It’s baffling that today is the first of October, particularly as we launched The Watercraft Journal a year ago next month. In our short 11 month run, we have welcomed 100,000 unique individuals to our magazine who have checked out over 315,000 articles, pictures and videos! That’s an incredible amount of people, particularly for a magazine. And with the industry’s biggest forum raked in that kind of traffic each month this summer, we’re very excited for the future of our sport.
From starting from zero, we have welcomed the single-largest readership of a personal watercraft publication since Splash Magazine. For those bemoaning that the “sport ain’t what it used to be” should slap that frown from their face, because we’re seeing some serious upswings in readership, engagement and enthusiast. From May 2013 to May 2014, the sales of new watercraft have increased over 30-percent. That’s a huge jump in market activity, guys. And with nearly 9,000 of that increased unit sales being the all-new Sea-Doo Spark, we’re seeing a lot more entry level and new riders hitting the water, we have plenty of new friends to share the stoke.
Of course, not everything has been smooth sailing these past 11 months here at the ‘Journal, and we had to make some pretty tough decisions. Because of the constant draw of readership to The Watercraft Journal, our old poor little website couldn’t keep up with demand. And for those of you (about 60-percent of you!) who used your phones and tablets to read our stories, our site just plain ol’ sucked. That’s why you’ll notice that The Watercraft Journal is completely redesigned and 150-percent more mobile friendly.
Of course, there’s a lot more going on with the new site too. No more zooming in or holding your phone sideways. Load times are significantly faster, links to other articles are at the ready. Oh, and the single most demanded feature is our all-new photo gallery slideshow at the bottom of every major article. No more opening up new pages or bogging down with load times. Our simple slideshow lets you peruse the hundreds of pictures from event coverage, group rides and personal watercraft reviews with a simple swipe. It wasn’t cheap, so we hope you like it! And of course, make sure to let us know what you like about the new site by leaving a comment on your favorite article!
September 2014
Like Clockwork
Want to know when most people read The Watercraft Journal? Between 7:30am-10am. Sure we see bumps during lunch and after dinner, but day in/day out, we see the majority of our readers in the morning. So what does that mean? It means that like your morning cup of coffee, we’re the first thing people check when they sit down to begin their day. Marketers climb over each other to gain that level of habitual exposure and we’ve got it coming out of our ears because we’re the ONLY magazine in the PWC industry who publishes everyday, Monday through Friday.
News articles published in August: 23
Feature articles published in August: 13
Total feature word count: 14,217 words
News articles published in September: 17
Feature articles published in September: 19
Total feature word count: 16, 757 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.
Not Who You Think They Are
Jerry Gaddis, owner of GreenHulk.net once said that “Over 90-percent of the people on my forum have never worn a helmet while riding a PWC.” This is a significant statement because it speaks to the masses of PWC enthusiasts. Too often magazines want to focus on the tiny sliver of riders and racers who comprise a very vocal minority while ignoring the whole of the industry. Unlike these failed patterns, The Watercraft Journal is the ONLY magazine to provide weekly product and personal watercraft reviews, interviews and entertaining and informative news. Want to know our most popular articles each and every month? Watercraft reviews, beautiful riding spots and fishing stories.
August
Total number unique readers: 17,028*
Total number of articles read: 42,824
Percentage of new readers: 62.4%
September
Total number unique readers: 16,576*
Total number of articles read: 40,028
Percentage of new readers: 60.24%
*This number is considered equal to an individual sale of a single copy of a magazine.
Getting The Word Out
We love our social media friends who follow us, share and like our posts and leave comments on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and weekly newsletters. Not only do you help us be a better magazine, but you’re also helping spread the word about our magazine to all your friends and family! For that we owe you the very best personal watercraft magazine possible. With all of the compliments you send our way, we can’t help but feel appreciated so we strive to continue to earn your patronage.
August Facebook readers: 10,026
August Facebook weekly reach: 21,325
Top Five countries: United States, Brazil, Philippines, Argentina, South Africa
September Facebook readers: 10,586
September Facebook weekly reach: 17,588
Top Five countries: United States, South Africa, Brazil, Philippines, Argentina
Ready To Pop
October is going to be a big one for us here at The Watercraft Journal. Sure, we’ll have a massive recap and photo gallery from this upcoming IJSBA World Finals in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, but we’ll also be bringing you the first reviews from the all-new RiDE-equipped Yamaha WaveRunners as well as exclusive coverage from the 2014 Sea-Doo Ultimate Owners Ride happening during World Finals weekend as well! How? Because The Watercraft Journal is the Presenting Sponsor! Oh, and expect a lot more in the way of product reviews that you can actually use and some seriously cool coverage from across the globe.
