Digital Magazine and Newspaper Editions: Best Practice Cases
PMI started slowly, without much marketing – just a promotion on the front covers of
their print editions saying that companion digital editions were available. Soon
afterwards, they started running ads for the digital editions. They have recently
increased their digital editions to include virtually all periodicals, annuals, and
whitepapers. They also publish a media guide for advertisers as a digital edition.
The PMI digital editions are exact replicas, with no digital-only content. Because PMI is
a membership organization, unlike consumer publishers, they do not use the Share
feature available on Texterity’s platform.
PMI sends Texterity the same PDF that they provide to Cadmus Communications for
print production. Texterity supplies a proof so that live URLs, formatting, and other
production specifications can be checked.
PMI pushes its subscriber information to Texterity for digital edition emailing;
Texterity also handles technical support as well as production.
Results
� Feedback on PMI’s digital editions from members has been very positive.
� No major technical or production issues have occurred.
Lessons Learned
� PMI is looking at ways to leverage digital publishing as a source of revenue by
selling space on “blow-in” advertising and sponsored email blasts to non-
subscribers.
� PMI intends to sell digital edition subscriptions to non-members, which is
something that Texterity can also support when PMI is ready.
Gilbane Group Conclusions
� For a nonprofit membership organization such as PMI that deals with technical
subject matter, publications can provide more permanent value than they would
for most consumer and even many B-to-B publications. Digital editions
enhance that value through searchability, bookmarking, and other features, all
for little or no incremental cost.
� At the same time, publications are better than Web sites at strengthening
members’ bonds with the organizations, thus making them more likely to renew
their memberships. Thus, the PMI example shows how digital editions are a
sweet spot between print publications and Web sites for membership
organizations.
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©2008 Gilbane Group, Inc. http://gilbane.com