Toolkit for
Digital Publishing Awesomeness
So you want to be a digital publishing maven. Spend a few moments exploring Issuu’s 25 million-plus publications and you’ll discover magazines on every topic imaginable, thought-provoking daily newspapers, full-color comic books, portfolios filled with incredibly creative work, catalogs and DIY guides. And that will just scratch the surface. Of course, these publications don’t just appear out of thin air. Behind each cover is a story of determination and countless hours put in by passionate individuals. Getting content into a realized form is hard work, and although each of our publishers takes a different path to get there, they all have one thing in common: They were new to Issuu at one point, just like you.
Cover Credit: Beyond Magazine This Page: Lonely Planet
Ready, set, go! To make your introduction into digital publishing on Issuu as seamless as possible, we’ve filled this toolkit with everything you need to find success with Issuu. We’ll show just how easy it is to upload, publish and distribute your publications. We’ll teach you how to use Issuu’s tools and features, share your publication, measure your success and monetize your hard work. 1. Creating publications 2. Preparing docs for upload 3. Uploading and publishing 4. Distributing far and wide 5. Growing and engaging with social 6. Using Reader Statistics 7. Generating revenue from publications
Photo Credit: 57 Degrees
Photo Credit: Blush Magazine
1. C REATING PUBLICATIONS TO SHARE WITH THE WORLD
So where do I start? The hardest part of digital publishing by far is putting your publication together. If you still have a lot of work to do, that’s perfectly OK. Maybe all you have is a magazine idea, or some creative work you need to showcase professionally. Perhaps you’re interested in creating a catalog for your brand. Or maybe you just like the idea of trying something new. Whatever the case, we’re here to help you take the next step.
1.2 C REATING PUBLICATIONS
Get inspired. Find your daily dose of inspiration with Stories, a new way to share and consume content. Use the Stories tool to create easy to read, mobile-optimized sections of your publication. Learn more about creating Stories of your own in this toolkit.
1.3 C REATING PUBLICATIONS
Define your brand. Be sure your readers recognize your publication by designating certain colors or a cool font as your own. Stick to a certain writing style or viewpoint, so your readers have no question it’s coming from you. Define these things and your brand will quickly take shape. Photo Credit: Artful Living Magazine
1.4 C REATING PUBLICATIONS
Be consistent. Whether it’s your voice, your branding or simply timing, be the publication you say you are. If you are a vegan-cooking quarterly, be sure your hummus recipes come out four times a year. Consistency is key when building an audience, because readers want to be able to rely on you. Photo Credit: ALIVE Magazine
1.5 C REATING PUBLICATIONS
Be genuinely yourself. Figure out what you do better than any other publication, and keep doing it. Don’t get lost trying to copy another publication — just be yourself. There’s a reason your audience is reading you, so be proud of that and keep up the good work.
Photo Credit: Santa Barbara Life & Style
Now on to the bones of digital publishing. Photo Credit: Local Wolves
2. PREPARING YOUR DOCUMENT FOR UPLOAD
Little details do matter. Publishing on Issuu begins with the upload process. Once uploaded, we automatically convert your publication to display beautifully for our desktop and mobile readers. Sometimes uploaded documents fail during the conversion process, which typically happens when the document was not properly prepared. Here are guidelines to ensure your uploads are a success. You got this.
File size
File naming
Layout
Regardless of what Issuu
Readers will be able to see
Use single-page spreads only.
plan you’re on, files must not
this document’s name in the
Our system automatically
exceed 500 pages. If you’re
URL and in other places on
converts all documents to
on a Basic plan, documents
Issuu, so instead of “final_
double-page spreads, so if you
cannot be larger than 100MB.
draft_magazinename_date_
upload your publication with
For Premium plans, the
version1234x.pdf,” make it
double-page spreads, each
maximum file size is 500MB.
something more descriptive.
spread will show up on Issuu as four pages. Not good.
When exporting to PDF, check for the following: Pages Our system will turn your publication back into spreads. Tagged PDF This helps Issuu optimize your publication. Hyperlinks Checking this box will allow us to auto-detect the page-to-page, web and video links in your document.
Exporting We prefer PDF files, but Word (.doc), PowerPoint (.ppt), OpenOffice (.ods,
Having trouble getting your document to upload
.odp), WordPerfect (.wpd), Rich Text
properly? This article will help solve the most
Format (.rft) and StarOffice (.sxi,
common uploading problems, as well as prevent
.sxw) are OK too. If using InDesign,
issues with your future uploads.
download our Export Preset to ensure your PDFs are Issuu-ready when exporting.
3.2 C REATING PUBLICATIONS
Issuu Templates We’re excited to introduce our brand new set of downloadable magazine and catalogue templates to help jump start your publishing career. With spaces for photos, videos, text and ads, these templates are perfect for anyone looking to convert their content or start creating from the ground up.
3.3 C REATING PUBLICATIONS
Video Premium and Optimum users can now embed Youtube and Vimeo videos directly onto pages in their publications. This adds a seamless video experience to your publications. Head to the Link Editor from your Publisher Workflow and add video links to whichever pages you want to embed on.
3. U PLOADING YOUR DOCUMENT TO ISSUU AND PUBLISHING IT TO THE WORLD
Welcome to the big time. Uploading Getting your document from where you are to where we are. OK, first the “complicated” way: Click “Upload” from the top navigation on Issuu.com. When the uploader window loads, drag and drop your document into the window, or click the “Select a File” button to search for it on your machine. Ready for the simple way? Drag and drop your document into any open Issuu browser window. Really, that’s it.
Photo Credit: Debate Magazine
3.2 C REATING PUBLICATIONS
Publishing Once the upload process completes, you’ll need to add a few details about your publication before it can be properly introduced to the world.
Publication name Use a name that’s short and sweet, but descriptive enough to distinguish it from your other publications.
Description Write a short, clear description of your document so readers can discover it.
Original publishing date In most cases, your publishing date will be the same as when you’re uploading. When uploading back issues or ones slated for a future release, enter the actual publication dates.
Preview option Designating your publication as a “Preview” means most of its contents won’t be displayed to readers. This cannot be changed, so be sure it’s what you want.
Visibility If you want your publication to be unlisted, choose “Private” and only those you share the URL with can view it. This can be changed if you decide to make it public.
Photo Credit: Dress to Kill Man
Premium features Unlock Issuu’s Premium features to include detected links within your publication; allow readers to download it; or schedule your publication for a future publishing date.
3.3 C REATING PUBLICATIONS
Draft Mode Customize your publication’s information and settings even before uploading. Your changes are automatically saved in draft mode so you can come back and make changes later.
Scheduling New Game of Thrones out the same day you want to release? No problem! Premium and Optimum users can now schedule publications by the hour to time exactly when your content drops.
Back-Date & Re-Ordering You can now backdate and re-order your past publications, eliminating the need to delete and reupload publications.
Once everything has been entered, click the
“PUBLISH NOW” button. That’s it! You’re a digital publisher. Photo Credit: BENTO
4. D ISTRIBUTING YOUR DOCUMENT TO THE LARGEST AUDIENCE POSSIBLE
Hello world! Once published, your document is automatically viewable in the Issuu universe on desktops, tablets and smartphones around the globe. With that in mind, it’s important to ensure your work looks great across all platforms. Our Publisher Tools help grow your audience by letting you embed a publication on your site or blog, or by sharing its Issuu link socially. You can even print physical copies to distribute the old-fashioned way!
Mobile
Linking
Embedding
More and more, people are
The easiest way to distribute
Embed your publication on your
enjoying what’s on Issuu via
your publication is by sharing
site or blog. Visit the “Publisher
mobile devices. Our award-
it. Email the link out to a
Tools” section of Issuu.com,
winning apps make it easy
subscription list, post it to
find your publication in the list
no matter what device or OS
your blog or share it on your
and select “Embed” from the
readers are using. Be certain
social channels. Premium
list of pull-down menu options.
that what they’re seeing looks
users have the option to
Once you decide how it will
the way you have intended
share a standalone reader
look, simply copy and paste
by downloading our iOS and
link, which means readers
the embed code into any HTML
Android apps and cross-
won’t see any community
editor and your publication
checking your publication on
features (Follow, Info, Share,
will be displayed in a fully
multiple platforms, including
Add to and Like) or sidebar-
functioning Issuu reader on
desktop, tablet and mobile.
related publications.
your site or blog. Learn More.
https://www.brooklyntweed.com/
Printing We may be a digital publishing platform, but that doesn’t mean we don’t understand the power of print. Our print-on-demand services allow you to print anywhere from one to 1,000 copies for distribution wherever your potential readers may be. Learn more about the print requirements and how you can order your printed publication.
5. O PTIMIZING YOUR POSTS FOR EACH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM
When in Rome ... Now that you have a general idea about being social, let’s talk specifics. Here are tips and tricks to optimize your content for several of the top platforms. Note that it’s better to be consistent on one or two social channels than to spread yourself too thin across many. For starters, sign up and secure your username with all the ones you may one day use. Then, let any you won’t use right away sit dormant until you have the bandwidth to expand.
Pinterest is a valuable social
With Facebook, there isn’t
platform because it’s evergreen. That is, unlike other channels, Pinterest posts will circle back and gain new viewers for years to come. Post as much of your content here as you can. Use our custom Pinterest graphics to grab the attention of a brand new audience.
Instagram Instagram is a high-quality platform to post the very best of your visuals. Utilize your feed and stories to showcase the best of your publication, share behind the scenes looks and connect with new audiences. Switch things up by using GIF/ video content in addition to static images to keep your brand fresh.
LinkedIn LinkedIn is the most professional of the social networks. It’s a great place to show potential employers or colleagues your hard work, by embedding Issuu publications right on your LinkedIn profile page.
a character limit or image limits. Use images and video here whenever possible to engage your audience and stop scrollers in their tracks. You can also embed Issuu content in Facebook posts by simply inserting the link, which will produce an Issuu reader. Deploy our Facebook App.
Twitter Share your publication, images, GIFs and videos –– but also use the platform to your advantage. Pose questions, retweet similar content or share links that pertain to you. Keep in mind that posts with media tend to do best, so include visual content often as you can. Learn more about how you can optimize your Twitter sharing experience.
5.1 O PTIMIZING YOUR POSTS FOR EACH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM
Visual Stories Issuu is bringing you our brand new Visual Stories tool to create Issuu Stories, from the first-ever Issuu Story Cloud suite of products. Bring your content to life with our easy to use Visual Stories creator by downloading the Issuu App for IOS or Android. Creating Stories for web or social has never been so simple. With Issuu Stories, our business is equipped with brandapproved assets that are easy to share on your site and all social channels.
Using Visual Stories • Ensure that you have the latest version of the Issuu App for iOS or Android • Select the Article Story you want to create a visual Story from • Choose a sleek design template to work from • Edit fonts, change around assets or simply hit ‘Publish’ to use your Visual Story as is • Share your Visual Story across social story sharing platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Linkedin and more
5.2 O PTIMIZING YOUR POSTS FOR EACH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM
Article Stories Now, you and your readers can share individual Stories on any social network — the most targeted way to share. That means more of your content gets shared, more frequently, with every Story. Stories are optimized for mobile, so readers get the best reading experience on any device — beautiful spreads for big screens, slick scrolls for mobile screens.
5.3 O PTIMIZING YOUR POSTS FOR EACH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM
Stories on Desktop Issuu Stories are shareable sections from your publication to give your audience a focused look at what’s inside. Highlight and name individual sections from your publication, including stories, spreads, products, or chapters. Tease your content to audiences on Issuu and on social to take them beyond the cover.
Using Stories • Click Social Tools in your publisher dashboard • In the “Story Sharing” tab, select which issue you want from the dropdown • Select the pages you want to share and add a title and description for your section. • Share your Story using our social tips
5.4 O PTIMIZING YOUR POSTS FOR EACH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM
GIFs for Social A GIF, or moving image file, can help your content stand out in new eye-catching ways. With Issuu’s Share as GIF tool, it’s easy to create, customize and share your publication as an animated GIF — perfect for social media or email!
5.5 O PTIMIZING YOUR POSTS FOR EACH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM
Promoted Impressions When you purchase promoted impressions, we feature your publication on our homepage, where you’ll have the opportunity to reach our 100 million+ unique visitors per month. Learn more about advertising opportunities
Photo Credit: Man of Metropolis
with Issuu.
Photo Credit: Modeliste Magazine
6. U SING READER STATISTICS TO GAIN AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE
Power in numbers. Of all the tools we give publishers, Statistics is the most versatile. Up-to-theminute stats are available for all your publications, such as number of clicks on a cover, or percentage of readers on mobile versus desktop. This data can really help you better understand your audience, as well as increase potential rates you can charge advertisers.
Track
Analyze
Monetize
Find out exactly where your
What you do with the
With print, there are very few
audience is, what devices
information you gain from
numbers you can bring to
they are reading on and which
Statistics is incredibly important.
potential or current advertisers.
parts of your publication they’re
Have a large percentage of
Publishing on Issuu, however,
reading most. Is your audience
your readers on mobile? It
means having deep Statistics
coming from everywhere, or
would be wise to explore design
at your fingertips whenever
mostly from a certain region?
changes geared toward viewing
you need them – whether it’s
What pages get a lot of shares?
your publication on Issuu’s
for your media kit or your next
Are the majority of readers
mobile apps. Are the majority
pitch. Use your numbers to
on mobile, desktop or both?
of your fans located in Japan?
attract new advertisers and set
Every tidbit you can glean
Schedule your next publication
higher ad rates. Or, let current
about your audience takes
release for the middle of
advertisers know how many
the guesswork out of what
their workday, instead of when
people saw their ad or how
content they’ll love.
they’re asleep.
long they stayed on the page.
7. H OW TO GENERATE REVENUE FROM YOUR Issuu PUBLICATIONS
Digital Sales As an Issuu publisher, you’re armed with tools to leverage your hard work and unlock additional revenue for your business. Monetizing publications can help deliver the resources to improve your final product, as well as speed up production times. This can mean buying new computers, hiring staff, paying for better photographers and illustrators, taking more time off work — anything, really, to keep your publishing empire growing. Learn more about Digital Sales
7. H OW TO GENERATE REVENUE FROM YOUR ISSUU PUBLICATIONS
Shopping links In-Publication Shopping Links allows viewers to click through. Whether it’s your own marketplace, an e-commerce
Cha-ching!
site or your preferred affiliate program, these links are an easy way to monetize your publications. Shopping links are differentiated from other links with a special shopping icon, which lets readers know
As an Issuu publisher, you’re
something is available for
armed with tools to leverage
purchase.
your hard work and unlock
Advertising sales
additional revenue for your business. Monetizing publications can help deliver the resources to improve your final product, as well as speed up production times. This can mean buying new computers, hiring staff, paying for better photographers and illustrators, taking more time off work — anything, really, to keep your
Create a proposal for advertisers using your Issuu Statistics. Focus specifically on the number of readers, their demographics and time spent reading. While Basic users have access to limited stats, Premium publishers enjoy statistics all the way back to their original publication dates. These are numbers you just can’t get with a print publication and physical distribution. Learn more.
publishing empire growing. Photo Credit: Modeliste Magazine
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We hop the digi If you s at supp
Photo Credit: Dainty Obsessions Magazine
Keep in #IssuuL social p
If you b to nom for a ch
Remem
nd that’s a wrap.
pe this guide has brought you closer to becoming ital publisher you have always wanted to be. still need a hand, reach out to our support team port@Issuu.com.
n touch during your journey with the hashtag Loves and follow @Issuu on your preferred platform.
believe you are an #Issuusuccess story, or would like minate a publisher, email us at success@Issuu.com hance to be featured on our site and social channels.
mber, Issuu is here for you and because of you.
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