The Watercraft Journal By The Numbers: October 2017


Today is a pretty special day for us here at The Watercraft Journal. Five years ago, we launched what would fatefully (and surprisingly quickly) become the world’s most popular personal watercraft enthusiast magazine. With a continued year-after-year growth of over 30-percent and an explosive third year of publishing (thanks in large part to the reveal of the long-awaited 2017 Kawasaki SX-R 1500), not to mention an impressive fourth year of consistent readership month-after-month, and a major paradigm shift to mobile and tablet readership, The Watercraft Journal is welcoming more readers, commenters, shares and “likes” than some major forums.

And how did we do it. The answer is simple: we supply the PWC industry with the only daily source of uniquely-written content every single day, Monday-through-Friday. Besides some major holidays, we’ve never missed a day. At no point has The Watercraft Journal paid for “likes”; we’ve adhered to upstanding promotional tactics of purchasing traditional Google ad words, “boosting” published articles, and advertised our magazine through social media channels. And if you’d like to verify that fact, merely look at the percentage of followers who interact, comment and share our content versus others – you’ll find them exceptionally high.

No other PWC magazine – print or digital – comes close in producing so much original content. No other PWC magazine produces so much original content consistently, either. Unlike so much of today’s modern world, we are reliable. You will wake up each morning to find new articles, videos and product reviews each and every day on The Watercraft Journal. Oh, and it’s free. That’s right, we produce all of that awesome content at absolutely zero cost to the reader. There’s no passwords to memorize, PDF’s to download, or subscription fees to leech on your bank account. We only ask that you support the companies who support us, because without their advertising dollars, there wouldn’t be The Watercraft Journal.

Speaking of which, no other personal watercraft magazine has a greater advertisers. Not only do we work closely and enjoy open-access relationships with all three major OEMs (Kawasaki, Sea-Doo and Yamaha), but also some of the biggest names in the performance industry, including RIVA Racing, SBT, Watercraft Superstore, Greenhulk.net, Hydro-Turf, JetPilot, Krash Industries, JetRenu and many, many more. We even welcome regional dealers who advertise on The Watercraft Journal to better service their local enthusiasts. We are truly grateful for these companies and wish to extend our thankfulness for their support. And to you, the reader for making us your go-to resource. Thank you for your loyalty and we look forward to another great 5 years!

Lifetime Readership of The Watercraft Journal

Here Comes The Cool Down
It happens every year, and yet, it’s never as bad as people think it is. Yes, we operate in a seasonal sport, but there’s really only a very slight temporary dip in readership and social media activity before cabin fever steps in and the diehards start clamoring for more PWC content. Sure, we never stop cranking out content and our library of articles, videos, reviews and more only increases, so there’s just more reasons to keep coming back and wasting your lunch break perusing the endless pages here at The Watercraft Journal. Heck, go ahead and open up a second browser screen, your boss won’t notice.

October 2017
Total number readers: 30,281*
Total number of articles read: 43,801
Percentage of new readers: 57.2%

*This number is considered equal to an individual sale of a single copy of a magazine.

Diversity of Content Continues
These past few months have brought us some very interesting sources for new and exciting articles. Not only did we publish local and regional race coverage from different corners of the United States (and beyond), but we also welcomed contributors from across the globe. Add to the not one, but two exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at the manufacturing and design process of some incredibly exciting watercraft and of course, our annual IJSBA World Finals coverage, and The Watercraft Journal has risen to being a worldwide publication rather quickly. World domination always sounded rather silly, but like any good James Bond villain, it’s now our only goal.

News articles published in October 2017: 24
Feature articles published in October 2017: 13
Total feature word count: 13,415 words*

*When this number is translated to print publication standards equals a 122-page magazine. Please note that this number does not include an average of two uniquely-written news articles published daily.

So Who Reads Us?
As stated above, The Watercraft Journal is working hard to bring its industry-leading content directly to the personal watercraft enthusiast wherever they may be; be it at home, the office or wandering aimlessly while staring at their phone. Our break-neck publishing schedule brings the latest event coverage, product evaluations, hands-on watercraft reviews, and more to more readers than anywhere else – and now we’re dishing out two doses of uniquely-created YouTube videos every month. Add to that unique access to PWCTrader’s search engine of used and pre-owned personal watercraft as well as our own T-shirts and decals in our all-new store, and you’ve got quite a bit to check out! And if that’s not enough, we’re constantly flooding your FacebookYouTube, Twitter, Instagram feeds, and your inbox with our weekly newsletters. If you’re not already following us, subscribed to our channels, or otherwise, you’re missing out big time.

August Facebook likes: 24,370
Top Five countries: United States, Australia, France, Canada, Japan
August YouTube subscriptions: 795

Nothing Short of World Domination
Currently, the OEM sales market is looking at securing its foothold in other countries. Sure, the North American market still reigns supreme for new vehicle sales, and everybody is elated with the double digit sales growth for 2017, but is simply not enough. And the same goes for The Watercraft Journal. We are continuing to expand our swathe of international contributors (and advertisers). Equally, we want our current advertisers to enjoy access to a larger, more robust audience of potential customers. Companies who partner with The Watercraft Journal and actively engage in an aggressive media campaign, find almost instantaneous results. Those who join but do little to nothing might see some marginal success, but nothing like the former. To help you reach a broader audience of would-be customers and spread the word about your brand, product and services, The Watercraft Journal must be a resource, a tool in building your brand. If you’re ready for that, email kevin.shaw@shawgroupmedia.com about advertising your company in the single-most popular PWC magazine today.

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Kevin Shaw

Editor-in-Chief – kevin.shaw@shawgroupmedia.com Kevin Shaw is a decade-long powersports and automotive journalist whose love for things that go too fast has led him to launching The Watercraft Journal. Almost always found with stained hands and dirt under his fingernails, Kevin has an eye for the technical while keeping a eye out for beautiful photography and a great story.

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