Newspaper App by MindSea Ranks Alongside NY Times & Rolling Stone Apps
2nd Place - INMA Best New Mobile App or Web Site
Apple Names Chronicle Herald in App Store "Best of 2013" List
Redesigned for iOS 7, The Chronicle Herald app is 1 of only 6 apps in the “Best of Newsstand” iPad app category in Apple’s Canadian App Store. The other apps include La Presse+, NY Times, Martha Stewart Living, Rolling Stone Magazine, and Vanity Fair.
Apple’s Newsstand is an obvious publishing channel for local and international newspapers alike. Many local newspapers are asking the same question: How can we compete for mobile readers when international competitors are just a tap away?
In a joint design workshop, we wrestled with that same question and came to a conclusion: Local publishers can win mobile readers by delivering strong local content with a great user experience.
We aimed to create a ground-breaking app designed for iOS 7, including:
- Content-focused design emphasizing readability and bold visuals
- Ability to swipe between sections and stories to see all the latest news
- Videos and photo galleries within articles to get the full story
- Integrated Apple Newsstand capabilities including subscriptions
- Extra! functionality to view augmented reality content in the print edition
- Breaking news alerts through push notifications
- Streamlined content publishing with support for reader news tips
- Supported by revenue from mobile ads and paid subscriptions
From a project standpoint, we started with our blueprint process and a design workshop to focus on key features that would increase reader engagement, ad revenue, and market share. We completed the rest of the project with an iterative approach as per our app design checklist.
We’re honoured to see The Chronicle Herald app ranked alongside major international publishers like the NY Times, Rolling Stone magazine, and Vanity Fair. Apple has generously featured over 15 of our apps in the App Store, but this is the first time we’ve had a newspaper app in an annual “Best Of” list.
"While I know we aren't their biggest customer, I feel like we are treated like their most important every time. We have enjoyed solid growth of the app they designed even without putting marketing dollars behind it."
Case Study Update: App Metrics & CPM Rates
The Chronicle Herald graciously shared a few metrics with the INMA (International Newspaper Marketing Association), including:
- For in-app advertising, iPad full screen interstitial ads are earning US $60 CPM while advertisers are often seeing a CTR of 4% or 5%.
- iPhone interstitial ads are generating similar results and are set at US $30 CPM.
- Usage is growing. For May 2014, the app saw 20,000 users with a daily average of 9,000 active users totalling close to 400,000 sessions.
We think there are three reasons this project went so well:
- The team at The Chronicle Herald was incredibly collaborative and user-driven throughout the process. We worked well together while applying an iterative design and development approach.
- We have expertise in publishing and had already launched over a dozen newspaper apps in the App Store. Without an industry learning curve, we were able to invest more time in creating a breakthrough app for The Chronicle Herald.
- Timing: The Chronicle Herald is one of the first Canadian newspapers to launch a Newsstand iPhone/iPad app designed for iOS 7. They were able to move quickly and earn a top spot in the Newsstand section of the App Store.
Thanks again to The Chronicle Herald for giving us the chance to work on this project. What are your top questions about mobile publishing? And what would you like to see in future blog posts? We’re happy to share what we’ve learned so far – simply email or call us to get started.
View the App Store’s Best of 2013
“Apple applauds Chronicle Herald app” Full Story at TheChronicleHerald.ca
“Chronicle Herald re-designs itself for iOS 7, bringing new revenue, praise from Apple” Full Story at IMNA
