In May of 2024, I let you know we would be implementing a circulation and readership audit of this publication. I mentioned how, in this day and age, most all of us have become overwhelmed with data and are not sure what to believe, especially now with the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI).
I stated how paid subscription newspapers brag about having the most subscribers in an area, despite reaching fewer than one in five households. Radio stations claim to be No. 1, even if it is a narrow market such as left-handed 43-year-old females from Nebraska. And digital and social media marketers fail to explain that half of their traffic is not from people but from bots.
It was at that time when I decided to have the circulation and readership of Lake Panorama Times audited by Circulation Verification Council (CVC), an independent, third-party reporting company that audits thousands of editions nationwide with a combined circulation of more than 55 million, covering printing, distribution, circulation, websites, digital editions, mobile, email, social media and readership studies to give an accurate picture of a publication’s reach and market penetration. CITYVIEW and our 14 Iowa Living magazines are audited by CVC and have been for years.
Why is this important? A credible audit verifies that what we claim our circulation and readership to be is true. It also provides us with basic information on our readers like age, sex, education, income and purchase intentions, which we can share with those who want to market their goods and services with us.
CVC verified the following circulation numbers for Lake Panorama Times:
• The average net circulation of the print edition is 2,004, and we mail to an average of 1,743 households with an average of 227 copies picked up on newsstands. The average number of readers per edition is 2.0.
• We have 972 website unique users that average 1,223 monthly sessions with 4,844 monthly page views, spending an average of 2:30 on the site.
• Our total estimated gross contacts, which includes the print edition, website unique users, social media followers and opened e-newsletter contacts, is 6,163.
The readership data is even more interesting. CVC found that:
• 66% of those surveyed said they frequently purchase products and services from ads seen in Lake Panorama Times.
• 50% keep the last issue of Lake Panorama Times until the new one arrives.
• Our average reader is 56.4 years old with average household income of $159,099.
• 87% of our readers are college educated.
Some of the most telling data from the poll shows how our habits in responding to advertising have changed. Today, shoppers seek out information online before they buy. This is important because the print publication often does not get credit for driving readers to advertisers’ websites where they may ultimately buy from. In fact, CVC data on Lake Panorama Times readers found that when responding to ads seen in the publication, 68% visit the advertiser’s website before they buy.
The audit cycle is every two years, and I will continue to share the data with you as we receive it.
In the meantime, continue to be suspicious of all data, especially from media companies. If you buy advertising for a company or organization, ask if the circulation and readership (or viewership or listenership) is audited and request a copy. If it is not — or if it is and they won’t give you the actual audit — that’s all you need to know.
As always, thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Lake Panorama Times
641-332-2707
shane@gctimesnews.com