The Watercraft Journal By The Numbers: August 2016

We’re going to come right out of the gate with the biggest news that we’ve ever shared here in By The Numbers, and that is that The Watercraft Journal has eclipsed the total readership of its 2015 within the first 8 months of 2016. That’s right folks, the massive (and continual) influx of new and returning readers has pushed our total readership beyond last year’s incredible and industry-leading 230,000-plus readers and it’s only September 1st. That means we have another four months left to continue expanding its total readership to a projected 300,000 for the year. Let that sink in: three hundred thousand diehard personal watercraft enthusiasts choose The Watercraft Journal as their go-to resource for all things PWC.

Amazingly enough, there are still companies struggling to expand their reach within this industry without a presence on The Watercraft Journal. Be it through hyperactive social media campaigns, diminutive advertising programs, or doubling down on other media outlets that fail so miserably to reach an active and engaged audience that their ad dollars are all but wasted. Or worse off, these companies fail to recognize the sheer power that advertising on The Watercraft Journal can bring. Our average reader is 44 years old, male, speaks English as their primary language and self-identifies as a watercraft enthusiast. All of that sounds pretty much like your ideal customer, right? And if you advertised your company on The Watercraft Journal they very much could be your next customer.

The purpose of our monthly By The Numbers performance reports is not to brag, browbeat or berate (yay, alliteration!) companies into spending their hard-earned ad dollars with The Watercraft Journal, but to clearly and boldly outline how this magazine – far more than any other in our industry – truly delivers each and every day, Monday-through-Friday, and in doing so has grown into the largest resource for industry news, product reviews, event coverage, technical how-to’s, and interviews. And while that’s all well and good for entertainment’s sake, know that every advertiser receives professionally-written, unique and engagement editorial content each month that is read by the single-largest PWC magazine audience in the world.

January-December 2015

January-August 2016

A Consistent Rate of Growth
Some might look at the two charts above and be a little confused, and that’s OK. While 2015’s chart shows a lot of peaks and valleys, this year’s chart appears predominantly flat (besides a steady climb until August’s explosive month), so how could it be better? A look at the vertical axis will show that last year’s biggest peaks never eclipsed 4,000 readers, with an average daily readership of less than 1,000 unique visitors. Compare that to this year, and you’ll see that the peaks surpass 10,000 and the average daily readership is 150-percent over the previous. Following our projections, we expect to reach over 300,000 unique readers for the year. That’s truly an astounding number for a content based web magazine within this industry. And as our end-of-year performance data will show, future charts will illustrate that our growth is a steady, consistent rise, not filled with sporadic peaks and valleys.

January–December 2015
Total number unique readers: 232,459*
Total number of articles read: 614,870
Percentage of new readers: 63.3%

January–August 2016
Total number unique readers: 238,215*
Total number of articles read: 552,963
Percentage of new readers: 64.6%

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

A Consistent Schedule of Publishing
Admittedly, we had one helluva a month this August. Not only did we have the fastest reporting from two major Pro Watercross race weekends (as well as plenty of other event coverage), but we also had the single-most comprehensive coverage of the new 2017 Yamaha WaveRunners, the entire 2017 Sea-Doo lineup, and, oh yeah, being first in the world to publish the teaser video of Kawasaki’s soon-to-be-revealed 2017 SX-R 4-stroke standup. Toss in some world exclusives like the first look at RIVA Racing’s one-of-one RXP-X 350 and soon-to-be-released Limited Edition GP1800R, and you’ve got the making for one popular month. Frankly put, PWC enthusiasts have come to depend on The Watercraft Journal for new and interesting content every single day. And as the numbers here prove, we deliver.

News articles published in July 2016: 25
Feature articles published in July 2016: 11
Total feature word count: 10,409 words*

News articles published in June 2015: 21
Feature articles published in June 2015: 16
Total feature word count: 15,676 words*

*When this number is translated to print publication standards, it equals a 168-page magazine. Please note that this number does not include an average of two uniquely-written news articles published daily.

Consistently Bringing WCJ Before The Masses
Many companies chose to use their social media accounts (be them personal or for business) as their sole outlet to accessing new customers. In all honesty, this isn’t working (and most know it). Why? Because the people following those accounts already know who they are, and unless they are feverish return customers, you’re not getting the influx of fresh, new customers that a company needs to thrive. You’re quite literally preaching to your own choir. That’s why these companies need The Watercraft Journal. By offering our content freely and easily – whether it’s via a desktop, a laptop or a portable device, anyone can read our content. And with our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and weekly newsletters, we bring our content directly to them. And that’s a huge part of our success!

June Facebook likes: 18,045
Top Five countries: United States, Australia, France, Canada, United Kingdom

Isn’t it Time to Join The Winning Side?
OK, OK. That might be taking things a little too far, but in all seriousness there are many companies benefiting from advertising with The Watercraft Journal for the very reasons listed above. Yet, conversely, there are just as many (if not more so) yet to enjoy the ease of access, and the immediacy that working together with The Watercraft Journal brings them to a whole new audience of personal watercraft enthusiasts. Getting the word out about your product can be difficult, and relying on a few sponsored racers is only speaking to a tiny demographic. Put your products in front of more enthusiasts faster and easier by joining The Watercraft Journal as an advertiser today. To inquire more about advertising with The Watercraft Journal, please email [email protected]