BHG Redesign, New Meredith Launch, Tech News Site Comparison, Reuters’ Video Strategy, TFP’s Infographic Pick of the Week
Welcome to Technology for Publishing’s roundup of news and tips for media industry pros! This week, we’re sharing stories about a new look and editorial focus for Better Homes and Gardens magazine, the launch of Meredith’s Fit Pregnancy and Baby, how the top tech news sites stack up, why Reuters went from charging for video to giving it away for free, and more.
- Meredith’s Better Homes and Gardens is getting a new, more modern look, with a greater focus on taking readers behind the scenes to see how the magazine comes together and meet the editors and others who make that happen. In addition to providing more transparency to readers, the redesign is aimed at tapping into the “millennial mind-set,” with an emphasis on values associated with the demographic, like entrepreneurship and reinvention. New Editor in Chief Stephen Orr said the effort also will bring more of BHG‘s test kitchen and test garden “heritage” into the pages of the magazine. Other changes include updated layouts and section openers, new food and health columns, a new design for the front of the book, an expanded how-to section, and more, according to Talking New Media.
- Meredith also unveiled its premier issue of Fit Pregnancy and Baby, combining two titles, Fit Pregnancy and American Baby. As TNM explained, Meredith acquired Fit Pregnancy when it bought Shape from America Media last year. It said the acquisitions gave Meredith ownership of Fitness magazine, enabling it to combine American Baby with Fit Pregnancy to create the new title. In a release posted on the Association of Magazine Media site, the publisher said the monthly magazine will launch with a rate base of 2 million, with the brand expected to reach an estimated multiplatform audience of 8.4 million.
- When it comes to tech news, the web is saturated with sites covering pretty much the same topics in pretty much the same ways, Digiday says. But it reported some big differences among the top names in terms of traffic, video views, social reach, and demographics. It said CNET dominates on traffic, bringing in 32 million unique visitors in November—three times that of competitors Engadget, the Verge, and Wired. The 21-year-old site also boasts the largest video audience. On social, the Huffington Post currently takes the top spot in Facebook shares, with Newswhip data showing its tech articles were shared 1.1 million times from October to January. The article also highlighted demographics showing Mashable and Wired have the most gender balance while Wired has the wealthiest readers, among other comparisons.
- Also, Nieman Lab reported on how Reuters radically changed its news video distribution strategy, moving from a model where it charged for its iOS video app to one that not only offers content for free across multiple platforms, but also allows other publishers to freely use it on their sites and in their apps. “Sometimes we’re going to reach consumers on our own platforms, and sometimes we’re quite happy for that to be on other people’s platforms,” explained Reuters TV managing director Isaac Showman in the article. Since November, “dozens” of publishers have incorporated the video product on their sites, “with more signing up each day,” he said. And that strategy so far is paying off: The number of active users tripled between the third and fourth quarters of 2015, according to the report.
On the Technology for Publishing Blog
- TFP’s Infographic Pick of the Week: What tech trends will be driving content strategy this year? From new and improved search engine technology and real-time streaming to wearable devices and virtual reality products, our infographic pick highlights the innovations enabling users to find and consume content more easily.
- ICYMI: We gathered our top 10 Adobe InDesign Tip posts of all time, featuring shortcuts, best practices, and more to help you make the most of the publishing tool. See if your favorite Tip is on the list…
Image: Talking New Media
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Posted by: Monica Sambataro
