Currently 54% of readers primarily access Cosmopolitan.co.uk via mobile devices, a figure that is growing daily, say the publishers. The new site has therefore been fully optimised and developed to prioritise mobile and social media, making it easier to share content with enhanced social share buttons, easy navigation and a clean streamlined layout.
The new user interface, designed to maximise audience engagement, captures Cosmopolitan’s content in a succinct and stylish manner via a constant feed. An impending commenting system will also pull readers’ conversations about the content directly from Facebook giving them the opportunity to be instantly involved in Cosmopolitan’s community. Bespoke technology created exclusively for use within Hearst creates a fresh experience for every reader, constantly providing new content that’s personal to them.
According to Hearst, the fast, intuitive, infinite scroll markets content more effectively, enabling Cosmopolitan to create powerful experiences for advertising partners that are seamlessly integrated with the content flow. The implementation of contextual native advertising also enables advertisers to capture a bigger share of the attention young women are lavishing on their mobiles. An industry-first hashtag responsive theatre banner at the very top of the homepage can also be sponsored by commercial partners.
“At the heart of Cosmopolitan’s editorial strategy is moving the brand from months to moments,” said Ella Dolphin, Cosmopolitan’s Publishing Director. “The relaunched Cosmopolitan.co.uk enables our team to create and publish engaging quality content within seconds. In today’s fast-changing media landscape, we have to be instant in our editorial thinking and brand outreach – we need to be where she is at all times and capture her attention by providing content she truly values. The redesigned site does just that by bringing a sense of immediacy to the brand, providing our editorial team with instant feedback and analytics, and putting us in constant conversation with our consumer.”
“The Cosmopolitan brand reaches over five million women every month in the UK alone and this relaunch gives us the opportunity to engage even more women faster and more interactively than ever before,” said Kate Lucey, Digital Editor of Cosmopolitan.co.uk and winner of the AOP ‘Digital Editorial Individual’ 2014. “The homepage of our reader’s life is her mobile phone. If she’s on it, we’re going to be there. The mobile-first design combined with a continuous stream of quality content written by our team of intelligent, witty writers enhances her experience, discovery and exploration. We talk to her on her level about content she cares about – making Cosmopolitan.co.uk a very addictive experience.”
“The Cosmo reader’s phone is like an extra limb that she can’t imagine being without,” said Louise Court, Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan. “The new site means we’re there with her when her alarm goes off first thing, throughout the day and last thing at night – Cosmopolitan is on her Facebook, Instagram, Twitter feeds and favourites. And when she needs a break, the glossy magazine gives her total ‘me’ time.”
Cosmopolitan.co.uk has undergone a series of changes since Kate Lucey joined in January 2014. A central news desk has been created to supply 24-hour digital content with increased reporting via the Cosmo Reports channel increasing by 471% in visitor impressions since it first launched. Content on critical women’s issues includes a campaign to end the stigma surrounding eating disorders, reporting directly from Ethiopia on FGM and lobbying David Cameron for a day of memory for all the women in Britain lost to honour killings.
Beauty content is core to the site with impressions in the beauty channel increasing by 50% over the last eight months, with original content in the Beauty Lab leading the change. From the science behind cutting-edge facials to 100 mascaras tested on one eye, the in-house beauty team tests hundreds of products every week and gives their frank and honest opinion with supporting video footage and striking imagery.
A newly appointed Digital Fashion Editor, together with the entire fashion team, are creating dynamic, shareable and engaging content. A new fashion concept is under development, enabled by the new technology and will be launched in the autumn.
In the past six months, traffic has increased to 4.3 million visits a month, an increase of 37%, with 3 million unique users, a further increase of 22%. Return visits are up 83% in the past half a year to 1.6 million, proving that increased quality content delivered in an intelligent voice, is keeping Cosmopolitan’s audience truly engaged. This loyalty is also reflected across Cosmopolitan’s social channels. Since January 2014 Facebook page likes have increased 143% and Twitter followers are up 20%, say the publishers.
Regular contributors will include:
* Grace Campbell, daughter of Alastair Campbell and Fiona Millar, who will be writing about all things millennial
* Leyla Hussein, an FGM survivor, campaigner and psychotherapist, who will be covering everything from FGM and feminism to baking and fashion
* Rachel Williams, an established journalist and contributor to The Guardian. She will be offering a ‘female angle’ on the biggest political stories of the day
* Natasha Devon, a body confidence ambassador, who runs the Body Gossip Education Programme, will be sharing her feisty views on body image, sexism and the art of being fabulous
