The passing year along with the global pandemic and world wide lockdown forced publishers to take bold steps in running their businesses to stay afloat. Those were mainly the radical acceleration of the shift from print to the digital distribution of all types of publications and redirecting the monetization activities from advertisements to the subscription model. Both of these transformations seem to be strong foundations for the further industry’s development in 2021 – the more so as the future of digital publishing looks bright.
We cannot deny that 2020 has been a challenging time for many different brands. The good news is that it’s coming to an end. Today, with hope, excitement, but also anxiety (what an explosive mixture!), we are waiting for the new. What publishing experts predict is that the next year will be based on the further development of subscriptions strategy, mobile content delivery, and distribution channels expansion.
Today, we’d like to show you something that will make the vision of the publishing future be dominated only by positive feelings. We’ll prove that 2021 promises to be a generous year for publishers, and explain why PressPad is preparing surprises for them.
Check what 2021 will bring to you.
PressPad’s 10 anniversary of being on digital publishing stage
PressPad has been on the market since 2011. During this time we’ve experienced many changes and innovations in the digital publishing world; we’ve seen its challenges and development, thanks to which we can expand our products and services, adjusting them to the real needs of publishers from all over the world. The desire to provide the highest quality of our services led us to modify our prices starting from new year.
At the same time, there is something that has not changed at all since the very beginning of our history.
We still love what we do, we’ve got the same goals as we did ten years ago: make mobile publishing as easy as never before.
You – publishers and authors – are the factor engine that drives us to develop. To celebrate our decade together, we are preparing some special surprises for you, which we will let you know about next year. Let it remain a little secret for now. There will be time to tell you more about them soon.
Now let’s check the short summary of digital publishing in 2020 and see what trends await us in next year.
Publishing industry started long-term changes in 2020
When we wrote an article about trends for publishers for 2020 over a year ago, it never crossed our minds that the future will be so… unique. Well, the world turned upside down. For many industries it was a challenging time, which in many cases resulted in accelerating business decisions and, in consequence, introducing great innovative solutions. It was especially noticed in the publishing industry, where Covid-19 made publishers speed up their expansion and plans implementation, shortening development strategies timeline from years into months or weeks.
The worldwide pandemic and lockdown situation made the readers want to have access to reliable sources of information without leaving home. It was the driving force to moving from print to digital and the reason why interest in news and local information exploded.
For publishers it was a great time to jump into the digital space. The Covid-19 situation highlighted its advantages, such as cost-effectiveness due to reducing fixed payments for physical distribution. All these changes are significant, but they are just the beginning. They make us look to the future with a smile, the more so as 2021 is bound to bring a lot of good.
Good news and growing trends for publishers for 2021
There are at least a few reasons to be optimistic about 2021. The technological giants will direct their actions towards publishers, which is a sign that they noticed the value and strength of the news info, with a bow down to mobile distribution. Meanwhile, publishers will focus on maintaining their quality, deepening engagement with readers and continuing to do what has been starting to work well for them this year.
What do you need to know about publishing in 2021?
- During the last year we’ve seen a steadygrowth in digital news consumption. It’s one of the habits which will stay with readers. In 2021 digital and mobile content – full speed ahead!
- The main strategic goal of publishers in the coming year will be the subscriber revenue. It is at the top of the priority list for almost everyone. It’s the answer to the need for a new business model which would help to stave off the decline in ad revenue which is seen as inevitable.
- Podcasts will remain a resilient, growing market, especially the ones offering daily news. Across the six countries analysed by researchers Nic Newman and Nathan Galllo, 37 of the 102 daily news podcasts that they identified were launched in the past year. What’s significant, audiences are becoming more tolerant of podcast ads.
- Publishing on the App Store will be more enjoyable. Apple will launch The App Store Small Business Program on January 1, 2021. Publishers who earned less than $1 million the previous year, can participate in the program which guarantees them a reduced Apple commission of up to 15% on paid applications and in-app payments. This is a great opportunity and big help for smaller and medium-sized publishers.
Of course, this is only a substitute for what is to come. At this point, however, we must mention something else.
The special time is just around the corner
On the occasion of the upcoming holidays and the New Year, we want to send you our best wishes. May you spend this time with your loved ones, enjoying every moment together. Be healthy, happy and full of positive energy.
See you next, good year.
PressPad Team