September 12, 2013

Mobile can streamline the method of subscribing to a magazine or newspaper, making it one one of the crucial biggest drivers of latest revenues for publishers this year. However, publishers should take into account that mobile also makes cancelling a subscription that much easier.

By now, most big publishers are offering digital versions in their publications on tablets and smartphones, and lots are starting to utilize the medium to streamline the subscription process to boot. However, the simple access that mobile provides for opting right into a digital publication also works the wrong way in letting readers easily opt out.

“I think we’re learning plenty about ways to drive subscriptions in a mobile environment,” said Gregg Hano, CEO of MagPlus, Big apple.

“In the long term i feel will probably be somewhat easier because you’ll have that one-click-to-buy option, and it could find yourself being somewhat cheap because in the event you can identify someone with an interest inside the subject area and get them to subscribe quickly, you don’t necessarily have the entire unsolicited mail costs or renewal expenses,” he said.

“But the converse to that’s it’s also going to be easier for subscribers to cancel in the event that they don’t actually just like the product, or not renew is maybe a higher thanks to put it.”

Opening new doors
On the positive side, mobile has definitely spread out new possibilities for publishers.

Mobile publications offer room for extra features and behind-the-scenes videos, pictures and commentary. Rather than simply replicating a print magazine in digital form, publishers should create a tailored experience that takes good thing about what mobile has to give.

For example, The Atlantic takes trending information from its Site and pushes out a weekly digital issue that compiles the highlights.

One of the most important effects of mobile on publishing is that it streamlines the subscription process.

Before mobile and digital, readers needed to mail in a kind to join a publication. Now, readers can subscribe with one click and begin reading immediately.

This also implies that readers can unsubscribe with one click, but this could encourage publishers to create even better mobile experiences to discourage unsubscription.

“The communication between content owner and consumer goes to wish to be that much greater, and if we give the patrons more content in forms that they need within the way that they need, they’re going to be a part of the community, and they’re going to continue to pay for the content that editorial teams are putting out,” Mr. Hano said.

Mobile preview
Mobile might also allow readers to get a taste of a publication before committing to a subscription.

For example, the magazine Popular Science lets readers explore a compiled issue of the magazine before deciding even if to subscribe.

Additionally, once consumers download a publisher’s mobile application, publishers can send in-app messages and push notifications to drive subscriptions.

According to Gordon Crovitz, co-founding father of Press+, Long island, mobile and digital subscriptions are one of several biggest drivers of latest revenues for publishers this year.

“For the 450 publishers around the globe using Press+ software to power their digital subscriptions, ‘all-digital access’ subscriptions have proven to be the preferred offer for consumers,” he said.

All digital access subscriptions mean that a reader has full access to a publisher’s offerings, including Websites and apps across platforms.

Mr. Crovitz also mentioned that many publishers are using a freemium model besides. This lets readers take a look at a undeniable choice of articles per 30 days without cost before being asked to subscribe.

Like a compiled issue, this lets readers attempt a publication before committing.

Mobile drive
A selection of publishers had been driving mobile subscriptions with creative offers and tactics.

For example, Hearst offered $10 to iTunes when a reader subscribed to the tablet version of its magazine, including Seventeen Magazine, Cosmopolitan and Country Living.

Hearst’s offer

Women’s Health used QR codes in its magazine to subtly hint at subscriptions. Readers could scan the QR code to receive a free gift, but on the bottom of the shape there may be an approach to add Women’s Health Magazine to the order.

Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal also leveraged mobile to drive subscriptions. The publisher ran a mobile campaign in the Pandora iPhone app to focus on students (see story).

According to George Linardos, senior vice chairman of digital marketing & business development at Time Inc., Ny, mobile offers should not necessarily going to make or break subscription models.

“Within a digital channel selling a digital product, the experience is de facto the driving force of the conversion of the user, meaning since you can take them through a flow since you can allow them to sample content,” he said. “If we’re really great at that, that’ll allow the biggest variety of people to transform more so than being in these channels and looking out at offers, though I don’t desire to downplay offer, i believe from our standpoint experience is the largest driver.”

Women’s Health’s offer

Digital publishers
Whether or not publishers use mobile advertising to drive subscriptions, it’s clear that publishers must be embracing mobile with regards to the way in which they present their content within the first place.

Publishers reminiscent of Meredith, Rodale and Time Inc. are all mobilizing their publications for mobile Websites and apps. They realize that their readers like to access content at the go and are catering to their desires.

For example, a big component of Meredith’s target market is millennial moms and younger girls who often must slot in their reading right into a busy day. Health and fitness publisher Rodale also caters to a typically on-the-go audience, since their readers tend to read the publication at their mobile devices while on the gym.

Time Inc. also incorporates mobile into all of its publications.

According to Time’s Mr. Lindaros, greater than 2.8 million authenticated users around the company’s brands use digital magazines.

“[Subscribers] want to have the ability to experience content in a multiplatform form of way,” Mr. Lindaros said. “We’ve seen both through research and anecdotally to boot through analytics that subscribers view the magazine in print after which all over again in tablet and all over again on phone; it just allows the pliability of enjoying the content in whatever context they’re in.

“This is the year that tablets exceed PC shipments,” he said. “Mobile shipments are crossing a thousand million phones worldwide this year.

“We haven’t seen a media platform of such a scale in history, so that you can’t ignore it.” 

Final Take
Rebecca Borison is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York