The introduction of new iPad subscriptions for traditional magazines has been big news in the past few weeks especially, with Conde Nast this month introducing subscriptions to new iPad versions of some of its biggest titles including The New Yorker. This week Glamour became one of the latest Conde titles to start offering digital subscriptions, though nine issues have been offered on an individual basis prior to this.Mashable.com talked to Glamour Editor-in-Chief Cindi Lieve about “the early days” of iPad publishing and she had some fascinating insights that all subscription publishers can learn from:

• Simple is often better. Mashable.com notes that according to Lieve, “A feature as simple as style suggestions for different body types, which features tap-to-switch before and after shots, often proves more popular than, say, an elaborate fashion shoot staged in Morocco.”
• Method of content delivery matters. “What’s successful on glamour.com is not always the same content that’s successful in print,” Lieve told Mashable, noting that short and humorous are two styles that have worked for the online version of Glamour.
• Sales aren’t huge, yet…and there may be pricing adjustments along the way. The new price for a one-off issue of Glamour on the iPad is now $1.99 (the equivalent of what you would pay if you choose the iPad subscription option) down from $3.99 for one-off downloads just last week. “It’s really only a matter of time before you see not just Glamour, but any big magazine with passionate reader followings really generating significant sales online,” Lieve says.

Subscription Site Insider‘s exclusive webinar later this month focuses on how to market and price subscription apps. Here’s a link to register if you’re interested.