The Quality Edit's Lauren Kleinman & Lee Joselowitz on performance publishing
Feb 26, 2024
auto_awesome
Lauren Kleinman and Lee Joselowitz share insights on 'performance publishing' and the reward of authenticity in digital publishing. The news roundup discusses media company mergers and challenges in the digital media landscape. The podcast touches on strategies for growth, audience persona, and resilience in business.
The Quality Edit focuses on high-quality product recommendations in fashion, travel, and beauty, filling a gap in digital publishing.
Their 'performance publishing' model combines storytelling with marketing, generating over $50 million in revenue for clients.
Deep dives
Origin of the Quality Edit and its Unique Publication Approach
The Quality Edit began as a side hustle due to the founders' inability to find a publication covering products they authentically used and endorsed. They fill a gap by featuring high-quality and mission-driven brands while maintaining editorial integrity. The publication focuses on brands with strong founder stories and customer value, engaging readers with detailed, authentic content across various lifestyle categories.
Performance Publishing Strategy and Brand Partnerships
The Quality Edit's performance publishing model combines storytelling with performance marketing, focusing on clients' ROI and brand equity. By leveraging influencer and celebrity contributions, they amplify brand stories and connect with engaged audiences. This approach has driven over $50 million in revenue for clients and sets the publication apart in the evolving publishing landscape.
Audience Demographics and Growth Strategies
The Quality Edit's audience is predominantly female with high household income, centered in coastal cities. By aligning brand partnerships with audience interests and values, the publication engages avid online shoppers across various lifestyle categories. Sustainable growth plans include leveraging first-party audience data, expanding services, and investing in email marketing and organic social for audience retention and growth.
Resilience in Entrepreneurship and Future Outlook
The founders attribute their resilience to a strong team dynamic and experience in performance marketing, adapting to challenges and highs/lows in business. Their ability to navigate peaks and valleys underpins their commitment to quality content and strategic partnerships. The Quality Edit's upcoming initiatives focus on building email list quality, refining content relevance, and sustaining growth through a resilient entrepreneurial spirit.
This week we hear from Lauren Kleinman and Lee Joselowitz, co-founders of The Quality Edit. The Quality Edit was founded in 2021 when Lauren, Lee and their co-founder Scott Silver felt there was no digital publisher providing high-quality recommendations around fashion, travel, and beauty products, so they decided to launch their own.
They tell us about a technique they are terming ‘performance publishing’, about how they persevered through the early years, and how the digital publishing ecosystem rewards authenticity.
In the news roundup Chris and Esther discuss the news that the Independent is in talks to take control of BuzzFeed and HuffPost in the UK, ask what the demise of Vice.com means for digital publishing, and ask if scale is well and truly dead.