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Upworthy
Type of businessPrivate
Type of site
News and entertainment
Available inEnglish
FoundedMarch 14, 2012; 14 years ago (2012-03-14)[1]
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California,
United States
OwnerGood Worldwide
Founder(s)Eli Pariser and Peter Koechley
EditorEric Pfeiffer (Editor-in-chief)
CEOAmanda Farrand
URLupworthy.com
Current statusActive

Upworthy is a media brand that focuses on positive storytelling.[2]

It was started in March 2012 by Eli Pariser, the former executive director of MoveOn, and Peter Koechley, the former managing editor of The Onion. One of Facebook's co-founders, Chris Hughes, was an early investor. At its peak between 2012 and 2014, it reached up to 100 million people a month.[3][4][5][6] In 2017, the company was acquired by Good Worldwide.

History

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Upworthy was launched in 2012 with a focus on aggregating positive content, which aligned with Facebook's algorithm.[2] Originally, Upworthy curators searched the internet for existing content to feature on the site.[7] Once selected as an option, curators brainstormed different headlines and shareable images for the content, and tested it with a small sample of Upworthy's visitors before sharing it on the site.[7]

The site popularized a clickbait style of two-phrase headlines.[8][9] The company simplifies issues that are controversial by nature,[10][11] which are presented from a politically liberal point of view[12] and are heavily fact-checked for accuracy.[10]

In June 2013, an article in Fast Company called Upworthy "the fastest growing media site of all time".[13][8] It had 8.7 million unique monthly visitors in the first six months,[14] and in November 2013, had a high of 87 million unique visitors in a single month.[15] In 2013, Facebook changed its algorithm, leading to a significant decline in readers from that platform.[2][7][8]

Upworthy fired one round of writers in 2015, and another in 2016, after an unionization effort by some of the staff. The union involved, the Writers Guild of America, East, has organized several online "viral" news publishers.[16][better source needed]

In January 2017, Upworthy was acquired by media company GOOD Worldwide. The newsrooms of the two organizations would merge as part of the acquisition. About 20 staffers were laid off as part of the merger.[17]

In March 2020, Upworthy saw a 65% increase in Instagram followers and a 47% increased interest in positive content on-site page views as a result of increased interest in positive content during the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

In January 2023, National Geographic Books bought Good People: Stories From the Best of Humanity from Upworthy, with a publication date of September 3, 2024.[18] The book is described as "a heartwarming collection of first-person tales that will provide comfort and inspiration to anyone who could use a little dose of joy right now". It was created by two senior Upworthy team members, Gabriel Reilich and Lucia Knell, and features 101 stories from Upworthy's audience.[19][18] The co-creators encouraged Upworthy followers to connect with the brand through questions on their posts, opening the door for organic and personal stories to be shared in the comment sections.[20] The book debuted on The New York Times nonfiction bestseller list on September 22, 2024, and remained on the list for two weeks.[21][22] The book is seen in the top 10 on Publishers Weekly Fall 2024 Adult Preview: Lifestyle and on The Washington Post's "5 feel-good books".[23][24]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "UpWorthy.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info – DomainTools". WHOIS. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Lorenz, Taylor (April 14, 2020). "The News Is Making People Anxious. You'll Never Believe What They're Reading Instead". New York Times. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  3. ↑ Carr, David (March 26, 2012), "New Site Wants to Make the Serious as Viral as the Shallow", The New York Times, archived from the original on March 30, 2012, retrieved April 11, 2012
  4. ↑ Pilkington, Ed (March 26, 2012), "New media gurus launch Upworthy – their 'super-basic' internet start-up", The Guardian, archived from the original on March 4, 2014, retrieved April 11, 2012
  5. ↑ Gannes, Liz (March 26, 2012), Viral With a Purpose? Upworthy Finds Serious Web Content Worth Sharing., AllThingsD, archived from the original on March 30, 2012, retrieved April 11, 2012
  6. ↑ "The woman behind Upworthy's viral explosion". Retrieved October 16, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. 1 2 3 Sanders, Sam (June 20, 2017). "Upworthy Was One Of The Hottest Sites Ever. You Won't Believe What Happened Next". NPR. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 Meyer, Robinson (December 8, 2013). "Why Are Upworthy Headlines Suddenly Everywhere?". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Create Your Own Overly Emotional, Click-Baiting Headline With the Upworthy Generator". AdWeek. November 20, 2013. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  10. 1 2 James Ball (March 16, 2014). "Read this to find out how Upworthy's awful headlines changed the web". the Guardian. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  11. ↑ Christopher Zara (December 11, 2013). "The Rise Of Clickbait Spoilers: Bloggers Expose What's Behind Upworthy's Histrionic Headlines". International Business Times. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  12. ↑ Kaufman, Leslie (October 14, 2013), "Viral Content with a Liberal Bent", The New York Times, archived from the original on November 8, 2013, retrieved March 12, 2014
  13. ↑ "How Upworthy Used Emotional Data To Become The Fastest Growing Media Site of All Time". Fast Company. June 7, 2013. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  14. ↑ Lowenstein, Fiona. "Why you should pay attention to Upworthy measuring engagement in 'attention minutes'". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  15. ↑ Sanders, Sam (June 17, 2017). "Upworthy Was One Of The Hottest Sites Ever. You Won't Believe What Happened Next". NPR. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Report: Upworthy's Lefty Owners Scared Employees Out of Unionization". August 10, 2015. Archived from the original on May 21, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  17. ↑ Sutton, Kelsey (January 27, 2017). "Upworthy to merge with Good Worldwide, newsrooms to consolidate. About 20 staffers were laid off as part of the merger". Politico. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  18. 1 2 Deahl, Rachel (December 30, 2022). "Book Deals: Week of January 2, 2023". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  19. ↑ Vermillion, Stephanie (June 17, 2024). "How to Find and Share Positive Stories". Adorama. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  20. ↑ Hunkins, Alain. "What Upworthy's New Book 'Good People' Teaches About Trust And Connection". Forbes. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - Sept. 22, 2024 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - Sept. 29, 2024 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  23. ↑ Grossman, Miriam. "Fall 2024 Adult Preview: Lifestyle". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on June 15, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  24. ↑ Meloan, Becky (October 19, 2024). "5 feel-good books to provide a distraction from election stress". Washington Post. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
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