How to Develop a Digital Magazine

To start an independent lifestyle magazine has been a dream of mine for a long time.

There’s a range of options online to create any type of magazine, however, HTML5 magazines are the most user-friendly. They can be used on both desktop and mobile devices. They offer a magazine flip responsive feature and are multi-media rich and interactive.

This option offers an immersive reading experience. The images are ideal and this digital option is as close to a print magazine as you can get.

Firstly you’ll need to know the behind-the-scenes marketing and tech stuff.

Market Research

As in any business, you’ll want to ensure there is a market for the theme of the Magazine.

Important steps in market research:

• Confirm the style and theme of your magazine.
• Check the marketing trends of similar magazines.
• Research competing magazines within your industry
• Decide who your target market will be
• Decide which marketing tools you wish to use

Create a customer profile

The demographics of your target audience are essential in knowing how to market your magazine.

Key factors:

Location, age, gender, marital status, occupation, socioeconomic status.

Once you have an idea of who your magazine will attract it's time to put into motion your methods of research and marketing.

Key methods of research are:

• Conduct surveys on social media.
• Ask friends.
• Put together a focus group.
• Check industry media such as newsletters, blogs and websites.
• Hire a research company.

It’s essential to carefully conduct your research and ensure your resources are legitimate.

Decide how to monetize

There are many avenues to online monetization.

• Traditional advertising space.
• WooCommerce plugin on your personal website.
• Mobile Apps such as Google Play and Apple.
• Online magazine subscriptions such as Zinnio, Issuu and Magzter.

I have used Zinnio and like the usability.

Hire a digital team if possible, or tackle it yourself! Here is an example of the various roles necessary for your digital magazine.

1. Editor-in-Chief
2. Advertising Salesperson
3. Marketing Rep
4. Art Director
5. Writers
6. Photographers
7. Editor

Budget

This really depends on how much you want to invest.

Free digital magazine platforms

• Lucidpress
• Madmagz
• Scoopit
• Pub HTML5
• Joomag

With many options available you can create your interactive content and distribute it through multiple social media accounts and various channels. Alternatively, you can choose to monetize your creation through subscriptions.

Some platforms will allow you to sell single issues and subscriptions. Other platforms will allow you to embed your magazine right onto your website.

Other popular digital magazine platforms

• Issuu
• MagLoft
• Flipsnack
• PressPad/Magz

Design your digital magazine

This is the exciting part. Ideally, you know exactly how you want your magazine to look. You have the theme, and you know your audience.

Now for the fun design planning.

Here are some digital design tools:

• Adobe
• Canva
• Creative Market
• PaperLit

Typography

This is the element that sets the style of the magazine. Typography is a visual art form that improves readability with fonts, line lengths, line spacing, letter-spacing and headers.

Typography is essential to a sharp appearance for your digital magazine.

Content creation

The best part of creating your own digital magazine is you won’t need to query.

Content for any magazine is crucial to overall success. You can hire writers through many different avenues. Writers may also be willing to write for visibility. And of course, if you’re a writer that’s even better.

Interviews

Depending on the theme of your magazine, this can be easier than you think. If you’re developing a cooking magazine, then ask to interview a chef at a new restaurant in town. If your magazine is on home decor, interview a furniture and design store manager or owner.

The scope of opportunities for interviewing subjects is as endless as your imagination.

If you’re wanting to brush up on your journalist skills there are plenty of online courses. They will teach you how to ask the right questions, look for hidden sources and how to use effective language.

Photography

If you have decent camera and photography skills then taking care of the photography yourself would be ideal. However, another option is to purchase royalty-free images from sites such as Getty Images and Shutterstock. These can be pricey but worth it.

My suggestion would be to mix personal photography and professional images with free images.

There’s also the possibility of hiring a photographer.

Advertising

There are many ways to advertise your new magazine.

• Social media giveaways.
• Create a website.
• Online subscription services as mentioned above, for example; Zinnio.
• Hire students for a pop-up media campaign on the streets in your city with prizes.
• Guest blog or be interviewed by other magazines or bloggers.
• Advertise in the local paper.
• Google Ads.

Takeaway

1. Market research and customer profile
2. Budget and monetization options
3. Choose a magazine platform
4. Design your digital magazine and select digital tools
5. Organize and select your desired typography
6. Work on content, hire writers or have guest writers
7. Find interview subjects
8. Work on photography, hire a photographer or purchase stock images
9. Advertise

Anyone can develop and create a digital magazine with professional written and visual content. Digital magazines not only offer optimal reader experience but can also be a stepping stone to a print magazine.

Imagine the endless opportunities! This can be the creative outlet you’ve been looking for.

Find more of my work at Medium or kathylum.com!