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Bridging the Gap Between Print & Pinterest

October 10th, 2014 · Social Media

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Publishers are constantly racking their brains on ways to stay relevant in the digital era. Here's one little idea that may have a big impact on subscriber retention.

How many times have you looked through a magazine and thought, "I need to save that!"? If you're anything like me, you may add the magazine to a dusty old stack under your coffee table, dog-eared for future (but unlikely) reference. Or maybe you're feeling particularly ambitious and clip the article and add it to a new scrapbook you swear you'll keep up with. And then there's the always disappointing attempt at taking a picture of the page and pinning it to Pinterest.

There's got to be a better way.

I'm honestly quite surprised that publishers, and even catalogers, haven't developed apps that allow you to scan a product with your phone and add a clean, polished pin to your Pinterest board, with the corresponding URL for more details. The basic technologies behind such an app do exist. Cooking Light's digital issues let you pin recipes to AllRecipes.com (thanks to Kristine Habersang for that tidbit), and apps like Layar and Macy's Image Search can scan and identify images. Developing one to support a pin of that image, and it's URL, really isn't too far fetched.

I suppose it's possible that such apps do exist, and I simply haven't seen or noticed them featured in the magazines and catalogs I read. If they do, please call me out on this! Reach me @beckyterhaar or, bterhaar@rmidirect.com and I will give you much deserved credit.

If not, then it is indeed a missed opportunity in getting subscribers more engaged, content shared. And my coffee table noticeably cleaner.