How to choose a digital publishing platform

In PUBLISHING
6 January 2022
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When you’re ready to start digital publishing, it can be challenging to choose a platform. Because there are quite a few options out there, we’ve put together a five-point guide to help you choose the digital publishing platform that’s right for you.

First, answer a few simple questions about your basic publishing needs. Next, consider the features that are important to achieving your goals. Then review the audience access that your publications will require and other key platform elements like languages. Finally, look at plans and prices to see which digital publishing platform is the best fit for you.

Let’s dig in!

1. Basic needs

Begin with some simple facts about the content you will be publishing online.

Since you’ll want to try out any digital publishing platform you choose for free, here is what Calaméo has to offer on our BASIC plan:

2. Features

In addition to transforming files into HTML5 publications, you may also want to take advantage of some of the great features online platforms can provide. But remember, the specific features that will matter most depend on your objectives. For example:

In many cases, digital publishing platforms will ask you to sign up for a paid plan to access advanced features. Here’s what you can expect from Calaméo:

3. Audience access

Another major factor to evaluate when you choose a digital publishing platform is content access.

  • How many times can you share your publication?
  • Can you configure protected subscriber access for your publications?
  • Are multiple user profiles available for your account to make teamwork easy?

Often, subscription set-up in particular can be complex. We recommend you research privacy and subscriber options thoroughly to find the right fit for your needs.  

4. Other aspects

Although publishing basics and features are essential, it’s worth keeping a few other aspects of working with the platform in mind. For instance:

  • Is the site available in your language?
  • Can you get fast, helpful support when you need it?
  • What kind of flexibility does the platform offer via API access?

Calaméo proposes the following:

5. Price

Last but not least, look at the pricing of different plans as you choose a digital publishing platform. In some cases, the free Basic plan may have everything you need to get started. However, the cost of paid plans can vary quite a bit—from as low as $14 per month with a PREMIUM account on Calaméo up to $269 per month on other platforms.

Below, you’ll find a chart comparing the monthly cost before taxes of Calaméo’s annual plans. (In other words, you’ll pay the total yearly amount at checkout to benefit from these prices.) Please note that all prices are listed in USD.

If Calaméo seems to match your needs, why not try out the advanced features of our professional PLATINUM plan? During your PLATINUM Demo, you’ll enjoy direct downloads, full viewership statistics and much more. Request your free trial today and experience exceptional digital publishing on Calaméo.

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Beyond the PDF: Why opt for enriched documents

In PUBLISHING
27 July 2017

Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format used to present documents in a manner independent of application software and operating systems. The format was established in the early 90’s and has since been widely used around the world. But PDFs do come with some disadvantages in the modern business world. 

The creators of PDFs originally designed the format for printing and features have since been added. However, many do not hold up to the high standards of enriched multimedia document technology that we have today.

In this article, learn about the top three problems with relying solely on PDFs. Plus, we will explain how Calaméo can help transform your PDF documents for your business needs.

PDF document icon

What are common issues with relying on PDFs?

DISPLAY

PDFs are not screen-friendly and are often ill-formatted on small devices like tablets and mobile phones. As a result, finding the right page can mean minutes wasted scrolling unnecessarily within a document.

TECHNOLOGICAL COMPATIBILITY

PDFs have always been difficult to integrate on webpages. For example, without the necessary plugins, users are often prompted to download and view the file in a separate application.

In addition, PDFs make it almost impossible for you to engage your readers with interactive content. That’s because images and videos are cumbersome to include within the document. Unless you’ve added dynamic links to the document, viewers cannot even click on links provided in the PDF itself. Thus, PDFs actually get in the way of a seamless online user experience.

ONLINE VISIBILITY

Finally, one of the biggest disadvantages: PDFs tend to lack key information that search engines need in order to understand exactly what your document is about. When your content is hosted on a high PageRank website like Calaméo, search engines index it quicker and make it appear higher in their search results.

Which PDF alternative should I use?

Calaméo is the perfect solution to bring your documents into the digital era. Our HTML5-based publication viewer requires no plug-ins and adapts perfectly to any screen.

Moreover, with our high-speed document conversion technology and user-friendly Editor, you can transform your documents from dull and lifeless PDFs to enriched interactive documents in a matter of minutes.

You can also make the most of our Statistics. The detailed insights about your readership they offer can be vital for optimizing your publications’ content, ad revenue and more. 

Conclusion

Of course, PDFs are still a valuable resource for the sharing and viewing documents. However, we strongly advise using intuitive conversion platforms such as Calaméo to help you to publish and share your documents in the most professional manner. Our online solution gives your digital publications in the best possible presentation, guiding your readers from browsing to action.

Haven’t tried digital publishing for your documents yet? Join Calaméo today and see the difference for yourself. It’s fast, easy and free to start.

SIGN UP NOW

PUBLISHING

Looking to grow your subscribers? Here’s how!

In PUBLISHING
16 July 2020

There’s no denying that building a subscriber base for your magazines, catalogs or professional content requires a lot of hard work. In fact, standing out is a big part of the challenge to grow your subscribers!

In this article, we’ll explain the strongest strategies for attracting subscribers to your publications. Plus, get tips on how to manage them with ease using Calaméo.

Use Digital Publications

Because more and more people access their content solely online, it would be unwise not to have a digital presence for your magazine.

Calaméo offers an excellent Platinum plan that enables you to convert your print publications into multimedia digital publications. Designed specifically for professional use, its exclusive interactive features help to enrich your documents and set your publications apart from the rest. Getting creative with your digital content will make it more engaging and more likely to draw new subscribers.

Adapt your content to your audience

First and foremost, your magazine must be seen as a valuable source of content to your audience. Therefore, be sure that your publications are targeted specifically to your readership. For example, the Washington Post was able to grow its ‘digital only’ subscriptions 145% in just one year. This rise was partly due to the fact that it broadened newspaper’s opinion and politics coverage, two areas that the Post’s subscribers were particularly interested in.

Be consistent

No matter what the theme of your content, your readers still need to know that it is coming from you. You can achieve this by making sure that your content and visuals maintain the same look and feel of your brand.

To put these measures in place using Calaméo, insert your brand logo and upload a consistent and professional background image in your publication viewer. Such steps will help to make your digital publications more professional, inviting and trustworthy. And as a result, you’ll increase their potential to grow your subscribers.

Rely on detailed insights

Calaméo provides statistics that let you see where your readers are coming from and track how long they stay on each page. These insights are essential to identify the content that works best for your audience. Once you know what engages your readers, you can build on this information to improve your subscriber numbers.

Share your content

If you want to get noticed, consistently promoting your publications on your blog, website or social media channels is important. Readers see the value in online visibility and will subsequently be more inclined to browse, share and subscribe. Need ideas on how to develop your strategy? Check out our Digital Publisher’s Guide to Social Media for tips and trends.

Subscription forms and pop ups

The simplest way to add to your subscriber count is to ask your audience to subscribe. It’s as easy as that! In order to achieve growth, your website or blog needs to be a subscription driver. Although pop-up subscription forms on your website may be a nuisance to some, they are often very effective in increasing subscriptions. Create a compelling call to action for best results.

💡 TIP: Did you know you can include forms in your Calaméo publications? Learn more in our Help Center.

Provide Exclusive Access

Never underestimate the power of exclusivity to grow your subscribers. In other words, subscribers value knowing that they are the only ones who can get this privileged information from your content! Calaméo offers you the possibility to assign exclusive access to your subscribers. While exclusivity can keep subscribers happy, it also has the ability to attract a lot of new readers and can give a definite boost to your chances of building a loyal subscriber base.

Here’s how:

Control the Distribution

You can further control the distribution of your content on Calaméo by limiting the way your readers can view to your content with individual usernames and passwords. Calaméo allows you to assign three types of access:

  • Single – the subscriber is assigned access to selected individual publications
  • Period – the subscriber can access all of your publications published between two chosen dates
    For example: all publications between January 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021
  • Series – the subscriber will have access to a set number of publications published from a specific date onward
    For example: 12 publications beginning on January 1, 2020

Read more on how to manage your subscriber sessions here.

For more tips and ideas to inspire your digital publishing, have a look at our review of the year’s top strategies.