How to create a successful digital magazine

This course is run in association with the Digital Magazine Awards 2015. Visit the DMA website to enter your own digital magazine in the world’s most coveted publishing awards.

Ever since the arrival of the iPad in 2010, magazine publishers have experimented with innovative formats for tablet, computer and mobile. If you’re interested in exploring the opportunities digital has to offer, you won’t want to miss this unique masterclass, run in partnership with the Digital Magazine Awards.

During this lively evening seminar, you’ll learn the key principles of successful digital magazine publishing and learn from the triumphs of past DMA winners. The evening is hosted by industry expert Peter Houston, the lead judge for this year’s DMA awards, with speakers including TeamRock’s editorial and creative directors Scott Rowley and Brad Merrett, Harrods’ digital operations manager Arnaud Burtin, digital publishing specialist Liam Keating and Tatjana Urbic from Edition Digital. Whether you’re looking to launch a new digital product or improve an existing one, you’ll learn best practice for multi-platform magazine publishing, and receive invaluable advice on how to attract readers, generate revenue and win industry awards.

DMA 2015’s headline sponsor, Edition Digital, will provide all course attendees with access to trial a beta of the latest version of the multi-award-winning publishing platform and a 50% discount off the cost of the first title published on the platform.

Course content

• An overview of emerging best practice in digital magazine publishing
• The essentials of cross-platform publishing – including print, mobile, apps and the web
• Understanding user experience (UX) on websites and touchscreen device
• The creative challenges of moving from print to digital
• Delivering high-quality content
• Tips on engaging with your audience
• How to establish a robust distribution strategy
• Improving workflows
• Advice on marketing your magazine
• How to employ innovative advertising models
• Tips for improving monetisation and revenue streams
• The future of digital magazines – and how to stay ahead of the game
• Q&A

This course is for you if...

• You work in the magazine industry and are interested in exploring opportunities for digital
• You work for an organisation keen to learn about the possibilities of cross-platform publishing
• You’re a writer, editor, designer or developer who wants to learn about best practice for creating award-winning digital magazines
• You’re currently publishing a digital magazine and want to improve monetisation, workflows, cross-platform publication and content delivery

Host profile

Peter Houston has worked in publishing for over 25 years. Formerly group content director at Advanstar Communications, he now works as an independent consultant and trainer, helping publishers identify and dismantle the barriers between print and digital content. Peter is a lead judge for the Digital Magazine Awards and was chairman of the Scottish Magazine Awards 2014. He also writes the Flipping Pages blog, and published the Magazine Diaries project in support of child literacy charity MagAid.

Speaker profiles

Music journalist Scott Rowley was editor-in-chief of Classic Rock for almost a decade before taking over the role of editorial director for TeamRock’s magazine and website portfolio. Magazine designer Brad Merret is creative director for TeamRock and leads the design team responsible for all TeamRock’s digital magazines, including Classic Rock and the award-winning Metal Hammer. Scott and Brad will tell the story of TeamRock’s ‘Campaign’ approach to content commissioning, creation, design and distribution, a multi-platform philosophy that sites at the heart of the company’s digital magazine publishing strategy.

Tatjana Urbic works for Edition Digital as the senior account manager in charge of production. With 12 years’ experience in interactive media she leads a team of graphic designers, animators and programmers. Originally graduating in graphic design, Tatjana started working in motion graphics and then moved into animation. She has a strong awareness of what users expect on different devices, combined with an innate knowledge of technology and current publishing trends. Edition Digital clients include Boots, Fiat, Land Rover, Argos, Marks & Spencer and Barclays.

Liam Keating is a digital publishing specialist, designer and is currently the Program Manager for Condé Nast Digital. Liam works across thirteen titles (including GQ, WIRED, Vanity Fair, Vogue and Glamour) and is responsible for the on-going roll-out of publishing Conde’s titles across multiple platforms and devices. Previous design roles include the digital editions of Vanity Fair, GQ and WIRED.

Arnaud Burtin is Harrods’ digital operations manager with responsibility for the development and production of the award-winning Harrods Magazine app – the first magazine app to be fully native and responsive at the same time.Arnaud has also worked as a journalist for various business-to-business publications, travelling to over 30 countries, before moving into digital corporate communications and eventually founding a digital agency in Paris that specialises in animated films.

Course partner

The Digital Magazine Awards are the most coveted awards in the international magazine industry. Independently run, the awards were launched to inspire and recognise achievement within the burgeoning digital magazine industry, with accolades to celebrate standout individuals, magazines and advertisers from the sector. Award categories cover all areas of digital magazine publishing and include the prestigious Magazine of the Year award, won last year by Condé Nast’s WIRED UK magazine. DMA 2014 received entries from over 40 countries, reflecting the unique reach and diversity of digital magazines.

The winners of DMA 2015 will be announced on 11 November, with the Magazine Cover of the Year Award decided by a public vote. For more information go to www.digitalmagazineawards.com

Full course and returns information on the Masterclasses website