theSkimm
Two NBC News producers quit their jobs, funded their idea on credit-card debt, and built a daily email that explained the news like a friend. It grew to 7 million subscribers.
Two NBC News producers, roommates in their twenties, quit their jobs and funded their idea on credit-card debt: a daily email that explained the news the way you’d explain it to a friend over coffee. theSkimm grew to 7 million subscribers, and proved that a simple newsletter, in an era obsessed with apps and algorithms, could be a real media company.
Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg built theSkimm for millennial women who wanted to be informed without wading through the news themselves. They turned an email list into a business, ads, a paid membership, a best-selling book, a podcast, and an app, and they did it on top of an audience they owned outright, with no platform or algorithm sitting between them and their readers.
At a glance:
| Founded | July 2012, by Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg |
| Founders’ background | Former NBC News producers and roommates |
| First funding | Their own credit-card debt |
| Product | The Daily Skimm, a conversational daily news email |
| Audience | 7 million+ subscribers |
| Expanded into | Membership, a best-selling book, a podcast, and an app |
The Story
Two roommates and a credit card
Zakin and Weisberg were producers at NBC News, living together, when they noticed their smart, busy friends weren’t keeping up with the news, not because they didn’t care, but because the news wasn’t built for how they lived. In July 2012 the two quit their stable network jobs and funded the idea themselves, on credit-card debt, betting on a hunch and each other.
The news, explained like a friend
The Daily Skimm was a single morning email that summarized what happened in the world in a conversational, funny, human voice, the way you’d catch a friend up, not the way an anchor reads a teleprompter. That voice was the product. It made staying informed feel easy and even enjoyable, and it was distinctive enough that readers forwarded it, which is how it spread.
7 million subscribers
theSkimm grew to roughly 7 million subscribers within about seven years, an audience larger than many television news programs, built almost entirely on a free daily email. Along the way the founders published a best-selling book, launched a popular podcast, and turned the newsletter into a recognizable brand for millennial women.
Turning a newsletter into a company
The founders never treated theSkimm as just an email. They built a membership product, a referral program that turned readers into recruiters, campaigns like #ShowUsYourLeave pushing for paid family leave, and an app, expanding a simple newsletter into a multi-format media business with the email at its core.
The Strategy
Own the audience
theSkimm’s foundational choice was email. Unlike followers on a social platform, an email list is an audience you own, no algorithm decides who sees your work, and no platform can take it away. Building on owned ground rather than rented land is what let theSkimm control its relationship with 7 million people and monetize it on its own terms.
Serve one reader precisely
Rather than chase all millennials, theSkimm built for a specific person: a busy millennial woman who wanted to be informed without the effort. That focus shaped the voice, the topics, and the products, and a brand built precisely for one reader beats a bland one built for everyone. Knowing exactly who you serve is the whole advantage.
A referral engine built into the product
theSkimm’s “Skimm’rs” program rewarded readers for referring friends, turning its own audience into its growth engine. Word of mouth built into the product is the cheapest customer acquisition there is, and it’s how a free newsletter scaled to millions without a big ad budget.
The Marketing
The voice was the marketing
theSkimm spread because it sounded like a person, not an institution, and people forwarded it precisely because of that voice. A distinctive, genuinely useful product that people want to share generates earned attention no ad campaign can buy. The tone wasn’t decoration, it was the growth strategy.
Community and cause
Through Skimm’rs ambassadors and campaigns like #ShowUsYourLeave, the founders turned readers into a community with shared values, not just an inbox list. That sense of belonging deepened loyalty and gave the brand a meaning beyond the daily email.
The Numbers
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2012 | theSkimm launches in July, funded on credit-card debt |
| 2012–2019 | Grows to roughly 7 million subscribers |
| Ongoing | Adds membership, a best-selling book, a podcast, and an app |
| Ongoing | Raises venture funding to scale beyond the newsletter |
theSkimm is privately held and doesn’t disclose revenue, but a 7-million-person owned audience is the asset the whole business rests on. It built that audience from two women, a credit card, and a voice, which is the clearest proof of how far a simple, well-executed idea can go.
What You Can Learn
Own your audience. theSkimm built on email, an audience no algorithm controls and no platform can take away. Building on ground you own instead of rented followers is the difference between a business and a presence.
Serve one reader deeply. By building precisely for the busy millennial woman, theSkimm made something people loved instead of something everyone tolerated. A clear, specific customer is an advantage, not a limitation.
Build referral into the product. The Skimm’rs program turned readers into recruiters, scaling the list through word of mouth. The cheapest growth is the kind your own audience creates for you.
A simple format can be a real business. In an era chasing apps and algorithms, two women built a media company on a daily email. The idea doesn’t have to be complicated. It has to be genuinely good and genuinely useful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded theSkimm?
theSkimm was founded in July 2012 by Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg, two former NBC News producers who were roommates and funded the launch with their own credit-card debt.
What is theSkimm?
theSkimm is a media company built around the Daily Skimm, a conversational daily email newsletter that summarizes the news for millennial women. It has grown to include a paid membership, a best-selling book, a podcast, and an app.
How many subscribers does theSkimm have?
theSkimm grew to roughly 7 million subscribers within about seven years of its 2012 launch, built almost entirely on its free daily email.
How does theSkimm make money?
theSkimm monetizes its large owned audience through advertising, a paid membership product, affiliate and commerce partnerships, and its podcast and other media, all anchored by the newsletter.
Sources
- Product Habits, “How theSkimm Grew to 7 Million Subscribers in 7 Years”. Founding on credit-card debt and audience growth.
- Business Insider, “2 roommates launched TheSkimm, a newsletter now read by 5 million people,” 2017. Founders’ NBC background and July 2012 launch.
- The Philadelphia Inquirer, “TheSkimm’s co-founders on reaching 7 million subscribers,” 2019. 7 million subscribers, book, and podcast.
- Wikipedia, “The Skimm”. Membership model, #ShowUsYourLeave, and company milestones.