Feminist Publisher Jezebel Relaunches with New Strategies and Exciting Business Growth Opportunities

The feminist publisher Jezebel has relaunched under new ownership as part of Paste Magazine, with a focus on direct advertising. Formerly owned by G/O Media, Jezebel struggled financially due to brand safety concerns and a decrease in programmatic advertising demand. The acquisition by Paste Magazine aims to revitalize the publication by emphasizing video sponsorship, live events, and film and entertainment advertisers. To lead the relaunch, Jezebel has hired Lauren Tousignant as its new editor in chief and plans to fill additional roles in the coming weeks. The goal is to achieve a split in revenue similar to Paste Magazine, with a slightly higher percentage coming from direct advertising. Jezebel plans to reintroduce live events and increase video production to attract advertisers. However, the publication will face challenges in navigating brand safety issues and keyword blocklists that hinder programmatic revenue. The relaunch of Jezebel, along with its companion site Splinter, highlights the evolving media landscape. Both sites will migrate to the Paste content management system for improved efficiency. The success of the relaunch relies on building partnerships with brands that genuinely support Jezebel’s reporting. The publisher is confident that there are brands willing to reach the site’s audience and is leveraging its two decades of experience to secure those partnerships.