Group Black, the home for Black-Owned media properties, and SHE Media, a mission-driven publishing collective with a focus on elevating independent media, announced the joint launch of the Group Black Network. This partnership brings more than 250 premium Black, Women-Owned SHE Media publishers to the Group Black Network. It provides a direct channel to deploy advertising investments to said publishers. This increases visibility and earning opportunities. Group Black can leverage the entire SHE Media Collective to drive higher revenue for multiple publishers within packaged deals.
Combined power of partnerships
Group Black and SHE Media will empower and monetize SHE Media’s incredible editorial network by directly connecting publishers with Group Black’s brand and advertising partners. The infrastructure of the Group Black Network enables the company to command premium rates for these publishers by offering compelling ad inventory on both an individual and collective basis. While SHE Media features a diverse, inclusive community, Group Black brings increased demand specifically to the community of Black-Owned publishers. This includes The Baby Sleep Site, IceCreamConvos, Black Girls Eat, FashionBombDaily, The Jasmine Brand and more. These creators independently develop culturally-savvy and engaging content across multiple channels. Collectively, SHE Media is a Top 10 Lifestyle property per comScore and reaches 80 million monthly visitors.
“SHE Media empowers diverse, independent publishers to scale their businesses,” said Samantha Skey, CEO, SHE Media. “The media landscape is undergoing dramatic change. This is led in part by the efforts of initiatives like SHE Media’s Meaningful Marketplaces program. That’s designed to allocate more advertising dollars to minority-owned publishers. There’s also the birth and expansion of Group Black. A transparent and empowered ecosystem, where Black publishers have the full understanding of their earning opportunity, will be transformative in who leads, what values reign and how media operates.”
“Group Black and SHE Media share an important mission to elevate Black voices in the media world,” said Travis Montaque, Co-Founder, CEO & Director of Group Black. “By enabling our brand partners to reach more diverse audiences, Group Black facilitates real action and opportunity. Welcoming SHE Media to Group Black is an incredible way to create even more impact and possibility.”
Building new opportunities
Creating an equitable framework where Black publishers are appropriately recognized and compensated for their contributions to the industry and culture at large is at the core of both this strategic partnership and Group Black’s mission. Using Group Black’s pipeline-opening model, Group Black and SHE Media’s partnership will create opportunities for under-served and undervalued Black publishers. These will yield mass exposure and drive incremental advertising revenue. SHE media publishers in the Group Black network will be equipped with media revenue, branded content opportunities, editorial connections and education on best practices to help bring their diverse content types and personal stories to the world.
“As a Black-Owned and Woman-Owned publisher, I feel extremely supported and valued by SHE Media. I’m eager to be a part of the Group Black Network to unlock new opportunities to expand my business,” said Nicole Johnson, Founder of The Baby Sleep Site. “Both entities continue to show that we’re partners and strive for all publishers in the Group Black Network to succeed. As I work with Group Black, I’m confident they will develop opportunities to support and grow The Baby Sleep Site. I truly appreciate SHE Media and Group Black, and look forward to a great future together!”
Expanding DE&I initiatives
At the recent 2021 Google Certified Publishing Partner Summit, SHE Media received the 2021 DEI Driver award for continuous efforts promoting diversity, equity and inclusion among their publisher base. This was through She Media’s Meaningful Marketplaces initiative. This is an effort to help advertisers drive programmatic and direct deals across Black-owned partner sites. Leveraging this platform will arm publishers in the Group Black Network with the required data to trigger ad investments. It will also equip them with the technology needed to compete with legacy publishing houses at the highest level. Group Black will work with SHE Media to identify Black publishers in its network, exclusively representing and pairing individuals with relevant brand and advertising partners. Brands and advertisers will also have access to detailed first-party metrics.
“UWG is proud to partner with Group Black and SHE Media. We can amplify diverse voices that speak to and for BIPOC communities,” said Gregory Edwards, President & COO, UWG. “UWG is committed to supporting Black, Women-owned publishers who produce quality content that is aligned with our client Ford Motor Company’s values. We look forward to helping these publishers take their brands to the next level.”
Learn about Navigating Diversity and Inclusion in a Time of Crisis.
About Group Black
Group Black is the home for Black-owned media properties. The company is composed of Group Black Media and Group Black Ventures. The first, Group Black Media, nurtures and enables the largest ecosystem of Black-owned media entities in the industry through its Member Companies, creators and wholly-owned Group Black Brands. Group Black Ventures is designed to actively infuse capital to build the next generation of Black-owned media brands. Group Black is assembling a collection of the media industry’s biggest names to lead the largest push for Black-owned media investment.
About SHE Media
SHE Media focuses on the power of content to move our culture forward through the celebration of passion and purpose. We believe that media companies can and should be a force for good in the world. Our rich collection of content is curated from thousands of diverse sources. Comprised of a community of creators and hand-picked publishers within the SHE Media Partner Network and the flagship brands, SheKnows, BlogHer, STYLECASTER and Soaps, we produce digital and live media content that connects and inspires millions.
SHE Media’s BlogHer is home to the leading content and live media event platform for women entrepreneurs and creators. Its mission is to provide economic empowerment to all women. The SHE Media Partner Network represents a community of 5K curated independent publishers and social content creators. This provides the foundation for a scalable, sustainable economic model for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
SHE Media is also the creator of innovative platforms that includes SheKnows Hatch, an award-winning video series featuring Gen Z-generated content. There’s also BlogHer’s Voices of the Year, honoring powerful, culture-shifting women across industries.
Add Comment