We live in an era where apps have become a part of one’s daily routine, just like the Newspaper but in a digital format. News has evolved with time, wherein people begin their day by reading essential domestic/international news headlines digitally or in print versions.
In the digital age, major print publications worldwide have newspaper apps with massive patronage and digital readers all over the globe. Readers gather news from various digital sources, not just print media houses. According to a report by Pew Research, eight in ten Americans get news from digital devices. Also, the same research mentions the most preferred mediums Americans prefer to read the news -
Image Source: Pew Research
Now, if you are a print media publication house that wants to engage the mobile audience by building a news app or an entrepreneur looking to build an app, this article is for you. Therefore, in this article, we will look in detail at the costs, the types, and the features to implement in a newspaper app.
Cost Estimation to Build a Newspaper Mobile App
The app development cost for building a newspaper app depends on multiple factors such as features, appealing UI/UX design, type of news app, categorization, development approach, target OS platform, tech stack, and development team.
An MVP for the news app may range from $10,000 to $20,000 for a basic app, which may vary according to the app's features.
A mid-sized mobile app may cost from $25,000 to $40,000.
A high-end app with advanced features may cost anywhere between $35,000 to $60,000.
Also, an important point to note here is that the location where your app is being developed significantly affects the news app development cost. For example, a US developer’s hourly rate ranges from $80 to $160. In contrast, if the developer’s location is in India, it may be economical and range from $20 to $80 per hour, depending on their experience.
Let us now know the types of news-based apps you can opt for.
Types of News-Based Apps
News apps are of two types, and let us examine them in detail.
Aggregator News Apps: They are the favorite among readers, covering local and global news, announcements, happenings, and events that instantly grab attention. The app can be set to be paid or free to use, and in just a few clicks, readers can immediately get top headlines on the app.
Mobile App for News Resources: They greatly benefit newspaper owners and print media houses. For example, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a top-ranked news website with iOS and Android app versions with innovative ways to keep readers engaged.
Essential Features a News Paper App Must Have
Let us now look at some essential features to include in the news mobile app.
Login or Registration
Readers must be able to create a profile by logging in with any valid email address, mobile number, or social media account like Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. They can share exciting snippets or news they find on your news app on their social media account.
User Profile
A user profile includes data related to the news reader or the subscriber. The user can fill in all necessary details.
Push Notification
Customized push notifications help you gain readers’ attention even when they aren't using your news app. It can be a significant update, news snippet, new feature, or offer that can keep readers engaged.
Filter Option
A filter option in the news app can help readers apply them to various categories they wish to read, such as politics, sports, entertainment, etc.
Social Media Integration
As we saw before, readers gather news across social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. Therefore, adding social media buttons on the news app allows readers to easily share the info they read on your app among friends, and colleagues, thus driving in more traffic. During social media app development, many developers make sure that these apps can be easily integrated.
Advanced Search
This feature allows readers to search in the search bar for any information/news they want to read. Then, your news app will display the desired results.
Real-Time News/Live Streaming
It displays news or current information live in a video/streaming format which is updated in real-time. It is a great way to keep readers hooked with the latest news as videos tend to grab eyeballs, plus they can increase your news app's visibility.
Offline Access
Most readers prefer to read the news at their leisure or save it to read later. They may also want to use the news app without the internet or have low bandwidth. Therefore, the offline access feature can help readers save and read news offline, increasing customer satisfaction.
Integration of Audio and Video Files
Reading long forms of news and articles may tend to bore readers leading to abandonment. This is where integrating visually appealing videos, snippets, or audio files of the news can be added, which readers can watch or listen to.
App Customizations
Readers must be allowed to customize their news feed as they wish as per preference. For instance, they can change the background color of their news feed or font size.
Like, Comment, Share
A common feature of social media apps is that they can be included in a news app. It provides a good user experience as users can like, comment on news posts they like, and share news posts on other social media networks, thus driving more engagement.
Conclusion
With the popularity of apps escalating, the time is right to build an attractive and user-friendly news app. You can opt for multiple niches to display on your news apps, such as elections, sports, and politics, which see the most traffic by readers.
Likewise, following a good mobile app development process and recruiting/ outsourcing the project to a sound development team is essential for your newspaper venture to reach new audiences, retain existing customers, increase visibility and earn better revenue.