This is the weekend edition of TheMarioBlog and will be updated as needed. The next blog post is Monday, April 3.
If you missed the live webinar, watch the entire recording here: https://www.youtube.com/
Key Webinar Takeaways – “The 3 Pillars of Publishing” with Mario García
- Linear Storytelling -> an organic approach for communicating with your mobile audience
Mario encouraged our webinar audience to start designing for your smallest canvas (mobile) first. Storytellers should keep in mind the vertical motion or scroll, used by their readers and write the story where the narrative leads to the art.
- Email Newsletters – publishers should be pushing out your brand at least 1x a day with briefings
Understandably, your readers are busy. Email Newsletters are the perfect solution to capture their attention at different intervals of the day where they can read your curated headlines, get a quick snapshot of what is happening, and feel better informed on current events. Mario recommends to push out your newsletters very early in the morning and around 6:00 in the evening.
- Newsletters – Golden opportunity to connect with your audiences in a more personal style
- Your newsletters should take a more “neighbourly” approach with your subscribers. Supply plenty of helpful tips, recipes, weather warnings and make the reader feel as though you are addressing them personally!
5. Make your readers aware of stories they might have missed!
While publishers continue to personalise content and use algorithms to serve readers with articles based on their past interests, don’t forget to showcase stories for them that are essential reading material. Mario’s excellent analogy describing this type of engagement with your readers is to feed them not only the candy they crave (the customised news), but also the green vegetables they try to push away (the must-know news that isn’t yet on their radar,but is critical for them to be aware of).
6. Aim for simplicity on your mobile design & use teasers on mobile screens
Mario empowers his clients to use a simple approach on mobile design. By using a case from a Norwegian publisher, he proved that you really can visualise a big story on 2-3 mobile screens. Serve your readers teasers on their mobile device featuring 1 headline / 1 image per screen. These teasers are best used to whet the appetite of your reader and to build up anticipation and excitement days ahead of publishing the full article. Think of these teasers are trailers for the movies. Requirements to produce these visual screens generally includes a team of 2 : a journalist & a visual storyteller.
Take a look at these samples from Norway’s Aftenposten, explaining a complex subject in simply three screens.
The stylesheet for the Garcia Media website is one simple screen with specs: Color palette, type, icons.
Some of the Questions and my Answers
Q: Is it necessary to create a different version of an edition for various social media outlets like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram?
A: It depends on who you are attracting as your audience. Each of those has a very distinct following, in age, gender, background, education, so you must know who your target is. Some publications DO target all of those.
A: This is proprietary research based on four focus groups which I have attended in four different markets the past 9 months.
A: I prefer the combination of text and short video, gives you variety and more texture to the story, but, again, the individual story makes all the difference and sometimes a story is better told thru in depth video. But that is the exception.
Covers we like
Speaking Engagements Coming Up
VOZ Media Conference
April 6
Vienna, Austria
I will be the keynote speaker for this event, my presentation titled The important role of print in the digital age. This presentation presents a state of the media today, with emphasis on how we tell stories visually on mobile devices, the role of print and the importance of email newsletters and sponsored content to find new ways of promoting content and monetizing your operation.
For more information: http://www.voez.at/b2039m10
