Is there ever a time when you feel the content of your publication hurts your ability to develop your audience the way you want?

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Permalink Reply by Robin McCabe on January 6, 2010 at 6:26pm

As the Circulation Manager for seven Business Magazines, I work close enough with my front line people that they forward all those removals that are more than NO.

We ask why did they leave? Did we fail to perform, or did they have false expectations?

When you get this info, then you have the uphill battle with editorial, they could never be mistaken about what someone on the other side of the country wants to read.

But this is important, our potential audience is finite, and any losses drive impare our future.

PS
I get treated like a noob when I bring up content at the general meeting.

Permalink Reply by Marianne Fields on January 20, 2010 at 4:46pm

I think it is very helpful for Editorial to get feedback from Audience Development. We are supposed to be the experts on all aspects of the audience including who they are, how they use our content, and what they find most valuable. Without a dialogue between Edit and Aud Dev, the writers might as well be talking to the wall. I have been privileged to come up in this business under seasoned professionals who taught me ropes on this one.

My best tactic is to take every opportunity to foster a relationship with Edit based on mutual need. They are being asked (really it's more of a demand) to produce more content for more platforms, with an ever-expanding audience range. If they see you as someone who can help them hit their numbers for web traffic or reader studies, then they are much more willing to listen when you make an unsolicited content suggestion.