Digital magazines generated $924 million in revenue in 2018. In other words, it’s a booming industry with lots of room to grow! But to stand out from the competition, there are certain things you need to do to stand out in your niche. However, if you’re just starting out it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why we’ve created this guide with the 6 steps you need to create digital magazine success. Read them below!
1. Decide on Your Niche
First of all, before you start writing or designing, you need to find your niche. The truth of the matter is that there are tons of digital magazines out there. So it’s not realistic to try to and compete with big national news organizations, for example.
Instead, you should pick a more specific audience and tailor your content to them. That way you can dominate that area without having to fight against all the big players in the game.
Think about the broad topic you want to write about. For example, this could be interior design, business, or sports.
From there, think about what you’re an expert in inside that specific field. For example, if your broad topic is interior design, your niche topic could be country kitchens or Victorian style bedrooms.
Are there publications out there already covering this topic? If not, great! If there are a few, do you think you can compete with them?
If so, you’ve found your niche!
2. How Will You Monetize?
After deciding on your Niche, the next step to create digital magazine is to figure out how you will monetize your magazine. The two main options are subscriptions and ads.
Subscriptions are where most magazines start. This will produce a steady of stream of revenue every month so that you can maintain production.
However, keep in mind that this can be a slow start because you also need to provide valuable content so people want to pay for it. You’ll probably have to produce a couple of issues before getting people to sign up.
Once you have a solid subscription base, you can start selling ad space. Advertisers are always looking for new ways to reach their target market, so when you have the audience, selling ad space will be a breeze!
3. Start Writing
Now it’s time to start producing content! Begin by thinking about the structure of your publication.
This includes thinking about how many articles you’ll include in each issue, the types of content you’ll include, and any repeating article types you’ll want to include each month.
Once you’ve decided on the structure, now it’s time to work on content. Start by assessing what you already have. If you been writing for a while, you most likely have content that you can utilize or repurpose for this new project.
And that means you’ll have more time to work on other aspects of the magazine. If you don’t have a ton of content written already, that’s okay! Come up with some topics and get to work.
It’s also a good idea to reach out to colleagues or other writers you know in the industry. They can provide articles to you as well and as a courtesy, you can include a bio about them as well as a link to their other work.
4. Next Step to Create Digital Magazine Success: The Design
Without design, your magazine isn’t complete! It’s just blocks of text.
Good graphic design will make your project stand out from the crowd. It will help capture people’s interest and get them to keep reading.
Magazines are a super visual medium, so you should definitely consider working with a graphic designer to get the job done right.
Then, once your magazine is designed, it’s time to build it. If you’re worried about the technical side of building your magazine, don’t fret! Our team can take care of that for you.
5. Photography Matters Too
Now that you’ve got your content and design figured out, the last part to create digital magazine is photography.
Photography is incredibly important because it catches people’s attention. In fact, the human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text.
In other words, photos really matter in your digital magazine! But for a new publication, it’s often hard to produce high quality images.
If you have the resources to do so, great! But if not, that’s where stock photos come in.
There are lots of great stock photography companies out there. Just be sure to look around as you’re searching the images to find ones that are unique.
There’s nothing worse than using a stock photo that’s super popular and cheesy. That will make your publication seem less legitimate.
6. Develop Your Audience
Last but not least, it’s time to grow your audience base. In other words, it’s time to market your new magazine!
You can do this in many ways. Email marketing is a great place to start. Social media is free and easy to use as well!
Also consider using social media ads, especially on Facebook. These are not that expensive and can get super specific in terms of targeting.
It’s also common to offer a free trial or freemium version of your magazine as you’re starting out. This can get people in the door and help them convert to subscribers down the road.
More than anything, work hard and be patient! It can take some time to grow a strong audience base. But if you’re persistent and keep working hard, it will happen.
Closing Thoughts
There you have it: 6 tips to help you create digital magazine success in your niche. Now that you’ve read through these tips, it’s time to get started on your project!
If you have questions or would like to know more, contact our team of professionals today. We’re happy to help.
