The ‘Betches’ Got Rich. So What’s Next?

Alongside high profile successes — such as best-selling cookbooks, as well as partnerships with major American retail giants [Walmart] and [Macy’s] — BuzzFeed is also helping to design products for other companies. It’s an approach that some UK publishers — like [Hearst UK], [Jungle Creations] and [Highsnobiety] — are [also pursuing]. In BuzzFeed’s... See more

This model isn't only creating a loyal audience but making money. Barstool Sports' annual revenue in 2019 was between $90M - $100M (Barstool Sports was purchased by Penn Gaming for $450MM in 2020). A majority of the revenue came from podcasts, merchandising, and gambling. Yes, some of their revenue is ad-supported, but it's a unique model. Advertis... See more

Like clothes or memes or slang, we try ideas on for a while—put them in shareable graphics, temporarily link them in bio, express them via viral tweet or op-ed, maybe print them on a T-shirt—before putting them aside for something more relevant.

Barstool's influence translates to money for the influencers.

People are shocked by the notion that MrBeast can have 20 times the reach of the largest newspaper in the world. But even more shocking is the fact that this cultural shift is still in its early stages.  You ain’t seen nothing yet, folks.  And all this is happening much faster than most people realize—especially those who live inside the

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Chris Best, Hamish McKenzie, and Jairaj Sethi started Substack in 2017, but their history dates back years before. Chris co-founded the anonymous posting app Kik during his third year at the University of Waterloo (2010). He spent the better part of eight years at the company where he met his soon-to-be co-founders. When Chris left Kik in early 201

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The explosion of influencers and creators on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok has proven yet again the power of personality. The direct connection an audience feels to these stars is powerful. We’re seeing Substack and forward thinking publishers like Complex, Barstool and Axios capitalize on this dynamic. (The risk is obviously the limited enterprise... See more

There’s another group of platforms out there that don’t just disperse retail, but disperse creativity. Etsy — a pandemic winner whose prosperity is nothing short of inspiring — enables artisans to reach a global audience. YouTube made video stars out of millions, and now TikTok is leapfrogging YouTube in the mobile space. Substack, Patreon, and Onl... See more