What Mediabistro does

Mediabistro operates a specialized two-sided job board and career resource platform targeting media, journalism, copywriting, social media, design, marketing, publishing, and advertising professionals. The web-based platform at mediabistro.com enables job seekers to browse listings across remote and on-site locations and across major U.S. media markets, while employers pay to post job openings. The product surface extends beyond the core job board to include a Career Resources section with editorial articles, a Freelance Connect marketplace that lets creatives showcase portfolios and connect with clients, premium Membership with pitch guides, editorial calendars, and online training courses, a Playbook creative tools hub, resume writing services, and interview coaching delivered through a third-party partner (Wizco). Marketing relies on a content-first model: daily Hot Jobs editorial articles, career advice, and SEO-optimized category landing pages drive organic acquisition, with distribution supplemented by Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and a Substack newsletter.

The company generates revenue from three primary streams: (1) transactional job posting fees paid by employers, (2) recurring premium membership subscriptions priced monthly (specific pricing not publicly disclosed), and (3) course/training fees. Enterprise employers named on the homepage include NBCUniversal, Cox Enterprises, Dotdash (IAC), Springer Nature, Penske Media Corporation, and Future plc, suggesting concentration among mid-to-large media organizations. The platform operates with a lean team of 1-10 employees, was founded in 1999, is headquartered in New York, and operates as a subsidiary of CognoGroup under CEO Miles Jennings. The firmographics file flags IPO status as public with otcpink:CGNO, while a separate source characterizes Mediabistro as a private operating company within CognoGroup — this discrepancy is unresolved in the data set and warrants verification.

Mediabistro's technology stack is a standard web-based job board with no disclosed API, SDK, or proprietary AI/ML components. Strategic product activity has been modest and incremental — brand refresh (2025 logo), Playbook hub, Substack distribution, and Wizco integration — rather than transformative. The company carries a 25-year operating history in a defensible vertical niche, with brand recognition among media professionals functioning as its primary intangible asset. No funding rounds are disclosed beyond a 2011 event; no recent M&A or geographic expansion signals are present in the data.

Name

Mediabistro

Legal name

Mediabistro

Website

https://mediabistro.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mediabistro is a niche job board and career resource platform serving media, journalism, design, marketing, and creative professionals, with employer customers including NBCUniversal, Cox, Dotdash, Springer Nature, Penske, and Future plc, operating as a subsidiary of CognoGroup under CEO Miles Jennings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Job Board and Career Services

NAICS

Media Buying Agencies (54183), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Media Planning & Buying (MPAAABAA)

Keywords

• Media job board
• Creative career resources
• Freelance marketplace
• Online training courses
• Industry job listings

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Job Posting Fees: Employers pay to post job listings on the platform, enabling recruitment of media and creative professionals across various specializations including journalism, design, marketing, and publishing.
2. Premium Membership Subscription: Subscription-based membership offering pitch guides, editorial calendars, courses, premium tools, and exclusive resources for creative professionals seeking career advancement in media industries.
3. Courses and Training: Online courses and training programs for creative professionals covering social media, writing, design, and career development skills.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mediabistro operates a two-sided online job board and career resources platform dedicated to media, content, and creative professionals. Employers pay to post jobs in journalism, copywriting, social media, design, marketing, publishing, and advertising, while job seekers browse listings for free and can upgrade to a premium membership that unlocks pitch guides, editorial calendars, courses, and premium tools. The company also operates Freelance Connect, a marketplace where creative freelancers create profiles and are discovered by potential clients.

Product overview

Mediabistro is a job board and career resources platform for media and creative professionals. The core platform consists of the Mediabistro Job Board for finding media, creative, and marketing positions, combined with Career Resources providing articles and guidance. The Freelance Connect marketplace enables freelancers to showcase their work and connect with clients. Mediabistro Membership serves as a premium subscription tier unlocking pitch guides, editorial calendars, online training courses, and premium tools. Additional services include Hot Jobs featuring curated listings, Creative Tools (Playbook), Resume Writing Services, and Interview Coaching through partner integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mediabistro Job Board Primary job board platform for media and creative professionals, offering job listings in journalism, copywriting, social media, design, marketing, publishing, and advertising across remote and on-site locations.
• Career Resources Online courses and expert career advice to help media and creative professionals grow their careers, including career guidance articles and professional development tools.
• Mediabistro Membership Premium membership offering that unlocks pitch guides, editorial calendars, courses, and premium tools for creative professionals. Includes access to exclusive content and member-only features.
• Freelance Connect A freelancer marketplace connecting media and creative professionals with potential clients. Allows freelancers to create profiles, showcase their work, and be discovered by employers.
• Online Training Courses Educational courses for creative professionals covering social media, writing, design, and other media industry skills, available through the membership program.
• Creative Tools (Playbook) A toolkit and resource hub providing creative professionals with practical tools and guides for their work.
• Resume Writing Services Professional resume writing services for job seekers in the media and creative industries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of creative professionals use the platform

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Behance: Adobe-owned creative professional portfolio and job platform serving designers, illustrators, and creative talent — overlapping freelance marketplace and creative recruitment category.
• Dribbble: Design community with integrated job board for creative professionals; competes for the same designer/creative talent audience Mediabistro serves.
• Authentic Jobs: Job board specializing in web, design, and creative professional roles; comparable niche specialization and target customer base to Mediabistro's creative/marketing focus.
• JournalismJobs.com: Long-standing job board focused specifically on journalism and news media roles — a direct sub-vertical competitor to Mediabistro's journalism listings.
• The Muse: Career platform offering job listings and career advice, with a strong focus on creative, marketing, and media roles — directly overlapping Mediabistro's audience and content-led GTM.
• Coroflot: Portfolio and job board for creative professionals (designers, art directors); comparable model combining portfolio hosting with employer job postings in the creative vertical.

Broad incumbents

• LinkedIn: Global professional network with dominant job board and recruiter tools across all verticals including media/creative; competes broadly for employer recruitment budgets Mediabistro targets.
• Glassdoor: Job listings and employer-review platform owned by Indeed/Recruit; competes for both sides of Mediabistro's marketplace by combining job search with employer branding.
• Indeed: Largest horizontal job aggregator with AI-driven matching; captures significant share of media/creative postings that could otherwise flow to specialized boards like Mediabistro.
• ZipRecruiter: Public recruiting marketplace with AI matching, serving SMB and enterprise employers across verticals — overlapping with Mediabistro's employer-side job posting business.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mediabistro
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCnoZvx8SmZOMA1XteQAVtMQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mediabistro
• Instagraminstagram.com/mediabistro
• Facebookfacebook.com/mediabistro

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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

M&A17 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Mediabistro