Paper or PDF Magazine

In a recent Editorial in Catamaran Sailor Magazine (Yes, we do publish a newspaper-like magazine with 8 issues a year) I asked if folks would rather have the magazine as is (Gray Scale, printed and mailed to subscribers) or an Online PDF file (Which could have color pictures instead of Black and White)

I got this link as a reply from one of our subscribers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksO35s3Bffc

Rick

Video hit's the mark but I can see a definite advantage for me in South Australia, you could e-mail me my copy which I then print out in colour.

For what its worth, I think the video (while funny) misses the point.

It's 'horses for course' for me ... and a PDF version of a sailing magazine makes a lot of sense to me. I often use magazines like this as a reference. That means I keep them and re-read them over time. It's a hassle keeping all the old paper copies. The digital versions are far superior in this regard. I can have dozens of magazines on my computer, iPad or in the cloud without spending money at IKEA on bookshelves!

I like paper, If it's something that has to be read online, I certainly wouldn't pay for it.

I really like getting it in the mail, far more than most of what the postman delivers.

I really like getting it in the mail, far more than most of what the postman delivers.

I'd guess you'd get vastly different answers based on the ages of the respondents.

In our sport, one of the best things paper is hood for is reviewing outdoors with friends at a sailing event. Tablets and phones just aren't quite the same.

Mike

I think you should look at other newsletters from SailWorld etc.

None of them use PDF files because
(a) They're difficult to read on a smartphone or tablet
(b) They get blocked by firewalls as a security risk
(c) They can't be customised for the target audience
(d) You can't ensure that users get the email
(e) You can't easily track what people read or click on.
(f) Your server may be blacklisted for spamming as users click on the spam button instead of delete.

Also big block of text are unlikely to be read by time-poor people.

The solution is to use emails created using HTML and inline CSS as this will be properly rendered in the email client of the user (Outlook, Gmail, AOL etc). This newsletter should contain a short summary of each topic with a thumbnail picture and a link for the full editorial and larger pic.

Fortunately there are tools that make this a point and click process using templates and give you in-depth reports of what users click on as well. They also ensure your mails are delivered and keep the mailing process separate from your servers. They also automatically create an online archive version for those who want to read it in a browser and will push content to social media.

I'd suggest looking at Mailchimp (free for up to 2000 contacts), Constant Contact and Aweber depending on your list size.

interesting comment...

I see most magazines I currently get (sailing and otherwise) do offer subscriptions to their online editions (typically showing an I-pad in the advertisement).

Have you checked to see how other print magazines provide their content electronically?

Print editions don't need batteries and can be read in low-light conditions (or even under red lights at night).