About half of readers still prefer to read print, but the number of digital readers is growing. It’s important, therefore, to have a digital presence. However, not all newspapers are ready to run a full news website, while some readers simply want their favorite newspapers or magazines in a more portable electronic format. That’s where epaper comes in.
Epaper is an electronic replica of a full issue of a newspaper or magazine that offers the familiar look of print with the functionality of digital. There are several advantages to creating a digital copy of your publication.
Advantages of epaper for publishers
- A low-effort path to digital. News websites, by their nature, are constantly changing content to reflect the most important news right now. E-editions simply mimic your print edition. With the right software, it’s easy to convert and publish your print edition to digital.
- Quick corrections. Incorrect fact? Embarrassing typo in a headline? With epaper, you can quickly make corrections and push out a new edition.
- Broaden your reach. Digital copies can go anywhere. Reach readers not only outside your delivery area but across the world.
- Expand your circulation. With epaper, you can increase your readership without incurring additional print or delivery expenses.
- Learn about your readership. One of the great advantages of digital is the vast amount of information you can learn about your readers, from subscriber demographics to which articles and topics get the most attention. (Our customers use this information to prevent churn as well as increase readership.)
- Use for promotions. If you want to promote a special issue, it’s easy for interested readers to make an impulse decision to get a copy. After all, it’s just a click away. Digital copies also provide great entitlement for subscribers and an inexpensive way to give potential subscribers a trial offer.
- Send early editions. Several of our customers like to send the epaper edition out before the print version. They find their subscribers read more that way.
- Promote content. With epaper, you can use push notifications to promote specific content.
Advantages of epaper for readers
- Make text and images larger. Digital allows readers to increase the font size or zoom in on images. This is a great asset for visually impaired readers as well as those looking for that single face in a group photo.
- Take it anywhere. Readers can access epapers on any device, making them perfect for reading in a crowded subway or on a breezy front porch.
- Keep up on local news even when away from home. Your subscribers can still get the news from home while on vacation or when living abroad – and without any delays due to mailing.
- Enjoy interactive features. People still love to do crossword puzzles or Sudoku. With epaper, they can enjoy their favorite puzzles in an interactive format.
- Keep the familiar layout. Some readers still love the look of print. With epaper, they can flip pages, browse sections in a familiar form and only deal with static ads set in a page.
- Search for the topic you want. With epaper, readers can not only search for a specific keyword in the current issue but in past issues as well.
We believe in the advantages of epaper for publishers, even those with news websites. Many of our customers use Naviga Replica to create beautiful, interactive epapers that have helped them grow readership. In fact, Helsingborgs Dagblad and Sydsvenskan doubled their subscriptions when switching to our epaper solution.
About the Author: Karina Fabian has been writing about business, leadership & management, and software applications for over a decade. Before joining Naviga, she wrote reviews of business software and services for Top Ten Reviews and Tom’s Guide, and about business practices and leadership for Business News Daily and Business.com. In addition to writing for Naviga, she is a freelance writer and author of 16 books.