Why Your Alumni Magazine Should Be Both Print and Digital
To get the most out of your content (and the most engagement), you should be packaging it as both a print publication and a digital storytelling hub.
By Paul Peterson
Your alumni magazine is a point of pride and a driver of donations. People love to receive it, and you love to create it. But in an increasingly online world, is it really necessary to print and mail a physical publication? Isn’t it time for a digital alumni content hub? Well, yes … and yes. In fact, you need both.
The Unique — and Timeless — Power of Print
A compelling and well-designed alumni magazine stands out in a mailbox and doesn’t risk getting lost in a flooded email inbox. This physical touchpoint allows you to create a special, tactile moment with your reader, encouraging them to slow down — and sit down — to enjoy powerful storytelling and sweeping photography centered around their university and the impact its students, faculty and fellow alumni are making on the world.
Creating an Interactive Content Hub
Print does have its limitations, however, such as a finite amount of space and few opportunities for interactivity. That’s where a digital alumni content hub can play an essential, complementary role.
But taking your alumni magazine online isn’t as simple as posting a PDF version of the print pub or, worse, producing a cumbersome flipbook that’s anathema to a mobile-friendly experience. The best digital alumni magazines have their own independent interactive experiences similar to those of some of your favorite online magazines — publications like Wired or Rolling Stone.
When we worked with the Cal Alumni Association on its website redesign, we knew we needed to create an online home for its alumni publication, California Magazine, that was as comprehensive as the magazine itself. It needed to easily house content from the publication alongside online-only content, as well as podcasts and videos. The result is a digital home that complements — and expands on — the print experience.
And while you may mail your print magazine just a few times a year, your online hub can (and should!) be updated with new (or repurposed; more on that below) content on a regular, rolling basis. After all, due to the space — and time — constraints of a print magazine, there are plenty of stories you simply aren’t able to tell. Your digital hub lets you tell those stories (maybe even in a different format, such as a photo gallery or podcast) as well as expand on what you shared in print.
Developing web-only content is only part of the equation, though. You also may want to determine how you can best repurpose print pieces for a digital environment. Those longform feature articles, for example, may work great in your print magazine, but what happens when you post them online and your reader is skimming on their phone? Using a variation of the same content with different photos and graphics (that are easier to digest via a desktop or mobile experience) makes sense. And don’t forget, headlines and other display copy for print and online should vary, as well. Print headlines are meant to be pithy and inspired — even using wordplay or idiom — while digital headlines are usually more literal and incorporate SEO considerations.
Moving your alumni publication to an online content hub also gives you an opportunity to explore additional media options. For example, you can incorporate audio or video components from the interviews you conduct or the photo shoots you produce. Plus, you can easily link users to desired actions, like subscribing to your print pub or alumni newsletter, updating their contact information or making a donation.
Print and Digital: A Symbiotic Relationship
Your print content may feed your digital alumni magazine hub, but digital content should also drive your print publication. Northwestern Magazine from Northwestern University, Mizzou Magazine from the Mizzou Alumni Association at the University of Missouri and the University of Utah Magazine all do a fine job of this, with digital stories that share the same bold presentation — in both imagery, design and subject matter — as the print editions, making both must-sees.
If you plan to run video or interactive content to accompany an online feature, for example, you can incorporate QR codes or vanity URLs in the print edition so readers can easily access that additional content. Or, within your print pages, you can tease ancillary stories or photographs that only live online.
You can also encourage alumni to submit their own stories and profiles to the online hub and then select the standouts for longer, more comprehensively written pieces in the magazine.
Of course, one of the biggest providers of added value to your digital content is the ability to track performance metrics. Monitoring page views and seeing what generates the most interest, comments, social media shares and clicks to donate can help you plan your long-term print editorial calendar, creating that two-way street between print and digital that can generate greater returns on your investment.
Print or Digital? Both!
We can help you take your alumni magazine online or add a printed pub to your digital alumni experience.