After this year’s Pride, all I can say is…Wow. As we came together across the globe to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, our community had a chance to reflect on just how far we have come.
Here at Q.Digital, our team visited prides around the world, created events, launched partnerships and covered this historic Pride with the kind of joy and commitment that only an LGBTQ-owned and operated media network could do.
As a result, I’m happy to report that this Pride season was the most successful in Q.Digital’s history.
People turned to LGBTQ media more than ever before. This June, 5.7MM+ Unique Users visited our sites as we covered stories that you can’t find anywhere else (the pickup truck that went viral was one of my faves). LGBTQ Nation was the most visited LGBTQ news site in the US, Queerty outpaced rivals like Out.com, and GayCities reigned as the leading travel and events site. As more outlets cover LGBTQ stories, it remains clear that readers crave coverage by and for the LGBTQ community.
Engagement is everything. Standing out in the Pride landscape means more than just traffic; it requires understanding our community’s wants and needs. From 15K+ Sweepstakes entries to a 267% Increase in average time on page on the newly redesigned LGBTQ Nation (June to June), we saw record engagement with both our organic and sponsored campaigns.
The LGBTQ community continues to welcome genuine corporate allies and partnerships. We’re in the business of creating true relationships between corporate partners and our community. This Pride season, we were proud to work with dozens of amazing brands to help them do just that.
- In partnership with Macy’s, we executed a multi-faceted campaign highlighting its unique line of Pride clothing and accessories and the company’s partnership with The Trevor Project through high impact display, and upbeat and powerful branded content interviews, like with the remarkable Jazz Jennings.
- We created a playful and engaging 1950s inspired video, That’s Our Sally, for Gilead / Truvada. The video stars Trixie Mattel, and has garnered over 80K views in the first weeks alone.
- With Mercedes, we connected the past with the present in LGBTQ Nation’s “Pride in Pictures” editorial series and “Pride in Places” on GayCities, highlighting historic LGBTQ spots in cities around the world.
- In partnership with Visit Seattle, we launched a series of video interviews showcasing the powerful subjects of its #weSEAlove photography initiative and welcomed them as a key partner at our unforgettable Pride50 event in New York City. Pictured below: Me (left) with Paige Turner, one of my favorite drag queens, and actor Matt W. Cody.
Once-a-year Pride campaigns aren’t enough to truly engage with our community. As I said in a recent interview with WWD, “LGBTQ people can clearly discern ‘fair-weather friends’ whose entire support is releasing a rainbow-colored product line for a week in June and with social media. I can only hope these brands ‘coming out’ can turn into ongoing, consistent support for LGBTQ people.”
We’ll be keeping the Pride spirit going throughout the rest of the year – we hope you’ll join us!
