What is an Online Magazine?

Online magazines provide information with a collection of articles about topics of interest to the target group. Magazines are usually created by companies, publishers, students or journalists. There are in general three categories when it comes to magazines. There are consumer, trade, and organization magazines.

There are differences between online magazines and digital magazines. An online magazine is hosted, distributed and is read online by your target audience. Digital magazines are magazines that can be stored and read locally on devices like mobile devices, laptops or tablets.

It is also possible to offer products and services in a magazine. The best way of doing this is by presenting it in a story. This makes it much more attractive to read.

Online magazines vs Printed magazines

National Geographic magazine has conducted a study that shows that the average life cycle of its printed magazine produces the equivalent of around 0.82 kg of carbon dioxide. According to National Geographic, this is equivalent to driving 3 km by car. In the United Kingdom alone, 373.8 million copies were sold in 2018.

Reading an online magazine is proven to be more attractive than printed magazines.

There are also advantages to creating an online magazine. It is easier to edit the online magazine if necessary. When the magazines are printed, it will no longer be possible to adjust. 

It is also possible to collect data from your target group. This makes it possible to tailor your online magazine to the needs of your target group next time.

Online magazines can also be made interactive and dynamic. This makes it more interesting for the reader to keep browsing.

Finally, it is also easier for the reader to share the online magazine. It can be shared with several people at the same time, whereas a printed magazine can only be read by one person at a time.

‍

How to design an online magazine

Before you start creating a high-quality online magazine you choose a topic. Think of a subject that falls within your expertise and the interests of your target group, that is easy to read.

After choosing your subject you start writing your online magazine. You start by thinking of an appropriate title for your online magazine. It is wise to choose a concise and to-the-point title. This will immediately grab the reader's attention.

Then you continue by choosing a front-page article for your online magazine. Every online magazine contains a front-page article. The purpose of this is to create reader engagement.

The article must be interesting enough for the target group, both in design and content. In this case, you can choose an article that you think will appeal to the target group.

A suitable image on the cover page of your online magazine is also very important. The reader's eyes usually go to the top and middle of a magazine. Therefore, an image of good quality is important. The image must of course match the subject of your magazine, the image may be large and have striking colors.

Design the masthead that fits your online magazine. Try to use a consistent font to create a recognizable brand. After adding the right font on the masthead that fits your style, you could decide where to put the masthead. You could put the masthead in front or behind the prominent feature on the cover. 

You want to create the best reading experiences for your reader before digitally publishing it. So, body text is the next important component to lay your focus on. This part is more in length and detailed when compared to the rest. The intention of the body text is to keep the reader's interest and make them more engaged.

Do's and don’ts when creating a digital magazine

Do's:

• Photos that connect with the topic
• Responding to the target group
• Make your magazine responsive (suitable to read on every device)
• Dose the content, don't write paragraphs that are too long

Don'ts

• Usage of too many ads
• Usage of too many irrelevant or low quality photos
• Difficult navigation

Join our beta and create your own online magazines

At Greenzeen we are developing the ultimate platform in which your online magazines can be easily and effectively made. Experience the ease in a 30 day free trial by clicking here. Enjoy!