STRATEGIC GUIDE

How to Expand Your Brand

Across Multiple Channels:

LESSONS FROM
THE HUSTLE
Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

Foreword
Brad Wolverton
Editorial Director, HubSpot Media

“IPO or bust.”

Those words hung over the door of The Hustle’s San Francisco offices years before we were acquired
by HubSpot.

No one who worked for our scrappy, independent media company—which, at its height, brought in
maybe $12M a year in revenue—had illusions of going public.

But we never missed an opportunity to offer an acerbic take on Big Tech—in this case, a mockery of the
gold rush mentality of Silicon Valley.

That brashness was unique in media, helping us gain legions of loyal fans and a multimillion-dollar
exit. That story has been well-documented. But not as much has been said about The Hustle’s post-
acquisition life, where we have arguably been even more successful.

Since our 2021 HubSpot acquisition, I’ve helped scale The Hustle newsletter from 1M to 2M+ daily
readers, and have overseen multiple brand extensions, including a Hustle-inspired daily business
podcast and a Hustle-inspired YouTube channel — which together reach a half-million more people
every month.

Those product extensions have come as audiences are spending increasing amounts of time on
YouTube and with their favorite podcasts, and have positioned The Hustle as a leading media voice
across multiple platforms.

But those aren’t the only media properties we’ve added. Over the past three years, HubSpot has
invested tens of millions of dollars into what is now a multi-channel media operation that produces
dozens of podcasts, YouTube channels, newsletters, and blogs.

Altogether, our content reaches some 70M people every month, serving as a top-of-funnel marketing
vehicle and lead magnet for HubSpot. It has also introduced tens of thousands of new businesses to
HubSpot’s suite of marketing, AI, sales, and customer service tools.

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Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

Plenty of other non-media companies have tried to produce business news content and not had the
same success as HubSpot. What makes us different?

For starters, The Hustle’s largely entrepreneurial audience aligns perfectly with HubSpot’s target
customer: small to midsize businesses. And HubSpot’s leadership has given us the autonomy and
tools we need to attract world-class editorial talent.

When HubSpot acquired The Hustle, its founders, Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah, told us that they
liked us just the way we were. “If anyone tries to change you,” they said, “let us know.”

And then they did something that every media company wants from its corporate parent: they got out
of the way and let us make great products.

I won’t lie—producing media products is not easy, and it’s only getting more complicated with AI. But
this guide will give you a peek into how The Hustle thinks about media products, and how you can build
effective spin-off media properties by following our lead.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction P5

STEP 1

Selecting the Right Channels P7

STEP 2

Establish Your Brand Identity

Across Channels P10

STEP 3

Develop Tailored Content

Strategies for Each Channel P13

STEP 4

Drive Audience Engagement

and Distribution P16

STEP 5

Measure Performance and

Iterate for Success P18
Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

Introduction
In the modern digital landscape, the importance of expanding your brand across multiple channels
has never been more crucial. Consumers are interacting with brands through more touchpoints
and platforms than ever, making a multi-channel approach essential to ensuring maximum reach,
engagement, and impact.

By effectively leveraging diverse channels, businesses can establish a strong brand presence, connect
with audiences on their preferred platforms, and create a cohesive brand experience across different
mediums. Embracing a multi-channel brand expansion strategy not only helps businesses stay relevant
and competitive, but also paves the way for sustained growth and success.

But, as you may have guessed, the process of multi-channel expansion is more complex than just
making a new social media account or two. There is a level of nuance, requiring you to deeply
understand your target audience, where they are most likely to engage with your brand, and what
their overall expectations are from you. You then leverage this knowledge to develop strong content
strategies, drive engagement, and optimize programming for success.

What is multi-channel
brand expansion?
This is a marketing process that involves
strategically extending your brand’s visibility
and engagement across multiple platforms to
connect with diverse audiences successfully.

Think of your favorite coffee shop. They’re

serving customers in-store, but they also
offer mobile ordering. On top of that, they’re
engaging with customers on social media
and regularly host community events to
draw new customers.

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Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

Benefits of Multi-Channel Brand Expansion:

Increased reach and visibility across diverse platforms

Attracting a wider audience with varied channel preferences

Enhancing brand awareness, recognition, and credibility

Building stronger customer relationships through consistent engagement

Diversifying revenue streams and mitigating risks

Adapting to changing consumer preferences and behaviors

Overcoming challenges related to limited audience reach, stagnant growth,

lack of brand differentiation, and market fluctuations

HubSpot acquired The Hustle in 2021, and has

since leveraged it as a powerful brand building
and lead generation tool. Beyond the daily
newsletter that you know and love, The Hustle
has brought countless new users to HubSpot
by venturing into content strategies across web,
social, podcast, and YouTube. This strategic
move has allowed HubSpot to diversify its
approach and tap into additional channels for
audience engagement and brand expansion.

The Hustle’s post-acquisition content tactics

demonstrate the power of consistency, knowing
your audience, engagement, and performance
measurement across various platforms, laying
the groundwork for growth in an ever-evolving
marketing ecosystem.

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Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

STEP 1
Selecting the Right Channels
As digital marketing evolves at a rapid pace, marketers are confronted with an unprecedented number
of marketing channels to navigate. Along with this ever-increasing amount of options, marketers are
also faced with evolving audience expectations. Users are demanding brands to deliver content that
is more authentic, relevant, and valuable than ever before. The pressure is on for brands to go deeper
than communicating—we have to form meaningful connections with our audiences.

In order to effectively form these meaningful connections, it is crucial for marketers to understand and
know their audience on a deep level. By knowing who their target audience is, what their preferences
are, and where they spend their time online, marketers can select the right channels to deliver their
marketing content. Selecting the right channels for marketing content becomes a strategic decision
based on audience insights, enabling brands to connect with their customers in a way that is both
authentic and effective.

Knowing your audience

Understanding your target audience is crucial for effective brand expansion. By having a strong grasp
on your audience’s demographics, preferences, and behaviors, you’ll be able to gain valuable insights
that will shape your marketing strategy. You can look to methods like market research, customer
listening, website analytics, and focus groups to understand trends, consumer behavior, and the overall
competitive landscape for your brand. This research will provide a broader view of your target market,
helping to answer some important questions that you might be asking during this stage of your
brand expansion.

When it comes to channel selection, knowing your audience’s preferences will help ensure that your
marketing efforts actually resonate with the right users. When you understand how your audience
prefers to consume content and engage with brands, you can tailor your channel mix and content
accordingly. This alignment increases the likelihood of reaching and connecting with your target
audience effectively, ultimately driving growth and engagement for your brand.

Free Resource: FINDING YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE [VIDEO LESSON]

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Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

Evaluating channels
When forming a multi-channel brand expansion strategy, it’s essential to meticulously evaluate
potential new channels to ensure alignment with your brand objectives. Whether you’re considering
branching into podcast content, or dedicating resources to a new social media platform, it’s imperative
to thoroughly assess each channel’s compatibility with your brand voice, target audience preferences,
and overall marketing goals.

By conducting a detailed evaluation of potential new channels, you can make informed decisions that
maximize the impact of your multi-channel brand expansion strategy and effectively reach and engage
your target audience on multiple fronts.

The following steps can guide your decision-making process and help you select the most suitable
channels for your brand’s overarching strategy:

Define Objectives: Clearly outline your brand’s objectives for the expansion, whether
it’s to increase brand awareness, drive sales, or improve customer engagement.
Understanding your goals will help you select channels that best support your
overarching strategy.

Audience Analysis: Leverage what you’ve learned about your target audience’s
demographics, preferences, behaviors, and communication habits. Identify which
channels they frequent the most and how they prefer to engage with brands.

Channel Suitability: Evaluate the suitability of different channels based on their

features, strengths, and weaknesses. Consider factors such as audience reach
potential, engagement capabilities, alignment with your brand voice, and the type of
content they support.

Competitive Landscape: Analyze the channels utilized by your competitors and

assess their effectiveness. Identify any gaps or opportunities that can differentiate
your brand’s presence across various channels.

Performance Metrics: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure

the success of each channel. Monitor metrics such as reach, engagement rates,
conversions, and return on investment to determine which channels are driving the
desired outcomes for your brand expansion.

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Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

TOP MARKETING 2024 SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS

Free Resource: CHANNELS IN 2024 REPORT [+ EXPERT PANEL]

LEARNING FROM THE HUSTLE

The Hustle strategically selected YouTube

and podcast as new channels to expand
its reach and engage with its target
audience effectively. We were able to
leverage audience insights from our
email subscriber list and surveys run
to understand that our target audience
of business-minded millennials and
entrepreneurs were more likely to engage
with video and audio formats that leaned
into trending news and catered to an on-
the-go lifestyle.

Our expansion into these channels was a strategic response to the opportunity to deliver
valuable content in a format that would seamlessly integrate into the daily routines of our
target users. The knowledge and talent of our staff, matched with features that YouTube
and podcast platforms offer, make it easy for users to search, find, and consume content
on these new platforms.

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Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

STEP 2
Establish Your
Brand Identity
Across Channels
Maintaining a consistent brand identity across different platforms is key to a successful brand
expansion. Obviously, you want users to recognize your brand and content, but the need for
consistency goes even deeper than that. Producing content that feels familiar and meets (or exceeds)
expectations is crucial for building any kind of relationship with your target audience. It’s all about
building authenticity, credibility, and trust. By responding to the unique needs of each channel while
still staying true to your brand’s values and voice, you can create a cohesive brand image that speaks
volumes to your target audience.

Aligning core value

Aligning your brand’s content and messaging with its core values and mission is essential for
establishing a strong brand presence. By consistently embodying these values in every communication
touchpoint, you build credibility and authenticity with your audience.

This alignment not only reinforces the identity of your brand but also creates a sense of trust and
connection with consumers. When your actions and messages reflect your brand’s core values, it
demonstrates integrity and transparency, resonating with customers on a deeper level.

Adapting to channel dynamics

Each platform has its own set of nuances and audience preferences. It’s important to consider these
things when you’re determining your style, format, and even content design. By adjusting your tone of
voice and content presentation to fit the specific characteristics of each channel, you can ensure that
your brand remains relevant and engaging to your target audience.

An adaptable approach allows you to resonate effectively with users on various platforms, maximizing
the impact of your brand messaging and fostering strong connections with your audience. By
embracing the individual dynamics of each channel while upholding your brand’s core identity, you can
create compelling and tailored content that resonates with users across diverse digital touchpoints.

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Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

Injecting personality
Authenticity plays a pivotal role in injecting personality into your content and setting your brand apart
from the competition. By infusing your messaging with genuine and original elements, you not only
differentiate your brand but also leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Embracing authenticity by showcasing the human side of your brand and incorporating storytelling
elements helps forge emotional connections with consumers, building trust and loyalty. This
genuine approach resonates with audiences on a deeper level, creating meaningful interactions and
establishing a strong brand identity based on authenticity and sincerity.

Implementing differentiation strategies

By emphasizing your brand’s unique selling points and offerings, you can carve out a distinctive niche
that resonates with your target audience. Highlighting what sets your brand apart, whether through
innovative content formats, personalized messaging, or creative execution, captures attention and
drives engagement.

Leveraging these differentiation strategies not only attracts new customers but also strengthens brand
loyalty among existing ones. By showcasing your brand’s distinctiveness and value propositions, you
create a compelling narrative that resonates with consumers, setting your brand apart and positioning
it as a leader in the industry.

Visual branding
While messaging and content are crucial, visual branding elements form the cornerstone of brand
recognition across channels. These include your logo, color palette, typography, imagery style, and
consistent design elements. Your logo should be versatile enough to work across all platforms, while a
consistent color scheme and typography help create a cohesive look. Establish guidelines for imagery
and design elements to further reinforce your brand identity.

Remember, while consistency is key, it’s also important to adapt these elements appropriately for
each platform. Regularly audit your visual branding across channels to ensure consistency and make
adjustments as needed, always communicating significant changes to your audience to maintain trust
and recognition.

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Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

Free Resource: HOW TO BUILD A CONSISTENT BRAND

LEARNING FROM THE HUSTLE

The Hustle exemplifies brand consistency by maintaining a core identity while

seamlessly adapting to new platforms. By aligning content with the brand’s voice and
values, we were able to effectively bridge the gap between familiarity and innovation. The
Hustle has a unique tone and values that shine through, allowing our content to resonate
with audiences across diverse platforms. This harmonious blend of brand identity with
platform-specific messaging allows our content to stay relevant, engaging, and true to
our core ethos.

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Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

STEP 3
Develop Tailored Content
Strategies for Each Channel
Crafting content that resonates with the unique preferences and behaviors of the audience on
each channel is essential for maximizing engagement and building meaningful connections. By
understanding the distinct characteristics of each platform and the preferences of the audience it
attracts, brands can tailor their content to align with these nuances effectively. Whether creating
visually appealing and shareable posts for Instagram, engaging and informative videos for YouTube,
or thought-provoking and conversational content for podcasts, adapting content to suit the specific
audience behaviors on each channel is key to capturing attention and fostering interaction.

By catering to the preferences and behaviors of the audience on each platform, brands can create
content that feels relevant, relatable, and engaging, ultimately driving higher levels of audience
engagement, brand loyalty, and conversion. This personalized approach demonstrates a deep
understanding of the audience’s needs and interests, fostering stronger connections and amplifying
the impact of the brand’s messaging across various channels.

Experimenting with
content types
Experimenting with different types of
content, such as videos, podcasts, articles,
or visuals, is a strategic approach to cater to
diverse audience preferences and maximize
engagement. By diversifying your content
offerings, you can appeal to a broader range
of audience tastes and capture their attention
through various formats that resonate with
them the most.

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Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

A few ways you can effectively experiment with different types of content:

Conduct audience research to understand preferences and behaviors

Test different content formats on different channels to gauge audience response

Analyze performance metrics to determine what types of content drive the

most engagement

Tailor content based on the platform’s strengths and audience demographics

Encourage audience feedback and incorporate insights to refine content strategy

Monitoring performance
Monitoring the performance of content on each
channel is crucial for gauging its effectiveness
and making data-driven optimizations. By
tracking metrics such as engagement rates,
click-through rates, conversions, and audience
demographics, you can gain valuable insights into
what resonates with your audience. Analyzing
this data allows you to understand which content
strategies are driving results and identify areas
for improvement.

By continuously optimizing your content

strategies based on performance data, you
can enhance audience engagement, improve
conversion rates, and refine your overall
marketing approach to align more closely with
your audience’s preferences and behaviors.

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Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

LEARNING FROM THE HUSTLE

The Hustle strategically included YouTube

and podcast into our multi-channel
expansion because we knew we would be
able to leverage the audience expectations
and format options to our advantage on
those platforms.

On YouTube, The Hustle leveraged the

platform’s visual storytelling capabilities to
produce engaging videos that captivated
viewers and resonated with a tech-savvy
audience. By analyzing engagement
metrics such as view duration, likes,
comments, and shares, we were able to
gain valuable insights into the type of
content that generated the most interest
and interaction among YouTube viewers.

Simultaneously, in the podcast realm, The Hustle Daily Show was launched to feature
audio content that sparks conversation around informative discussions on trending
news. It caters to an audience looking for thought-provoking audio content that will help
keep them updated on the world of business and tech. By monitoring metrics like listen
duration, downloads, and listener feedback, The Hustle Daily Show continues to fine-
tune podcast content to better align with audience preferences, ensuring a high level of
engagement and resonance with listeners.

By creating bespoke content for each platform based on audience preferences and
engagement metrics, The Hustle maximized its impact, fostered audience engagement,
and strengthened brand presence across a diverse mix of digital channels.

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Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

STEP 4
Drive Audience Engagement
and Distribution
Fostering audience engagement is a critical component of any successful marketing strategy, as it
plays a pivotal role in increasing reach and impact within the digital landscape. By actively engaging
with your audience, you not only enhance brand visibility but also build long-lasting relationships that
lead to higher retention rates and increased brand loyalty. To effectively drive audience engagement, it
is essential to employ a variety of distribution channels to reach your target audience where they are
most active and receptive.

Leveraging a variety of distribution channels allows you to diversify your reach and connect with
audiences across multiple platforms. Whether it’s through social media, email marketing, podcasts,
webinars, or partnership collaborations, leveraging a mix of channels helps ensure that your content
reaches a wider audience base. By analyzing your target audience’s demographics, preferences,
and behaviors, you can tailor your distribution strategy to meet their specific needs and interests,
enhancing the likelihood of engagement and interaction.

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Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

Implementing strategies to encourage audience interaction and participation is key to fostering a

dynamic and engaging online community. From hosting live Q&A sessions, polls, and contests to
soliciting user-generated content and feedback, engaging your audience in meaningful ways can
create a sense of belonging and ownership. By actively involving your audience in the conversation and
making them feel heard and valued, you create a more personalized and interactive experience that
resonates with their individual preferences.

Measuring the effectiveness of your engagement efforts is crucial for evaluating the impact of your
strategies and optimizing future initiatives. By tracking key metrics and analytics, such as engagement
rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and social media metrics, you can gain valuable insights
into the performance of your content and the level of audience engagement it generates. Utilizing tools
like Google Analytics, social media analytics, and email marketing analytics enables you to monitor the
success of your engagement efforts, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions
to enhance your overall engagement strategy.

LEARNING FROM THE HUSTLE

The Hustle found success in this by

employing cross-promotion techniques
and refining content distribution methods.
Leveraging our established brand presence
and dedicated audience, we have been able
to adeptly integrate cross-promotion tactics
to boost engagement and maintain a
consistent brand message across different
platforms. With a unified brand voice and
compelling storytelling, we’ve orchestrated
a seamless content distribution system
across social media, email newsletters,
and podcasts, delivering a cohesive and
captivating brand experience for users.

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Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

STEP 5
Measure Performance
and Iterate for Success
To ensure the efficacy of your multi-channel brand expansion
strategy, it is imperative to adopt a data-driven approach
towards measuring performance and iterating for success.
By following the steps outlined below, you can leverage key
performance indicators (KPIs), analyze data and metrics,
identify areas for improvement, and continuously optimize
your tactics based on performance insights to achieve your
desired outcomes:

Establishing KPIs
Setting specific and measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is pivotal in tracking the success
of your multi-channel brand expansion efforts. These could include metrics such as audience
engagement rates, conversion rates, reach, brand awareness, and customer acquisition, tailored to
align with your strategic objectives. Defining clear KPIs provides a roadmap for evaluating the impact
of your initiatives and gauging progress towards your goals.

Analyzing data to evaluate performance

Use data analytics tools and platforms to collect, analyze, and interpret relevant performance metrics
across your various channels. By closely monitoring metrics such as website traffic, click-through
rates, social media engagement, email open rates, and conversion data, you can gain valuable insights
into the effectiveness of your campaigns and initiatives. Comparing performance data against
established KPIs allows you to assess the success of your strategies and pinpoint areas that require
attention or optimization.

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Strategic Guide: How to Expand Your Brand Across Multiple Channels

Identifying areas for improvement

Based on the insights derived from data analysis, identify key areas for enhancement or refinement
within your multi-channel brand expansion strategy. Whether it involves tweaking messaging, adjusting
targeting parameters, refining content formats, or optimizing distribution channels, pinpointing areas
for improvement enables you to iterate and enhance your tactics for better results. By adopting a
continuous improvement mindset and being willing to adapt based on performance feedback, you can
ensure ongoing growth and success in your branding efforts.

Regularly monitor performance metrics and track the impact of your revised strategies to gauge their
effectiveness over time. By remaining agile and responsive to performance data, you can optimize your
tactics in real-time, making informed adjustments as necessary to maximize your desired outcomes.
The ability to adapt quickly and proactively based on data-driven insights is essential in the dynamic
digital landscape, allowing you to stay ahead of trends, capitalize on opportunities, and sustain
success in your multi-channel brand expansion strategy.

LEARNING FROM THE HUSTLE

The Hustle, exemplified how a data-informed approach can refine a multi-channel brand
expansion strategy. By meticulously tracking key performance indicators like audience
engagement, reach, and conversion metrics, we’ve been able to gain valuable insights into
the impact of our initiatives and the effectiveness of our content across various channels.

Using data analytics to assess performance against established KPIs, we can identify
successful tactics and areas for improvement, enabling us to refine our strategies and
optimize our branding efforts for increased impact and audience engagement. Through
a continuous cycle of measurement, analysis, and iteration, we demonstrate how data-
driven decision-making can drive success in our multi-channel marketing endeavors.

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