In a media landscape that continues to evolve at breakneck speed, Christian magazine publishers are facing both a challenge and an opportunity: how to transition from traditional print to engaging, effective digital formats. Magazine Training International’s (MTI) online course, From print to digital: Thinking differently about the same story, addresses this transformation with clarity, insight, and practical strategies for publishers around the world.

The course invites participants to reimagine not just how a story is delivered—but how it is experienced. While print publications offer familiarity and tangibility, digital formats require a shift in how stories are structured, consumed, and even conceptualized. Rather than copying and pasting a print layout into an online template, the course challenges editors and designers to think differently from the ground up.

As course participant Sue Patt of Frontier Ventures shared, “I attended the ‘From Print to Digital’ class through MTI and was so grateful for the expanded thinking I was afforded.” Her feedback captures the heart of the course’s impact: it’s not just about tools or techniques—it’s about rethinking the story itself in light of the digital environment.

The course dives into how digital platforms affect reader behavior. Online readers often scan, multitask, and consume content in shorter bursts compared to print audiences. With this in mind, MTI encourages a multi-sensory approach to digital publishing, incorporating interactive elements such as video, audio clips, scroll-friendly design, and strategically placed visuals to keep audiences engaged.

The session also covers the practical differences in formatting and pacing between print and digital. While a print feature might open with a lengthy lead or gradual build-up, a digital article needs to get to the point quickly and hook readers within seconds. For many editors, this means learning to reshape existing stories without losing depth or theological richness—a challenge that the course addresses head-on.

For Sue and her team, the course has already sparked meaningful changes. “The reading, though academic, exposed me to different angles of thought in the broad discussion of creating digital media resources from print resources,” she says. “Understanding the differences inherent in each type of media has gotten me and my colleagues thinking in different directions as we work toward creating a truly digital experience for our magazine readers.”

That’s exactly the transformation MTI hopes to inspire. By empowering editors and publishers to consider digital-first strategies, the course opens the door to more dynamic and accessible storytelling that meets readers where they are.

If you’re a Christian publisher navigating the print-to-digital shift, this course is a must-watch. Challenge your assumptions, stretch your creative muscles, and equip yourself to tell the same meaningful stories in a way that resonates with today’s readers through the self-guided online course.