The
magazine industry is under threat.
Increasingly,
the internet is playing host to content that was once the exclusive territory
of the printed media, and with internet access seemingly ubiquitous, print is
becoming a redundant format. The question of how to combat this terminal
decline is the most important issue currently facing those in the industry. For
magazine editors, it is a case of adapt or die.
Successful
innovation is crucial to the long term viability of printed titles; however,
not all innovation is necessarily good. “Innovation’s important, but not
panic-stricken innovation for the sake of it” claims Q Editor Matt Mason, “the worst thing a printed publication can do
is try to take on online outlets head on.” Instead, it seems the most
successful approach for magazines is to embrace the internet, and develop a
strong online presence to complement the publication; “The magazine has to play to its strengths and use
the website and tablet edition to expand”. Altering the format of a successful
publication is not necessary, but engaging in the online world and expanding
through this is crucial to continued success.
Online editions offer printed publications a number
of options that would be unavailable in the original format. For monthly
magazines such as Q, who print two
weeks ahead of release, an issue has always been the inability to break news,
and attempting to create content that is still relevant when it arrives on
shelves. Creating a strong companion website for their publication can allow
weekly and monthly magazines to compete in the arena of breaking news, an
important extra dimension for such publications.
An online edition can also play host to a more
diverse range of content than a printed magazine can, as well as a greater
volume of content. Video and audio can be created exclusively for the website,
and pieces which did not fit in the magazine can find a home on the website. If
the additional online content is directly linked to that of the magazine, it
encourages the audience to both purchase the magazine and explore the website.
This gives the publication a broader appeal, and can help to retain and
strengthen the audience between issues.
Q’s
Matt Mason also believes a strong online product is vital in expanding the
magazine’s readership. “Increasingly new readers, particularly at the younger
end of the scale, will come in via our digital products. So the next key thing
for me is to develop our website to ensure it's something music fans feel they
have to visit and return to every day.” Creating new, unique content on a daily
basis is a challenging task, but signals a shift in focus towards the digital
aspect of the publication. The digital editions are clearly the future of the
magazine industry, and are essential in retaining and developing the readership
of the magazine itself.
When Mason speaks of ‘digital products’, he is not
only referring to the website. The development of a mobile app and mobile edition
of the magazine is also crucial to expanding into the digital world. The growth
of tablet computers and internet enabled smart phones presents the magazine
industry with the opportunity to put their products into the hands of the
consumer at the click of a button. By creating a variety of digital products,
magazines can tailor their services to the lifestyles of the consumer, giving
them greater ease of access to the content.
In terms of digital expansion, the magazine
industry still seems to be lagging behind compared to most news providers, with
The Sun a particularly strong example of digital development of the print media.
While The Sun still produces a daily newspaper, it
has also developed a successful website and app, with all the content of the
paper itself, as well as vast swathes of additional video, audio and written
content. This allows The Sun to report on breaking news immediately, and
supplement stories with additional content, giving the reader a multimedia
experience. The Sun has also demonstrated that digital expansion can provide an
extra stream of revenue. For magazines, physical sales represent an important
source of income, and so to make the same content available for free online
would be disastrous. The Sun charges a subscription fee for access to the
digital formats, meaning that they still earn directly from their content being
viewed.
This model is an innovative, ideal way for the
magazine industry to move forward. By creating exclusive digital content that
supplements that of the physical magazine, print titles can garner new readers,
whilst offering a broader range of content to their existing readership. This
is the direction in which Q are
looking to head; “We’re working hard to expand and improve the website and it's
important that we use the tablet edition to provide additional unique content”
explains Matt Mason.
Along with creating digital content, it is also
increasingly important that magazines engage in the digital world through the
use of social media. Websites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram provide a
platform for titles to promote not just the publication as a whole, but
individual articles and pieces of content. Social media is playing an
increasingly crucial role in advertising magazines, as they can be used to
spark interest in specific items. Used successfully, this can cause a piece to
‘go viral’, gaining great exposure for the publication and bringing the title
to the attention of a huge audience.
Whilst digital development is clearly an incredibly
important innovation in the field of magazine journalism, there are other
methods of expansion being explored. Matt Mason emphasised the importance of
intelligent marketing. “Few titles can afford TV advertising these days but
there's still plenty you can do to remind the world that you're there. Our
shoots and interviews are so good that the national papers will pick them up
and run fully credited excerpts. Our festival partnerships underline how much
we love and identify great music.” Newspapers running credited segments from a
magazine give greater exposure to that title, especially with most newspapers
already having a strong digital presence. Q’s
festival partnerships give them exposure specifically to their target audience,
and this is also a method utilised by NME
magazine, who sponsor a stage at the Reading and Leeds festivals. For
specialist magazines such as these, such direct marketing is an ideal way to
promote their product, and in the digital age, it is easier than ever.
Clearly, all print publications must be looking to
digital development as a means of moving forward and expanding. While
innovation in this field can be of great importance for any title looking to
develop, it is also crucial that the magazine continues to produce the high
quality product for which it is known. As Matt Mason says; “We can't break news like a website can. We can't stream music or play
videos like a website can. We can do what we've always done better than anyone
else though: brilliant, considered long-form feature writing;
stunning photoshoots; authoritative, witty reviews; and provocative,
agenda-setting opinion”. While their foray into the digital world will
allow Q to break news, stream music
and play videos, that is no reason to abandon the pillars that have helped make
the magazine one of the best known music magazines in the country. Any
publication with a strong reputation must, therefore, look to progress, but not
at the expense of the original article, which built their reputation and
readership in the first place.
The future of these print titles relies upon a
combination of intelligent, innovative digital expansion; targeted marketing
strategies; and maintaining a high quality, reputable product. Those that
manage this balancing act successfully will thrive in the increasingly
internet-dominated media market.
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