When I got my December issue of Wired magazine, it came with a bonus “Movies Rock” supplement. I spotted the headline “Martin Scorsese Unleashes His New Rolling Stones Concert Film” on the front cover and ripped open the plastic as quickly as I could.
One of my pet peeves is the absence of page numbers on the covers of magazines which means readers can’t jump quickly from a headline to the story inside. I turned to the Table of Contents in the front and searched for the Rolling Stones headline to learn what page the story was on.
A quick glance through the contents turned up nothing with the words “Martin Scorsese” or “Rolling Stones” in boldface type. So I searched. And searched. And searched.
After plowing through 18 items in the Table of Contents, I finally found it under the headline “Sight and Sound.” But there was no page number listed after the blurb about the article. At this point, I’m starting to do a slow burn.
So I start flipping through the magazine trying to find the damn article. It suddenly dawns on me. The pages don’t even have page numbers! Now I’m absolutely… unwired. I never did read the article.
Instead, I wrote a letter to the editor complaining about the absence of page numbers and letting them know that I tossed the entire supplement into the wastebasket. What do you suppose the advertisers would say if they knew this? Certainly, I can’t be the only one.
C’mon guys. This is Publishing 101 stuff. If people have to work hard to read your printed magazine, they’ll either read you online, or they’ll be like me and not read you at all.
Joan, I’ve found this quirk in many mags. I think it’s called a Treasure Hunt headline.
I believe editors feel that because you are so curious about the headline (the prize) you will thumb through the whole mag until you get your prized
article.
I think from your description it seemed to work and it tends to pull me in too so you’re not the only one.
Now more on this Rolling Stone-Martin Scorsese partnership? I can’t get no satisfaction without more details it sounds so exciting.
See you did it too!
When I am looking for the ‘treasure’, other stories don’t matter to me. I am focused on what I want to see, ‘THE KEYWORDS’ that signal I have found the treasure and everything else I might see does not make a lasting impression.
Joan
It is so nice to come across someone else who finds this sloppy practise irritating. Yes it is “101” but it’s Caring about your Customer 101 and its not just editors who fail on that.
I’d better stop I feel a rant coming on!
Alex
Joan –
Just be glad that Wired is printing things in a reasonably readable font – they used to delight in making things virtually unreadable with fun inks on fun backgrounds where you had to really squint to make out the words.
My pet peeve is when the Treasure Hunt headline is not mentioned in the article itself. I turn to the page listed in the Table of Contents (assuming there ARE page numbers), and the article bears little resemblance to the headline. I just bought an issue of a leading health magazine whose headline (I’m paraphrasing) said “90% of women” do this. I turned to the article and, unless I need new glasses, I saw no mention of “90% of women.” I feel that if you put that on your cover, your article should include the same statistic, and also where/how that figure was obtained.