As part of three campaigns Marshall has run with Betches since September, the multichannel buys included branded social content, newsletter placements and host-read ads. Given his client’s objective of increasing brand awareness for a new product, adding another touchpoint to reach the target audience would be a welcome add-on, said Marshall.

Although a distant second behind its social partnership business, podcasting has also become a critical revenue driver for the publisher. 

Across its 13 podcasts, Betches generates 50 million monthly downloads, according to the company. Three of them—U Up?, Oversharing and Diet Starts Tomorrow—also generate subscription revenue by gating access to exclusive content. The publisher also offers a suite of eight newsletters, a fledgling channel but one that Betches hopes to cultivate as both a source of first-party data and direct readership.

Moving beyond brand partnerships

Spiegel and Ward both joined Betches last year with a remit to expand the editorial and commercial footprint of the business, and they come as part of a broader wave of hires. Betches has expanded from roughly 49 to 65 staff in the last year and is actively hiring.

As part of its bid to diversify beyond social media, Betches is also increasing its affiliate, commerce, events and entertainment businesses.

Its events business and talent development ventures form a virtuous cycle. For instance, in March the publisher began hosting a monthly comedy showcase called Betches Night Out, whose last iteration sold out and has prompted the publisher to move to a larger venue.

Building on its authority in the comedy space, Betches also recently executive produced a comedy special starring one of its podcast talents, the comedian Jared Freid. As Betches expands its talent pipeline, it is actively seeking ways to nurture new creators and help monetize their production, according to Spiegel.

“Can we be a place that elevates comedic voices? That is something we are excited about,” Spiegel said. “It’s a revenue stream, yes, but it also brings value to our audience and the people we want to be associated with.”