# Upworthy

Upworthy is a media brand that focuses on positive storytelling.
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. In 2017, the company was acquired by Good Worldwide. Between the two platforms, they reach 100MM people a month.

## History

In October 2012, Upworthy raised $4 million from New Enterprise Associates and other angel investors, including BuzzFeed co-founder John Johnson, Facebook co-founder and New Republic owner Chris Hughes, and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. It has worked with Unilever, Skype, CoverGirl, through its native ad business.
Originally, Upworthy curators searched the internet for existing content to feature on the site. 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.
In June 2013, an article in Fast Company called Upworthy "the fastest growing media site of all time". It had 8.7 million unique monthly visitors in the first six months,and in November 2013, had a high of 87 million unique visitors in a single month. That month, Upworthy announced a new global health and poverty section of content would join the site, through a partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The site popularized a style of two-phrase headlines. Some have criticized these headlines as, "clickbait" style, headlines and believe the company simplifies issues that are controversial by nature. Upworthy was accused of laying off 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.
In January 2017, Upworthy was acquired by GOOD Worldwide, a social impact and media company. The newsrooms of the two organizations would merge as part of the acquisition. About 20 staffers were laid off as part of the merger.
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.
Upworthy was ranked as one of the Top 100 Social Brands of 2021 (#38), and one of the Top 50 Brands by Cross-Platform Video Actions (#34) with 180.6 million and 49.7 million interactions, respectively.
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. 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. 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. The book debuted on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list on September 22, 2024, and remained on the list for two weeks. The book is seen in the top 10 on Publisher’s Weekly Fall 2024 Adult Preview: Lifestyle and on Washington Post’s “5 feel-good books”.

## Awards and recognition

* 2016 4A's Transformation Conference: "Love Has No Labels," Partnership of the Year Award.
* 2017 Digiday Video Awards, Best Video Publisher Partner for Brands.