-driven is being sure that you can make more money from advertisers than from your own products. Clay Hall once said
Membership websites are defined in part by the fact that users access the content on-demand, when they have a question they need to be answered or a learning tool they need
A magazine subscription website model is set up to sell subscriptions for a related print or digital magazine and to provide access to back issues and other premium content.
For the
Only five years after the advent of the tablet, strategies for successful digital magazine publishing are starting to sort themselves out and deliver measurable results. Of course at Mequoda, we're
How would you like to expand your product line with something that’s based on content you already have, increases your credibility in your niche, offers your customers immediate gratification, and
The scenario plays over and over again: A publisher invests the time and money to build a multiplatform publishing website, only to wonder why they're not generating as much subscription
You may not know it, but there are things you could be doing on Facebook right now that are against their rules, or are strongly suggested against.
You may have been
If you could, you'd hire a professional email subject line writer. You would, because you depend on your email list to sell magazine subscriptions or ads to advertisers, so smashing
Ten years ago, apps and responsive website design weren't even on the radar of a webmaster, and website analytics weren't nearly as dynamic as they are today. Websites back then
A couple of years ago, Don outlined the attributes of a premium content subscription: not a website itself, but the thing that customers buy – the content subscription.
In updating this
At Mequoda, we call any promotional email that features a single product or membership a Spotlight. When you're designing a promotional email, it's best to ask yourself: "how can I
“Mad Men” may have died, but in the digital age, advertising's been born again. In fact with a 21st century propensity for growing new tentacles, the conventional ad is evolving
Although we work with many established legacy publishers, we also work with publishing startups. In fact, these startups benefit from our years of work with legacy publishers teaching them how
Aggregating great content is just as valuable as creating great content
Content aggregation is often given a bad name, because it’s often done incorrectly.
The best content aggregators approach the process
These days, when people talk about newsletter best practices, they’re usually referring to free email newsletters, used as a marketing tool to drive inbound traffic to websites. But because some
Magazines are designed to be read from front to back. They have covers and a table of contents. Magazines are arranged in a series of articles. Portals are not meant
Pricing psychology is fascinating. A couple cents can change someone's mind about purchasing a product, no matter what the total cost is. For example, some people are more willing to
Digital-only magazines have had their ups, downs, and (in some cases) its “in-betweens.” While some digital magazines have remained powerful and influential after going digital, others have since been discontinued. And
I'll make this quick because I know you're busy. You’re invited to join us on December 8 at 1:00 PM ET for a FREE webinar, 7 Subscription Landing Page Tests
Magazine covers matter. As Samir Husni (aka Mr. Magazine) states in a recent article on Poynter, “The power of the magazine cover in print has always been significant...High-profile people, it’s
If you’re experienced in online copywriting, you know that “you” is generally considered to be one of the most effective copywriting power words, ranking right up there with free, new
In recent years, publishers have been testing paywall pricing, and for good reason. Hearst, for example, tested a paywall that changed based on what the reader was consuming. Instead of
If your magazine doesn’t have a consistent social media presence by now, then you’re light years behind the competition. It used to be a struggle to get buy-in from the
The web lets publishers create a wide variety of products more affordably than ever. That is good news, but it carries a downside: we aren't experts in creating every digital
When a visitor arrives at your website landing page, you have about five seconds to make a good impression and capture their attention. If you don’t succeed immediately, they're likely
If you've considered starting an online magazine, or are a legacy print magazine considering going digital, you've asked this question: How do online magazines generate revenue? And the answer is
It’s amazing to look back to just a year or so ago, when digital magazines were still something of a novelty. Today, it’s a given that print publishers will soon
The only thing standing between you and more revenue is better landing and order pages.
But how are you supposed to know what to test, beyond copy, images, and the words
Magazines are designed to be read from front to back. They have covers and a table of contents. Magazines are arranged in a series of articles. Compare that with other
You have to spend money, to make money, right? But how much do you need to spend in order to earn your money back in digital publishing?
That's the question marketing
As you know, having an online portal for your information is essential for growth. Using the web to publish and distribute content and not just serve as an extension of
Digital magazine publishing software is important; which option are you using?
Publishers have been trying digital magazine publishing software during the last few years in hopes of creating the best digital
The answer many people give to the common question, “What is a web magazine?” is often incorrect by our definition.
Some may say that a magazine’s website is a web magazine,
Everything we've read as observers of social media and publishing communities tells us that most marketers don't get a click rate on a Tweet of more than one percent, and
Isn't most content online an advertorial these days? With so much conversion architecture built into websites, aren't we always trying to convert visitors into subscribers, or get them to click
Audience development personnel have a very specific, and incredibly important job, within an organization. Writing an audience development job description and then finding the right audience development staff can mean
Since 2006 we have held these fourteen guidelines as the most fundamental principles of the best website design.
Every website is unique to its own audience, so you can't include things
Multiplatform publishers can generate revenue from users, from sponsors, or both. Consumer-focused portals that are sponsorship-based ask users to pay – not with money, but with time and information. They
If you look at Shorenstein Center and Lenfest Institute's Digital Pay-Meter Playbook, you'll discover that one key metric you can measure, which identifies high-performing publishers, is your "stop rate."
Your stop rate is
It strikes me as somewhat ironic that the word magazine which simply means storehouse, is becoming more true than ever as magazines go digital and digital magazine libraries make it easier than
In-person, live events can be a fun and profitable revenue stream for any multiplatform publishing company. When passionate people are committed to a topic, they want to go to the
How would you like to increase your subscription revenues by almost 60%?
It can be done, and it’s not magic. All you need are a paid subscription website, a couple of
“Hello, sailor. Can I buy you a drink?”
“Do you come here often?”
Of course these silly pick-up lines are good for a laugh, but do you know how to really introduce
Over the years of attending in-person publishing events, we noticed a trend where a solid portion of the speakers invited to present are vendors and consultants, and a decent number
In the words of David Ogilvy, "a good advertisement is one that sells the product without drawing attention to itself." And when selling a web magazine, one of the best
Before we get into content marketing podcasts, let's talk about podcasting in general. Podcasting has had a culture that has been behind the scenes lurking in the background for well
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