Connecting to New Audiences
Since its inception in 2015, Morning Brew has grown into one of the most successful
media outlets for business news. Featuring email newsletters, podcasts, an events business and a
business education training program, the publisher reaches over four million readers and listeners,
and has more than doubled its revenue from 2020 to 2021.
But even with substantial growth across its newsletter and podcast businesses, Morning Brew needed
to attract new audiences. By 2021 it was impossible to ignore the rise of social media and the
influencers who were reaching millions of followers with every post.
Morning Brew started to test the concept of working with Gen Z finance influencers for their
acquisition campaigns.
Insights You Can Use
The results were immediate and impactful. Paid campaigns featuring influencers on
TikTok, Facebook and Youtube significantly outperformed “designed” campaigns that were created
in-house.
Within the first two weeks of Morning Brew’s campaign with TikTok and @TheLegacyInvestingshow,
engagement skyrocketed to 24%. They reached their target CPA (cost per acquisition) by more than
60%. Murphy confirms that 28% of subscribers coming from TikTok convert into quality, engaged
subscribers.
"Our strongest acquisition channels are now all on social media."
McKay Murphy, Morning Brew’s Director of B2C Growth
Social Media For Audience Growth
One of Morning Brew’s first collaborations with a personal finance influencer has
evolved into a true partnership. Money with Katie, founded by Katie Gatti Tassin, originally started
as a newsletter that Morning Brew promoted within its own daily newsletter.
“We really liked how Katie was discussing personal finance, says Murphy. Readers felt the same way.
Money with Katie’s presence expanded from basic newsletter promotions to a full-on eponymous podcast
that’s a consistent top performer in Morning Brew’s podcast network and has hit over 1M downloads to
date this year.
"Finfluencers bring us the awareness and the reach we need to grow. Sailthru by Marigold helps us keep these new readers engaged."
McKay Murphy Morning Brew’s Director of B2C Growth
The Results
Subscribers acquired through paid influencer campaigns on average have 1.29% higher
click through rates than subscribers acquired through paid social, proving that the campaign
identified quality users who have remained engaged with the Morning Brew brand.
“Email newsletters will always be the backbone of the Morning Brew brand,” said Murphy. “Our
advertising partners love how responsive our readers are, and how we are constantly able to offer
new events, podcasts and new audiences.”
Morning Brew recently launched its eleventh publication, CFO Brew, and is on track to grow revenue
66% year over year after hitting $36M in H1 revenue for 2022.
