Huffington Post Case Study

Review Questions

1. Arianna Huffington drew on some of her celebrity contacts early on to popularize the website. Do you think a person without her connections could have been equally successful? What strategy changes would a non-celebrity have to make to succeed?

I don't think her blog would have picked up and become viral so quickly if she hadn't had those celebrity contacts, but someone without connections like that, can reach out to other influentials in the industry like up and coming or popular book writers, reporters, other bloggers, socialites, etc. The first step is to figure out your niche market blog, and then the audience that would read it. For example, a blog about newborns and baby toys would be targeted to new mothers that are online or would like to be a part of an online community.

Do you expect that AOL's purchase of the Huffington Post will have a largely positive or negative effect on its viewership? Name some pros and cons, and compare them.

As AOL was popular at the time, they expected to get thousands of dollars with this partnership. Arianna Huffington was appointed President so AOL did not completely dominate the blog. They also expected the site to reach 100 million visitors. Although these positive benefits were to come from this project, but in April 2011, a labor advocate sued the website for 9,000 uncompensated bloggers. At the time, hundreds of other advancements with the internet and technology were rising. Competitors can also gain popularity quickly, and as expected since then, there are hundreds of thousands of blogs for readers to view now. 

Beyond Arianna Huffington using her celebrity contacts, what other strategies did the staff implement to make this the number one blog in the blogosphere? Can these same strategies be applied to other blogs? Why/why not?

The Huffington Post did not touch on just a few blogs, but also political news written by credible organizations. They also partnered with SoftBank Capital who gave them a grant to increase their staff and hire in-house reporters. With all of these credible sources, the website drew 2.3 million visitors. Having a variety of content but still keeping that niche can attract many visitors. For example, a blogger just starting out can write about food recipes specific to their niche, but maybe have 1 or 2 days a week dedicated to a specific type of post like a new kitchen gadget or an alternative food for those with health problems. A new blogger with the credentials to become as big as the Huffington Post can reach out to potential sponsors to pitch their website for a partnership.