The Strategic Role of Print Publishing for Large Publishers

Many view a partnership between a publisher and a commercial printer as predominantly beneficial for smaller operations. But that’s not true. Large publishers with an online distribution focus also benefit enormously from these relationships. That might seem counter intuitive at first; if they’re focused on digital, why would they need a printer? But the truth is that print is a powerful means for building trust, brand identity, and audience connections. Leaving it entirely off the table is a mistake, even if it isn't your core focus.

Lets discuss some of the concrete benefits of incorporating print for large digital publishers, including how it can improve your business’s reputation, and help you reach niche audiences.

Building Brand Credibility Through Print 

In an era of ‘fake news’ and edited posts, it’s not surprising that print is considered trustworthy by more people than exclusively online publications. High-quality magazines, books, even print newsletters convey authority and raise the perceived value of the information they contain. That sense of authority and value can help boost a publisher’s prestige in the eyes of readers and advertisers alike.

Enhancing Audience Engagement

There are different ways to measure audience engagement. For digital-only platforms, one popular metric is ‘site dwell time’, indicating how long a visitor spends on your entire website. This metric  can be deceiving though. If, say, a visitor is on site for three minutes, but clicks through 12 different content pieces in that time, it’s unlikely that they engaged with your content in a meaningful way. But since most digital publishers build their platforms to actively encourage this kind of broken attention span, it can be tough to increase engagement with an exclusively online approach.

That’s where supplementary print materials come in. Readers spend more time with fewer pieces of content when they hold a magazine, newspaper, or other publication in their hands. This can improve information retention as well as the reader’s impression of the content’s publisher. High-quality, tactile experiences from premium papers, soft touch, or glossy finishes boost these effects even further.

Print as a Premium Product

It’s difficult to create an exclusive or premium experience when a publication only exists online. Sure, paywalls and membership access can get you part of the way there, but the experience only ever remains intangible and screen-dependant. Fortunately, publishers looking to connect with a premium customer base on a more compelling level can turn to print to create physical versions of their releases with exceptionally high perceived value.

These kinds of publications may be designed as collector’s editions, limited editions, or luxury publications with exclusive offline content. And once again, high-quality print methods and finishes, such as metallic foils and spot gloss details can be used to enhance the sense of value these volumes convey. By leaning into both quality and exclusivity, publishers can foster stronger, longer-lasting relationships with customers passionate about their content.

Targeting Niche Audiences

Finally, print editions can help large publishers better access and support niche demographics. Generally, the more specific the interest, the harder it is to reach and maintain a stable readership. Without physical objects to support the publisher-niche community relationship, attention spans can easily slip. This is especially true if the fast turnover rate of digital publishing forces your content to be shorter, shallower, and more generalized.

Releasing print editions with high-quality, intensely curated content for these niche communities can help them feel more connected to and supportive of your publications. And when this content is well-made, print editions of magazines and books can become enduring, critical resources, shared and returned to again and again within the community. This type of prolonged, persistent presence in the lives and minds of your target audience is impossible to match with digital publishing.