Websites are great for attracting large numbers of (incidental) visitors. Apps, on the other hand, help people return more frequently, read longer, and are more willing to pay for content. Media companies report that app users read up to ten times more articles than mobile web users. This is mainly due to the superior user experience apps offer – from fast load times and rich media like video and audio to navigation designed for thumb use.
Beyond the optimized user experience, apps offer publishers nine key advantages:
The three main types of apps for publishers, as explained in this article, are e-paper, newsfeed, and feedpaper. There are various revenue models available, such as subscriptions, paid apps, freemium, sponsorships, and advertising. With our deep experience in the media world and knowledge of app monetization, we’re happy to advise you on the best model for your app.
A key requirement for a successful publishing app is delivering real value to your users. That means identifying the right features – often by making clear and focused choices. For example, Mediahuis asked us to build a separate app for NRC’s podcast branch: NRC Audio. It’s also crucial to define your end users, customer journey, competitor apps, goals, KPIs, tech possibilities, and platform choices from the start.
With a whitelabel app, multiple apps are developed and maintained from a single codebase. This drastically reduces development costs while allowing each brand to have its own look and feel. Pinch has built several successful whitelabel apps for publishers, including NRC Audio/DS Podcast, Mediahuis’ regional newspapers, and dozens of smaller publishers using the Pubble system.
Pinch understands all the challenges and knows how difficult it is to transform your business model while also freeing up time to build an app. Thanks to our extensive experience and deep media industry knowledge, we offer much more than just app development. We serve as a critical sparring partner, support transformation strategies, and organize knowledge sessions and peer-to-peer meetings for publishing professionals.
Pinch is a renowned mobile development agency based in Amsterdam. Since our founding in 2011, we’ve developed over 100 apps, including for De Telegraaf, NRC, Reformatorisch Dagblad, ANP, Qmusic, and NOS. What makes us unique is our full-service approach: beyond development, we also support you with concepting, design, marketing, and continuous improvement.
