theSkimm
theSkimm is a New York-based digital media company operating a portfolio of email newsletters and content verticals (Daily Skimm, Well Played, Skimm Well + Good, Skimm Shopping) reaching 10+ million primarily female readers, monetized through affiliate commerce, sponsored branded content, and the Skimm+ premium subscription.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What theSkimm does
theSkimm is a digital media company founded in 2011/2012 and headquartered in New York, operating a portfolio of email newsletters and companion content verticals targeted primarily at millennial and Gen Z women. Its core products include the Daily Skimm (daily news briefing covering news, work, care, money, and entertainment), Skimm Well + Good (weekly health and wellness), Well Played (weekly sports newsletter and vodcast covering NWSL, WNBA, NFL and athlete Q&As), Skimm Shopping (commerce deals newsletter with affiliate monetization), and Skimm Money (personal finance content), as well as the Off the Page virtual book club. The underlying platform is an email-first content management and distribution system that delivers curated newsletters to a stated subscriber base of 10+ million readers, supported by a website content hub, social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest), and the Well Played podcast distributed via Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The business model is a hybrid of three streams: (i) affiliate commerce commissions from retail partners including Amazon, Walmart, Sephora, Ulta, Wayfair and Target embedded in shopping guides and product recommendations; (ii) sponsored branded content and creative services for advertisers such as Cash App, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Zoetis, Boston Scientific and Ally Bank, produced by an in-house Creative Studio that creates custom video and audio; and (iii) Skimm+, a premium subscription tier (plus.theskimm.com) offering exclusive content and virtual events. The company employs 51-100 people and was acquired by Everyday Health, Inc. (a Ziff Davis company) in March 2025, after raising approximately $28.4M in disclosed venture funding across multiple rounds from 2011-2019 with investors including Google Ventures, 21st Century Fox, RRE Ventures, Greycroft and Homebrew.
theSkimm firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- theSkimm
- Legal name
- theSkimm
- Website
- https://theskimm.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- theSkimm is a New York-based digital media company operating a portfolio of email newsletters and content verticals (Daily Skimm, Well Played, Skimm Well + Good, Skimm Shopping) reaching 10+ million primarily female readers, monetized through affiliate commerce, sponsored branded content, and the Skimm+ premium subscription.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
theSkimm industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Media & Online Newsletters
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)
Keywords
Where theSkimm is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
theSkimm business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Affiliate Commerce: The company earns commissions through affiliate links embedded in shopping content. Product recommendations in articles and newsletters link to retail partners (Amazon, Walmart, Sephora, Ulta, Wayfair, Target) with tracked affiliate codes. The site features extensive shopping guides and product reviews with affiliate monetization.
- Sponsored Content and Brand Partnerships: Branded content partnerships with companies like Cash App, Johnson & Johnson, Zoetis, Eli Lilly, and others. Articles are labeled as 'Together with' or sponsored content, featuring brand messaging within theSkimm's editorial format. The company also creates custom video and audio content for brand partners through its Creative Studio.
- Skimm+ Subscription: Premium subscription product offering exclusive content, virtual events (like the Off the Page book club), and presumably ad-free or enhanced newsletter experience. The Skimm+ page at plus.theskimm.com suggests premium-only access to certain features including author Q&A events.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Skimm+ premium subscription with virtual event access |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
theSkimm product offering
Product offeringCore offering
theSkimm is a digital media company that curates and delivers news, lifestyle, health, sports, money, and shopping content primarily to millennial and Gen Z women via email newsletters and a website. It monetizes through a premium subscription product (Skimm+), sponsored/paid brand content, and affiliate commerce links embedded within editorial content.
Product overview
theSkimm is a digital media company offering a portfolio of newsletter products and content verticals targeting women. The core offerings include the Daily Skimm (daily news briefing), Skimm Well + Good (weekly wellness), Well Played (weekly sports with podcast), and Skimm Shopping (deals/commerce). The company operates a freemium model with Skimm+ as a premium subscription tier offering exclusive content, the Off the Page virtual book club, and member events. Content covers news, health, sports, shopping, money, books, travel, beauty, and fitness verticals. The company was acquired by Everyday Health (a Ziff Davis company) in March 2025.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 10+ million readers subscribe to theSkimm newsletters
Companies that use theSkimm
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
theSkimm technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
theSkimm partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Cash AppcoreCash App sponsored content campaign titled '4 Simple Ways to Raise Money-Smart Kids (Starting Now)' featuring financial literacy content for families. The article promotes Cash App Families product with affiliate links and detailed product information. Content appears to be part of ongoing partnership between the brands targeting financially-conscious women readers.
- Johnson & JohnsoncoreJohnson & Johnson sponsored content campaign 'Playing the Part: The Truth About Being Fine' addressing mental health themes. The partnership aligns the pharmaceutical brand with theSkimm's audience of women interested in health and wellness topics.
- ZoetisminorZoetis sponsored content about dog parenting and arthritis through their Librela product. The article 'The Dog Parenting Playbook' targets pet-owning readers interested in animal health.
- Eli LillycoreEli Lilly unbranded sponsored content about GLP-1 medications and eating on weight-loss medications. Multiple articles feature the pharmaceutical company's treatments for conditions like endometriosis and weight management, targeting theSkimm's health-interested female audience.
- Boston ScientificminorBoston Scientific sponsored content through the 'Asking for a Friend' series featuring patient stories about medical conditions and treatments. Partnership provides health content while featuring the medical device company's products.
- AmazoncoreMajor affiliate partner for commerce content. theSkimm features extensive Amazon product recommendations with affiliate links throughout shopping guides and product reviews, particularly during Prime Day and seasonal sales events.
- WalmartcoreAffiliate commerce partner featured in shopping content and product recommendations. theSkimm links to Walmart products with affiliate tracking for commission on qualifying sales.
- Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Wayfair, TargetcoreAffiliate retail partners for beauty, home, and general merchandise product recommendations. theSkimm earns commissions on sales driven through affiliate links in shopping guides and product reviews.
- Bookshop.orgminorBook retailer partner for the Off the Page virtual book club. Provides 15% discount codes for book club selections and serves as the preferred retailer for theSkimm's book-related content.
- Ally BankminorSponsor of the Well Played podcast, featuring brand integration within sports content. Ally Bank reaches theSkimm's female audience through sports-related content sponsorship.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
theSkimm competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bustle Digital Group: Bustle operates a portfolio of women-focused digital media brands including Bustle, Romper, and Inverse. Similar audience demographics, content categories, and revenue model with advertising and affiliate commerce as primary streams.
- Morning Brew: Morning Brew operates a similar newsletter-first digital media business model targeting professionals with daily curated content, monetized via sponsorships and recently expanded commerce. Highly comparable in GTM motion and revenue mix.
- PureWow: PureWow is a women-focused digital media company covering lifestyle, shopping, and wellness with heavy affiliate commerce and brand partnerships. Now owned by Dotdash Meredith (also Ziff Davis), making it a sister property and direct competitor for the same audience and advertisers.
- Well+Good: Well+Good is a wellness-focused digital media brand for women, covering health, fitness, and lifestyle. Also owned by Ziff Davis/Everyday Health, it is a sister property with overlapping content verticals (Skimm Well + Good directly competes here).
- Refinery29: Refinery29 is a digital media company targeting millennial and Gen Z women with content across news, entertainment, style, and wellness. Comparable in audience, content verticals, and monetization via branded content and commerce.
- POPSUGAR: POPSUGAR is a women-focused digital media brand covering celebrity, entertainment, beauty, fitness, and lifestyle with strong affiliate commerce and brand partnerships. Directly comparable audience and content monetization approach.
Broad incumbents
- Axios: Axios is a digital media company known for newsletter-first content distribution and Smart Brevity format. Comparable in GTM motion and email-first audience building, though broader demographic than theSkimm's female focus.
- The Daily Beast: The Daily Beast is a digital news and opinion site with newsletter products targeting engaged online readers. Comparable in digital media/news aggregation and newsletter monetization, though broader audience than theSkimm's female-skewed base.
- Dotdash Meredith: Dotdash Meredith is a large digital and print media portfolio owned by Ziff Davis, spanning brands like People, Better Homes & Gardens, and Investopedia. As a Ziff Davis sister property, it competes for the same female-skewed advertising budgets and offers a benchmark for content monetization at scale.
Emerging players
- Substack: Substack is a newsletter platform enabling individual creators to build subscription-based media businesses. While not a direct competitor in content, it represents an alternative model that captures audience attention and ad dollars from traditional newsletter media companies.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
theSkimm social profiles
Digital presencetheSkimm financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
theSkimm leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
theSkimm funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds9 records
Investors14 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
theSkimm M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about theSkimm
What does theSkimm do?
theSkimm is a digital media company that curates and delivers news, lifestyle, health, sports, money, and shopping content primarily to millennial and Gen Z women via email newsletters and a website. It monetizes through a premium subscription product (Skimm+), sponsored/paid brand content, and affiliate commerce links embedded within editorial content.
Is theSkimm a public or private company?
theSkimm is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was theSkimm founded?
theSkimm was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is theSkimm based?
theSkimm is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does theSkimm make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Affiliate Commerce is the primary driver. The others are sponsored Content and Brand Partnerships and skimm+ Subscription.
Who are theSkimm's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bustle Digital Group, Morning Brew, PureWow, Well+Good, Refinery29 and POPSUGAR. Broad incumbents are Axios, The Daily Beast and Dotdash Meredith. Substack is listed as an emerging player.
Does theSkimm have an API?
No public API is recorded for theSkimm.
What industry is theSkimm in?
theSkimm's product category is Digital Media & Online Newsletters. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAA, Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines. Its NAICS code is 513120.