Do you run a magazine? If your answer is “yes”, you should look deeper into this article. Why? Because it presents a new, efficient form of distribution, promotion, and sales you might be interested in due to the long list of its benefits.

There is no need to beat about the bush, it is about a Mobile App for a magazine, or we should rather clarify, an interactive mobile app for your PDF-based magazine. In a moment, you will find out what is behind this phrase, how it looks like, how it works, and what advantages it can bring to your enterprise.  

If you want to get a solid dose of knowledge about a mobile app for magazines, read about titbits from the publishing world, and be surprised with facts about them, click the “Continue reading” button. Enjoy!

The mobile-oriented world

Do you know anyone who doesn’t have a smartphone today? Our guess is that if so, it is probably an exception. Right now, globally, almost 90% of cellular phones are smartphones, which gives the number of 6.84 billion of those devices. To illustrate it better, around 85% of the 8 billion global population has a smartphone. Can you believe that? 

But smartphones, besides settling into our lives for good (until something new is invented), have changed the perception of cell phones. Today, it is not a device used to make calls, it is a device that is used to… everything.

Web browsing? Check.

Banking? Check.

Shopping? Check.

Navigating? Check.

Being up to date with the news? Check.

These are just examples. If you think about it deeper, the list can be really long. The interesting thing is, we use smartphones not only when we really need to do something. We use them, when we are bored or when we even don’t have a specific intention or purpose. We do it mechanically – pulling out from the pocket, unlocking the smartphone, and browsing the content has become our reflex.

The same as grabbing a smartphone immediately after the notification sound.

Coming to the point. What do you think – if users get a notification from your magazine app about a new article which has just been published, will they go for their smartphones to check what happens? We bet they will.

A mobile app for your magazine

Before you go further with the article, we encourage you to grab your smartphone, open Play Store (if you have an Android system) or Apple App Store (if you have an iOS), search for at least one of the following titles, download something, open and run through it:

• Global Banking & Finance,
• Attitude. Interior Design Magazine,
• American Free Press.

It can be your magazine as well.

Why should you consider such a solution? What are the main benefits the mobile magazine app can give you and your brand?

Unlimited availability

Having your mobile magazine available on the biggest app stores makes it can be downloaded and read by people from all over the world. There are no boundaries. You can offer your content literally to anyone and everywhere. Simply speaking, your customer base will increase. 

Easy accessibility

Smartphones have brought access to information to a completely different level. You can have everything in a click (or two). For your readers it means the possibility of reading content without ordering a physical issue, without waiting for shipping, without going out home, and sometimes even without leaving the couch. And the truth is, we all love a comfortable life, don’t we?

Limited costs

We won’t discover America by saying that everything is getting more expensive when you are an entrepreneur: paper, printing houses, warehouses, distribution, overseas shipping, marketing… Switching to publish a magazine in a mobile app form reduces or even eliminates these costs. Not to mention reducing the negative impact on the environment.

Old issues monetization

How many editions and articles have been irretrievably lost due to the fact that they were only published in print? You didn’t have time to buy an issue? There is nothing you can do, it’s too late. There will be another issue next month. Thanks to a mobile app your readers can have access to the old issues as well as you can still monetize everything that was published in the past. Moreover, the old issues library can be available even if users are offline. 

Meeting users expectations

Fast and impatient – these two words describe many of us. For those of us who live fast lives and are impatient, mobile apps resolve many problems. Elements like easy navigation, fast load speed and a magazine in a pocket, make consuming content on apps a much smoother and more enjoyable experience. Remember that the habits of the new generation of readers have been changing according to technological development.

Instant connection

Being constantly in touch works both ways – you as a publisher can send your readers various kinds of notifications: the latest updates, news, and surveys. On the other hand, thanks to social media feed integration and the possibility of sharing, users have a great opportunity to leave comments and share their thoughts. On the other hand, you can get feedback easily. This connection is not only both sides but also multi-channel. 

The channel you own and control

The app belongs to you. The decisions are only yours, as well as revenue. It’s completely under your control. You are not dependent in any aspect on third-party platforms or corporations larger than you. The relationship app users create with your brand is a solid foundation that won’t break when some algorithm changes.

Engagement and interactivity

Mobile magazine apps offer a new dimension of reading. They have many appealing advantages and engaging features people need to stay focused on the content. Once again – the new generation of smartphone-addicted readers has already been on the market. This is the group, which, right after the companies producing the devices, will force changes on publishers.

The devil is in the details

Have you seen the mobile apps we suggested you download?

All the above examples are our customers. All of them decided to have additional channels in a mobile app form. Using them as examples, we will show you what kind of modern reading experience you can offer your readers, both present and future ones.

Let’s look at the various elements of a mobile magazine app separately.

The mobile app looks modern and the navigation is intuitive. No one will lose, even if it is not so tech-savvy, trust us. The issues are presented in two rows that users can swipe to look through the whole library you decided to offer. Simultaneously, miniatures of covers are sizable and thus clear. Every detail is visible even on a small screen. There is no chaos here.

On the main screen, on a top bar, we have two menus on opposite sides: 

• after expanding the left side app panel, you’ll find a social media feed; you can either scroll down or go directly to Facebook and/or X (former Twitter) with just one click,

• on the right, there are filter options, which organize content for individual preferences according to categories: all, to buy, available to download, downloaded, and by default, A to Z, Z to A.

After clicking on a cover, we see the possible actions we can do with this issue: 

• buy (with visible price for this single issue) 
• preview (what allows users to read a fragment for free to see if it is worth buying)
• subscribe (after clicking on this button we can see the price and length of subscription)
• as well as share with others via different channels. 

In the right-down corner of each magazine, there are different color  icons which have various but easy to understand, meaning:

• blue – preview option,
• green – the possibility to buy,
• orange – the latest issue/issues.

We have just analyzed what the users see and experience while using the app. If I also use one of the apps we suggested, you know how it works. And maybe in the meantime, questions arose in your head about how difficult it is to manage such an app from the owner’s perspective and what your role is in this process. 

It is easy and enjoyable same as users’ experience.

What does it look like from the other side?

The most important element on your way to have a mobile magazine app is a PDF file you will send us. It doesn’t need to be rebuilt. This simple file is enough to register your account for free.

Since this moment, we are a team staying in permanent contact to make sure that your app meets your expectations and satisfies the store platform requirements. 

The app development process can take us a few days. When it is finished, you have a 7-day trial period where you can check your app on your device. We don’t let our customers buy pigs in pokes. Everything is clear, transparent, ready to check and we are open to any change if needed. When everything is good, and you accept the app, we ask for payment. 

There are also a few details worth mentioning:

• There is no coding required. If you encounter any difficulties, we are here to help and support you. 

• You are a person who has control over publishing PDF issues. This process is very simple and the work requires no more than 2-3 minutes per month. Publishing the app in app stores is our job.

• In your admin panel, you see detailed reports related to the app usage. There is also a live estimate of the number of all downloads available in the panel throughout the month. 

• The content you offer can be free or paid. There is also a free preview option for those who haven’t made a purchasing decision.

If you have any doubts to dispel, any questions to ask, or any details to clarify, reach us anytime, anywhere.

The post The Benefits of Having a Mobile App for Your Magazine appeared first on Digital Publishing Blog by PressPad.