How to Create a Digital Magazine

How to create content and convert it into a magazine (PDF Format)

Here are the foundations for creating a magazine from scratch.

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  Select best design tool or hire a freelancer

  With high-quality magazine layout software, you can create most impressive digital magazines with an amazingly designed layout. We picked out three of the best tools for creating high-quality magazines with impressive layouts, so make sure to check out their sets of features before making your final decision.

  • Adobe InDesign (recommended)
  • QuarkXPress
  • CorelDRAW
  • Hire a freelancer
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  Pick your topic

  Magazines can't exist without a subject. Consider your topic and the audience you are addressing. To make a catalog or magazine effective, you need to be clear about the theme and audience.

  Some topics that can help you get a conversation started include music, films, travel experiences, current events (either local or worldwide), fashion trends and happenings in the world of celebrity and entertainment. When you're deeply knowledgeable about a subject, your readers will be more engaged with the magazine.

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  Choose a title

  Your headline should attract readers interested in your subject and describe what will be found inside the magazine. Remember that your title will have a long-lasting effect on how people see your brand.

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  Cover Article & Cover Page Image

  Most magazines devote the most space and attention to their cover stories. When a magazine features a celebrity on the cover, it will often include an in-depth interview with that star. If you are creating a travel magazine, it should showcase a destination on its cover and then go into detail about that place in the body of the publication.

  Always use a high-quality image. A good quality press-ready PDF at 300 ppi is the minimum requirement for print magazines. Your cover image is the first thing that potential buyers will see and use to decide whether or not they want to buy your book. The magazine’s cover should reflect its content, be large enough to have a striking visual impact, and use eye-catching colors.

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  Write body articles & add graphics

  A magazine's biggest selling point is usually its articles. Decide whether or not you will rely on freelance authors or other outside contributors for certain pieces of the manuscript. Depending on the size and complexity of your magazine, it may take several weeks or even months to complete. College campus publications usually include staff writers, editors and a section where other students can submit their work. For a professional magazine, the scope will be much broader.

  Your magazine needs interesting images throughout to catch the reader's attention. High-quality images will draw your readers into an article more effectively than text alone.

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  Decide on feature articles

  Choose a cover article and two or three additional pieces to highlight on the front page. These are top-notch articles that your readers will enjoy. Use page numbers to help readers navigate your document. To decide which of your articles will be featured, pick the article that is longest or has taken you the most time to research.

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  Create table of contents

  After you've assembled all of your articles and images, create a table of contents. This page will be converted to interactive page with hotlinks to navigate digital magazine.

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  Back page

  Full-page advertisements are often featured on the back page of widely circulated magazines.

Why Should You Create a Digital Magazine?

You have a print magazine and want to go digital.

If you have a successful print magazine and want to attract new readers, going digital is one way of increasing your audience. Going from print to digital can either be an addition or a complete change in your strategy. For example, some magazines stopped printing their physical copies altogether and went digital-only, like Teen Vogue. Others took a different approach: The New Yorker kept its print edition while adding a digital magazine as an alternative to increase readership.

The benefit of adding a digital magazine to an already existent print publication is that your audience now has more ways than ever before to access your articles. You can create subscription plans that allow users to enjoy both digital and print editions — or just one of them. The decision to stop publishing printed copies of a periodical and publish it exclusively online is a bold move.

When the original magazine is rich with illustrations and custom graphics, dual production efforts are highly successful.

You want to use your digital magazine as a lead magnet.

Digital magazines are ideal for building a business's customer base, especially when used as lead magnets. A digital magazine can keep its audience interested by regularly making available new issues and articles.

Give away some of your content for free, but offer subscriptions at a discounted price. Be sure to offer clear instructions on how subscribers can cancel their subscriptions if they wish. As you grow a digital magazine, it becomes possible to offer merchandise, create a mobile app and hire additional writers. If you're not willing or able to sustain a long-term strategy, using a digital magazine as a lead magnet isn't the best choice.

You want to increase your digital presence and brand awareness.

aa Digital magazines don’t always have to be paid; they can also offer a free version. It’s up to you and your brand values whether to give away a free digital magazine. In this case, it’s a means of raising brand awareness rather than generating revenue.

To attract new readers, you could offer a free trial issue of your magazine until the next edition is published. Finally, all back issues are available only to subscribers. This tactic increases awareness of your brand, which can lead to more leads.

The key to making this strategy successful is writing high-quality content that offers something unique and interesting that readers can't find anywhere else.

Select the best Digital Publishing Platform

It’s time to publish your digital magazine on digital publishing platform!

There are many options for publishing a book, from print-on-demand services to interactive apps and ebooks. Regardless of how you choose to publish your digital magazine, it’s important that you create a space on your website where all issues are collected, archived and promoted.

Starting a digital magazine is simple—just follow these steps, and you’ll be on your way. But keep in mind that there are always ways to make something even better! Here are some pro tips that can make your digital magazine a success.

Make it interactive & Start Sharing

Interactivity is the key to creating a successful digital magazine. Adding interactivity to your magazine will make it stand out from the crowd. There are many types of interactive features you can add, including:

• Embrace digital technology. Include visual or auditory enhancements in your writing.
• Embedded videos (Youtube, Vimeo, Facbook, MP4)
• Embedded Audio (MP3)
• Add hyperlinks on advertisments
• Add hyperlinks on products or services
• Add internal page links (bookmarks)
• Create Bookmarks (Page links on Table of Contents page)
• Embed In Your website using HTML code
• Start sharing mobile friendly responsive digital editions on all social networks

Sign up now and create digital magazine