#FlipboardChat Summary: Using Flipboard Magazines for Storytelling

Jenn de la Vega / September 23, 2015

Every Wednesday evening, members of the Flipboard Club—an unofficial group of passionate evangelists—hold a Twitter chat about a Flipboard-centric topic. We share the tips and ideas discussed there each week. Join in the chat at 7pm PT / 10pm ET via the #FlipboardChat hashtag on Twitter. If the time zone doesn’t work for you, join this Facebook group to stay in the loop.

Last week, participants chatted about “Using Flipboard Magazines for Storytelling.“ Here’s what they said:

What does storytelling on digital media mean to you?

• Storytelling, at its core, is the same on any platform. Digital media allows different tools to convey the message.
• It means having the ability to use all digital media in one place (video, music, pictures and content).
• The ability to tell a story in a cohesive way that will live on in digital format and can be shared with others.
• Storytelling means teaching the audience a lesson or leaving them with a takeaway. It’s not selling.

Why is Flipboard a good tool for storytelling?

• Flipboard is the BEST platform for storytelling because you can use multimedia — and you can arrange your content.
• You can have everything in one place. Flipboard allows you to use pics, videos, etc.
• Flipboard is ideal because it is portable and shareable anyplace and anywhere!
• Tremendous visual values of a Flipboard magazine make stories come alive.  The design encourages consumption of content.
• It’s unbelievably flexible, so any content that can tell a great story can be sent to your audience.
• Great stories move world fwd. Digital=ability to efficiently have these stories find their audience.
• Usability across devices and desktops makes it the perfect tool for storytelling—everyone can view a mag.

What features on Flipboard are most important when you set out to tell a story?

• You know what the most important storytelling tool Flipboard gives us is? The ability to arrange and rearrange content.
• Topics for finding material, analytics for finding popular flips, and SoundCloud for upping your game.
• Compose lets you add your own narrative.
• The fact that there is integration of many outside platforms helps to tell a story.
• Flipboard’s web bookmarklet too—it’s how you add all online content to tell your story!
• Beauty. Narrative. Pacing. Then distribution to relevant audiences and the ability to rally enthusiasts.

What roles do the cover and title of a Flipboard magazine play in storytelling?

• The title is your hook. It tells people what your magazine is about and convinces them to take a flip through.
• I love GIFs on covers. Like magazine from the future.
• A mag cover can go a long way toward illustrating a story. Titles set the stage.
• The adage of judging a book by its cover? It’s the same for Flipboard mags, so make it count!
• Covers are profoundly important. Imagine any magazine today without a cover. Like an unwrapped gift. Soulless.

How can you use images as a storytelling tool in a Flipboard Magazine?

• Images can add value to words, or tell a unique story in their own way.
• A picture is worth a 1,000 words. Pick high-quality images that embody your subject or go with your other content.
• I love making images with Canva and pasting it in the magazines.
• Images help you set a beginning, middle and end to your story. The power of a picture brings a story to life.
• In our digital age where images are so available, pictures are necessary for storytelling.
• Images are part of the story. If an article doesn’t have an image you can always add one and place it next to the article.

How can you involve the Flipboard community in a storytelling magazine?

• Ask for contributors to your magazine. Get your community involved. Ask them to create their own and refip.
• Define what kind of story you are telling and let co-curators help you.
• When you’re working with a group mag, you can divvy it up, like @FlipboardClub did for World Cup, Olympics, etc.
• Make an event mag and invite contributors so you get more video and photos from different perspectives.

What are some exciting ways to promote a Flipboard Magazine that uses storytelling?

• Write a case history blog. Share in social and ask contributors to share.
• Share on your social media feeds, and tag your contributors! They’ll be so excited and re-share.
• Flip content from storytellers. Use a hashtag! And don’t forget about #FlipboardFriday to promote and share your mag!
• If you’re storytelling for an event, find hashtags people are using and use them across social media.
• Don’t forget the old school: ask five special people to help, offline. Phone, text, lunch.

What tips do you have for managing and editing a storytelling Flipboard magazine?

• The key to managing a storytelling mag is the Flipboard Editor. Keep on curating and arranging if the story changes.
• Check your covers! Make sure they’re not dead or irrelevant.
• Keep your magazine current and clean out bad links.
• Stay focused on the scope of a storytelling mag.  Use topics for fresh content! Cut what doesn’t add to the story.
• And if your story is over, it’s over. But you can keep the magazine and keep promoting.

Don’t forget to join the #FlipboardChat this week. Start chatting on Twitter on at 7pm PT / 10pm ET, or come back to this blog for an update.

~jdlv on behalf of the Flipboard Club

GET FLIPBOARD ON:
iOS / ANDROID / WINDOWS / WEB

FOLLOW US ON:
FLIPBOARD / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK / GOOGLE+ / TUMBLR /YOUTUBE / SOUNDCLOUD / PINTEREST / MEDIUM