In the booming digital age, it’s little surprise that more and more readers are consuming their written content in a mixture of print and digital media. It’s a smart move to make your content available digitally. You’re probably reading this on a device right now. Case in point. Even if your publication is already digitally available, it’s essential to understand how digital content distribution works. By surveying the spread of your options, you’re in an ideal position to decide which content distribution strategy is going to yield the highest rate of impressions, clicks, and engagement with your digital magazine.
And that’s why we’ve written this article. Consider it a step-by-step guide for magazine publishers on how to distribute your content so that it lands in front of your target audiences at the right time.
Let’s start at the beginning. Before we get deep into the details about digital content distribution strategies for your magazine, you’ve got to have something to publish. So, we’ll begin by answering the question…
…what is the role of digital magazine publishing in digital content distribution?
Good question. We’ll admit it’s a bit of an oxymoron. Can digital magazines really be published? Gutenberg would be deeply saddened (nay, horrified) by the decline of the printing press, but that doesn’t mean that publications like your e-magazine aren’t still being published.
It’s pretty simple. The first step in digital magazine publishing is creating a magazine in a digital format. Typically, an e-magazine is formatted as a PDF, in HTML code, or as a mobile app. Since e-reading became the new normal, digital magazine publishing platforms have emerged with a box of handy tools that allow publishers to reach a wider audience with more interactive and engaging content.
Consequently, leveraging a digital publishing platform to share your content is the best approach to transitioning from print publishing to digital magazine publishing or simply diversifying how you’re getting your content out to your readers. It’s also the first step towards mastering digital content distribution in the publishing world.
What are the benefits of digital magazine publishing?
The benefits of digital magazine publishing come down to speed and convenience. Just look at the typical content creation process. From long-form content like blog posts and white papers to short-form pieces like a masterfully composed Tweet (truly, the poets of our generation), it’s never been easier to disseminate content as quickly as we can through digital content distribution channels.
With literally just a few clicks, taps, buzzes, and beeps, you can distribute content to an audience of hundreds or thousands in seconds. Think about it – a high-quality e-magazine can be made instantly available to new subscribers. How’s that for an efficient content distribution strategy? You’ll never endure the woes of printing delays, that’s for sure.
Moreover, some publishing platforms feature built-in analytics tools so that you can accurately measure the impact of each type of content on your target audience. Read: rocket fuel for your content marketing strategy.
Digital content distribution 101: How do you distribute digital magazines?
Okay, so you’ve got a well-crafted digital magazine packed full of premium content. You’re off to a strong start. After that, you want to make sure that the kinds of readers that would be interested in reading your premium content are the same kinds of readers who find your e-magazine. Considering that the average pair of eyeballs is tracking hundreds of pieces of content through social media channels, blog posts, and the search engine itself, the publish-and-pray method of old is just not going to cut it.
There are tons of content distribution channels out in the world and, even though a new one seems to pop up every two weeks, they’re quickly saturated with content. As a result, it’s not enough just to make your digital magazine look and sound unique. Your hard work and careful craftsmanship is going to go to waste if you don’t have a solid digital content distribution in place. Firstly, you need to decide on what format your e-magazine is going to be published in. Afterwards, you can consider which publishing platform you’d like to leverage to get your content in front of your target audience. Top of mind should be a publishing platform which cultivates a carefully curated and personalized content feed targeted at consumers who want to read your publication.
The easiest digital content distribution option: PDF magazine
First off, you can consider the good old PDF. PDF magazines are a really good option for small publishers with limited resources. It’s easy to create and export a PDF magazine with accessible design software or PDF editors. Furthermore, the format makes it easy to include hyperlinks, jump links, infographics, and high-quality images. Nothing screams content distribution strategy like publishing interactive multimedia. PDF magazines are also easily distributed via social media channels, email, and websites.
The only drawback is size. PDF magazines can’t exceed a certain size, or they become impossible to download. So if you’ve got your sights set on bigger dreams, consider a different approach that will reach more readers.
The most effective digital content distribution option: an app magazine
First off, you can consider distributing your digital magazine through a magazine app which you develop yourself. Contemporary readers favor apps because of their mobility and ease of use. On the one hand, it entails a lot of work – unless you use an existing magazine content distribution app. On the plus side, a magazine app can give you valuable insights into your readers’ data and ensure that your publication ranks on your search engine of choice. Put a pin in the idea of reader data – we’ll come back to it.
The best digital content distribution option for SEO: a website magazine
As long as you’re not limited by any resource constraints, then a website magazine is a great option for you. The website format allows magazine issues and articles to be easily uploaded, updated, and read by users. By integrating a magazine into your website, you’ll also automatically increase traffic to the site.
What is the most suitable platform for publishing an article or content digitally?
Finally, we’ve arrived at the insightful part of the article you’ve been waiting for (or skipped ahead to). If you’ve made up your mind about publishing a digital magazine and you’ve drafted a content distribution strategy, then it’s time to choose the right digital publishing platform to achieve that goal.
As such, we’ve rounded up a few of our top picks. Each publishing platform essentially achieves the same objective but, ultimately, your choice depends on your publishing needs and your budget.
The top five publishing platforms to help you kick off your content distribution strategy
1. eMagazines
This digital publishing platform is responsible for the e-publication of premium content from household names like Conde Nast, Hearst, and Meredith. The platform provides all the software, services, and customer support you might need to create and distribute your magazine through their platform.
2. FlipHTML5
This publishing platform lets you convert a PDF magazine into a real-feel HTML5 flipbook. The process is DIY-friendly and easily customizable. It’s a fun way to share your content with readers who don’t want to give up the experience of page flipping, even when they’re reading on their phone or tablet.
3. Mag+
Mag+ is a popular platform used by digital magazine publishers to create magazine apps. But, user beware – the platform only allows you to create content apps, not distribute them. You’ll have to look for content distribution channels elsewhere.
4. Magzter
Similarly to Issuu, Magzter boasts a vast reader base. However, the platform is limiting in that it does not allow you to create a magazine app. You can upload your digital magazine to their platform and it can be accessed by readers via their desktop, iOS, Android, or Kindle app. They’ll take their share of the profits should you decide to sell your digital magazine.
5. Invisibly
Remember when we told you to put a pin in the idea of reader data? You can take that pin out now. Invisibly differs from most digital publishing platforms in the model that it uses to distribute digital content to readers. In addition to using paid content distribution strategies, your publication could be paid by Invisibly to feature premium content on a personalized newsfeed streaming through thousands of devices – all belonging to members of your target audience.
Through a fair and transparent exchange of user data for content, readers can access your magazine content for free. It’s a way to diversify your income stream and reach new, discerning audiences who are interested in your content. Unlike social media platforms, Invisibly curates a newsfeed with exceptional content – therefore cutting through the noise and putting your publication into the orbit of the readers who are most likely to convert into subscribers.
The bottom line: digital content distribution has officially changed forever
We know already that the way readers consume magazine content has diversified dramatically – R.I.P, Gutenberg. And it’s changing all the time. Readers don’t want to be burdened with paywalls, and most can’t afford multiple subscriptions. Invisibly lets them access content tailored to their interests all in one place – for free – in exchange for their actively consented data.
Attract new subscribers. Boost clicks, impressions, and engagement. Gain insights into the effectiveness of your media. You can do it all with Invisibly.
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Use your data to access premium content you love.
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