Two former NBC news employees are now sitting atop 3.5 million subscribers for their e-newsletter theSkimm, which targets female millennials, a recent report said.
New York roommates Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin quit their jobs in 2012 to found theSkimm, a curated newsletter that the two women say is not a “newsletter company,” but rather an “audience company.”
Apart from its subscriber base, the e-newsletter reaches an audience of nearly 1 million individuals through its social platforms. Its open rate also hit nearly 40%, which Weisberg and Zakin say is “industry-crushing.” The two also claim that their service is replacing morning television among its demographic of nearly 80% females.
Industry observers credit the pair’s success first to the appeal that their curated content has for their readers in terms of writing style. The informal, conversational tone of its articles engages millennials in a way that is different from the detached tone of most media outfits.
The loyalty this content has generated also translates to word of mouth marketing, where the service makes it easy for its subscriber base to share stories, recipes, concert dates or current events through social media buttons embedded in each edition of the newsletter. It also uses animated GIFs in the sign up share text, which makes it stand out in the feeds, Weisberg said.
Brand design and consulting firm Landor Associates global marketing director Trevor Wade said that the service’s success boils down to a deep understanding of its audience.
“They know how busy (readers) are. They know their routines. They know whether they have a TV, and they know their pain points,” Wade observed.
