Oprah’s about to #showsomeskimm.
Winfrey’s network, OWN, and theSkimm – a fast-growing daily newsletter with a mostly female subscriber base – will announce tomorrow a digital content partnership.
theSkimm founders Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg will appear in a weekly web series called “Things to Know,” based on a section of their newsletter, which will live on Oprah.com and the OWN YouTube channel. Fans will have access to the content beginning tomorrow and new webisodes will roll out every Wednesday for six weeks. The partnership also includes a mid–term election guide and a sweepstakes opportunity.
“This partnership is a great fit for Oprah.com, and comes as we aim to align our platform with unique and growing brands whose voices complements our own,” said Glenn Kaino, SVP of Digital, OWN. “theSkimm is a relevant, fresh force in the world right now, and we believe both of our audiences will benefit from this collaboration. This project exposes our work to younger viewers, expanding our presence, while connecting our existing audience to this fast-growing community.”
After two years in operation, theSkimm surpassed 500,000 subscribers in July. As any good content startup does, theSkimm has focused primarily on growing its subscription numbers. Partnerships will continue to be an important revenue source for them, though, and last year attracted the attention of the NBA; in February, the newsletter featured players guest blogging about the NBA All-Star Game.
Oprah’s digital network is a perfect match for theSkimm, especially as it expands its brand with a foray into video.
Oprah.com underwent a redesign in March 2014, and it is already paying dividends. Mobile traffic is up more than 30% year-over-year, and the site is built for deeper engagement with content and also features an eLearning platform. Oprah.com has forged a number of partnerships over the years, including ones with Huffington Post (which now has an OWN vertical), YouTube Space LA, and Flipboard.