THESE 20 STARTUPS FOUND
A BETTER WAY TO LAUNCH
AND GROW A BUSINESS
BY JOE PULIZZI

#ContentInc
In 2014, I set out to tell the story of our company, Content Marketing Institute, and how we’ve become one of the fastest
growing, private companies in the world through content marketing.
As my book journey began, I wanted to find out if there were other companies who accomplished the same thing –
launching first by building an audience through content, and then adding products and services later.
And did I?
After countless interviews, we found that there are Content Inc. examples all over the world and in all sorts of industries.
Even more interesting, each one we talked to followed a similar strategy – now known as the six-step Content Inc. model
(see next page).
Long story short, the Content Inc. model is a better way to start and grow a business. Building an audience first, and
then monetizing that audience is simply the best way to go to market today. But don’t take my word for it…here are 20
unbelievable examples of Content Inc. in action. Enjoy!
Yours in Content,
Joe Pulizzi
Founder, Content Marketing Institute
Author of four content marketing books,
including Epic Content Marketing and (now) Content Inc.
A Better Way to Launch and Grow a Business?

#ContentInc
According to the US Census Bureau, the far majority of businesses fail in their first five years. This is a major concern.
99% of businesses start the same way: they create a product or service that is unique and differentiated, and then find
ways to market and distribute it. While sometimes entrepreneurs find the proverbial “needle in the haystack”, for the
most part this is a recipe for failure.
The Content Inc. model shows us that there is a better way. The six steps of the Content Inc. model include:
 The Sweet Spot: The intersection of our personal passion and a skill/knowledge area.
 The Content Tilt: Finding a content niche in which we can actually be the leading expert in the world.
 Building the Base: Consistently delivering content and value to a defined audience – focusing on one content type
and one particular platform.
 Harvesting Audience: Building an opt-in (permission-based) audience.
 Diversification: Once the audience is built, diversifying away from solely the main platform to draw in new
audiences and build a more loyal key audience.
 Monetization: Identifying multiple ways to make money from the audience and platform.
Don’t believe it? Here are 20 examples that prove the model.
contentmarketinginstitute.com/content-inc

#ContentInc
COPYBLOGGER MEDIA
Today: This software-as-a-service (SaaS) company now does over $10 million USD in revenue and
is one of the leading hosting and content software enterprises on the planet.
It may surprise you: Brian Clark, a
recovering attorney, starting by blogging
about online copywriting consistently
for 19 months. Without asking for
a dollar over that time, Brian built
an audience of 200,000 loyal email
subscribers. It wasn’t until much later
that Brian launched his key product,
the Rainmaker Platform, which now
provides the bulk of Copyblogger
Media’s revenues

#ContentInc
ANDY SCHNEIDER
Today: Andy Schneider (aka “The Chicken Whisperer”) is the world’s leading expert in backyard
poultry, boasting the leading book, leading magazine and most popular radio show about raising
chickens in your backyard.
It may surprise you: Andy turned a
hobby into a regular meet-up group after
so many of his friends wanted to raise
chickens as well. Those regular meetups
turned into a podcast of over 20,000
listeners a week. The rest is (chicken)
history.

#ContentInc
MOZ
Today: Moz is one of the leading providers of SEO software, boasting revenues of over $30 million
USD per year and thousands of customers.
It may surprise you: Rand Fishkin,
CEO of Moz (originally called SEOMoz),
started his blog on search engine
optimization insights back in 2004.
In less than five years, Moz had over
100,000 e-mail subscribers. Rand
originally monetized the audience
through consulting services, but in
2007, Moz launched a beta subscription
service for software tools and reports.
By 2009, Moz closed the consulting
business entirely and focused on selling
software to its audience.

#ContentInc
CLAUS PILGAARD
Today: Claus (better known as “Chili Klaus”) is one of the most famous online personalities in
Denmark, and has parlayed that success into countless merchandising opportunities.
It may surprise you: There are
hundreds of blogs on chili peppers
that tell stories about the “heat” of the
peppers. Claus Pilgaard found a way to
tell a story that was radically different
from that of his content competition . . .
his messaging was around the “taste” of
the peppers. His video with the Danish
National Orchestra eating chili peppers
has been viewed by more people than
the entire population of Denmark.

#ContentInc
ANN REARDON (HOW TO COOK THAT)
Today: Sydney, Australia’s Ann Reardon is the “baking queen of YouTube.” Ann boasts over one
million YouTube subscribers and has marketing deals with companies such as electrical appliance
company, Breville and kitchenware company, World Kitchen.
It may surprise you: In 2011, after
giving birth to her third son, Ann was
looking for something to do during her
night feedings, so she launched a recipe
site called How to Cook That. In three
years she went from 100 subscribers
to over 16 million views on YouTube.
Her key? Focusing on impossible food
creations.

#ContentInc
MATTHEW PATRICK
Today: Matthew Patrick’s Game Theory YouTube network boasts millions of subscribers and
billions of views. He’s turned a simple YouTube channel into a million-dollar enterprise, and even
consults directly for YouTube itself.
It may surprise you: It may surprise
you: Matthew started Game Theory
(a YouTube show about video games)
as a resume builder. Over 4 million
subscribers and Matthew doesn’t need
to look for a job anymore.

#ContentInc
JOY CHO
Today: Joy has designed and coproduced products for such brands as Target and Microsoft,
and she has developed stationery lines, wallpaper, bedding, diaper bags, and even computer
accessories. She also recently debuted a line of Band-Aids from Johnson & Johnson, which are
almost certain to sell out in a similar
fashion to her Target line. Joy’s
revenues are diverse, from direct client
engagement revenues to product sales
to sponsorship to licensing deals.
It may surprise you: Joy started as
a simple design blog in 2005. When
Pinterest launched, she grew her
Pinterest following into more than 13
million followers.

#ContentInc
FOLD FACTORY
Today: Trish Witkowski, CEO of Fold Factory, has become a celebrity in the direct mailing industry
through her regular video show, The 60-Second Super Cool Fold of the Week, where she details
amazing examples of print direct mail. Her 250-plus videos have yielded over 800,000 views and more
than 3,100 subscribers. In addition, Trish
has become a spokesperson for a number
of brands, tours the world as a speaker,
and conducts workshops. Trish’s Content
Inc. initiative has been directly responsible
for over $500,000 in new revenue.
It may surprise you: Trish sees just
a couple thousand views a week on
her video show, but her audience of
direct mailers is loyal and they are
buyers. Simply put, she targets the right
audience.

#ContentInc
MICHELLE PHAN
Today: Michelle’s makeup tutorials have been seen over a billion (yes, billion) times. Now one of
YouTube’s top stars, Michelle has expanded her empire to include a book (released in 2014) and a
full cosmetic line called “em,” produced by L’Oréal.
It may surprise you: Drawing on her
face (makeup) became a release for
Michelle. She believed that makeup
could make everyone superheroes,
where they could escape and defeat evil,
even against all odds. In 2005, Michelle
started a blog combining her skill in
art and drawing and her passion for
makeup. Today, she’s a superhero to
millions.

#ContentInc
PEWDIEPIE
Today: Sweden’s Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, aka PewDiePie, is the most subscribed YouTube
personality on the planet. Since inception, PewDiePie’s videos on indie games have garnered more
than 8 billion views. According to Forbes, PewDiePie made $7 million dollars in 2014.
It may surprise you: According to
Wikipedia: “In 2010, during his time at
university, he registered his PewDiePie
YouTube account. The following year
he dropped out to focus on his YouTube
channel, much to the chagrin of his
parents. Having been refused support
from them, PewDiePie began working at
a hot dog stand to fund his videos.”

#ContentInc
SOCIAL MEDIA EXAMINER (SME)
Today: SME manages the largest online and in-person events in social media marketing, and
boasts over 400,000 subscribers to date.
It may surprise you: CEO Michael
Stelzner’s focus on gathering email
subscribers made all the difference.
While, according to Michael, he was
late to the social media party, his
collaboration with industry influencers
and belief that email subscribers were
the key to the business model rocketed
SME right to the top.

#ContentInc
EVANTUBEHD
Today: What if I told you one of the most successful entrepreneurs on YouTube is just nine years
old? Evan from EvanTubeHD.com consistently reviews toys on his YouTube channel, amassing over
one million subscribers and a staggering one billion views in just a few years. According to ESPN,
Evan generated $1.3 million in revenue
last year. Wow!
It may surprise you: In 2011, EvanTube
started as a father-son Claymation
project about Angry Birds. The initial
video has garnered more than 20 million
views.

#ContentInc
GLOSSIER
Today: The business of Glossier is thriving, with founder Emily Weiss recently raising $8.4 million
from Thrive Capital and other investors.
It may surprise you: Emily
Weiss began the company as a
simple blog. 200,000 followers on
Instagram and 60,000 Facebook
fans later, Glossier has become
one of the leading online retailers
for skin care products.

#ContentInc
JON LOOMER
Today: Jon Loomer gets over 400,000 page views per month and has 50,000+ email subscribers who
asked to receive his information every week. If you ask anyone about who is the leading expert in
advanced Facebook marketing, Jon’s name almost always comes up first. And the best part . . . Jon
has developed a remarkably substantial, growing business—all while still coaching his sons every
year in baseball.
It may surprise you: In 2012, Facebook
rolled out its Timeline for Pages product.
Jon was hooked immediately. So Jon
went to his website, JonLoomer.com,
and started to consistently create
content about the Facebook product.
Everything was educational, helpful,
and remarkably detailed. That first year,
Jon blogged on the subject of Facebook
religiously (creating approximately 350
blog posts in that first year alone).

#ContentInc
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY SCHOOL
Today: Darren Rowse built two amazingly successful Content Inc. models. The first one,
Problogger, focuses on small business blogging. The second, Digital Photography School, is one of
the leading sources for beginning photographers on how to get the maximum out of their picture-
taking skills.
It may surprise you: Darren started
Digital Photography School as a camera-
review blog. Darren then pivoted to
education, and has now become one
of the leading online training sites for
enthusiast photographers.

#ContentInc
LAUREN LUKE
Today: Lauren Luke is recognized as one of the leading online luminaries for makeup design,
developing a multi-million dollar platform in the process.
It may surprise you: In 2007, Lauren
Luke began selling makeup products on
eBay in an effort to subsidize her modest
day job as a taxi dispatcher in Newcastle,
England. To improve her eBay sales,
Lauren began creating practical makeup
application videos and distributed them
on YouTube. Five years, and 135 million
views, later, Lauren had built a bigger
audience than Estée Lauder on YouTube.

#ContentInc
ENTREPRENEURONFIRE (EOF)
Today: Fire Nation (as Founder John Lee Dumas likes to call it), has become a multi-million dollar
podcasting empire in just the last few years. EOF is consistently rated as one of the top podcasts in
the startup space.
It may surprise you: Every month, John
releases a podcast to his fans that details
where every dollar of revenue comes from
in the business. And you know what?
Business is doing really well.

#ContentInc
RIVER POOLS & SPAS
Today: River Pools & Spas is one of the top installers of fiberglass pools in North America, and
recently started manufacturing their own line of fiberglass pools.
It may surprise you: On the verge of
bankruptcy, River Pools started a blog to
answer all the customers’ top questions
as it pertained to fiberglass pools. In a
two-year period, they went from fifth in
their market to selling more fiberglass
pools that any company in North
America, all due to the blog.

#ContentInc
OPENVIEW VENTURE PARTNERS
Today: OpenView owns a content site called OpenView Labs, which has become one of the web’s
leading resources for small, growing businesses regarding financial and capital issues. The site has
over 35,000 subscribers.
It may surprise you: Like most VC
companies, OpenView used to find their
new portfolio companies through word
of mouth. Today, portfolio companies
seek them out, since most are regular
subscribers to their amazing blog and
enewsletter content.

#ContentInc
CONTENT MARKETING INSTITUTE (CMI)
Today: CMI is the leading education and training organization around the practice of content
marketing. Boasting over 140,000 subscribers, CMI runs the largest content marketing event in the
world (Content Marketing World) and the leading magazine (Chief Content Officer).
It may surprise you: CMI started as a
blog by Joe Pulizzi in April of 2007. For
three years Joe blogged on a consistent
basis, building a loyal audience. Joe’s
blog, his multiple books, and speaking
around the world led to the formal
launch of CMI in 2010. The rest, as
they say, is history, as CMI was named
the fastest growing business media
company by Inc. magazine in 2014.

#ContentInc
What’s the surest way to startup failure? Follow old, outdated rules.
In Content Inc., one of today’s most sought-after content-marketing strategists reveals
a new model for entrepreneurial success. Simply put, it’s about developing valuable
content, building an audience around that content, and then creating a product for that
audience.
Notice a shift?
The radical six-step business-building process revealed in this book is smart, simple,
practical, and cost-effective. And best of all, it works. It’s a strategy Pulizzi used to build
his own successful company, Content Marketing Institute, which has landed on Inc.
magazine’s list of fastest growing private companies for three years straight. It’s also
a strategy countless other entrepreneurs use to build their own multi-million dollar
companies. Build an audience and you’ll be able to sell pretty much anything you want.
Today’s markets are more dynamic and customers are more fickle than ever before. Why
would you put all your eggs in one basket before securing a loyal customer base?
Content Inc. shows you how to get customers first and develop products later. It’s the
best way to build a solid, long-lasting business positioned for today’s content-driven
world.
Content Inc. Is The NEW Rulebook for Entrepreneurial Success

#ContentInc
The 20 companies reviewed in
this eBook overview did NOT
find lightning in a bottle. They
followed the Content Inc. model.
This kind of success is yours for the taking!
Order Content Inc. today.

JOE PULIZZI
Joe Pulizzi is an entrepreneur, professional speaker, and
podcaster. He is the founder of several startups, including the
Content Marketing Institute (CMI), recognized as the fastest
growing business media company by Inc. magazine in 2014. CMI
produces Content Marketing World, the world’s largest content
marketing event, and publishes the leading content marketing
magazine, Chief Content Officer. Pulizzi’s book Epic Content
Marketing was named one of Fortune magazine’s Five Must Read
Business Books of the Year.
Find out more about Joe’s books, speaking and business activities
at JoePulizzi.com. Content Inc. is also a podcast, brought to you
by the Content Marketing Institute.
For more information, go to http://content-inc.com.
#ContentInc