Karl Jo Seilern and Anton Waldburg, managing partners of theblogpaper.co.uk, seem to be swimming against the currents in the ever turbulent waters that are the publishing industry. While most print publications are moving more and more content online in order to reach an increasingly tech-savvy, internet-based and mobile readership, Seilern and Waldburg are taking blog content offline in the blogpaper–the UK’s first completely user-generated, free newspaper.
When I asked the duo what the rationale was behind taking blog content offline and into print form, Waldburg told me it is simply a way to “fully satisfy the needs of a young readership.” Readers can access the blogpaper’s content online, but having a print edition gives readers another format choice and extends the reach of the blogger past online consumers to those who prefer a more traditional reader experience. They may have a good point here. Even I–someone who reads most everything online–prefer reading a magazine or a newspaper when traveling rather than browsing content via my iPhone. And, as I think many other guys might attest to, there’s something about the tactile and olfactory experience of holding a paper or magazine in your hands while enjoying some alone time in the bathroom that a mobile device just can’t replace.
The next question in my mind is what would draw a reader to pick up the blogpaper instead of a traditional paper. Seilern and Waldburg told me that it is because the blogpaper provides completely different content than a daily news publication and is targeted at a different demographic. The readers who visit theblogpaper.co.uk are mainly young readers who are looking for posts about what Waldburg calls “hip and trendy” topics. So, they deliver “timeless, editorial content” to their target audience by distributing the paper in sections of London that are most likely to have hip, young readers with interests similar to their online community. Also, because the blogpaper’s community is the group responsible for deciding what makes the print edition, the reader is being provided with content recommended by approximately 10,000 likeminded readers.
Seilern and Waldburg informed me that in their current beta phase, during which they have worked in conjunction with the Evening Standard to publish 10,000 copies per issue, there has been a corresponding spike in their site’s traffic after each release.
At this point, you may be saying to yourself, “OK, but what’s in it for me, the blogger?” The first things that come to my mind are increased exposure for your content, increased interaction with readers and other writers, the opportunity to be published, and maybe some bragging rights. Like I mentioned earlier, the articles that make it to print do so because they are rated the highest by the community. So, making it to print means people are reading your post, people like your post, and in print form your post becomes available to a segment of the population you could not reach through your own blog.
Seilern told me that any time a post is shared on their site or printed in the blogpaper a link to the original source is always included. He said some of the bloggers who have been included in the paper have reported increased traffic after being published. Seilern said he hopes those numbers will increase after their official launch at the end of May–when the beta phase will end and circulation will expand to 50,000 copies. He said, interestingly, published bloggers seem unconcerned with increases in traffic. Instead, they seem more interested in the reactions their posts are getting from readers who see them in print. Some bloggers, he said, have even “gone to distribution points to see if anyone reads their posts and how they respond to it.” He explained that overall most bloggers are just generally excited about the fact that their content has been printed.
For bloggers looking for paying gigs, the chance to show your work published somewhere other than your own blog is a big plus. Depending on where you’re looking, the fact that your content was chosen by a community of 10,000 users as opposed to a few editors may also be a good selling point. For those bloggers just blogging for the love of it, you still benefit from another source of feedback and interaction. And, regardless of your goals, getting published is always a bit fun.
Being somewhat young, but admittedly not hip, I was wondering what type of content a young, hip readership seems to like best. Seilern and Waldburg said that the topic is seemingly unimportant; it’s more about “how well you write, how smart, how funny, how witty or inspirational you are.” They said humorous posts do the best and readers really love posts where bloggers recount funny situations in which they have found themselves.
On a final note, Seilern informed me that the blogpaper will be working with various companies to provide bloggers with products, event tickets and other goods & services in return for blogger reviews. This is something he said they have had success with in the past and will be doing more of in the future. So, if you’re into writing reviews, check the site in the near future to see what opportunities they are providing.
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Source: Jason Teitelman
