Exactly a year ago, we launched a new product extension. It is called Skimm Ahead. The thought was we could make it easier to live a smarter life if you know how to plan ahead. Calendar apps are one of the most used apps for female millennials and no one was thinking about them in a bigger sense. With Skimm Ahead, news and information is delivered by putting content directly into people’s calendars.
We had three business goals with Skimm Ahead. And one big assumption.
1. Can we successfully show up in another routine?
Answer: Yes!
2. Can we bring theSkimm voice to another platform?
Answer: Yes!
3. Can we get our audience to pay us directly for a service?
Answer : Yes!
4. Everyone will want all the same info in their calendar.
Answer: Yeah, about that…
theSkimm app’s calendar integration makes sure you never miss things like the Oscars, when your favorite binge-worthy TV show is back, or when Beyonce tickets go on sale — all the big stuff. Our product team tried to convince us that we should think about categorized calendars but we were stubborn and said ‘thanks for the suggestion,’ one calendar will do.
But, then throughout 2016 we launched additional calendars around important and timely events. We started by curating the 2016 Olympics with an exclusive two-week calendar that made sure you knew what to watch and when. The calendar was a huge success with nearly 70% of app subscribers opting into it.
Post-Olympics theSkimm continued to see success by adding additional calendars and curating the NFL season, college football bowl games, and March Madness.
Now, one year later, we realized our product team was right. And now we’re capitalizing on the success from these additional calendars and launching a set of calendars users can get to make sure they’re getting more of the things that matter to them. Whether you’re looking to impress your finance buddies, find yourself with friends at a sports bar, or want to stay on top of all the binge-worthy TV and political happenings in the world… there’s a calendar for you.
SPORTS
This is designed for the casual fan. Impress the sports fans in your life by knowing what’s coming up, who’s who on the court, why the game is important, and when to watch. theSkimm app can sync directly with your calendar to make sure you know all the important things without lifting a finger. Think: US Open, NBA finals, and World Series games. Prepare to knock everyone’s sports socks off.
BUSINESS
We like to think of this as the secret sauce to get ahead on business and tech news and to know why your friends in finance get extra stressed once a quarter. Everything from the jobs report, earnings, to the big IPOs happening, and when events like Davos are happening. theSkimm app can integrate directly with your calendar to make sure you know the important things happening in the business, finance, and tech world.
POLITICS
This is about staying ahead of what will make the big headlines. Supreme Court hearings, domestic and international elections, big press conferences. It’s all here. All the time.
ENTERTAINMENT
The binge-worthy watches, concert tickets on sale, TV specials and premieres. We’re giving you what everyone is talking about. We want to make sure you know what to watch, and when to tune in.
Over the last year, we have said many times that Skimm Ahead has pushed a few doors of opportunity ajar for us. This next year is about blowing those doors open.
Now go get smarter!
