Glossier: The Billion-Dollar Content-Driven Powerhouse

-CREATOR OF THE DAY-

GLOSSIER

Glossier went from humble blog posts to a $2 billion beauty empire:

• Into The Gloss (ITG) - its viral beauty blog. 10 million visits/month at its peak

• Instagram - 1 million followers

Glossier and Into The Gloss are masterclasses in content marketing.

Here are 5 psychology-backed strategies any content creator could use to build their own empire.

1. Give Your Audience A Voice

Into The Gloss (ITG) has always had a focus on audience participation.

While most creators would focus on their own stories and experiences, ITG gave their readers the opportunity to share theirs.

The beauty stories, routines, and product favorites of readers.

They’d all be shared on the blog or on their Instagram page.

It transformed the passive reader into an active contributor.

It makes them feel socially validated.

People have a need to share and be heard - we’re social beings, after all.

When someone shares a personal experience or opinion and finds it being acknowledged or even just read by others, it addresses their need for validation.

Key Takeaway:

Give your audience opportunities to be heard and validated.

It breeds loyalty and connection.

2. Be Relatable

Many beauty and style blogs showcase models with unrealistic standards.

To most people, they seem out of reach and unrelatable.

Into The Gloss’ popular “Top Shelf” section showcases women that are stylish, but also relatable.

They could be our trendy coworker, college roommate, or chic neighbor.

This choice is deliberate.

Glossier/ITG knows being relatable is so much more valuable than showcasing an unrealistic standard of beauty.

It drives home the feeling that if it looks good and feels empowering on someone who looks like “me”, it can do the same for me too.

Jenna Kutcher is another example of a creator who embraces vulnerability.

She openly discusses her insecurities, struggles with body image, and her journey to self-acceptance.

She’s built a hugely loyal fanbase as a result.

Authenticity and relatability can drive deep connections.

3. Give Your Audience A Sense Of Ownership

The Endowment Effect:

People value things more highly when they have a hand in creating them.

Glossier isn’t shy about seeking direct feedback from its audience.

They ask for opinions on product shades, ingredients, or packaging directly through their blog and social channels.

It turns readers/consumers into collaborators.

Glossier taps into The Endowment Effect by making readers view the final product as something they’ve had a direct influence over.

This feeling of co-ownership increases the product’s value in their eyes.

Key Takeaway: 

Involve your audience in your product development process.

Increase their stake in your content and give them a sense of ownership over your brand.

4. Social Proof

The Bandwagon Effect:

We have a tendency to follow popular opinions or actions.

It’s a psychological phenomenon in which people tend to do something mainly because others are doing it, even if it’s at odds with our own beliefs.

As much as we hate to admit it, we want to feel as though we’re part of the majority.

It comes down to our primal survivalist instincts.

Back in the prehistoric era, being part of a tribe increased our chances of survival.

Glossier/ITG benefits massively from The Bandwagon Effect.

It’s a master of using social proof.

They showcase real-life usage of their products in their content at every opportunity.

It makes us feel that if “everyone else” finds it beneficial, then it’s more likely that I will too.

Key Takeaway:

When creating content, showcase the genuine experiences your audience has with your brand.

It builds a huge amount of trust.

5. The Power Of Storytelling

Glossier and ITG have mastered the art of storytelling in the beauty niche.

Creators often underestimate the power of storytelling in content.

When we engage with a story, a phenomenon called “neural coupling” activates.

The same areas of the brain that light up when we experience something also light up when we hear about that experience in a story.

As listeners, we don't just hear the story; we live it in our minds.

By sharing stories, Glossier isn’t just giving us information.

They’re giving us an experience.

Key Takeaway:

People remember feelings more than facts.

Engage your audience with stories that allow them to journey with you.

TL;DR

1. Give Your Audience A Voice: Prioritize audience participation and turn passive consumers into active contributors.

2. Be Relatable: Go for authenticity over perfection. Genuine, relatable content builds deeper connections and trust.

3. Give Your Audience A Sense Of Ownership: Involve your community in creation processes.

4. Social Proof: Highlight user experiences with your brand to make use of “the bandwagon effect” and build trust.

5. The Power Of Storytelling: Engage audiences emotionally with compelling stories. Don’t just give people information - give them experiences.

-TOOL OF THE DAY-

SEMRUSH: Title Generator

Not Sponsored.

The AI Title Generator by Semrush is a free tool that helps content creators generate dozens of catchy, diverse titles/headlines for their content.

By simply entering a topic or keyword, the AI generates high-quality headlines with the best tone of voice for your audience.