A digital magazine is a magazine that has been published digitally. Otherwise known as an online magazine, you can flip through pages, read content, and view images just as you would in a paper magazine, only on a digital screen. 
Many brands, like WIRED, create magazines simply to expand their content strategy. They use digital magazines to bring stories and travel experiences to their customers.

Publishing and marketing teams are increasingly investing in high-quality content, which has helped drive a resurgence in digital magazine publishing.

Unlike print magazines, digital magazines can include links, more high-resolution images, video, audio, and web animations. They can also take advantage of cheaper and potentially wider distribution than print magazines.

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Types of digital magazines
Today, there are five main methods for creating a digital magazine. The model you choose will depend your readership, budget, marketing strategy, and business model. 
i) An embedded PDF magazine
We know content teams sometimes love PDFs, but they simply aren't suitable for modern digital audiences.
 

ii) An apple or android app
Apps can look amazing, but they are very expensive to create and maintain. It can also be difficult to get your app to stand out from the crowd.

iii) A Kindle e-magazine
This is a good model for established magazines that publish very 'writerly' content. But the visual experience is poor, and the audience is generally limited to Kindle power users. 

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iv) A collection of posts published to a CMS
This is a good option for content teams looking to simply get their content on the web as quickly as possible, though it is unlikely to match the impact of more visually impressive and immersive content.

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v) A digital publication of visually immersive digital stories
Immersive digital storytelling is fully responsive and accessible and is a great way to get better results from your magazine content. Some platforms have plans that allow unlimited stories, which makes it easier to scale your digital magazine content production.

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How to make a successful digital magazine
1. Make it easy to read
Too many digital magazines are little more than PDFs, optimised for modern web browsers.
build your magazine content using software designed and engineered to make the most of the modern web. Modern digital storytelling platforms allow publishing and marketing teams to create great reading experiences — without requiring you to hire a web designer or developer. 

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2. Put the ‘digital’ in a digital magazine
Publish each piece of content to its own URL. Interlink as needed. Incorporate high-resolution images, video, and data visualizations. Animate natively in the browser. Create interactive infographics and other interactive marketing elements. Ensure quick page loading. Optimise for all viewports and devices. 
 

3. Embrace quality
This emphasis on quality should extend to its publication on the web. A digital magazine should have a ‘premium’ look and feel, with text cleanly presented and easy to read. Images should be high-resolution and optimized for all browsers and devices. Ideally, feature stories should also incorporate scroll-based animation techniques to maintain the attention of the reader.

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4. Avoid developer & web design bottlenecks
some digital storytelling platforms use flexible ‘content blocks’ or templates, which will allow you to build great and visually impressive magazine stories — without hiring a developer. This makes it much easier (and cheaper) for your team to build stories that look amazing on the web.

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5. Animate your stories
One technique used by the world’s best digital storytellers is scroll-based animation effects. For example, in a little bit of magazine inception, the social enterprise magazine Pioneer's Post animates their story on The Big Issue magazine with several pairs of static images. It's a very simple technique for adding life to stories, and can be created and implemented without writing any code or learning any animation programs.

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6. Don’t build an app
pp development is expensive — and, done poorly, it’s a major reputational risk for your brand.  
Digital storytelling platforms can automatically optimise stories — including their visual assets — to look amazing on phones and tablets. This is good for SEO, and it’s great for your readers. No app required!