Each issue contains two or three study articles that are discussed at congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses throughout the world. Simultaneous printing in the vast majority of languages in which The Watchtower is published makes it possible for virtually all of the Jehovah's Witness communities throughout the earth to discuss the same information each week.

With an average printing of twenty-five million copies, The Watchtower is thought to be the most widely circulated religious magazine in the world.

Over the years, Jehovah's Witnesses have added a variety of editions of the magazine, with a view to making it available to a wider public. In 1976, The Watchtower became available in Grade II English Braille. In 1988, it began to be produced on audiocassette for the benefit of the visually impaired as well as others who wished to listen to it. In 2003, a videocassette edition in American Sign language was produced, and this was extended to DVD in 2004. Additionally, 2004 saw the release of The Watchtower or compact disk (MP3 format).