The report reviews eight digital-only services from across Europe:
- Handelsblatt10 (Germany)
- DN+(Spain)
- La Matinale(France)
- Welt Edition(Germany)
- L’édition du Soir(France)
- Espresso(UK)
- The Independent Daily Edition(UK)
- 12(Switzerland)
The research identifies four key drivers for publishers introducing digital editions:
A desire to innovate – not just during the creation of the product but throughout the entire life of the edition.
Creating editions for new times of the day – allowing publishers to reach new audiences, without the risk of alienating their existing audiences.
Meeting the needs of time-crunched readers – creating editions that are ‘finishable’
Business needs – to help support business drivers such as reaching new subscribers; increasing the value proposition; driving cost savings
The report identifies six best practices
Finishability
Finishability is key. Digital only editions that limit the number of stories they include are successful. By ensuring that readers will be able to finish the edition, readers are more likely to include the edition in their daily routine.
Simple pricing
Some of the editions covered by the research have benchmarked their prices – for example Espresso sets out to be the same price as a daily cup of coffee. Speed read editions e.g. Espresso offer a single price option.
Push notifications
Push notifications help prompt readers to read but push strategies differ across editions. The best push notification strategy will depend on the specific readers of an edition and what they are wanting to get out of reading.
Innovation
Innovative approaches sustain the publishing process. When publishers are willing to try new things, and change when necessary, the editions are constantly improving.
Meeting the reader
The digital-only edition needs to fit into the daily routine of its readers – how and when are they going to be reading?
Strong cross-functional teams
By having team members from different areas of the business, with diverse backgrounds and skill sets, new ideas emerge from the team. This helps with creating a truly innovative product.
The full research report by Twipe can be downloaded here