Smart Ways Of Selling Digital Magazine Subscriptions

Here at Realview we can offer you all of the tools, tips, and tricks you need to creatively sell your stunning interactive flipbook to a digital audience. Below are some fruitful strategies, commonly used by our clients to help boost their online and app sales. You can apply any number of these to your own business model in order to encourage the largest possible return on your digital investment.

 

Sell online subscriptions and retain 100% of the profit.

When you publish your flipbook online and control the marketing initiative on your end, instead of relying on online marketplaces to boost your discoverability, then you will be able to retain 100% of your profits on sales. If this is an important factor in your business model then make sure to avoid digital publishing solutions that will take a share of your subscription revenue, a common experience with online marketplaces or “all you can eat” magazine sites as you will often only receive a small percentage of the site’s total sales.

Offer bundled subscription options.

A great way of increasing online sales is by offering discounted subscription rates for bundled deals. Often readers will be enticed by a print subscription offer if you throw in online access at a reduced rate as well. Not only will this promote sales but it will also encourage your existing print readers to branch out into the digital space. If you have created an app for your magazine as well as an online flipbook then make sure to advertise this multiplatform access to customers. All readers have different digital requirements, so giving them the freedom to choose how to consume your content will help seal the deal when it comes to magazine sales.

Create a sample issue.

Sometimes customers take a little more convincing to get them over the line. How many times have you stood in the newsagent contemplating which magazine is going to be worth your time and money? Often it comes down to a quick flick through each magazine to determine which one interests you most. Replicating this same ‘try before you buy’ experience with digital publications will not only help you encourage new sales, but you will also have much more control on what exact content is offered up for free. By creating a free sample issue, possibly a back issue which may have lost its market value, you can let readers preview your content before they buy it. This is a smart move, especially if you are looking to attract new customers who may not be familiar with your brand at all, as well as those who are hesitant to adopt the digital medium for reading magazines, allowing them to familiarise themselves with your flipbook and its functionality before committing to a subscription.

Sell your content through online marketplaces.

Apps are a great resource for publishers who are looking to increase the visibility of their magazine, as they can be found by browsing globally recognised and frequented online stores such as Google Play and the iTunes app store. When you publish your flipbook as an app, readers can choose from a variety of subscription methods. One of the most popular revenue models, in-app purchases offer an easy and secure method for readers to purchase additional content and services within a downloaded app. Offering in-app purchases within a free-to-download app is a great way of encouraging sales as it allows you to garner reader interest. Readers can preview your app, and then after consideration purchase specific content that suits their needs. They will not need to navigate away from the app in order to make payment, and with only a three-click process, your readers will be able to gain access to content within your app instantly.

Incorporate auto-renewing subscriptions.

Auto-renewing in-app subscriptions are a great feature for encouraging sales since it relies on the principle that instead of opting in to renew, users have to opt out pre-emptively to cancel their renewal. The auto-renewing subscription model increases the likelihood that readers will stick around for more than just one subscription cycle, thus making it easier for you to benefit from subscription revenue long term.

Hand out voucher codes.

Take your flipbook to the next level by using voucher codes as a means of offering users access. This model is really quite effective as it presents the opportunity for your company to take a more hands-on approach when it comes to sales. The Big Issue is an excellent case study as they have been able to drastically boost their digital sales amongst a predominantly print market by having their street vendors offer customers vouchers that can be redeemed for online access. Of course, the voucher model can also be incorporated into a bespoke sales strategy, so assess your market and discover what works best!

Market to schools and libraries.

This strategy is effective for established magazines, and especially archives, because you are able to offer customers a wealth of information through one simple, user-friendly interface. Schools, libraries, and other organisations often require multiple access points, and minimal user involvement in the authentication process. When you publish online you can unlock content in accordance with an IP range or ranges, allowing you to enforce the parameters of an organisation’s access—a common concern when offering a single magazine subscription to multiple users. This is also beneficial from the customer’s perspective as readers can be granted seamless access without the fuss of worrying about user login details.

When considering the different strategies in selling digital magazine subscriptions, it is important to keep in mind your target audience and offer incentives that are tailored to their consumer needs. Make sure to integrate with free third party tracking sites such as Google Analytics, as this will allow you to systematically analyse the trends of your readership, and how they engage with your content.

Realview gives you all the tools you need to start creating elegant, interactive publications, which will help you catapult your brand into the digital space. Try these smart ways yourself! Start epublishing your content for free today.