Her Campus Media

What Her Campus Media does

Her Campus Media is a Boston-headquartered, fully remote media and marketing company that operates the largest portfolio of media brands serving college women and Gen Z in the United States. Founded in 2009 by Harvard undergraduates Stephanie Kaplan Lewis, Annie Wang, and Windsor Western, the company has built a multi-brand ecosystem through organic launches and six acquisitions, comprising Her Campus (flagship editorial platform), College Fashionista (fashion and beauty), Spoon University (food), Her20s (women in their 20s), Generation Hired (careers), InfluenceHer Collective (influencer marketing agency), Campus Trendsetters (campus ambassadors), HC Athletic Club (student athletes), and Zfluence (acquired influencer marketing platform). The company reports 100,000+ community members across 2,300+ college campuses, 1.3 billion+ aggregate social following on Instagram and TikTok, 534 million O&O content views in 2023, and 8.4 million+ owned digital and social reach. Its proprietary technology stack is centered on a Hivebrite-based community engagement platform, the GenZology in-house research arm for Gen Z insights, and the Certified Influence creator certification program; core technology is otherwise not publicly disclosed.

The company's business model is enterprise B2B marketing services sold to global brands seeking to reach Gen Z audiences. Revenue is generated through four primary streams: (1) advertising and brand partnerships via integrated marketing campaigns across the owned media portfolio; (2) influencer marketing services, including the InfluenceHer Collective agency, micro-influencer programs, and campus brand ambassador activations; (3) research and insights through GenZology (focus groups, brand lift studies, custom surveys, content effectiveness studies, quick polls); and (4) experiential and events, including the Her Conference and Creators Loft tentpole events. Pricing is custom and undisclosed, structured around multi-year enterprise contracts with integrated packages spanning youth audience strategy, native content, media planning, micro-influencers, campus ambassadors, sampling, experiential activations, and creative production. The named customer roster spans 25+ Fortune-grade brands across beauty (L'Oréal, Clinique, CeraVe, Fenty Beauty, Sephora, Ulta, e.l.f.), retail and fashion (American Eagle, Kate Spade, Under Armour, Urban Outfitters, IKEA), technology (Amazon, Microsoft, Spotify), financial services (Bank of America, PayPal, Zelle), food and beverage (Coca-Cola, Chipotle, Grubhub), healthcare (CVS), and media (Paramount+, HBO).

Her Campus Media was bootstrapped from founding through 2024, when Axios reported the company sold a strategic stake to Soros Fund Management, the first significant outside capital in its history. The co-founders retain operational leadership; the company is structured as Her Campus Media LLC, a Massachusetts-domiciled LLC, and operates with 51–100 employees distributed across 20+ U.S. states.

Name

Her Campus Media

Legal name

Her Campus Media LLC

Website

https://hercampusmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Her Campus Media operates the #1 U.S. portfolio of Gen Z and college-women media brands (Her Campus, Spoon University, College Fashionista, InfluenceHer Collective, Generation Hired, HC Athletic Club), selling integrated advertising, influencer marketing, experiential, and research services to enterprise brands seeking to reach Gen Z audiences across 2,300+ campuses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Media & Marketing Services

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Market Research (Ad Hoc Studies, Segmentation, U&A) (MPAAALAC)

Keywords

• Influencer marketing services
• Gen Z media brands
• College marketing solutions
• Creator community platform
• Brand partnership campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising & Brand Partnerships: Integrated marketing campaigns and advertising solutions for global brands targeting Gen Z audiences through the company's portfolio of media brands and communities
2. Influencer Marketing Services: Micro-influencer programs, campus brand ambassadors, and creator partnerships facilitated through the company's various influencer and creator communities
3. Research & Insights (GenZology): Brand lift studies, custom surveys, focus groups, and research capabilities providing Gen Z data and insights to enterprise clients
4. Experiential & Events: Tentpole events and custom experiential marketing activations including Her Conference, Creators Loft, and campus events for brands

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Her Campus Media operates a portfolio of Gen Z-focused media brands (Her Campus, College Fashionista, Spoon University, Generation Hired) and creator communities (InfluenceHer Collective, Campus Trendsetters, HC Athletic Club, Zfluence, The Butterfly Collective) used to deliver integrated marketing solutions to enterprise and global brands. Its core commercial offering combines owned editorial media, micro-influencer and campus ambassador programs, tentpole events, and proprietary Gen Z research (GenZology) into custom campaigns for brand clients targeting college women and Gen Z consumers.

Product overview

Her Campus Media operates as a multi-brand Gen Z media and marketing ecosystem comprising the #1 portfolio of Gen Z media brands and marketing solutions. The portfolio includes Her Campus (core media platform for college women), College Fashionista (fashion and beauty community), Spoon University (food media brand), Generation Hired (virtual career center), InfluenceHer Collective (influencer marketing agency), Campus Trendsetters (student ambassador community), HC Athletic Club (student-athlete community), Zfluence (acquired influencer marketing platform), and The Butterfly Collective (creator community). The ecosystem is powered by a community of over 100,000 members across 2,300+ college campuses with social reach exceeding 1.3 billion. Key offerings include tentpole events like Her Conference and Creators Loft, the GenZology research arm, and Certified Influence creator certification program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Her Campus: Leading media platform dedicated to college women, Gen Z, and Gen Zalpha.
• College Fashionista
• Spoon University
• Generation Hired
• InfluenceHer Collective
• Campus Trendsetters
• HC Athletic Club
• Zfluence
• Her20s

Products and services

• Her Campus Flagship media platform and editorial destination for college women covering campus life, fashion, beauty, entertainment, lifestyle, and career topics; powered by college journalists and run as a chapter network. Sold to brands as part of integrated marketing solutions.
• College Fashionista Premier fashion and beauty media brand and college influencer community empowering students to build careers in fashion, beauty, and digital media; includes Creators Loft tentpole event during Fashion Week.
• Spoon University Gen Z food media brand providing news, pop culture, reviews, and guides through the lens of food, powered by a college journalist chapter network.
• Generation Hired Virtual career center providing an exclusive job board, weekly newsletter, and Office Hours webinar series connecting Gen Z candidates with employers.
• InfluenceHer Collective Full-service influencer marketing agency providing brands access to a community of authentic Gen Z and millennial creators for paid partnerships, content campaigns, and creator education.
• Campus Trendsetters Community of thousands of influential college students who serve as campus brand ambassadors, receive products to review, and participate in the Sampling Squad program for student organization leaders.
• HC Athletic Club Community for college student athletes focused on content creation and NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) opportunities, including a Certified Influence certification program.
• Zfluence Gen Z influencer marketing platform connecting brands with young content creators and enabling product sampling in exchange for honest reviews.
• The Butterfly Collective Creator community for influencers focused on uplifting, joy-driven content, offering exclusive resources, creator opportunities, and like-minded community membership.
• GenZology Proprietary Gen Z research and insights arm offering focus groups, content effectiveness studies, custom surveys, brand lift studies, and quick polls for brand clients.
• Certified Influence Program Creator readiness certification program designed to help content creators navigate busy schedules, understand rules and regulations when working with brands, and learn how to build trust with their audience.
• Her Conference Annual signature tentpole event for college students featuring brand engagement activations, networking opportunities, and industry-leader conversations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 534MM+ content views in 2023
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OpendorsecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2025Her Campus Media partnered with Opendorse to launch an industry certification program exclusively for college athletes in the creator economy. The partnership enables student-athletes to receive certified training for name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities through the HC Athletic Club community.
• Mozilla FirefoxminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 December 2024Firefox and Her Campus Media partnered to raise awareness for online privacy and user choice, engaging Gen Z audiences on digital privacy topics through educational content and campaigns.
• Zfluence (Acquired)coreOthers · 26 October 2023Her Campus Media acquired Zfluence, a Gen Z influencer marketing platform, to enhance its influencer marketing capabilities and expand its community of influencers. This was Her Campus Media's sixth acquisition.
• Endorsify (Acquired)coreOthers · 3 July 2020Her Campus Media acquired assets from Endorsify, a leading influencer marketplace, to strengthen its influencer marketing capabilities.
• Spoon University (Acquired)coreOthers · 20 November 2019Her Campus Media acquired Spoon University, adding the leading food media brand for Gen Z to its portfolio of media brands.
• College Fashionista (Acquired)coreOthers · 19 August 2019Her Campus Media acquired College Fashionista, the premier destination and community empowering college students in fashion and beauty, to expand its portfolio.
• Lala Media Group (Acquired)coreOthers · 6 June 2019Her Campus Media acquired Lala Media Group and launched Her20s, expanding into content for women in their 20s beyond college.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bustle Digital Group: BDG operates a portfolio of digital media brands targeting millennial and Gen Z women (Bustle, Romper, Elite Daily, Mic) and provides integrated marketing services to enterprise brands — directly comparable to Her Campus Media's media-brand portfolio plus enterprise marketing model.
• SheMedia: SheMedia (a Penske Media property) runs a network of women's digital media properties and offers advertisers influencer marketing and custom content solutions targeting millennial/Gen Z women audiences, closely paralleling Her Campus Media's positioning.
• Refinery29: Refinery29 is a digital media brand focused on women with content in lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and entertainment, plus branded content and experiential marketing for global brands — directly comparable to Her Campus Media's content-plus-brand-partnership model.
• POPSUGAR: POPSUGAR operates a digital media platform for women covering entertainment, fashion, beauty, and wellness, and offers branded content, influencer marketing, and pop-culture insights to advertisers — a comparable women's-media-plus-marketing-services business.
• College Media Network: College Media Network aggregates advertising across hundreds of college newspaper and media outlets, competing directly with Her Campus Media for enterprise brand budgets targeting the college demographic through campus-based media properties.
• Sway Group: Sway Group is an influencer marketing agency specializing in mom, millennial, and Gen Z audiences with a focus on women — directly comparable to Her Campus Media's influencer marketing services for female-skewed consumer brands.

Broad incumbents

• BuzzFeed: BuzzFeed is a larger, broader digital media company with significant Gen Z reach (BuzzFeed, Tasty, HuffPost) and brand-partnership advertising — overlapping with Her Campus Media but serving wider demographics and content categories.

Emerging players

• IZEA: IZEA operates an influencer marketing platform connecting brands with creators — comparable to Her Campus Media's InfluenceHer Collective and Zfluence lines, though IZEA is a broader, platform-based rather than community-rooted approach.

Others

• CreatorIQ: CreatorIQ is a B2B influencer marketing software platform used by enterprise brands to manage creator campaigns — adjacent infrastructure to Her Campus Media's full-service influencer marketing agency offering and a potential technology enabler or competitor.
• Pepper Content: Pepper Content is a content marketplace and creator platform connecting brands with freelance writers and creators, overlapping with Her Campus Media's creator/influencer and native content capabilities from an enterprise-services angle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/her-campus
• Instagraminstagram.com/hercampusmedia
• Facebookfacebook.com/HerCampus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A5 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Her Campus Media