People Magazine joined forces with texting platform Community, the media brand announced Tuesday, giving readers the chance to text with the magazine.
Community is a “conversation platform” that celebrities like Debra Messing, Jennifer Lopez, the Jonas Brothers, Kim Petras, Kerry Washington and Ellen DeGeneres use to communicate with fans. People Magazine is the first media brand to join their ranks and will officially kick off the partnership Sunday, when readers can receive Community-exclusive Oscars content from the magazine during the Oscars by texting 212-479-1704.
“At People we’re all about meeting our users where they are and tailoring content to the platform they’re on,” said Zoë Ruderman, editor of People Digital, in a Tuesday statement. “This partnership lets us take that relationship with our audience to the next level and add an element of real interactivity. We’re excited to text with our community about everything from breaking royals news to the best looks on a red carpet-and do it all in a way that is familiar, fun and personal.”
The idea of communicating with readers via text isn’t necessarily new. Some newspapers, like Advance Local’s Cleveland.com, have been testing out subscription models that enable consumers to communicate directly with local reporters about goings-on in the community.