Daily Candy is the “ultimate insiders guide to what’s new,” taking full advantage of digital technology to deliver red-hot information to subscribers every day. Dannielle Kyrillos is editor-at-large, overseeing all of the content. Here she explains how copy is at the heart of the business, and how they manage to do such a good job of publishing lively and inspiring information.
to set up and manage an instant information service
Danni Levy, a print journalist who had been writing for a range of beauty titles and other publications, had been frustrated with long lead times. Even on weekly magazines it could take up to three weeks to get a story published. She was also aware that much of the information being published was not immediate – for example, it would typically be announced that a new restaurant would be opening in a month’s time.
Danni decided to create a news and information service providing hot tips and insider advice on food and drink, fashion, and other lifestyle topics, with the focus on what is happening on the day the information is published. Using the immediacy of the internet and email, she wanted every item to give the reader something to see, to do, or to touch on that day.
The Approach:
writing everything to be read in 30 seconds and remain compelling
Danni had been saving to go to business school, and decided to use these funds to start Daily Candy in March 2000. Its whole purpose was to provide information that was useful.
Dannielle Kyrillos joined the six-strong team in 2002. Dannielle is New York-based, where Daily Candy’s only dedicated office is located:
“As editor at large I do lots of things. I know the voice and tone well, and I’m good at explaining the brand and what it stands for. I act as an ‘old soul,’ providing advice and help to our editors.
“Originally Danni did all of the writing and in doing so established the Daily Candy voice, which creates the impression every item is written by the same person, although it is now managed by our writers and editors.
“We have editorial that cannot be bought, and advertising. Every item we write is designed to be read in 30 seconds, and be compelling at the same time. Our copy is practical and informative but it is also humorous and full of life. We assume a level of intelligence in the reader, and the copy doesn’t talk down to them. It follows a consistent train of thought, and makes everyone feel like an insider.
“At our New York office we have a technical team that manages the IT and a marketing team that extends the Daily Candy experience, which sometimes includes running offline events. The internet is not only building virtual communities, it is building real-life communities too. We’re encouraging people to move from their desk chair and get involved with the life round them, try restaurants, see artists, and visit stores.
“We always keep our eyes open for information. We are a grassroots network and tend not to give too much coverage to the big brand stories. Our job is to write about the stuff that no one has heard of; that’s our point of difference. The mainstream is already being covered.
“Each of the cities that Daily Candy serves has its own full-time writer/editor working from home. Each editor (most of whom are women) maintains a network of freelance contributors who supply a constant stream of quality information to us. As we have announced that we are the ‘ultimate insiders guide to what’s new,’ publicists pitch us lots of ideas and news, but this content makes up only a tiny percentage of our content.
“We have a style guide that outlines the sorts of words we will use and those we won’t use. We also have fixed formats for how we write things like dates and addresses, which everyone has to follow. We all share a quirky sense of humor, and we are all quite nerdy about grammar and metaphors, for example. We are also very precise about editing the copy and making everything legitimate. Every piece goes through various layers of editing.
“Most of our writers are women, and we have been compared to Sex In The City, but we’re careful not to fall into a ‘chick-lit’ style. We’ll never use ‘fashionista’ or ‘come on girl’ or any of the phrases in the mainstream press. These are all banned. We trust our editor’s opinion of the city, but we know what makes it a Daily Candy item – it’s our ‘secret sauce’ and we work to make it as compelling as possible.”
The Result:
the fresh, witty style keeps subscribers tuned in
“Our subscribers and readers are vociferous, they never hesitate to tell us what they think – they email us all the time and we get tons and tons and tons of correspondence telling us what they like and don’t like. Most of our content is free, and we take the view that if it offends, you don’t have to read it.
“Daily Candy now publishes 13 daily editions in the US and UK, employing over 50 people. We know it is working and that our tone of voice resonates because of the high level of subscriptions we receive, having never spent any money on advertising. We’re not snobby or patronizing, and we know that many of our readers pass our articles on to their friends.”