There is always the argument that going purely digital by creating digital replica is best for publications whose print editions aren’t thriving, but don’t want to lose an established brand. Well, Matt Steinmetz makes a clear argument of the pros and cons and considerations to make before deciding in his Publishing Executive article for the October 2009 issue. I won’t restate the argument here, as my thesis is for a blog driven platform not a digital edition that resembles a printed copy.
But that isn’t to say the article didn’t spark a few thoughts. I agree that in any publishing endeavor readership must come first as a driving force. It’s up to you as the publisher to deliver a reading experience in a way your readership responds to, so a lot of factors would go into that. I still think you can attract that readership online first, and then drive them to a print or digital magazine as an opt-in subscription after you’ve already built trust, welcomed them into your community and given them a reason to continue patronizing your site. I envision a blog driven platform, but who knows.
I sense the latest argument from traditional publishers is that they have an established brand identity that trumps content created online and that this brand identity will save them. Just an impression I’m picking up, but I might be misreading signals. I think bloggers, and multi-blog platforms can build a trustworthy brand. A brand that will attract and keep readership. Look at Blogher, for one example.
Digital magazines aren’t the only tech option to provide advertisers with better metrics, blogs can do the same.
“A magazine, even a digital one, is like going to a movie,” says Johnathan Micocci, president of Grand Media. “It’s a designed experience with a beginning, middle and end. A Web site is like going to the library—plenty of information if you know where to look. People pay to go to movies, not libraries.”
Ack, great quote but one that rips a hole in my theory. It gives me something to think about. WHat will people pay for and how can you brand your online space to have unique value? It’s an individualized answer. It goes back to who you think your readers are and what they want and value.
Although blogs might not have a middle, they do begin and have an open-end. Another thing magazines offer that bloggers don’t is long-form writing. So my thought is that the blog media platform can drive readership to a long-form digital magazine (still no need for print, really). Back to the million dollar question: how do we get paid?
The article’s sidebar, 9 Tips for Boosting Your Digital Edition’s Circulation, was excellent. I’m wondering why we can’t apply this to blogging. I think bloggers are already comfortable networking and promoting on social media sites. Check that one off. Blogs are global and mobile. Can we find a way to capture email information for those who visit blogging sites or at least those who leave comments so that we can track what they looked at and invite them back when we have similar content?
Can we find some new advertising widgets that are not aggravating like web pop-up ads, but that can be integrated smoothly the way ads are being integrated into video and podcasts? I know there are the text ads and such, but really, don’t you think the stack flush right will eventually be easy to ignore?
Blogs have the challenge of return visitors/consistent readership that the print or digital edition has built into it through the subscription model. I’m not suggesting people will pay to subscribe to a blog. I’m thinking there must be a way to adapt some of the strategies that work for digital editions to blog editions.
The best advice all-round was from Allan Brown, sales director at Graduate Prospects, who said, Engage with the medium.
