Three former Morning Brew employees started Smooth Media to build a network of niche media outlets. They're focused on unique topics that cater to specific audiences.
They applied what they learned at Morning Brew, expanding into new media formats like podcasts and online content, showing how versatile and scalable media can be.
Their current projects include collaborations with popular creators and the acquisition of established brands, highlighting their ambitious growth plans.
A mission is different from a product. Companies like Stripe demonstrate how products can evolve to serve a clear mission over time.
Having a central mission and roadmap is crucial for success. It helps in aligning ideas and content creation towards a common goal.
Creating a sustainable roadmap is key to managing multiple ideas effectively. Focus on consistent execution and growth before venturing into new projects.
A holiday sale cuts the annual subscription from $50 to $35 (about 9.6 cents a day) and gift subscriptions are available, though the discount only applies to annual plans.
The newsletter will take a holiday break but may post a year-in-review Q&A around New Year’s and will rerun a critical piece about politicized Christmas ornaments and related merchandise.
The tone is satirical and critical, mocking the political commercialization of Christmas, frequent partisan email blasts, and tasteless merch that feel like cash-grabs.
Blog regularly to grow your audience. Consistent posting keeps your readers engaged and helps you establish a routine.
Make your content stand out with catchy headlines and good structure. A strong opening and good promotion can lead to more readers and subscribers.
Think about your unique insights and be ready to share them when relevant news happens. Timeliness and originality can help your writing hit home runs.
To grow your audience on X, try following big accounts in your field and engaging with their posts. This way, you can gain followers by sharing your thoughts and support.
Using SEO tags can help more people find you on Google, which is a smart way to increase visibility for your business.
Creating a community for your product can foster discussions and improvements, even if it feels a bit empty at first. It's a great way for users to connect and share ideas.
Top collaborations focus on resonance, not reach — the most effective partnerships are built for a small, passionate audience that creates depth instead of noise.
AI is reshaping marketing as agencies and brands roll out AI-driven platforms and ads, but low-quality or careless AI work is already provoking backlash and regulatory scrutiny.
Marketers are using nostalgia, celebrity tie-ins, bold stunts and product-first innovations to stand out, from fashion and beauty launches to gaming, sports and experiential activations.
Being considered the GOAT in a sport can lead to lucrative opportunities and wealth accumulation, as seen with athletes like Michael Jordan and Lionel Messi.
Changes in social media, technology, and athlete earnings have given superstar athletes more power and control over their wealth and commercial endeavors.
Lionel Messi's strategic moves, like moving to America and establishing Play Time, indicate a growing potential for immense wealth through business ventures beyond his football career.
Marketing to developers is really different from regular marketing. You can’t just tell them they’re doing things wrong; you need to connect with their community and understand their challenges.
At conferences, it’s important to engage with developers at different levels. Not everyone taking a sticker will become a customer, and that's okay. It's more about building relationships.
Offering flexibility in your product is key. Developers have different needs, so let them use only what they want without forcing features on them.
Many success stories online lack important context and can be misleading. It's essential to look deeper into the circumstances behind these successes.
Instead of comparing yourself directly to others, ask yourself key questions about your own situation. Consider your job, resources, and personal life before setting expectations.
Stay curious and inspired by success stories, but remember to adapt their strategies to your unique circumstances for more realistic goals.
Many people dislike using software like Jira because it's complicated and not user-friendly. But ironically, it keeps being bought because management, not the users, are the ones making the decisions.
The market has shifted towards buying software that meets the needs of users rather than IT departments. Companies like Asana market directly to users, making their products popular among teams.
Today, product popularity can be influenced more by trends and social media than by quality. People are more likely to buy something because it's seen as cool or trendy, not just because it works well.
Tinkering can be fun and educational, but it often doesn't lead to making real money. People who quit their jobs to experiment might not find traction if they aren't committed to serious efforts.
If you want to succeed financially, it’s important to pick ideas with high demand. Avoid spending lots of time on small projects that don’t bring much profit.
A solid marketing plan is just as crucial as having a good product. Without a way to promote what you're selling, you might just have a hobby instead of a business.
Candidate experience is crucial for winning top talent in 2023, focusing on pillars like transparency, reciprocity, and unity.
The WEF Future of Jobs report highlights regional variances in employment and the decline in real wages, impacting recruitment strategies.
AI is transforming recruitment processes, from Google AI Search changing internet dynamics to AI assisting in automating hiring processes and message composition.
YouTube can be a platform where people showcase unique services, like yard cleanup videos. This combines marketing, good deeds, and entertainment all in one.
Some lawn care businesses gain popularity by documenting their free work on overgrown properties. This not only helps others but also helps them grow their online presence.
Creating content that viewers enjoy is essential in modern marketing. It's better to show entertaining ideas rather than strictly promoting services.
Hype around data and AI can distract companies from their real goals. It's important to focus on what data can actually do for your business, instead of getting lost in the trend.
Most businesses don't rely on data as their main product. Even if data can improve their operations, it’s not their primary focus, so the challenge is making data truly useful.
Companies often look up to big tech for data strategies, but they have different resources. Chasing after their methods without understanding your own needs can lead to a misguided strategy.
In a world where everything looks the same, standing out is really important. Companies need to be unique to catch people's attention.
Making things difficult to copy is a smart way to stay different. When something is hard to replicate, it holds more value and status.
People are starting to understand that true uniqueness comes from being authentic and true to themselves. It's all about creating something special that only you can offer.
Craft activities for kids can be fun and engaging. Subscription boxes that include everything needed for crafting are a great way to keep children entertained.
Popsicle stick lamps started as simple craft projects but can be worth a lot today. Vintage examples can sell for hundreds of dollars now.
Forster Manufacturing Company grew from making toothpicks to craft sticks. Their clever marketing helped them sell millions of toothpicks in America.
Dinners and small hosted events are a high-leverage B2B channel because they let you control the guest list, create real human connection, and focus on active pipeline accounts instead of spraying money at trade shows.
To make a dinner worth it, be strategic: pick target accounts, treat each dinner like a campaign with pre/during/post touchpoints, and nail the three Ps—people, place, and programming—so conversations actually move deals and surface insights.
Make dinners repeatable and measurable by building systems: track campaign influence in your CRM, standardize invites and personalized 24–48 hour follow-up, and document a playbook so you can scale and prove ROI.
Game developers need to find new ways to get their games discovered in the post-E3 era.
Smaller, targeted digital showcases are emerging to help reach specific player audiences beyond traditional large events like The Game Awards and Nintendo Direct.
Game developers face challenges like game saturation, rising user acquisition costs, and the need for strategic marketing strategies to ensure their games get noticed.
Agentic AI creates a new value ladder where customers pay more for outcomes — i.e., work actually done for them — rather than just features, volume, or support.
Companies can adopt outcome-based positioning in two ways: conservatively by reframing plans around service levels (do it yourself → done with you → done for you), or aggressively by directly comparing AI costs to a human worker to show value.
If you’re still selling inputs like seats or usage, start shifting your messaging toward completed work today; even small moves toward outcome-focused copy or pricing will make your product feel more valuable.
Consumers mainly care about price and product, not whether AI made the ad. Brands need to focus on deeper questions that make people think about their values rather than just selling products.
Marketers should balance the opinions of customers and non-customers, considering wider feedback to create meaningful campaigns. Creativity gets lost when brands only focus on what customers think.
Brands are experimenting with new strategies to connect with audiences, like collaborations and fun campaigns. They need to evolve and engage in ways that go beyond traditional marketing tactics to stay relevant.
It's hard to find out why ads aren't working. There can be many reasons, like targeting the wrong audience or having a bad website design.
Early stage startups often struggle to scale quickly due to internal issues. When they get more leads, they might need to pause ads to catch up, which can hurt their momentum.
Finding product-market fit takes time and constant testing. Just because something works now doesn't mean it will work later, so keep experimenting with different strategies.
Marketing that does not produce revenue is called arts and crafts.
Honing focus and adopting a different marketing mindset is important for category creators.
Understanding what metrics matter, why results matter, and what made legendary marketers successful are crucial for driving maximum marketing outcomes.
The founder had productive calls with developers, gaining insights to improve their project after the launch. It's important to listen to experienced people to refine your ideas.
They enhanced their landing page by adding testimonials and changing the pricing strategy, which could help attract more customers. Good copy and clear pricing can make a big difference.
The next steps include generating social proof and setting up a Product Hunt pre-launch page, showing a plan to engage potential users and increase visibility before launch.
Novo Nordisk faced consequences for deceptive marketing tactics such as using astroturf organizations and promoting their drugs without disclosing ties.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry suspended Novo Nordisk for breaching their code of practice related to a promotional course and inducing healthcare professionals to prescribe their drug.
Novo Nordisk's appeal for the breach was unsuccessful, leading to public reprimand for failings and suspension for two years from ABPI membership.