Let’s Be Real: Your Cover Really Does Matter

You may not be able to fairly judge a magazine by its cover, but people will try to anyway, so be sure to keep your magazine covers fresh and enticing.

Here are a few tips on how to capture readers’ attention with a great cover:

• Choose images that evoke an emotional response, such as pictures of people. For example, if you have an electronics magazine, select an image of someone using the gadget, rather than a simple product shot.
• Use colorful, simple images with a central focal point to catch readers’ attention quickly.
• Images without text are usually better because Flipboard overlays your magazine’s title, readership information and curator name on top of your image. If the image already has text on it, your cover might look cluttered.
• Ensure that you have a dark enough cover for your title and description to pop above it. White backgrounds can make the white text harder to read, especially on certain screens.
• Avoid overly complex images with multiple items in them as they will be hard to decipher when displayed in thumbnail size in places like email or on social media.
• If your magazine covers a topic that may be changing regularly like a current event, try updating your cover as often as necessary to capture the latest information.

Don’t know how to update your cover? Here’s how to do it within Flipboard:

1. You must first add the item you want to be your cover into your magazine. You can do this by tapping the plus on the item and flipping it into your mag or by using our Flip It web bookmarklet. If you’re on an Android device, you can also flip in a photo directly from your phone or tablet.
2. Once the item you want is in your magazine, flip to it, and tap and hold on the item.
3. Select “Promote to Cover” and—voilà!—your cover is updated and looking spiffy.

*Note: you can also change your cover on your desktop at editor.flipboard.com.

A cover change is a simple update that can go a long way toward enticing readers to your collection. So dress up your magazine often and have fun with it!

~Deemanator is reading “The Dashing Dirigible“