Apester unveils a new Story Strip format for online publishers

Apester, which helps digital publishers add interactivity to their content, is rolling out a new format called the Story Strip.

CEO and co-founder Moti Cohen told me that the Story Strip is modeled on the Story format popularized by Snapchat and Instagram - a format that he praised for being one of the few content types that's truly "tailored to the mobile experience," offering a fast, interactive experience for readers.

Cohen said that by bringing the format out of "the social walled gardens" and allowing publishers to embed Story Strips into their articles, Apester is "paving the way for media companies to capture a new audience, a young audience."

You can see a Story Strip for yourself on TV Insider, a pop culture and entertainment website of NTVB Media. It appears in articles as a carousel of related stories, allowing readers to select the story that interests them and then quickly swipe through slides summarizing the story highlights.

Cohen said a Story Strip can be created by a publisher's editorial team, or Apester can automatically generate them based on an article. And because they can also include ads, this creates new monetization opportunities for publishers. In fact, Apester says TV Insider has seen its daily revenue double since the two companies started working together.

As for how these kinds of content widgets might fit in as publishers explore subscriptions and other business models beyond advertising, Cohen argued that even as business models change, "the blend is what's going to be important."

And by allowing publishers to engage with users and collect data about their behavior, he said, "Apester is going to allow you to monetize all of [your audiences] differently " You can use the engagement that's happening and understand why it's happening in order to drive the right action."

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