skimm while brewing

I consume a stupid amount of news.

I realize that refreshing Twitter for the 10,325th time today is likely not going to reveal a lot of information that hasn’t been covered by my podcast, newsletter and WaPo/NYT habit. And yet, can’t wait to get that 10,326th refresh in…just in case.

I also realize that puts me in a special category of super-informed-masochist and that there is a really good argument for just giving slightly less of a shit.

Annnnd, there’s 10,327.

Let me see if I can land this make-the-point plane….

In 2012 (way prior to masochist standing) The Skimm came out and I was immediately obsessed. Their brand voice was charming and light, the content was succinct and relevant. It was an incredible inbox addition. I referred everyone I knew.

Since then, I’ve followed The Skimm founders and their meteoric rise, as a total fan girl. Not only did I love their product, I was mystified that anyone could create anything email based that actually survived. And they are bad ass female entrepreneurs, which always has my number.

Then The Morning Brew showed up on the scene and I was like, “oh helllll no, you are not coming for my fam at The Skimm” but then I read a few of their emails and I was like, hm…they are achieving the same thing I love about The Skimm but with a different voice, different view point and different subject matter lean.

It wasn’t Skimm or Brew - it was both.

And this continues to blow my fucking mind.

I read ALL OF THE NEWS. I know ALL OF THE THINGS. And yet, first thing in the morning I read both of these daily emails religiously. They are delightful, informative and almost always manage to tell me something I didn’t already know.

Additionally, the Venn diagram of my news consumption preferences and a casual news consumer preferences is very, very small.

But you know what is in this tiniest of slivers? The Skimm and The Morning Brew.

My parents love them. My friends love them. Literal millions of people love them.

And that is what makes my little marketing antenna perk up - specifically its impact on how we might talk to voters.

A few observations on their models before I make my pitch…

• They are really good at what they do. Every word is accounted for. Their pop culture and comedic references are always at the center of what is popular or trending. Their takes on complex news are succinct and measured. They sound smart and fun and relevant all at the same time - and as someone who actively tries for that trifecta on the daily - it is not easy. And it is also not an accident.

• They have built a referral machinery that dreams are made of. Let’s give credit where credit is due - The Skimm was first on the scene. Their referral strategy was built around referring-by-forwarding and then rewarding at different levels. The Skimm created a tiered group of referrers called Skimm’bassadors, and I quote from their FAQ page…

  “Swag on swag. Go wild. Tote your Skimm bag and rock your shirt, while writing in your Skimm notebook, sipping out of your Skimm wine glass under your Skimm umbrella ella ella.”

  Any fellow marketers out there will tell you dangling branded gear in exchange for referrals is a fools errand. No one is going to give you anything other than fake emails for your stress ball, Sally.

  And yet, The Skimm and Morning Brew have managed to find the perfect equation of a kick ass content product + branded swag = virality. It is truly a thing to behold.

• They have monetized the shit out of it and I am here for it. In a very curated and cohesive way they weave sponsors throughout the content. You can tell they are picky and you can also tell it works because brands pay up - big time. As a reader (even a cynical, news masochist, know-how-the-marketing-sausage-is-made consumer) there is this wonderful feeling that is a recommendation more than an ad, it’s more like a thoughtful endoresement - and that my friends - is marketing magic.

• They get to spin-off because their core product kicks so much ass. The Skimm crew wrote a book, have a massive social presence, ran a massive Get Out the Vote campaign and have a podcast. The Morning Brew created spin off subscriptions for niche subjects (shout out to Marketing Brew), have a handful of successful podcasts and have turned a lot of their writers into standalone content mini-celebs. Because their readers trust them, there is SO MUCH PERMISSION to talk to them about other things. Again, this sounds logical, but it absolutely falls apart if you don’t do what you do exceptionally well - over and over again (see first point).

Okay, the pitch.

We (and here I mean the grand, royal Democratic party “we”) do not have a great way to talk to people right now. We have highly edited, formal speeches. Someone in management said our social media needed to be disciplined - and it is fucking disciplined - as in whatever canned messaging they are saying on the Sunday shows gets wrapped up and tweeted out. Then we occasionally give the same tweet as a response to reporters even though it isn’t the answer to the question we asked. Then we Instagram a picture of us in front of a flag wearing a mask. And then we start all fucking over again.

I understand disciplined messaging. I understand how high the stakes are. But what I think we need to find are new ways to wrap up our messages that feel real and reflective of a party that gets it.

Do you remember how that video of Kamala telling Joe “we did it” made you feel? It felt like a peek behind the curtains and it was glorious.

What if we created a daily email that looked and felt a little like The Skimm and The Morning Brew. We could give an insiders view on the latest on the Hill, new policies that are being crafted, highlight staffers and lesser known representatives.

I fucking know that Joe is from Scranton and loves ice cream.

What about everyone else? Do they like trains too? What do they have for dessert?

• This will not be easy because governing can be boring and this can’t be boring. Governing can be tedious and complicated. This can’t be tedious or complicated. But if we did it right, gave access where others don’t have it and use it as a messaging arm cleverly disguised as enjoyable morning reading, I think it just might work. The Skimm and The Morning Brew had to start from scratch - we have literal millions of emails. And if we told people if they subscribed to this we would cap the number of other emails we send them, we would break the fucking internet.

• If we get the first part right (which arguably is the hardest one) then we can copy cat the referral strategy. What if, and stay with me here, you had Democrats sharing our messaging proactively with people in their circles. What if there was a world where we gave them enough of a look behind the curtain that they actually - you may need to sit down - shared it. Hate to break it to you, not one single person is forwarding your current emails. Skimm’ers and Brew’ers - somewhat inexplicably - love swag. The Morning Brew did a limited release jogger in exchange for referrals and had an exponential spike in referral shares (Sally, I know, WTF?!). What if we not only created great daily content but we also created fun/relevant/not-only-screaming-eagle-and-waving-flags merch? Guys you could actually get people to publicly display they like us! I know I live in DC so my cohort is slightly biased to politics nerd, but I am LIVING for the Madam Vice President shirts. I really think people would send a bad ass, funny interesting emails to friends for a MVP shirt.

• On monetization - what if instead of traditional sponsors/ads we highlighted grassroots organizations and non-profits. What if this became not only an email for relevant political info but also the highest impact way you could give time and money. I think it could be so cool to have a new organization every day that ties into what ever political story/policy/message we are highlighting. So not only would we be lifting up our work and why it matters, we get to lift up the important people doing relentlessly hard work in the field every day. I am telling you guys, I would read this. I would donate. I would use this as a touchstone to stay in touch with the people I elected and stayed connected to what they are fighting for and why it matters.

• And if we do this right - which is a big if - we could spin off of it like The Skimm and The Morning Brew did. If people start to trust you and your message then you get permission to talk to them about other things. What if there was a policy only email, what if there was an organizing email, what if there was a run for office email, what if there was a local email by city or state, etc. etc. We could have a podcast and a Twitter account that didn’t sound like a robot vomiting up something human said once!

  • Important editorial note - seriously no offense to whoever runs these accounts. Social media is a thankless endeavor - and robot vomit is clearly very much a chosen strategy, of which you likely were not the one to choose. Much respect to all social media managers out there - that shit is so much harder than anyone thinks. Also extra special shout out to Kamala’s social team because it’s the closest I’ve seen to what we are talking about - her with no make up on a zoom call, chucks coming off the plane. Ugh, so good. Also honorable mention to whoever did the Champ and Major Christmas video - more of that please.

So you get the idea. The Skimm and Morning Brew are onto something. And yes, I recognize if it was easy everyone would do it. But we have money, we have resources, we have talented people who want to help and you have two years to think about elections differently in order to combat the fuckery we know we’re in for from the other side. This could exist as a steady drumbeat of political brand awareness and affinity that sits below the news cycle. It could spread authentically and be paid for in exchange for swag (apparently).

And what’s amazing - even if every Republican read this blog and was like “we are going to fucking do this too” they couldn’t. Because they yell too much. Because they tell people to be angry and scared too much. You can’t be joyful and playful in a brand that is fundamentally built on keeping people scared of change.

But we do have the opportunity. Our brand is built for it if we could just let it spread its wings a bit - and I think our increasingly young, and rightfully cynical, electorate is craving it.

If we did this off-cycle, when Republicans aren’t spending money and are only robot-vomiting because it’s “what you do.” Think of the power of something like this when the election cycle starts rolling.

This is the kind of shit that gets me legitimately excited.