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A digital publisher that makes money?
While Mashable, Huffington Post and Fusion face layoff issues and BuzzFeed separates its news and entertainment business to save itself, Quartz has quietly turned profitable.
Online publishing hasn’t had much good news coming its way in the recent past. News releases coming out of digital publishers’ offices were mainly about layoffs, closures or spout a much kinder phrase - strategic positioning. However, there exists a rare breed that does make money. But these are companies that one could probably count on the tips of one’s fingers.
Quartz has just joined that enviable list. Launched in 2012 by Atlantic Media, Quartz’s products include qz.com (it gets around 20 million unique users a month), the Daily Brief (an app) and a number of publications serving India and Africa. Last year, the company added new products, including Atlas, a chart-sharing platform, La Agenda, a Spanish-language pub, and Quartzy, a weekly lifestyle guide for its well-heeled readers.
Quartz is a free-to-access, ad-supported publisher. It uses a mix of specialised creative display ads, content marketing, and brand sponsorships of its various editorial products. Between 2015 and 2016 Quartz registered a 60 per cent increase in revenue. Last year, it added new products and announced newer strategies to keep the momentum going.