That means the number of people getting our daily email is fast approaching our print circulation. It should surpass it before the year is out. What’s heartening about this online surge is that it reflects 100% organic growth. One way or another, people have come across ProPrint and chosen off their own bat to sign up for our bulletin.
While online publishing is clearly a focus, fear not: our commitment to our print edition remains unwavering. But with more and more people getting their news online, we have had to revisit what content we publish in print. I am always concerned that readers feel short-changed if they open the monthly magazine and see stories they have already read online. I spoke to a number of leaders of industry last month and the most common criticism was about duplication of content between print and online.
You might think the solution is obvious – don’t reprint any stories from the web. But that would ignore the data. Our figures show that even the most well-read news story is only seen by a minority of the readers who make up our 7,500-plus print circulation (not to mention the thousands more who read hand-me-down copies passed around the office or factory floor).
Meeting the conflicting needs of all our different readers is a charge we take seriously. That’s why we have refreshed the magazine. We’ve brought in our Monthly Debrief, a timeline of the biggest events. We have also launched the Around Australia page, to acknowledge those doing great things outside the industrial engine rooms of Sydney and Melbourne.
You might also notice the new addition of our Social Media column. This is just a tiny sample of the interactions taking place across ProPrint’s social networks: LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. I encourage you to jump online and join one or all of our communities. The services are there for you, to engage with your peers and share you views.
The point of all this (beyond a bit of self-promotion) is to stress that we are always striving to ensure print is a relevant and dynamic communication medium. I trust we’re not alone.
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If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
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