INTERVIEW: In January 2014, the German weekly newspaper Bauernblatt took an important step into the digital future when it launched its first newspaper app. What follows is an interview with the newspaper's publisher Jan Grams about Bauernblatt's digital strategy.
- You're offering your subscribers the digital version of the newspaper at an additional cost of EUR 2.50 per month. What are your expectations?
"We've had significant development costs that need to be recouped. Selling digital ads doesn't work if we don't have online users, so we need to begin by recovering money from the subscribers. That's why we're not offering a free digital subscription. It is our philosophy that things that cost nothing have no value. We know that, on average, we have four readers per issue. The app thus gives these four the opportunity to read the newspaper on his or her own device simultaneously. In our opinion, the added cost of EUR 2.50 per month is quite moderate."
- You're also offering your readers the chance to switch from printed to digital subscriptions for EUR 80.00 annually, and to thereby save EUR 5.00 a year. What are your expectations?
"We distribute 51 printed issues annually by post. The postage costs alone constitute more than 20% of the subscription price. Thus with the digital edition we're seeing a lot in savings, some of which we pass on to our subscribers. The greatest savings have been reaped by our subscribers in countries like Canada, Ukraine, Australia and Denmark, as they've saved a third of the price for a foreign print subscription. These subscribers also have the advantage of receiving any given issue at the same time as everyone else, because the shipping delay no longer applies."
How has the app been received thus far?
"We've only just now begun to market it in our own products, that is through our website and in the printed edition. Readers have expressed a great deal of interest. We've actually had just as many people switch from a print to a digital subscription, as those who have purchased a supplementary digital subscription. However, it's still too soon to discuss actual figures."
- You have been very thorough in your marketing of the app: You've run ads in the newspaper, as well as articles and documents on your website that provide a detailed explanation of the use and benefits of the app. What ideas lie behind your marketing approach?
"Our goal is to attract a greater number of digital subscriptions as soon as possible, which will allow us to sell various types of digital ads."
- What added value do you hope to create for readers of the digital edition of the newspaper?
"We've planned to supplement the digital version with more current content, such as photos, videos and news tickers. We also plan on adding more functions over time, for example, by utilising our archives, etc."
Bauernblatts app was developed in collaboration with Visiolink
The weekly newspaper Bauernblatt is published by Bauernverband Schleswig-Holstein and is the official members' newspaper for the German Chamber of Agriculture. The newspaper has a weekly print circulation of 25,000 and is primarily targeted at farmers, gardeners and forest owners.
