The Mirror Group have unveiled 3am.co.uk – the online counterpart to the Mirror’s popular print gossip column.
As you’d expect, it’s full of celebrity pics and gossip and has a pretty similar tone and feel to sites like TMZ and Perez Hilton (not that I’ve ever visited these sites of course).
So will it work? Too early to tell but here are a few initial thoughts:
- SEO Free Zone: From quotes given to PaidContent.co.uk, the Mirror Group don’t seem to be overly fussed on Google rankings and such – instead focusing on clearly defined content and growing a loyal readership. Great content and loyal readers make sense but you can still have both and be SEO savvy. Possibly missing a trick here.
- Quality Content: As is usually the case, the content itself would seem to be the make or break issue. On the plus side, the print version of 3am is likely the most popular gossip column in the country – tasty nuggets of celeb juice mixed in with tonnes of paparazzi pics and a smidgeon of bitchiness. A strong, differentiated voice.
On the negative side, can they be different enough to compete with the leaders in gossip-land like Perez and TMZ? There’s certainly a bit of a British slant to the content so far (good thing) but there’s not a lot to really separate the site out – as yet – from any number of other gossip blogs. - No Hook Up: No RSS feed (bad). No Twitter link (badder – although they do feed headlines to their Twitter account). A ‘register’ link that gives me no discernible reason to register or any idea of what happens when I do (baddest).
They may not be targeting a particularly techy demographic but such simple steps should be a no brainer. Twitter in particular would seem a natural tool for promoting a little goss. - More than ads: One good sign is that the site intends to generate revenues from more than just advertising. Yes, they’ve got display ads but they would also appear to have a little affiliate deal with an online fashion retailer (promoted in a ‘dress like this celeb’ fashion) and of course, their own online bingo site.
No doubt the site will attract and audience and generate revenues. I’d also hazard a guess that the production costs are quite low (as much of the content can be repurposed from the print equivalent or shared with other areas of the paper).
Of course, the ‘ace up the sleeve’ is the ongoing promotion in one of the country’s biggest selling newspapers.
All in? A good effort with clearly defined content at its core. And a good way to kill 10 minutes – for purely research purposes of course.