This selection of thirty practical tips has been gleaned from the experiences of innovative niche consumer and B2B publishers.
This was the topic of a seminar at Publishing Expo on 28 February 2012 in a panel session led by me, Carolyn Morgan, MD Specialist Media Show, with Andy Marshall, MD Immediate Media Bristol and Rob Chambers, MD Total Telecom. We could have done with a bigger theatre, so here are the highlights if you missed it:
1. Test tablets – PDF replicas on revenue shares are a good way to test the market.
2. Repackage and recycle – specialist content is timeless and makes good specials.
3. Value free – sample issues on tablet showcase your content and attract ads.
4. Hold your nerve on prices – don’t underprice niche content.
5. Test short term promotions – can see big volume uplifts.
6. Go global – many small titles see 70%+ of downloads outside UK.
7. Don't forget e-readers – repackage text-based content for Kindle et al.
8. Streamline content production – look at web first CMS that feed print and tablet too.
9. Consider content curation – make the most of your expert readers.
10. Be search friendly – use Google and social media to attract an audience.
11. Unearth your archive – past issues drive traffic online.
12. Get your audience talking – social media engages readers and generates editorial ideas.
13. Socialise your own site – build your own community through comments and forums.
14. Sell tickets on Twitter – use discount codes to track event sales.
15. Test Facebook mags – browse and share or even sell your mag on Facebook.
16. Cross promote exhaustively – use your e-list, print and web for new products.
17. Automate your emails – save time with content and Twitter feeds.
18. Try video for email marketing – slide show and audio doubled subs response for Agora.
19. Become a data geek – merge your databases and watch what people do.
20. Partner with advertisers – forget CPM, create bespoke campaigns.
21. Get enewsletters sponsored – core audience and timeliness appeals to advertisers.
22. Establish a value for social – beware of giving it away for free.
23. Test out transactions – sell digital content, training, events or link with retail.
24. Be a video magpie – curate public video to create engaging content.
25. Connect your audience – live events build relationships and are profitable.
26. Create content from events – videos, slides, reports, social extend live events.
27. Build an exclusive network – harder to copy than content.
28. Make print special – focus on subscribers and advertisers with better production values.
29. Work closely with Apple – featured content transforms downloads.
30. Select suppliers strategically – make sure they can work together.
If you’re a specialist publisher, then you may be interested in the Specialist Media Show, a conference, exhibition and workshop programme for niche publishers. The next event is on 24 May 2012 at ThinkTank Birmingham. You can register free here.
