For years, we have been debating print vs. digital magazines. When we pit the two forms of publishing against each other in the never-ending question of “which one is better?”
But what if we told you that these two methods were not enemies, but allies?
There are a lot of opinions online about print and digital magazines.
As professional publishers, it’s important to consider why your readers prefer print magazines over digital. While print magazines have their advantages, it’s important to remember that digital magazines offer ease and accessibility that print magazines cannot match.
According to a survey conducted by Marketing Charts in 2022, more American adults (68.5%) reported reading print magazines: 3 in 10 read them weekly and 8.4% read them daily. But fewer people turn to magazines online compared to news (36.1% vs. 18% who never turn to them). Only about one-third visit both magazine apps and websites on a weekly basis, which is not significantly more than those who read print magazines.
Although the survey showed that more people still read physical magazines, it is important to know that the magazine advertising market is changing.
Magazine advertising is moving to digital advertising faster than newspapers, and PwC predicts that digital ad spend in consumer magazines will exceed print ad spend in 2025, a year ahead of newspapers.
To enter the digital market, print publications can provide subscribers with digital versions without the cost of printing or shipping. This generates revenue to increase existing print subscribers, and a cheaper digital-only subscription can attract new readers.
Advantages of print magazines
Of course, print magazines still have their advantages. There’s something special about holding a physical copy of a magazine in your hands and flipping through the pages. But by offering digital versions of your publication, you not only expand your potential readership base, but also provide an additional level of convenience and accessibility.
While the Internet is a great resource that many people use to catch up on news and a variety of click-bait or niche stories, print magazines are considered more leisurely formats.
Many readers consider sitting and reading a physical magazine a form of relaxation. It gives them a break from the screen they spend a large part of their day looking at for work.
But where it is better, it is also lacking. Digital magazines have many advantages, one of the main ones being convenience.
Advantages of digital magazines
Digital magazines offer unique opportunities to create an immersive reading experience by integrating multimedia elements such as audio and video.
In addition, digital magazines offer other benefits. For example, tracking reader engagement with analytics tools, refining future content, and accessibility anytime, anywhere.
Compared to print magazines, digital magazines have the advantage of wider distribution channels and lower start-up costs. Thus, creating a digital magazine can help expand readership, and if there is demand, publishers can consider print.
Some things work better together
After reading this, can you really say that the fight between print and digital is worth arguing about? Or is it time to take the gloves off and start seeing their synergy?
Both print and digital have their place. With the unique benefits of each, you can build your publishing strategy around the professionals that work best for your target audience.
In most cases, using both formats will benefit your business, so why fight it? If you have a print publication, allow digital publications to work side by side with you to grow your readership.
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