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EXPLORE CONTENT 04
Our Approach 02
OUR REACH 06
OUR WORK 05
EXPLORE A SECTION
WHO WE ARE 01
REPORTING 08
Getting Started 09
WE Provide a simplified, comprehensive, content marketing solution that serves our partner’s needs.
Our WORK 05
our approach 02
GETTING STARTED 09
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Originally founded out of the San Francisco Chronicle in 2015, our team now supports 90 Hearst properties and 250 marketplace partners across the nation with content spanning 20 different verticals.
Storytelling powerhouse
OUR APPROACH 02
The Hearst StoryStudio is a full-service content marketing agency that offers cost-effective creative solutions with scalable, guaranteed readership to our partners. Our content strategy is based in art and supported by data. In a nutshell, we create insight-driven storytelling and ensure it is read by your audience.
We are where they are
Using the breadth of the Hearst network and beyond, the StoryStudio reaches your audience wherever they might be. Distributing our content to targeted audiences ensures that your content is being read by the right readers and your goals are being met.
Driven by Results
Storytelling is in our DNA and makes us uniquely qualified to help you tell yours. We develop, design and deliver engaging content for brands big and small. Our creative capabilities across all mediums and platforms allow us to reach your audience in new ways.
We believe in the “no surprises” approach to measuring content effectiveness. Our analytics and real-time reporting tools gauge success to give a narrative to your narrative. We track and optimize your campaign in real time and give you full visibility throughout the program.
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Originally founded out of the San Francisco Chronicle in 2015, our team is now distributed across the nation. The StoryStudio continues Hearst’s 150+ year tradition of telling powerful stories.
OUR APPROACH 03
150+
You have a story and we can help you tell it.
We have three different approaches to create the best content to engage your audiences wherever they might be.
We CREATE
YOU CREATE
WE BOTH CREATE
Let's TAKE A TRIP!
Ali starts her day reading SFGate to catch up on news while trying to plan a weekend away.
MEET ALI
Kevin has been researching the best ski destinations for his next weekend trip.
MEET KEVIN
See's sponsored article for the “Stay Healdsburg”, clicks to read more.
Engages with an interactive article that lets her explore all there is to do in Healdsburg.
Based on his geo, demo and his interests he is served an ad for Ski MA while he is catching up on daily news on Esquire.
Kevin clicks on the ad, lands on a custom story created by the StoryStudio where he can read about Visit Massachusetts Winter Skiing.
RELAXING WEEKEND GETAWAY
ADVENTUROUS WEEKEND GETAWAY
A look at how your audience might arrive at your branded content.
Relaxing Weekend Getaway MEET ALI
Adventurous weekend getaway MEET KEVIN
We create various types of content to tell your story, engage your audiences and drive results. Browse each category to see more of our work and our capabilities. From product elements to podcasts and videos, there are several ways we can tell your story and achieve your objectives.
High-Impact Layout
EXPERIENCE LAYOUT
BRANDED Hub
TRADITIONAL & HIGH-IMPACT LAYOUTS
Experience LayoutS
CREATIVE EXTENSIONS
BRANDED HUBS
CONTENT LIBRARY
Co-op HUBS
INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS
Co-op Hubs
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An editorial style story where the sponsored content aligns with the publication’s branding. The StoryStudio will add images, videos, and call-to-actions to mix in with the custom content to enhance readership and engagement within the story.
TRADITIONAL LAYOUTS
An interactive story built from one of The StoryStudio’s templates. This layout uses animations, visual imagery/videos, call-out quotes and call-to-actions to engage the reader. These visually captivating stories typically generate longer read times and higher engagement.
HIGH-IMPACT LAYOUTS
EDITORIAL STYLE
SEVERAL LAYOUT OPTIONS
FULL Screen EXPERIENCE
VISUAL ANIMATIONS
BRANDING ALIGNS WITH PUB
ITINERARY + CUSTOM MAP
EDITORIAL STYLE + FEATURED CONTENT
SHOPABLE IMAGES + MULTIPLE CHOICE QUIZ
An immersive story that is uniquely designed to each brand’s identity. The layout is built around the engaging content, but the captivating design is what keeps the readers scrolling down the page and interested in learning more.
EXPERIENCE LAYOUTS
An enhanced resource guide for a company that provides value to a reader beyond a single story. Each hub is custom built and contains various pieces of information - from featured stories, custom quizzes to interactive maps - all relevant to the company’s messaging.
VIDEO + PODCAST
EVENTS + FEATURED CONTENT
INFOGRAPHIC + QUIZ
Add multi-media elements to any program to tell your story in different ways and reach different audiences.
creative extensions
VIDEO
PODCAST
SOCIAL
REVERSE PUB
EMAIL BLAST
LOCAL GUIDE + EMBEDDED MAP
FEATURED CONTENT + EMBEDDED MAP
RECRUITMENT + POPUP CARDS
These hubs are built in a fully immersive platform that allows for customization and full design control of the page from top to bottom. We build these hubs with set sales packages in mind, allowing for sponsors to be added seamlessly on a weekly or monthly basis.
CO-OP HUBS
LADDER-STYLE
GRID-STYLE
MULTI-STYLE
The Content Library features all content previously created by StoryStudio or from other, external sources. Perfect for showcasing incredible stories that have already been written, the contents of the library can range from sponsored content, news articles, and even blog posts.
The StoryStudio interactive elements are enhancements that can be added to any layout or hub for an additional cost. Most interactive elements offer two levels of pricing based on complexity and customization.
Maps
Product catalog
Sliders
Gamification
Custom Branding
Custom Modules
InfoGraphics
Information cards
Events
Quizzes & Assessments
Timelines
Shoppable Images
WE CREATE content for brands.
Level 2
-StoryStudio will asses the request and determine level for pricing -Recent examples: annual report, look book, 3D rendering
Level 1
-StoryStudio will asses the request and determine level for pricing -Recent examples: countdown clock, what to pack, bulletin board, hotel listings
-Client will follow normal process for a sponsored story, once content is approved and brand guidelines are provided, we will build out the “custom branding layout” for review.
-Up to 10 different elements included -Most are custom built based on topic and -Talk with your rep today to see if we can gamify your next project
-Use of two photos for comparison provided by client -Captions optional -Up to 6 individual slides included
-Calendar style of events -Up to 3 months included -Event includes popup with description, image, and click through to RSVP
-Up to 6 events listed -Each event includes: date, brief description, image (if available) and click through to RSVP page
Information Cards
-Up to 10 information cards -Popups are completely custom with image/video -Built to match layout design
-Up to 6 information cards -Popups contain icons, text, buttons only
infographics
-Custom digital illustrations with unlimited colors -Animation can be included -Custom sizing
-Custom digital illustrations with up to 3 colors -Choose from preset sizes (300x250, 300x600, 1280x600px) -Assets provided to client to repurpose
Product Catalog
-Custom catalog to meet the clients needs to feature their products -Suggested maximum is 20 products -Assets and click through link provided from client
-Catalog with up to 6 featured products -Assets and click through link provided from client
SHOPPABLE IMAGEs
Fully immersive 3D experience Hotspot elements added to video content Interactive & virtual tours
-Product image with hotspots -Up to 5 individual images with 3 hotspots on each image -Hotspots can contain mini-descriptions with CTA to product information page
-Custom timeline matching dates with assets and descriptions -Dates can have popup feature to fit more information
-Linear timeline matching dates with photo and description -Up to 10 dates included
-Built as a fully custom quiz within story/hub to match look and feel of story/hub
-Built in a templated format and embedded Template 1 Template 2
-Built as a fully custom map within story/hub -Custom popup description cards -Great for visual showcase of around 10 pinpoints
-Built as a templated map and embedded -Option to customize styling and pinpoint icon -Great for utility: showcase exact location and include 1 - 50+ pinpoints
WE DISTRIBUTE both locally and nationally.
We can target our audiences down to the zipcode. This is helpful for small to mid-sized brands that have a localized audience specific to a geographic region.
LOcal
Do you have business locations or audiences in multiple cities? We can leverage different distribution + targeting tactics to meet your audience where they are.
If you are a national brand with multiple regions, we can do that too. Like we said, where your audience is, we are too.
multi-market
NATIONAL
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WE ENGAGE your audience wherever they are.
Leveraging Hearst first-party data and our extended network, we are able to reach even your most highly focused audiences and detailed personas.
OUR REACH 07
C Suite Exec (CEO) Age: Mid 60's Location: NY Interests: Skiing, travel, stock market trends, father of two Frequent Hearst viewer
Benefits of highly targeted audiences include: Ads not served to irrelevant audiences = no wasted ad spend Higher CTRs on native ads More time spent on content Increased engagement
JEFF
Elizabeth
The Ultimate Consumer Age: Early 30’s Location: TX Interests: Self-help, DIY, latest beauty trends, products, hot fashion, blogging
Social Butterfly Age: Mid 20's Location: SF Interests: Arts & Entertainment, espresso martini, concert goer, looking for new experiences
MONICA
*These are only sample targeting personas. Targeting profiles are custom to each brand and their objectives.
WE Drive results and success.
Measurement and attribution is key to understanding if our content programs were successful. Our real-time analytics track how your target audience responds to your content and provides valuable insights on both message and creative. Defining the goals and the target audience starts with the content and ends with results.
An impression is a metric used to quantify the number of digital views of an ad placement, either via native, social or search ad units.
Impressions
We report on the different channels that bring traffic to the sponsored content so we know where to attribute success.
Traffic Sources
Promotion clicks show the engagements on the native ad placements that bring a user to the story page.
Promotion Clicks
Average time spent shows how long a typcal user spent on your site in total. It's total time of all sessions divided by your number of sessions.
Avg. Time Spent
We report on audiece location data based on client need, from country to city and zip level.
Geo-data
Our content is optimized for both desktop and mobile, and we share the breakdown so clients know how to best reach their audiences.
Devices
We can both target and report on audience age, to help clients better understand the composition of their audience.
Age
Our gender breakdown shows the percentages of which gender your audience identifies as.
Gender
An engagement is a pageview of :30 or more on the page.
Engagement
LET's GET STARTED!
Don't be shy! Introduce yourself! Tell us about your advertising goals and objectives and we’ll tell you how we can help.
We take a collaborative approach to creating content to best tell your story. We’ll work together to understand your goals, budget and objectives. From traditional layouts, to a custom interactive experience, the possibilities are endless.
Our creative team will work with you to create a story that shines the best light on your brand and will resonate with your target audience. We can incorporate testimonials, quotes, studies and more to tell your story in the most engaging way possible.
Once we get your green light, the story is live on the site. We utilize our extended network to find the right audience and drive them back to your story. The campaign can be as short or as long as you’d like, and we’ll provide you with performance updates along the way.
Upon campaign completion, we provide you with a final wrap-up report detailing the performance of your story. Have any questions? Our team is here to help you interpret the data and discover new things about who’s interacting with your brand.
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Contact Us
Collaborate
Create
Launch
Succeed!
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EMAIL US
Have Questions?
FAQs
StoryStudio@hearst.com
WE CREATE content for brands
Creative & Interactive
CustoM experiences
Content destinations
Add Ons
From podcasts to video, we offer additional content add-ons to fit your objectives.
Overall story visual by leveraging custom editorial layouts and interactive content tools.
High-end, immersive brand executions created for brands based on specific initiatives or goals.
House content on a customized hub anchored to a vanity URL and managed by the StoryStudio.
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Content Capabilities 04
what is content marketing? 03
WE CREATE
WE ENGAGE
WE DISTRIBUTE
What we do
WE Drive results
04
The engagement of our content is guaranteed. We write, design, and create content that has your target audiences interested and engaged. Our creative capabilities matched with our reach = storytelling powerhouse.
Hearst has the ability to reach your audience wherever they might be. Distributing our content to targeted audiences ensures that your goals are being met.
Our analytics and reporting tools further support our ability to work with brands big and small to tell their stories in ways that drive results. Once we write, create and design we analyse how our content is performing with our audiences.
StoryStudio partners with clients to tell their story in an engaging and creative way. From writing the story to designing interactive elements and custom experiences, we create to leverage our clients overall brand initiatives or content goals.
3x
Content generates approximately 3X more leads per dollar spent than traditional marketing tactics. (Demand Metric)
66%
of marketers say being able to produce engaging, well-designed visual content consistently is their biggest struggle.
78%
of consumers will trust your brand if you create more customized content
82%
82% of B2B buyers viewed at least five pieces of content from the vendor prior to purchase. (Forrester)
70%
of consumers prefer getting to know a company via articles rather than ads. (Kapost)
7.8x
Year-over-year growth in unique site traffic is 7.8x higher for content marketing leaders compared to followers
62%
Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates about 3 times as many leads. (DemandMetric)
PROCESS 07
BRAND PARTNERS 06
WHAT WE DO 05
CUSTOMER JOURNEY 04
Content marketing 03
MEET THE Storystudio 02
REMOVE but check data
podcast & video
Stories are created in the same look, feel, and tone as our editorial allowing your brand message to be seamlessly integrated across our platforms.
EDITORIAL
The StoryStudio’s High Impact Layout is a fully customized immersive and interactive experience created and developed for you. These visually captivating stories draw readers in and generate longer reading times and higher engagements.
HIGH IMPACT
Interactive content is the best way to educate, entertain, and engage your audience. Actively answering questions or participating in interactive content guides prospects to specific results in real time that address their problems, challenges, or ideas.
INTERACTIVE
These experiences are high-end, immersive executions created for brands based on a specific initiative or goal. Includes custom editorial, interactive experiences, visuals and graphics and takes the story-telling experience to the next level.
EXPERIENCES
IN story shopping
Infographic
Quiz
OUR WORK 06
Content destinations creatively showcase sponsored content in a way that is more engaging, interactive, and sometimes collaborative. These can be a web page that is designed to be a hub housing multiple channels of content, offer unique information, and generate interest in a brand or they can be a web page that is designed to feature various sponsors, contains multiple pages, and has a tiered sales approach.
DESTINATIONS
Themed
BRANDED/ hub
editorial
Podcast & Video can be one of the ways we approach content to reach your brand's objectives.
Our WORK 04
EXPLORE CONTENT 03
interactive map + image carousels
