Grindr is trying to shake up the sleepy LGBTQ media sector with its new millennial lifestyle magazine Into

Grindr, the popular gay social network, launched a content site over the summer.
The company says Into, which covers a range of political and lifestyle issues impacting the LGBTQ community has exceeded expectations.
Grindr's marketing team saw an opening in a media category dominated by legacy brands.

Grindr's got a very distinct reputation: as a hookup app for gay men. But the company behind it always saw itself are more than that — as a media enterprise for the millennial LGBTQ community. And, with LGBTQ media aimed at the community mostly populated by the same old players (magazines like Out and The Advocate), it sensed an opportunity. So, last summer it rolled out Into (Intomore.com), a digital content site aimed at a younger generation of queer consumers.

Into features a mix of news and lifestyle content through an LGBTQ lens. That includes stories on how President Trump's policies will impact the gay community or travel reports that you might not find in Travel and Leisure, such as " target="_blank"Exploring the Appalachian Mountains With Fried Chicken and Dolly Parton"

Similarly, popular videos put an LGBTQ twist on popular web fare, like " target="_blank"Get a Wedding Day Sugar Rush From This Trans-Owned Chicago Bakery."

Grindr’s Vice President of Global Marketing Peter Sloterdyk said that while the Grindr app provided a valuable launch pad to bring readers to Into, the site is not meant to serve as simply a marketing vehicle for the dating service.

"In this scenario is, Grindr is the parent company," he said. "It is a true stand-alone publication."

"We heard directly from our users that they needed more," said Sloterdyk. "They just didn’t feel like there was queer content for them. We took a look at the space, and there really wasn’t anything for millennials. You have magazines like Out and The Advocate that have kind of aged with their audiences, and our users didn't have a publication for them. So our early success is validating that."Since August, Into's traffic has approached 1 million unique visitors in the U.S. and 4 million across the globe in a given month, based on internal data (it has yet to show up on comScore's radar). In addition, over the first three months the publication has generated 24 million video views across its site and social channels, said Sloterdyk.

Advertising rollout

Grindr deliberately wanted to use Into as a vehicle to expand its audience beyond app's core app subscribers. To let the LGBTQ world know about the publication, it ran digital and outdoor ads, including a recent billboard in Times Square.

The publication has only just started working with advertisers, including the like of Montreal Tourism and Halo Top.

Plus, Into has just brought on Trish Bendix, a veteran Los Angeles journalist who's worked for publications ranging from HuffPost to Elle to Harper's Bazaar, as its new managing editor.

"We are so excited to have her join the team," said Sloterdyk. "Not only does she have a fantastic voice, but we can all quietly but easily admit we were dominated by something of a male perspective here."