BoSacks Readers Speak Out: On Magazine readers prefer print, Optimal article length, podcasts

By BoSacks

Thu, Sep 22, 2022

BoSacks Readers Speak Out: On Magazine readers prefer print, Optimal article length, podcasts

Re: Magazines In 2049: A Mr. Magazine™ Preview.

Interesting predictions- it shows just how fast technology moves and how difficult it is for most humans to grasp the pace of change. Where will we be in 40 years time? The point about focusing on paid subscribers and committed readers was spot-on. For too much of the 1990s, there was a focus on driving rate-bases, chasing advertising dollars at the expense of quality readers. It’s good to see that many media companies are now focusing more on recurring subscriber revenues.

(Submitted by an Editor)

Re: Magazine readers prefer print

I have a lifelong love affair with print. I struggle with using a kindle. Need the printed page. My clone-nephew and grandson aged-1 agree!!!

(Submitted by a Professional)

Re: Magazine readers prefer print

A favorite gift for children is still magazine subscriptions. It's so exciting for the kids when something comes in the mail just for them!

(submitted by a Circulation Consultant)

Re: Magazine readers prefer print

The most interesting thing about the data is that even younger readers prefer print magazines — even while news consumption is clearly moving towards digital. I think that’s because news is more of a “get this info into my brain” pursuit, while a magazine is a different kind of experience. The paper quality, the images, the layout, and even the ads are all important.

(Submitted by a Publishing Consultant)

Re: Magazine readers prefer print

We have seen a resurgence over the last two years of people under the age of 35 interested in producing and distributing a print magazine on newsstand. Some as young as 25! The most frequently cited reasons…digital burnout. #powerofprint #print

(submitted by a Circulation Consultant)

RE: Publishing Industry Sales Rose by $3 Billion in 2021

Pretty impressive for a "dying" industry!

(Submitted by a Circulation Consultant)

RE:” Media should study these consumer trends to prepare for future

My prediction is that metaverse-like technology will move away from a focus on another, virtual life we can live in, and focus more on augmenting the real world. There will be a market for the former -- especially for gamers -- but the big market will be for the latter.

(Submitted by a Publishing Consultant)

RE: Optimal article length: The relationship between word count and engagement

I have a hard time taking this study seriously, for a couple reasons. First, it doesn't differentiate between types of articles. Surely there is a difference between hard news, celebrity gossip, and practical how tos. Second, it looks like they're measuring "engagement" by time on page. There has to be more to it than that. I might persevere and read your 4,000-word article, then think, "that could have been five bullet points" and never come back.

This study seems like an application of "what gets measured gets done." IOW, they can measure time on page, so that becomes a stand-in for "engagement," which is a more complicated thing.

(Submitted by a Publishing Consultant)

RE: Traffic to local news websites has plummeted. What happens now?

Which is it, uniques or page views? Let’s be clear that page views are a function of traffic, but unique users are the measure that’s the equivalent of circ!

(Submitted by a Direct Marketer)

RE: Trusted branded content is a revenue win

The second article in the link -- about social media success -- mentions CORE. Create once, publish everywhere. Which is turning out to be not that great of an idea, since every channel needs its own strategy, and has its own quirks.

That reminds me of the magazine vs. e-magazine issue from a couple days ago. The idea that you can create magazine content once, then press a button and send it to both print and digital, will create a worse end product because the original content has to work in both mediums. That means it can't take advantage of the unique benefits of either.

The second article in your link is saying something similar about (anti-)social media. If you simply repurpose things from one medium to another, you won't do as well as if you have a strategy that suits each particular channel.

Which is a bummer, since that requires extra staff and extra work!

(Submitted by a Consultant)

Re: Print price hikes force deeper focus on digital revenues

It’s one thing to talk about people turning to digital because it’s the preferred platform. But another to say the cost of print is driving loses. It’s really a shame as I don’t know that most magazines will survive in a digital only format. What makes magazines so unique is the focus on that one magazine without the annoyance of pop up ads and all the other on line distractions. To read a print book or a magazine requires an attention span of more than five minutes. That’s just not the case in the digital world. Digital is great for so many different things but unfortunately, it still doesn’t work for magazines or books. It’s perfect for news however.

(Submitted by a Salesperson)

Re: How 4 publishers are using podcasts to enhance their brands

Podcasts are great, and I love them, but from a publisher's perspective, there is one thing lacking in the current podcast infrastructure -- a way to tie them in with your subscription offer. IOW, right now, if a publisher wants to offer a podcast only to their paid subscribers, you can't do that through any of the normal podcast channels. You can, of course, keep the audio files behind your paywall, but that's not how most podcast listeners get their podcasts.

(Submitted by a Publishing Consultant)

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