As a platform that’s used for content discovery and recommendations, Flipboard aims to share trusted, quality content and curated perspectives. We work with thousands of partners to amplify journalism and help publishers find new audiences on our platform. 

Recently, we sat down with a variety of publishers to listen to their needs, uncover ways we can support their businesses even better, and explore deeper partnership opportunities that benefit readers and stay true to our principles as an organization. 

What we learned from these conversations is that there is synergy between the priorities and mission of Flipboard and the publishers that keep our audience informed and inspired. These are the top four insights we gleaned from talking to publishers. 

1. Diversification of traffic is a safer bet.

Traffic continues to be one of the most important metrics publishers use to measure success. As unpredictability looms for major social media companies, traffic fluctuates and algorithms remain unknown, publishers are focusing more on diversifying their traffic sources. According to Parse.ly, Flipboard is consistently in the top five traffic drivers on the web, which provides a huge opportunity for publishers. Publishers can build their presence on Flipboard by curating articles into Magazines that drive referral traffic directly back to their site.

2. Communication is critical.

Each day, publishers spend time strategizing, writing and syndicating content, and analyzing metrics for each platform. Yet performance is often a black box and questions are left unanswered — it can feel like shouting into the ether with only an echo in return. Publishers want to partner with companies that make things easy and are responsive. That’s where Flipboard comes in. We heard from our publishers that Flipboard is one of the most responsive platforms when it comes to editorial featuring and troubleshooting technical issues.

3. Building a safe community matters.

Publishers are looking for new, creative ways to spotlight their editors and build relationships with readers. Communities create brand loyalty and stickiness, but some platforms also pose a risk related to toxic and polarizing content. Flipboard is a content-first platform organized around interests, which helps publishers spotlight the content they are proud of without all the noise. Publishers can also build Group Magazines to share perspectives from multiple voices in a meaningful way.

4. Quality newsletters provide real value.

Newsletters offer an outlet for publishers to provide readers with the most important updates straight to their inbox. They also offer an opportunity to grow revenue through advertisers. Publishers are investing in their own newsletters and partnering with us to reach new audiences. From photography, travel and personal finance to lifestyle and navigating the holidays, Flipboard has a variety of newsletters curated by editors that spotlight publisher content to relevant readers. Publishers can also sponsor newsletters for additional branding.

The net-net of these conversations is that there is untapped potential for how publishers can work with us to get stories that matter to relevant audiences and support their business goals. Our team is energized and ready to keep the momentum going. If you have questions or want to know more about how you can partner with Flipboard, please reach out to publisher_support@flipboard.com or visit our Q&A page.

— Shannon Yeager, lead manager publisher partnerships, is discovering new meal ideas in The Recipe Exchange.