We assisted FLYER, the UK’s top general aviation magazine, in transitioning from their traditional print roots to soar into a modern, digital-first content platform.
Flyer stands as the UK’s premier general aviation magazine, cherished by its devoted readers for over two decades. With a widespread national distribution, they’ve been renowned for their comprehensive articles and captivating visuals. Beyond print, they’ve captivated thousands daily on their buzzing online aviation forum.
However, recognising the need to pivot towards a digital-centric approach to meet their readers’ changing preferences and to enrich their content with dynamic media, they enlisted Lionhouse’s expertise. The goal? To craft a holistic digital strategy that amalgamates all facets of their content, delivering it on a platform that’s not only visually appealing but also user-friendly.
Central to this transition was the establishment of a paywall-based membership system, which would supersede their traditional subscription method. This involved smoothly transitioning current subscribers and formulating tactics to draw in fresh members. Given their advertising-based revenue model, it was paramount to curate innovative offers to retain existing advertisers by presenting unparalleled opportunities and packages.
Over a span of 6 months, we collaborated intimately with Flyer’s editorial squad to birth a system that excels on all dimensions. As this journey continues, we’re honoured to be a constant pillar of support, adapting with them as they refine their digital presence.
Subscription and paywall
We’ve seamlessly integrated the robust Leakypaywall platform into our system to manage content permissions and oversee various membership subscription levels. A crucial aspect of transitioning to a digital-first approach was making sure our loyal readers experienced a smooth shift to this new setup.
Thanks to our custom WordPress development, we were able to design a coherent and tailored delivery. This provides the Flyer team with versatile options for controlling content visibility and accessibility.
Flexible templates
With a vast array of content to present, we developed a versatile template structure complemented by a page builder, ensuring the Flyer team had complete flexibility. We crafted formats tailored to their regular columns, hero feature articles, daily news updates, events, live streams, and more. Each template was fine-tuned to ensure readability and a pleasant reading experience on any device.
Bespoke account functionality
We had to create a custom account that was user friendly and provided the members with easy management of billing along with simple up/downgrading options.
But importantly, the different subscription options provide the user with different benefits. These included downloadable free landing fees (updated monthly), unique discounts/offers with select partners, weekly weather reports and more.
Supporting advertisers
Advertiser revenue is key to the magazines success. In the new platform, we had to devise a new strategy for appealing to and enticing advertisers to both remain and join. This formed a large part of the UX planning.
We created a breadth of on site ad spaces, along with unique opportunities that. We detailed these in a media kit working closely with their sales team.
We also helped them with a Flyer Live event, building a unique event site that supported live streaming and a virtual exhibitor hall.
“Lionhouse have helped us manoeuvre successfully through a testing period for Flyer. We are thrilled with the final result and the technical and creative expertise they have brought have been outstanding”
Managing Director
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