It’s no secret that online video consumption is off the charts. Video accounts for more than 50% of mobile traffic and is expected to reach almost 80% by 2019!
To meet the growing demand for video content many digital publishers have jumped on the bandwagon by increasing their in-house production capabilities and even launching their own video magazine apps. For tradition print publishers, the challenge becomes how to integrate multimedia content into digital replicas.
With a bit of planning publishers can anticipate video needs, getting editorial and production teams on-board early. To give you a jump start, I’ve summarized five types of videos any magazine publisher can add to their digital edition:
Supplementary Videos
When it comes to journalism, video has transformed the way audiences learn about important issues and world events. Videos can raise awareness and increase understanding of complicated stories by presenting background information and/or divergent voices. Embedding supplementary videos into your digital edition not only adds value, but can increase time on page and article engagement.
Exclusive Videos
Mobile readers expect to find interactive content in digital editions, and including exclusive videos is one way to enhance the user experience. Behind-the-scenes videos and interviews are great examples of exclusive videos that can compliment editorial content by adding value.
Curated Videos
Don’t have the budget to produce your own video? No problem. Curated lists can be used in just about any magazine vertical to showcase popular videos from the web around a specific topic. Videos can be curated by your editorial staff or your online community to highlight popular trends.
How-to Videos
If your article describes a process – whether it’s a DIY project, recipe or fitness workout – include a video to show readers exactly how to execute each step. How-to videos are the cornerstone of a great content marketing strategy since they can be re-purposed for social media posts (ie. à la Buzzfeed), helping you drive traffic to your magazine.
Promotional Videos
Last but not least, magazine publishers can offer advertisers the opportunity to enhance existing print ads with branded videos (like in the example below), or by creating sponsored editorial content with embedded video. Promotional videos are a win-win for both advertisers and publishers since they boost brand engagement and increase advertising revenues.
Tips for adding videos to your magazine
In the examples, I’ve tried to show a few different ways you can work video content into your digital edition, which can be boiled down to these three ways:
- Add a “play” icon to an existing image or screenshot (you can do this easily with Paperlit!)
- Create a “featurette” in your page layout
- Add text and/or an icon in your page layout
If you’re using Paperlit, once you decide where on the page your video will launch, embedding a video is as simple as uploading a file or linking to a URL (ie. YouTube or Vimeo). Readers simply tap on the element on the page and the video starts to play!
Did you find this article helpful? Let me know in the comments!
