Part I: Finding the right words to find the app

With posters and stand-up displays in newsagents and station bookstores, marketing staff and graphic artists are giving it their all to win over new customers. But meanwhile the digital window-display is often neglected: the app store.
With tips and tricks from App Store Optimization we will show you how your app can make a winning appearance at the store. This translates as greater visibility of your magazine app, higher download counts and more reach.
In this part we deal with the planning and the description in the app stores.

Solid as a rock: your marketing strategy

The basis of the ASO is your existing marketing strategy, where marketing goals, target group, market analysis and the main topics of your magazine or the company’s guiding principles have already been defined. These provide inspiration and ideas for the description and layout of your app. To make things easier, this strategy can be somewhat refined in advance.
The goal of the ASO strategy will already be familiar to many: to increase the average time on site, promote the sale of single issues, or to convince users to download the app. But who are the users? An app allows you to reach new and young target groups in addition to existing readers. In order to really get through to such potential customers, consider first who exactly will benefit from the app and your magazine’s themes. Or to put it differently, whose problem is it that you are trying to solve (digitally)? Use such questions to put yourself in the shoes of the new target group and understand how users search for your app.

The app name

A good app name and the appropriate categories are crucial to making the search for your app in the store as simple as possible. Choose a name for your app which is memorable, comprehensible and as short as possible. From the 30 characters available in the iOS store and the 50 characters on Google Play, only 20 characters are displayed on mobile devices. With Apple, you also have the option to specify your app, magazine, or company in the subtitle with 30 characters.
The name should either have a direct reference to the magazine or to the features of the app. Include a concise keyword in the app name

Categories in the App Store

To find an app suited to a specific topic or problem, users also use the app stores’ prescribed categories. In the Apple Store you can find two categories; in the Google Play Store, one eand can choose the type of app (application, game, etc.) from a long, prescribed list. The success of individual categories can be found in several statistics.
If possible, do not fall back on the most popular and frequently used categories. After all, you want to stand out from the crowd with your magazine and app.

App found? It’s time to convince the customer!

Once the user has found the app in the store, you have several opportunities to win them over with keywords, app descriptions and an appropriate app layout. To promote your app to the Top 100 app list, you need to choose a search-engine-friendly description. This shouldn’t be too difficult – after all, search machines are attracted to readable, user-optimized texts.

Keywords and description in the Apple Store

In the Apple App Store, keywords can be individually specified to make it easier for Apple to classify your app and for user searches to find you. So choose the 100 characters as skilfully as possible. As with Google-search, it is worth determining what terms and phrases concerning your magazine are searched for most. Many will be familiar with a similar process from website optimization and Google AdWords.
Along with the keywords, starting from iOS 11, you can also add a short advertising text of up to 170 characters. This can be updated at any time and is ideal for communicating information on app updates, events, trial subscriptions and other news.

The most comprehensive part and the heart of your app’s store-page is the app description. Here Apple gives you 4,000 characters to introduce your app. For a useful description, it is worth recalling and ennumerating the added value of the app, the problems it solves and the issues that are addressed. Don’t play keyword bingo; concentrate on simple clear formulation. Due to the limited presentation space on mobile devices, important info should be given in the first two to three lines.

App description in Google Play Store

In the most popular Android store, textual skills are required. Unlike iOS, there are only 3,000 characters, with no additional subtitles or advertising to help present your app in the best light.
Further, the keywords that allow you to classify your app are automatically generated by Google Play Store from the description text and cannot be entered independently. This means the most important terms should appear three to five times in the description text. This is the only way for Google to recognize the appropriate keywords.
Here, too, the functions and contents of your app and the added value for the user must be highlighted. The first 800 characters of the description are always displayed; the user only sees the other 2,200 if they select “learn more”. For this store in particular, a pre-search of important and popular terms with a Keyword-Planner from Google or another provider is highly recommended.

Intermediate Conclusion

As you can see, the textual passages already present opportunities to convince users that your app is their app. Important here is to vary the keywords and test them against each other – a process that may be familiar to you from your website and call-to-actions. Use all available text fields and update regularly with info on changes and the latest innovations.

Do not miss: In the second part, we give you tips and hints on the layout of your App Store page.

The free digital Thought Leadership library by Deloitte contains all the German- and English-language publications from the international management and strategy consultant.

Here you will find independent, detailed reports on various topics from the worlds of industry and business. The brochures are categorized according to services, e.g. Consulting; and Industry, such as Technology & Media and Financial. In the third section, current topics from all areas are discussed separately. All publications are catalogued and can be found via a keyword search.

The Deloitte app for iOS, Android and on the web

In our interview, product manager Dennis Spitzhorn from Spotlight Verlag talks about language learning via app, the new requirements of learners and the steady expansion of the digital portfolio.

PMX: We look forward to welcoming you as a customer! Just introduce us to the spotlight publishing house and your publications.

DS: For over 35 years, our publishing house publishes magazines for readers who love the culture of the respective linguistic area and want to improve their language skills. “Besser mit Sprachen ” – is what our publishing house stands for with its six magazines in five languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian and German). As much as they differ in terms of identity, image language or tonality, it combines a unique mixture of quality journalism and didactics: travel reports, features or columns are combined in all the magazine with exercises on grammar, vocabulary and learning comprehension.

PMX: There are now many different platforms, software and apps with which one can easily learn languages. Some of those are even free of charge. What distinguishes your offer from other portals and what do your readers appreciate about your publications?

DS: Our products require the reader to have a certain knowledge of the respective language, not just about teaching a basic vocabulary or learning simple grammar rules. With the language magazines and the associated audio products, our readers can immerse themselves deeply in the way of life, the culture and everyday life of the respective language area – and continuously improve their language skills.

PMX: To what extent have users’ needs changed to language learning? What new challenges do these expectations entail?

DS: An important point is surely the self-determined learning: when, where and to what extent someone wants to deal with a new language are questions that many language learners would like to answer individually for themselves. Given this fact, it was important to us to enable our customers to also use our content online.

PMX:What has caused you to now offer your publications digitally and in your own apps? What requirements should they meet?

DS: The apps are an ideal addition to our existing digital product range. The focus for us lies on creating value for our existing customers, for instance through the integrated lecture notes which are spoken by native speakers. We also want to give our readers the opportunity to use our products anytime and anywhere. Whether physically as a printed booklet, online in the browser or in the app on the smartphone.

PMX: Why did you choose PressMatrix?

DS: It was important for us, for instance, to offer our existing subscribers the opportunity to use their already acquired digital content in the app. Due to the direct connection to our customer database, this is now possible without any problems. The time factor was also important: thanks to the excellent collaboration with PressMatrix, we could bring our six kiosk apps from conception to launch in just three months.

Kiosk apps are an interesting channel for digital retailing.

PMX: What challenges could you master with our digital publishing solution?

DS: Through the convenient backend of the PressMatrix solution, we could integrate the complete digital creation process for the content of the apps well into our current production process.

PMX: Could you already increase your digital turnover?

DS: Kiosk apps are an interesting channel for digital retailing: we could see an increase in sales in the first three months after the app launch. Our app “Deutsch perfekt”, which addresses German learners worldwide now has, for instance, even more readers in Italy, Spain and North America.

PMX: In addition to the magazine apps, you are still running the e-commerce site sprachenshop.de and the free rating test sprachtest.de. Are you planning more digital projects in the future?

DS: The consistent expansion of our digital portfolio is very important to us: we are currently revising the six magazine websites which offer our readers additional reading, listening and practicing opportunities. From September to December of this year, we will present them in five languages step by step. We also recently launched our free “Wort des Tages” apps – with interesting vocabulary and words in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German. And for next year we have already planned another exciting digital product.

PMX: Finally another personal question: How many languages do you speak? And would you like to learn another one in the future?

DS: I speak fluent English and have basic knowledge in French and Italian.
It is important for me to stay up to date and to use my language skills on a regular basis. Fortunately, there are many opportunities in both, the professional and the private context. Spotlight, Adesso and Écoute help me very much.

PMX: Thank you for the interview!

For more information about PressMatrix’s Spotlight apps, please visit our Blog.

Discover the world from above!

With its exciting reports, the touring magazine for mountaineers from Bruckmann publishing house awakens adventure-lust and a desire to conquer tall mountains. Equally important, it offers good practical tips to achieve this. Here you can read read one edition free of charge and find inspiration for your next holiday in the multimedial alpine world.

The touring magazine for mountaineers as App for iOS and Android.

Well-putted

For those of you who yen for more green on holiday, the most widely-read golf magazine in Europe is now also available digitally. Enjoy the interactive expanses with the perfect putting green and improve your handicap with professional tips and easy-to-follow videos. P.S .: Did you know that the animal world also appreciates a nice golf course? Find out more in issue 02/2017.

The golf spielen-App for iOS and Android.

We’re taking the speed boat!

Would you rather spend your holidays on the water? No problem: For the past 50 years Delius Klasing, the interactive and largest motorboat magazine in Europe has been reporting on the latest trends in boat-ownership. It also provides travel tips for boat owners and renters within Germany and abroad. The pictures and videos alone have us dreaming of white sandy beaches and vast expanses of open sea.

The motorboat magazine-App for iOS and Android.

Lesezirkel is a magazine rental system – a subscription club if you like – with a long tradition throughout Germany. The corresponding app, “myLese”, was recently developed by magazine-rental companies Lesezirkel Limberg (Aachen) and Hettling’s Lesezirkel (Vellmar) in cooperation with Pressmatrix. It has now been officially launched in association with the nationwide Lesezirkel.

In an interview with Ulrich Limberg, Managing Director of myLese GmbH, we discuss the new app, the current challenges faced by the Lesezirkel, and changes in press and magazine sales.

PMX: Mr. Limberg, as a major sales partner for publishers and an attractive advertising partner for companies, the Lesezirkel has been an institution for years. What developments has your Lesezirkel experienced in recent years?

UL: Customer behavior has changed over time. Previously, we offered ready-made reading packages; today, the customers prefer an individual choice. We now offer over 250 different magazines.
Due to our large distribution area and numerous distribution locations, we are still attractive as an advertising partner. But the new opportunities in digital advertising present us with strong competition.

PMX: The Lesezirkel product has also recently been made available as an app. What made you decide to offer your magazines in digital form?

UL: Considering the digital transformation in the media branch as a whole, a digital solution was a must, alongside our print business. It’s a pleasure now be in a position to offer our readers the selection range and extra value that the “myLese” app provides.

PMX: Why did you choose PressMatrix for the realization of your digital project?

UL: PressMatrix has helped us get an optimal start in what for us is still a new business sector. The collaboration with PressMatrix in the joint development of our app has shown that the company not only has the technological know-how, but are also wonderful when it comes to giving advice and finding individually tailored solutions.

PMX: What new opportunities does the myLese app present to your Lesezirkel company?

UL: We now have the opportunity to adapt to our customers’ user habits and thus to keep up with the market. We’re in step with the customer’s mobile needs. Younger customers, in particular, feel understood and taken care of by display applications in their media usage.

PMX: Keywords: multiple rental, return and quality control. What are the advantages of the myLese app for your customers?

UL: In addition to their print issue, the customer now has all the benefits of digital reading. This means improved quality; the journals in the app are always up-to-date and available to multiple users at the same time.

PMX: Younger readers in particular are often unaware of the principle of the Lesezirkel. To what extent does the app offer an opportunity to pick up this target group and get them interested in reading magazines?

UL: Younger people often use smartphones or tablets. Our app offers a new reading experience in those everyday situations of waiting, through fast and uncomplicated access to a variety of magazines.

PMX: A frequent criticism of the Lesezirkel is that its service-product isn’t marketed more offensively – it needs a stronger public presence. What measures are planned to increase awareness of the Lesezirkel?

UL: We are constantly working on our public image and thus on that of the entire Lesezirkel sector. As part of our public-relations work, we sponsor the Aachen City Tennis Championships and support social projects such as McDonald’s Childcare. We are also represented at trade fairs such as Euregio Aachen. In the future we will increase our advertising in the area of social media.

PMX: Working with publishers is the basis for your Lesezirkel company. Has the relationship with publishers changed in recent years?

UL: Lesezirkel companies have been sales partners of magazine publishers for decades. We secure not only a constant circulation which the publishers can count upon, but also very large distribution areas, subject to only minor fluctuations.
The relationship with publishers is still constructive and very partnership-oriented.

PMX: The sales sector is experiencing certain difficulties, and the number of sales partners such as wholesalers and station bookshops is on the decline. What does this mean for Lesezirkel sales?

UL: It’s very important to stay on the ball. Future-oriented and customer-oriented offers have a key function. The “myLese” app is the latest innovation in the Lesezirkel sector.

PMX: Finally, a personal question: Do you yourself read magazines and journals in the print version or do you prefer the digital version?

UL: Of course I still really enjoy reading the print version, but naturally the digital version, too, when I’m on the go.

PMX: Thank you for the interview!

About the myLese app:

The digital reading offer is initially intended for the business customers of Lesezirkel –
doctor’s offices, hotels, cafes, hairdressers, fitness studios and many more. Using GPS tracking, magazines selected for the predefined waiting zones of these customers are unlocked and made available to those waiting, on their smartphone or tablet. Table tents, provided to their customers by the Lesezirkel, draw attention to the digital offer.
Several publishers already work with myLese GmbH, but they would like to bring further cooperation partners on board. If you are interested, please contact Mr. Ulrich Limberg, Managing Director of myLese GmbH, tel. 02 41 – 15 60 41 or info@mylese.de.

We also recommend our blog article local based reading: Ortsbasiertes Lesen

Special-interest magazines continue to be a growing segment in the German magazine market, with stable penetration levels in the print sector. Nevertheless, digital sales channels, such as social media and apps, play an increasingly important role when it comes to reaching even more readers. We spoke with Christoph Bremer, publishing director of Wellhausen & Marquardt, about increasing their reach and the close relationship that exists between external authors, readers, and editors:

PMX: Mr. Bremer, it’s a pleasure to have you here. Thanks for agreeing to talk with us. Could you tell us a little something about yourself and about Wellhausen & Marquardt?

CB: We’re a publishing and service company that develops special-interest, general-interest, and customer magazines. We provide a full range of services, including editing, graphic design, distribution, online publishing, press and public relations, and advertising. We also organize trade fairs.

PMX: Modell Aviator, Drones and Cars & Details, are just some of the special-interest magazines that you publish. Where did this love of collecting and model building come from?

CB: Our founders, Tom Wellhausen & Sebastian Marquardt, like to call it a Schnappsidee – a great German word meaning a crazy idea that comes out of nowhere. Wellhausen himself builds model aircraft. In 1998, together with Marquardt, he established the model building magazine TRUCKS & Details. Both of them continued to work at their day jobs for a time before making the leap to self-employment.

PMX: For the most part, you work with freelance writers and journalists – how involved are they in terms of planning content and organizing the magazines?

CB: That varies quite a lot. We have some writers who have been with us since the company was founded and who play a very active role. We collaborate with them as closely as possible in the development and planning of the magazines. When Modell AVIATOR was established, for example, we sat down with five writers and said quite plainly: if you’re with us, we’ll make the magazine. If not, we won’t.

PMX: Special-interest magazines often live from the exchange with their readers. Do they play a part in the planning and organization of the magazines?

CB: Because our products are targeted at very narrow segments of the market, feedback from our readers is enormously important for us. And we accordingly place significant value on it.

„We want to reach people who no longer take that trip to the newspaper kiosk, or may never have taken it.”

PMX: Wellhausen & Marquardt titles have a huge Internet and digital presence. What opportunities do digital media have to offer?

CB: Gosh, that’s hard to say in just a few sentences. But if I could sum it up in one easy word, it would be “reach.” We can reach so many more people with our content today than we ever could have in the days when it was purely print media. And that’s great. We see that as an opportunity.

PMX: What role do Facebook, Twitter, etc. play for your company and publications?

CB: Twitter only plays a role with respect to drones. Facebook, on the other hand, is one of the most important communication channels for all our markets.

PMX: You’re making some of your publications available digitally in a PressMatrix app. What induced you to publish some of your magazines in separate apps (in addition to their print versions)?

CB: Of course, we want to expand our reach. We want to reach people who no longer take that trip to the newspaper kiosk, or may never have taken it. And there were other things that played a role, as well: prestige, and curiosity, and the desire to strengthen our brand profile.

PMX: Why did you decide to go with PressMatrix?

CB: We wanted to make real digital magazines, not just PDF files. The financial outlay had to be manageable and, most importantly, the amount of time and effort required on our part had to be relatively low. We didn’t find a supplier that we really liked for quite a while. Either the product wasn’t satisfying, or it would have required much too much time and effort, or the investment was far beyond what we ever could even have begun to recoup. PressMatrix was the only supplier to offer a sound overall concept that spoke to us from the very beginning. And at a personal level, it was a good fit, as well. We felt from the very first moment that we were in good hands. And that hasn’t changed.

PMX: You’ve recently started using the app’s article publishing feature. What’s your experience with that been like?

CB: We were one of the very first customers. Before that, we used two apps for several of our brands. One was the PressMatrix app for the magazines, and then also news apps. We used them to publish one or two messages a day, ranging from new products and events to self-promotion. Thanks to Readmatrix, we can now do it all in a single app. That has significant advantages, especially when it comes to cross-promotion.

Please, a laughter to go!

Enjoy the colourfully illustrated satire in a digital format also. With Eulenspiegel, we have incorporated a true classic into our app range, which you can purchase individually as an ePaper edition or set up as an online subscription with the help of user data.

“Eulenspiegel” for iOS: Apple App Store | Android: Google Play Store | Browserclient.

André Lesching, CEO of vierC print + mediafabrik, discusses new challenges in the printing and advertising technology business. As co-publisher of 1. FC Union’s stadium program, he knows fans’ new habits of reception and uses their creative input for further digital projects.

PMX: vierC print + mediafabrik is a family business. Can you introduce your agency and your work to us?

Lesching: We started as a classic offset printing plant and advertising technology operation, and that already makes up the scope of our work. From trade-show booth material to image brochures, we offer a large variety of products and services.

PMX: Your agency printing plant is equipped to offer, above all, high-quality printing products as well as logistic offerings; how were you able to make the leap from the printing plant business to the agency business?

Lesching: First of all, for me there is no reason not to be proud of being perceived as a printing plant. What’s more, it was the other way around as we made the leap from an agency to a printing plant (laughs). Our roots lie in a small agency with a connected advertising technology operation. Since the very beginning at vierC, we have always gone the extra mile to look at our business from the perspective of our customers. That means knowing the needs of our customers and meeting them is of utmost importance to us. We have always primarily seen ourselves as service providers and problem solvers who also possess certain production methods themselves. For that reason, I gladly accept the designation as a production agency.

PMX: Which new, digital challenges do you face these days as a printing plant and advertising technology operation?

Lesching: Our internal processes are already digitalized to a very large extent; all of this is covered under the big headline “Industry 4.0”.
Since the central point of our customer relationship happens during consultation, the digitalization takes place in subareas, such as approval and logistic processes. The projects there are currently in planning and will be implemented within the next 12 months.

PMX:You work together with many domestic customers and customers from the sports sector. To what extent are the requirements for sports customers different than for business customers, for example?

Lesching: Generally, the requirements are not so different; when it’s all said and done, even professional sports teams are companies. Of course, there are some specific differences. Everything happens incredibly dynamic and in the enormous eye of the public. A stadium program for a Bundesliga game that is delivered a couple of hours too late can no longer be used.

PMX: For 1. FC Union, you implemented the FCU Kiosk app in which the stadium programs and other publications are offered for purchase. What led to the app and how did you go about implementing it?

Lesching:  Since 1997, we have been the co-publisher of 1. FC Union Berlin’s stadium program. In the last years, more and more new fans have started coming to the games. Naturally, they bring new aspects to the experience, which initially presents a challenge for the editorial staff. This editing staff consists of a group of fans, which accounts for the program’s unique flair. With new people, you don’t only see new topics, but also new habits of reception in the stadium. We wanted to react to that and, together with PressMatrix, together with PressMatrix PressMatrix created the app out of (digital) thin air within only 6 weeks during the winter period. The fans’ reaction was almost overwhelmingly positive.” We had received complaints about the design of the app icons, however, that is a very specific discussion within the fans of 1. FC Union.

PMX: What kinds of new innovations from vierC print + mediafabrik can football fans look forward to surrounding their team and stadium at the Alte Försterei?

Lesching: We will use the upcoming summer break after the first half-year to kick off an intensive dialogue with our readers. As you know, there has been more than enough creative input from Union fans. However, there aren’t any concrete plans at the moment. We will definitely interlink the app further with other digital offerings though.

PMX: Which digital trends interest you the most and what would you like to implement in the future within the scope of a customer project?

Lesching:Regarding the example of the FCU Kiosk app, there are of course several customers with interest in similar projects. Beyond that, the integration of print and online in 1 to 1 marketing campaigns is a big topic.

PMX: In your opinion, how does a printing plant and a production agency of the future look like and what would you wish to see from your customers?

Lesching: I think, even in the future, our way of doing business will always primarily be done between people on a very personal level; which doesn’t mean that digitalization also continues to be a big issue. Above all, I hope to see many of our customers come to us and then, of course, have the courage to try things out with us.
At several agencies, I don’t really currently see the courage and ability to skillfully link online and offline media with one another. That’s why I see enormous potential in this form of multimedia.

PMX: In conclusion, something a little more personal: On your own time, do you regularly read a newspaper or magazine? If yes, in digital or print form?

Lesching: I prefer reading short-term information digitally and, on weekends, I prefer a thick newspaper in my armchair on the terrace. But I am not a loyal customer to any particular newspaper. I usually read the weekend editions of the big, local and national daily newspapers.

We’d like to thank you for the interview and look forward to further joint projects!

For more information on vierC print + mediafabrik, visit vierC Print + Mediafabrik and download the FCU Kiosk app for iOS and Android.