In last month’s segment of “By The Numbers” we celebrated our two-year anniversary, documenting our almost unnatural growth in an industry that so many naysayers deem as being well past its “heyday.” Although the manufacturers aren’t moving 200,000 units a year like 1995, we are seeing exponential growth in new and pre-owned OE unit sales, a boom in aftermarket hull and engine sales, products, apparel and riding gear, and accessories. In fact, it hasn’t been this good in nearly a decade. And that should be reason enough to celebrate.
For The Watercraft Journal, our growth patterns the OE industry almost in lockstep. Besides our median demographic being exactly the target audience that manufacturers look for – 44-to-46 years old males with some college or vocational schooling – we too are growing event during the so-called “off season.” While our readership numbers aren’t that of July or August, they are double that of November last year, for which we share below.
In fact, it’s so important for us to illustrate that we took a different take on this month’s “By The Numbers” to compare 2015’s November against last year’s November, rather than this past October. Showing how much our audience is growing, even when many of us are shoveling snow off of the driveway, is the best way to evidence how The Watercraft Journal is North America’s most popular personal watercraft magazine regardless of season or time of year.
Again, these monthly updates are written primarily for the benefit of manufacturers looking to expand their reach to new and returning customers. We are a completely transparent publisher, so much so that we publish our numbers openly every month and our ad rates at all times (see “Advertise” in the navigation bar above). So if you’re looking at putting your company and/or product before the biggest audience of actively engaged PWC enthusiasts, then there is only one place: The Watercraft Journal!
November 2015
November 2014
Continued Growth Through Winter
Wintertime notoriously shrinks the industry all the way around: be it new vehicle sales, product and accessory sales, and of course, recreational use. Heck, it even cuts the average monthly user count on the biggest forums in half. Admittedly, much of the same happens with us. Such is life in a seasonal industry. Yet, why it’s significant to show this year versus last year’s numbers is to illustrate how our November readership has doubled over 365 days. And why? Because no other publication offers more consistent and reliable coverage of the industry, be it important announcements, race coverage or product reviews.
November 2014
Total number unique readers: 8,895*
Total number of articles read: 21,725
Percentage of new readers: 56.8%
November 2015
Total number unique readers: 16,297*
Total number of articles read: 38,598
Percentage of new readers: 56.6%
*This number is considered equal to an individual sale of a single copy of a magazine.
Cold Weather Won’t Slow Us Down
As many “pack it in” for the slow season, we see less content coming from those few remaining media outlets. Fortunately, The Watercraft Journal doesn’t take a winter break, but rather, continues to crank out some of the industry’s best content from throughout the globe, and coverage from the entire personal watercraft industry – be it touring, fishing, racing, freestyle/freeride, or do-it-yourself tech. We bring the enthusiast the widest array of coverage possible – and completely free to the reader!
News articles published in November 2015: 27
Feature articles published in November 2015: 10
Total feature word count: 8,699 words
*When this number is translated to print publication standards equals a 98-page magazine. Please note that this number does not include an average of two uniquely-written news articles published daily.
Social Animals
Unlike other publications or sites, The Watercraft Journal doesn’t require its readers to download, or pay for a subscription, or even a setup a password to log in and access our content. Why? Because trending shows that people flee from such websites. Rather, we give our content freely and easily-accessibly to them; whether it’s via a desktop, a laptop or a portable device, they 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!
November Facebook likes: 14,684
Top Five countries: United States, Australia, France, United Kingdom, Canada
Baby, It’s Cold Outside
Many find that the diehard PWC enthusiasts will either brave the winter’s chill and continue to riding (that is, in states where weather actually plays a factor in recreational riding), or will dedicate the months to working on their skis in preparation for the coming Spring. That is why getting your company and its products and/or services on The Watercraft Journal now is so important. Get in before the rush and establish your brand in front of the biggest readership of PWC lovers before all of the latecomers try to jump in. The Watercraft Journal has a variety of editorially-supported ad programs that will fit your budget and meet your goals for the coming year.
