Reader profile research

Reader profile research

A reader profile is what magazines use in order to identify and explore certain aspects of their audience and current readers. They develop this by doing surveys and carrying out research on their specific consumers. The companies do this by asking appropriate questions such as, how much their audience earn and what they like to do in their spare time. This is so that they can adapt and change certain aspects of their product in the hope that their mass audience will expand and so that they have more committed and regular consumers.

A reader profile consists of certain information on the magazines audience. Here are some example questions that are used and why they are used.

What gender?- This is so that the magazine company can determine what products to advertise and also what articles and competitions to include.

Are you studying and if so where at?- This is so that the magazine will appeal to their market in terms of price and how regular the magazine is sold.

How old are you?- Although this is a very wide spread question, it will give the company an indication as what to advertise, what colour scheme to use and also what graphics to include in the magazine. This is because if the majority of their audience are young people then more outrageous and eye catching graphics will be used in order to keep them interested, however if the majority are older people then they would use more subtle graphics as people of that age group are just interested in the information being published and they want to read article with ease, without being confused by brightly coloured graphics.

If the consumer is working full time, part time or unemployed?- This is the companies last indication on the readers budget and whether they will have a lot of free time or not. This is important so they know what quantity of free time activities to advertise such as, gigs, festivals etc..

Technology ownership- Magazine companies ask this so they know whether or not to advertise the magazines app or website and also how much information to include on their internet based portals.

Favourite TV Channel?- This is to determine their advertising market and also so they know what the majority of their audience like to watch in their spare time and what TV shows dominate that channel. This is so that they know what consumers like and what information they like to receive.

Favourite newspaper?- This question is so that they can receive the same information as the question above. But it may also be used to show a contrast of the readers preferred knowledge.

How often per week do you spend on the internet?- This is to give the magazine company a small indication on what to advertise and if they should advertise a lot of internet based subjects and articles. It will also help them if they want to advertise recommended websites and games on the internet.

What do you do in your spare time?-This is to give the magazine company a brief indication on what to advertise and what free gifts to include. This is so that they appeal as much as they can to the readers and to hopefully make them a committed reader and purchase most issues

Circulation- This is not a question used, it is a feature that is on every reader profile as it is how many copies of the magazine are sold every year.

Readership- This is also not a question and is just featured on a reader profile. This is slightly like the circulation of a magazine however the reader ship is how many times issues have been read more then once. For example you could buy a copy of a magazine and read it, then you could find it again a few weeks later and read it once more then lend it to friends and they read etc. This therefore means the readership is always much higher then the circulation of a magazine.

Genre Research

Double Page spread conventions analysis

Contents Page Conventions Analysis

Conventions analysis-Front Cover

Main Brief

To design a front cover, contents and double page spreadof a new music magazine. All images and text used must be original, a minimum of four images must be used.

Preliminary task Evaluation

What have you learnt from completing this task?

By completing this exercise I have been able to apply the same skills I used in GCSE Media and some new terminolgy and software in order to achieve a professional looking magazine front cover. I have also learnt how to use various new technology devices and apply them efficiently which therefore developed my understanding of these areas further.
In addition I also learnt how to manage my time effectively and manage the time I was given to the best of my ability. Therefore these skills will help me in the future of media but also in education and as I develop through life. I have learnt other life skills like sticking to deadlines and meeting certain briefs and becoming an independent learner which will help me complete tasks quicker, efficiently and to the best of my ability.
Another thing I learnt was how to analyse different media texts and genres to expand my media knowledge in order to achieve my best possible grade and to help me in the future of media.

How have you used technology?

I have used various technology and software to achieve my final outcome, these include photoshop, a camera and more. It was my first time using the basics of photoshop and I did struggle yet I am still happy with the outcome I achieved. I also used the camera on my phone for my main image in order to make it quicker to upload onto the computer as I was running out of time. I would of liked to use a college camera in order to understand the functions more and expand my knowledge of new techonology that I am yet to use.
 In addition I also used a new form of software that I was unaware of until this task; we used blogger which is a site where you can display your work and ideas in a creative and neat fashion. You can choose your own layout and display pattern so you can show what sory of personality you obtain without making your work look less professional.
I also learnt how to transfer my images for my front cover onto the computer and make them look professional and meet the genre of my front cover.

What conventions have you used and why?

I used most of the main conventions of a front cover such as the skyline, masthead, main image and many more. I also used a simple yet effective colour scheme in order for my main information and text stood out and attracted my chosen target audience. I also added in some feature stories that would of been included in the full magazine to make it look believable and to fill up empty space, yet not make the cover look confusing or busy.
In my main image I made sure my model is giving a direct mode of address to the audience which makes the audience feel like their getting attention and like they are the main focus.
I also made sure my feature stories linked in with the college magazine genre; I did this by adding feature story titles based on univercities and revision tips, yet I also suggested make-up, fashion, sport and music to interest the consumer both about the educational side of college yet also feed into what they do in their free time in order to attract the vast amount of audience possible.

What would you change if you were to do this task again?

If I was to redo this task I would of used a professional college camera for my photos in order to achieve a high quality and focused image, I would also play around with differemt amd more adventurous colour schemes to make my product stand out and make it look one of a kind.
I would also of liked to manage my time more effectivly as I almost missed the deadline and I would of liked to of spend more time on certain aspects of my front cover in order for it to be the best of my ability. I enjoyed this task and I would of liked to do it again so I can learn from my mistakes and my feedback given in order to improve my final outcome and achieve a higher grade overall.
I also would of liked to personalise my blog more and also make it more presentable and easier to follow, as I think it is important for my blog to look at its best as it is what all my work is displayed on and it should look uniformed and show exactly what piece of work is what and it should show that I put time and effort into each piece.