How 3 women's magazines invited the reader into the production process

Connecting with the reader is vitally important for any magazine. To sell copies and build an engaged community it must appeal to the reader, and be in tune with their interests.

This week's podcast looks at how and why three magazines in Finland (Olivia), India (Femina) and the UK (Company), are using crowdsourcing methods to both further their understanding of the audience, and give their readers a greater role in determining the final issue. Examples include a magazine which produced an edition containing reader-produced content only and another which built an online "co-creation" platform, where the readers helped make editorial decisions.

The publishers and editors behind the magazines share some of their lessons, as well as the potential benefits for the readers, the magazine and advertisers.

We hear from:

• Marjaana Toiminen, chief executive, Bonnier Publications (Publisher of Olivia magazine)
• Tarun Rai, chief executive, Worldwide Media (Publisher of Femina magazine)
• Victoria White, editor, Company

Both Toiminen and Rai spoke at the FIPP Congress in Rome this week, a conference focused on the latest developments and trends in the magazine industry, about the crowdsourcing projects at Olivia and Femina.

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