PostSecret: The Show
PostSecret is a founder-owned anonymous mail-art platform serving consumers seeking emotional expression through shared secrets, delivered via a WordPress blog, six published books, museum exhibitions, live events, and Patreon memberships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersGermantown, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What PostSecret: The Show does
PostSecret is an anonymously-submitted mail-art project and content platform founded by Frank Warren in 2005, operating from Germantown, Maryland. The company serves a broad consumer audience seeking anonymous emotional expression and community connection through shared secrets. The platform is built on a WordPress-powered blog that curates and publishes anonymous postcard secrets weekly (the Sunday Secrets series), maintains an archive of Classic Secrets, and hosts the PostSecret Digital Museum of Secrets online — including the Voicemail Secrets exhibition where users can listen to and upload audio voicemail messages with photos and stories. The product surface extends beyond digital into physical exhibitions at the Museum of Us in San Diego (expanded in 2024 to include 'Naked Mail' secrets written on objects), in-person PostSecret Live! events, six published hardcover books available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores, and a TED Talk presentation by the founder. Underlying technology is straightforward: WordPress CMS with community submission forms and integrated voicemail/audio features; the digital museum was developed with support from the WordPress team.
The business model is founder-owned and operates without external institutional investment, venture capital, or private equity backing. Revenue is generated through three primary streams: (1) one-time book sales of six hardcover titles across major retail channels; (2) recurring Patreon memberships offering tiered benefits including ad-free access, museum passes, signed proofs from the first book, and exclusive live-event videos; and (3) museum exhibition partnership economics with the Museum of Us. The platform is intentionally advertisement-free, eliminating programmatic ad revenue as a monetization lever. Customer segments are horizontal — targeting a general consumer base across personas — with the Museum of Us as the only institutional relationship. Geographic reach is global for digital content and book sales, with live events documented in North America and Australia.
PostSecret: The Show firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PostSecret: The Show
- Legal name
- PostSecret
- Website
- https://postsecret.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- PostSecret is a founder-owned anonymous mail-art platform serving consumers seeking emotional expression through shared secrets, delivered via a WordPress blog, six published books, museum exhibitions, live events, and Patreon memberships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PostSecret: The Show industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Content Platform
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (51312), Other Publishers (51319)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Blogging & Website Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Self-Publishing & Author Platforms (BPAMAJAF), Online Article & Blog Publishing Platforms (MPAJAMAF), Newsletter Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAA)
Keywords
Where PostSecret: The Show is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Germantown
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
PostSecret: The Show business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Book Sales: Six hardcover PostSecret books sold through major retail channels including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores, generating recurring revenue from published collections of community secrets
- Patreon Membership: Community support through Patreon, providing ad-free blog maintenance and exclusive content, operating as a subscription-based recurring revenue stream
- Museum Exhibitions: Partnership with Museum of Us in San Diego for physical exhibitions featuring original postcards and artifacts, expanding brand reach through cultural institutions
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Patreon Community Support |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels13 records
PostSecret: The Show product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PostSecret operates an anonymous community content platform built around a WordPress-powered blog where users submit secrets on postcards that are curated and shared weekly as "Sunday Secrets." The platform extends into six published hardcover book collections sold through major retailers, a Digital Museum of Secrets hosting online exhibitions such as Voicemail Secrets, physical exhibitions at the Museum of Us in San Diego, and ticketed live storytelling events like PostSecret Live!
Product overview
PostSecret operates as a content platform centered on anonymous secret-sharing, built around a weekly blog featuring Sunday Secrets and archived collections. The core offering includes the main PostSecret Blog (the largest advertisement-free blog globally), the PostSecret Digital Museum of Secrets online platform hosting specialized exhibitions like Voicemail Secrets, physical exhibitions at partner venues such as the Museum of Us in San Diego, and live PostSecret! Events. The brand also extends to six published hardcover books and a TED Talk presentation. All offerings revolve around the central concept of anonymous secrets shared on postcards, with additional formats including audio voicemails, animated content, and physical artifacts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PostSecret Digital Museum of Secrets: Online exhibition featuring voicemail secrets, photos, and stories from contributors.
Products and services
- PostSecret Blog The main website serving as the largest advertisement-free blog in the world, featuring weekly Sunday Secrets and archived classic secrets shared anonymously via postcards; for the general public seeking emotional expression and community connection.
- Sunday Secrets Weekly featured collection of anonymous secrets shared on postcards, published every Sunday as the flagship recurring content series on the PostSecret blog.
- PostSecret Digital Museum of Secrets Online museum exhibition platform featuring special collections including Voicemail Secrets, allowing users to listen to audio secrets and upload their own voicemail messages, stories, and photos.
- Voicemail Secrets Exhibition Specialized exhibition within the Digital Museum featuring audio recordings of voicemails from friends, parents, siblings, partners, and loved ones, including the ability to upload personal voicemail submissions.
- PostSecret Exhibition at Museum of Us Physical exhibition at the Museum of Us in San Diego displaying original PostSecret postcards, the original PostSecret mailbox, and artifacts including objects mailed with secrets written on them.
- PostSecret Live! Events In-person live events featuring extraordinary secrets and stories shared by audience members, including animated secrets and real-time secret sharing.
- PostSecret Books Six published hardcover books featuring collections of secrets from the PostSecret project, available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores.
Companies that use PostSecret: The Show
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
PostSecret: The Show technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
PostSecret: The Show partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Museum of UscoreThe Museum of Us in San Diego hosts the PostSecret Exhibition featuring original postcards, the original PostSecret mailbox, and artifacts like artificial banana, packaged condom, coconut, license plate, shirt, and roller skate. The exhibition expanded to include 'Naked Mail' - secrets written and mailed on objects rather than postcards. Free passes and signed proofs from the first PostSecret book are offered as Patreon benefits through this partnership.
- WordPresscorePostSecret is powered by WordPress as its website platform. The Voicemail Secrets digital museum exhibition was developed with support from the WordPress team. The site displays 'Powered by WordPress' attribution.
- Savannah MorinminorExhibition curator Savannah Morin collaborated on the Voicemail Secrets online exhibition featuring audio secrets and contributions from the community.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
PostSecret: The Show competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- TED (TED Talks media platform): PostSecret's TED Talk distributes through TED's media platform; adjacent as a distribution/credibility partner rather than direct competitor, but represents the kind of premium media-IP distribution channel PostSecret uses for mainstream reach.
- Brené Brown / The Moth Radio Hour ecosystem: Comparable only in adjacent category — different scale and focus.
Direct peers
- StoryCorps: StoryCorps collects and archives first-person audio stories from ordinary people, including Voicemail-style audio messages — directly comparable to the PostSecret Digital Museum of Secrets' Voicemail Secrets exhibition model.
- Humans of New York: Humans of New York is a photo-and-storytelling blog/community that crowdsources deeply personal narratives from real people — directly comparable to PostSecret's anonymous-secret community storytelling format, audience scale, and book-publishing extensions.
- PostSecret books (6 hardcover titles): Not applicable — leave as is
- The Moth: The Moth runs live storytelling events, podcast programming, and book publications built around authentic personal stories — closely mirroring PostSecret Live! events, curated emotional content, and multi-format IP extension.
- Whisper: Whisper is an anonymous social-confession platform that crowdsources user secrets to a public feed — directly comparable as an anonymous community-driven emotional-expression platform, albeit mobile/digital-native rather than postcard-based.
Emerging players
- Dear Sugars / Dear Prudence (Slate podcast column): The Dear Sugars/Dear Prudence advice franchise combines anonymous reader submissions with curated emotional responses — partially comparable to PostSecret's anonymous emotional-expression positioning with editorial framing.
- Postcard mail-art projects (e.g., Mail Me Art): Mail-art communities produce physical mailed artworks as a participatory creative practice — comparable as adjacent community-driven mail-art ecosystems, though smaller-scale and less commercially developed.
Broad incumbents
- Substack (newsletter/blogging platform): Substack is the dominant independent newsletter/blogging publishing platform that powers ad-free creator publishing — PostSecret uses WordPress but operates in the same independent-publishing category where long-form community-driven written content is monetized via subscriptions rather than ads.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PostSecret: The Show social profiles
Digital presencePostSecret: The Show financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PostSecret: The Show leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
PostSecret: The Show funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PostSecret: The Show 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 PostSecret: The Show
What does PostSecret: The Show do?
PostSecret operates an anonymous community content platform built around a WordPress-powered blog where users submit secrets on postcards that are curated and shared weekly as "Sunday Secrets." The platform extends into six published hardcover book collections sold through major retailers, a Digital Museum of Secrets hosting online exhibitions such as Voicemail Secrets, physical exhibitions at the Museum of Us in San Diego, and ticketed live storytelling events like PostSecret Live!
Is PostSecret: The Show a public or private company?
PostSecret: The Show is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was PostSecret: The Show founded?
PostSecret: The Show was founded in 2010. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is PostSecret: The Show based?
PostSecret: The Show is headquartered in Germantown, United States, in the North America region.
How does PostSecret: The Show make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are patreon Membership and museum Exhibitions.
Who are PostSecret: The Show's main competitors?
Others on record are TED (TED Talks media platform) and Brené Brown / The Moth Radio Hour ecosystem. Direct peers are StoryCorps, Humans of New York, PostSecret books (6 hardcover titles), The Moth and Whisper. Emerging players are Dear Sugars / Dear Prudence (Slate podcast column) and Postcard mail-art projects (e.g., Mail Me Art). Substack (newsletter/blogging platform) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does PostSecret: The Show have an API?
No public API is recorded for PostSecret: The Show.
What industry is PostSecret: The Show in?
PostSecret: The Show's product category is Community Content Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAIAB, Blogging & Website Publishing Platforms, with a secondary code of BPAMAJAF, Self-Publishing & Author Platforms. Its NAICS code is 51312 and its SIC code is 2741.