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Hi! We’re excited to be back for podcast #44 since a wee gap with some travel – today’s installment is all about digital publishing. We found at one of our recent events that many people wanted to know more about digital publishing and how we go about creating our digital magazine, Online Footprint. We thought we’d address this here today!
As we are on the edge of a ‘mobile revolution’ where more and more people are accessing websites and information on mobile devices, digital magazines are becoming a more popular means of accessing information. We are all becoming more used to being able to access information on demand so having a digital magazine available on your mobile device answers that demand and is great for filling in any down-time you may have (no more being stuck with 5 year old magazines in waiting rooms!).
What Did Heather and Andrew Learn This Week?
Apple recently launched the new iPad Air and announced the new iCloud version of apps such as Keynote. Andrew has been looking at this and what it means to users – basically documents etc can be edited in the Cloud and shared with multiple people. For example, digital magazine contributors could be working on the same documents and know that they are working with a current version which is being updated in real time in the Cloud.
Heather has been working on our new 6 month automation program for clients. One of the clients was having trouble with making videos, not knowing what to do and freezing up. They decided to use a tool called Cue Prompter – a free teleprompter tool where you can upload a Word document and it will produce teleprompting for you. Just position your laptop under the camera where you can see it! This helped the client immensely and reminded Heather that you just need to get into the groove that suits you. Find what works for you and don’t end up getting stuck trying to do something you’re not comfortable with!
Magazines
What we’re really talking about today are magazines that have interactive, rich media embedded within the pages; for example videos and audios. You can of course have magazines in PDF format but these do not provide rich media. We like that with interactive magazines you can include external links and opt-in pages within the magazine pages – a great way to build your list!
A magazine is a great way to position yourself within marketplaces where a lot of eyes can be on your content. We use the News Stand app in iTunes as it puts our content out there in places where people are actively looking for it. You could also use Amazon Kindle, Google Play or any of the Android apps that are set up for this. When people use those platforms they are already there to find content to read rather than you having to find a way to generate traffic to your own website.
The great thing about having a magazine somewhere like iTunes is that you don’t have to have a payment gateway set up – Apple is taking money on your behalf!
Benefits of Your Own Digital Magazine
1) You control the advertising space – you can have ads going back to your own landing pages or you can sell space to others.
2) It can be as long or short as you like, there is no formula! It doesn’t cost you any money to make a magazine with more pages.
3) You can sell subscriptions as an additional income or make the magazine free. We’ve seen people create courses in magazine format and sell for $100 each.
4) It’s easy to approach well-known experts in your field when you have your own magazine. Just ask them if you can put them on your cover and if they will write an article for it. It’s a great way to curate content and not have to create it all yourself. You also build credibility by association with experts in your industry! People want to be in magazines – it helps get their name out there too and is different to just being on a website.
We have enjoyed connecting with some phenomenal experts in the online space since we started our magazine 12 months ago and are continuing to build a great network. Often our contributors are connecting us with others they know too. We don’t pay our contributors, however you could choose to do that.
5) Magazine is delivered like an app with interactive content – this is great as it is what people are looking for right now. It is also easier than developing and marketing your own app. Apple also is happy to give you the email addresses of your subscribers so you can create a list.
6) Connect your magazine to Google Analytics so you can monitor which pages/ads etc people are clicking on or spending the most time on.
7) Push notifications are available to you and you can send them out every day if you like! This is where a notification will come up on the screen of your customer, perhaps suggesting an article for them to read.
8) You can publish a magazine for any niche for very low cost.
How Do I Get My Own Magazine?
There are a number of platforms available – we use and like Magcast for all the features it has available including training modules. This is only open to certified Magcast professionals, however there are other platforms available. To put it together you don’t need fancy tools, we just use Keynote and upload to Magcast. You could also use Powerpoint.
If you want to learn more about our magazine and get a coupon for a free subscription, head over to our Online Footprint website. We will also be running a webinar soon so keep an eye out for your opportunity to sign up.