The art of crafting engaging covers
While custom magazines don’t typically compete with other titles on the newsstand, employing tactics by those that stand out among hundreds of other titles can make a big difference in readership. Why? No matter where or how your publication is distributed, the competition is still fierce for your readers’ time and attention. Regardless of whether a magazine is for sale, mailed or simply competing for a flip-through at the doctor’s office, cover design comes down to one imperative goal: grab attention.
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Have you noticed that magazines are losing weight? It’s not your imagination — magazines are facing the same problems afflicting the rest of the media business: less revenue, dwindling readership and a rapid-fire digital world that makes weeklies and monthlies alike seem like old news.
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No matter how brilliant the message you created, it is likely that less than half of your email recipients will actually open it. With those odds, you need an attention-getting strategy.
Email inboxes are more crowded than ever, so be sure your email stands out among all the others. Emails need to be succinct and compelling every step of the way. Even worse than being ignored, is being pegged as spam, since you won't get any future messages through.
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More and more people are checking their email on BlackBerrys, iPhones and other mobile devices. Like the automobile and television set before them, smartphones will likely become more popular and affordable until almost everyone has one. The question on many marketers' minds: how is the mobile trend affecting our business and marketing emails?
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That sigh of relief when an article is done can easily morph into a case of writer’s block when it’s time to come up with a headline. So a lot of people just throw something together, forgetting to put the same care and effort into headlines, subheads and pull quotes that they do when crafting a story. But readers use those elements to decide whether they will actually take the time to read the full story.
So how do you fashion a headline and subhead that draws the reader in? How do you pull out ideas or quotes from an article that make the person skimming through pages stop and read every word?
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The basics of storytelling don’t change much, no matter what you’re writing. Granted, celebrities may be more fun to write about than, say, the history of concrete — but there’s always a way to make a topic unique, engaging and helpful. And like any ability, writing well comes by practice and persistence. So what are the differences between a so-so article and a great article? Let’s see…
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Don't we all know better now? The best trained journalists in newspaper and television are in the midst of examining whether their coverage of Hillary Clinton was sexist. Fox News apologized for a headline about Michelle Obama that they probably thought was clever, but was, in fact, a slur. Entire websites are devoted to pointing out examples of stories or quotes in the mainstream press that show prejudice, intolerance or reinforce stereotypes. This happens at large media companies, so it can certainly happen at small, non-media companies. Nobody deliberately injects bias in a company publication or website, but it can slip in unintentionally and hurt or anger readers.
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Considering Recycled Paper
We are all living and doing business in a world of heightened environmental awareness. In recent months, Parthenon has had multiple clients ask about more environmentally friendly options for their print publications. Many are surprised to learn that there are a variety of factors to consider when exploring greener options for producing their publications.
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