Every day is something new. Much like customers, publishers wake up every day having to face new challenges. From massive advertising declines to surging digital engagements, how customers are looking to consume their news has evolved overnight. But for many, print was and still is, king. Readers enjoy the familiarity of print and print up until now, has been the main lifeline for their subscription business. But Covid-19 has already started to disrupt distribution and willingness to handle print. When you can get all the same information created and posted online, faster and cheaper, can we really say print is an imperative and therefore needs to remain running when other businesses are shutting down?
Now is the time to start considering how quickly publishers can pivot to supporting the portion of the population that prefers the look, feel and delivery of print. From a standard format to the familiar layout to a regular delivery schedule, the modern delivery of news online can be too adaptive and different for readers who actively choose print. That’s where replica editions come in.
Replica editions are exactly what they sound like. They directly replicate what would have been printed in a physical newspaper in a format more familiar to print readers than a standard website or mobile app. And with minimal cost, as most publishers have this capability already, replica papers can serve as an alternative or additive subscription to print. No, you can’t hold the paper, but readers can leverage some basic features online, like zoom functionality and page flipping to mimic an experience closer to what they are looking for. Plus, with the daily change and upheaval of people’s lives, perhaps this is one familiarity publishers can give to their readers.
Reach out to learn more about an effective replica strategy.