Many print magazines haven’t had a lot of success migrating to the online market, but Popular Science is looking toward handheld e-Reading devices as a way to increase digital readers and revenue.
In response to a puny 707 digital subscribers to its online mag, Popular Science is ready to launch a new digital magazine dubbed, "The Pop Sci Genius Guide," which it hopes will be positioned to take advantage of what they think will eventually be a significant market: e-readers!
One reason Pop Sci execs think the Genius Guide has an excellent chance to succeed is because it’s the first consumer magazine to embrace the latest version of the Zinio digital publishing platform, which empowers publishers to digitally embed multi- and interactive media like hyperlinks, video and animation.
Popular Science will experiment with price points between 99 cents to $4.99 an issue to begin with.
Relaunching for e-Readers
Popular Science Rolls Out 'The Pop Sci Genius Guide'
Trend Themes
1. Migration to E-reading Devices - The success of Popular Science's new digital magazine shows the trend of print magazines moving towards handheld e-Reading devices.
2. Embracing Interactive Digital Publishing - The use of the Zinio digital publishing platform allows Popular Science to incorporate multi- and interactive media, opening up new possibilities for consumer magazines.
3. Experimenting with Pricing Models - Popular Science's strategy of testing different price points for its digital magazine highlights the trend of magazines exploring innovative pricing models.
Industry Implications
1. Magazine Publishing - The magazine publishing industry can use the success of Popular Science's digital magazine as inspiration to embrace e-reading devices and interactive digital publishing.
2. Digital Publishing Platforms - The Zinio digital publishing platform and similar platforms have the opportunity to gain more clients and expand their offerings through partnerships with magazines.
3. Digital Subscription Services - The success of Popular Science's new digital magazine showcases the potential growth of the digital subscription services industry, particularly for magazines and publishers.