Quietly Navigating the New Content Economy

The new content economy is here.

Publishers are becoming brand advertisers and brands are becoming publishers. Positioning itself as the mediator between two worlds—science and art, tech and content, brands and publishing—Quietly is immersing itself in the new content economy.

In its beginning stages, the Vancouver-based company wanted to power consumer content. Founded by Hootsuite cofounder Dario Meli and Invoke Media veteran Sean Tyson, Quietly was conceived as a way to create and share personalized lists for and from people you trust.

This has transitioned to a new goal: for its software to be used by journalists, bloggers, publishers and brands. By expanding its offering beyond lists into slideshows, media carousels, interactive maps, and offering detailed analytics on usage, Quietly began to position itself as an expert for publishers looking to expand their publishing power and reach. The Quietly team enlisted writers and editors to create and distribute content aligning with the brand or publishers goals.

“To us, great content is a marriage of science and art,” says Tyson. “You need the data and the strategy in order for it to become successful—look at any new media enterprise with killer traffic—but you also need the mastery of crafting copy and telling a story. Together, these techniques create excellent, successful content. And that’s where we see ourselves.”

Just as Quietly was making a name for itself with publishers, brands wanted in on the new content economy, too. Brands came out of the woodwork looking to Quietly to handle all of their content creation to satisfy their audiences on social media, their newsletters and their blogs. A year after its launch, Quietly is serving over 70 million unique impressions a month.

This is the new reality of the content economy: everyone wants the assured science of data-driven strategy and the confidence of crafting content. The past methods of traditional media have long been left behind in favor of flexible strategies and marketing. Online publishing and content marketing are the future for publishers and brands to grow. And despite the millions of pieces of content on the internet, the marketplace is hungry for more.

“Content marketing is nothing new,” says Meli, “but as display advertising continues to decline in its relevance and brands amass large scale distribution channels, it’s clear that the need for great content to offer to customers is becoming paramount and we plan on being leaders in the space.”