Circulation data is a crucial aspect of media analytics that involves tracking the distribution and consumption of publications such as newspapers, magazines, and online content. Keeping track of circulation data helps publishers make informed decisions about their audience demographics, reader engagement, subscription growth, newsstand sales, and digital subscriptions.
Below are some frequently asked questions about circulation data:
Circulation data primarily consists of two kinds of data: print circulation data and digital circulation data. Print circulation data refers to the number of physical copies of a publication that are distributed through various channels such as newsstands, home delivery services, and retail outlets. Digital circulation data refers to the number of online or digital copies served to readers through various devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, or desktop computers.
Publishers typically rely on third-party auditing agencies like the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) or the Bureau of Circulations (ABC) to collect and verify their circulation data. These agencies use standardized methods to monitor print or digital sales and usage across different channels and platforms. They also provide reports that highlight key metrics like total paid/unpaid subscriptions, unique visitors per month/week/day, average time spent per session/pageview, etc.
Audience demographics refer to the socio-economic characteristics and preferences of a publisher's readership. Analyzing audience demographics can help publishers identify their target audiences more precisely and cater to their interests better. For example, if a publisher finds out that most of its readers are middle-aged women who prefer lifestyle content over hard news, it can adjust its editorial strategy accordingly.
Reader engagement measures how frequently and how deeply readers interact with a publication's content. High reader engagement indicates that readers find the content valuable or entertaining, and they are likely to share it with others or subscribe to it. Publishers can use reader engagement metrics like pageviews, bounce rate, comments, likes, shares, etc., to evaluate the performance of their content and improve it over time.
Subscription growth measures the increase or decrease in a publication's paid subscribers over a given period. Subscription growth is an essential metric for publishers as it reflects their revenue streams and long-term sustainability. By analyzing subscription growth trends and patterns, publishers can identify factors that influence readers to subscribe or unsubscribe and take corrective measures.
Newsstand sales and digital subscriptions represent two critical channels through which publishers distribute their content to readers. Monitoring newsstand sales data can help publishers understand how their publications perform against competitors in terms of price, availability, visibility, etc. On the other hand, tracking digital subscription data can help publishers gauge the effectiveness of their digital marketing strategies, user experience design, or paywall policies.
