The common belief that the publishing industry is dying is a misnomer. In actual fact, long-form content is now experiencing a resurgence thanks to new technologies that create new monetization opportunities for the publishers.

Can you give any examples of this?

Browse the Cosmopolitan website by clicking on the image. How is it encouraging audiences to engage with its content frequently?

  • The website seems endless, you can scroll the page for a long time before you ever reach the bottom, indicating the sheer wealth of content available.
  • Content is updated several times a day keeping the website fresh and current.
  • Content is saved in chronological order so audiences can read everything they’ve missed since their last log-in easily.
  • The website is easy to navigate so audiences can quickly find content that is relevant to them.

How do Twitter and Facebook enable the discovery of long-form content?

  • Consider how users choose what to read
  • Interactivity and sharing
  • On those platforms, we often scan for news and interesting stories. But once we find an article or piece of interesting content, we dive straight in to a publisher’s content. So, instead of technology replacing long-form content, social feeds offer samples and tasters of something enticing.
  • Also, by sharing articles from their own website, the social media platforms are driving traffic back to their website and, once there, audiences will find a wealth of material to trawl through.