Shutterbug & The Target Audience

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When reading a Shutterbug issue it can be slightly difficult to find out who their exact audience is if you are looking in the wrong places. Simply looking at the camera reviews and the descriptions can mislead the reader and make them believe that the audience is sports fan or models, or whoever the Special Report seems to be targeted to. However, the target audience is not the sports fan but the photographer who takes the pictures of said sport.

This is exemplified with an article by Maria Piscopo ( of Shutterbug) who spoke to the art consultant Mary Virginia Swanson. Swanson states "To market that work requires a different skill set, one that begins with you being comfortable with presenting your work in writing, in person, and on the web. Then, depending on how broadly you want to share and possibly sell the work, you will need to determine who your audience is, and how to reach them." (Maria Piscopo, 2013). This, though not hinted at, is information for photographers; information meant to teach and inform.

Though I could not find any article saying that Shutterbug's mission is to teach photographers. There was no need because within their own website in their "About Us" section it is written, "The site is wide-ranging, and includes a complete searchable archive of Shutterbug articles (dating back to 1999), recent additions from the pages of Shutterbug magazine, comprehensive how-to articles for advanced, pro and even beginner photographers, searchable reviews organized by product category (lighting, lenses, cameras, etc.) and numerous resources for photographers." (Shutterbug)


In the about us section it is also spoken about how Shutterbug disseminates their issues. Shutterbug writes "www.shutterbug.com provides an ongoing community experience for Shutterbug readers and all those who are interested in photography and digital imaging. Each day the site is refreshed with news items, press releases and technological updates.". This clarifies that Shutterbug is a publication that is confident in their online marketing.

My magazine, much like Shutterbug, will be an online based magazine. I would like to incorporate the advice that Swanson gave about being able to know who my audience is and what is the best way to reach them. This is an important aspect to consider for any kind of project that will be seen by others.


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