It’s finally here. Nearly 15 months since it was first announced, Robinhood has launched Sherwood News, a website that will house all of its articles and content. The company has also rebranded its flagship Snacks newsletter and updated integration with Chartr, the data newsletter it acquired a few months ago.
In a statement, the company said it plans to “transform the media industry by becoming the definitive news source for a generation reshaping money and power in the world; an engaged, intelligent, evolving audience hungry for information delivered on their terms.” The publication’s topics include business, culture, tech and “world.”
The publication now has more than 22 reporters working in New York and London. It launches with a few articles, including a piece on China’s attempt to capitalize on the issues plaguing Boeing; and why tech assistants like OK Google are underperforming these days.
Sherwood has been watched by interest by both the brand content and publishing industries in recent months. It’s relatively unique for a few reasons: One, Robinhood has said it plans to run Sherwood independently of the parent business. Two, it plans to monetize its content directly via ad sales. And three, it opens up possibilities for Robinhood to have an entirely new revenue arm, but also potentially build in Sherwood News content as part of its product offering to its core customer base. As more brands try to figure out how to build successful content initiatives that keep customers engaged, increase their brand awareness, and help build audience trust, Sherwood is an experiment many in the industry are watching closely.
Sherwood plans to be “entirely self-sustaining” — it has hired sales veterans from media organizations to help it find advertisers who are interested in reaching Sherwood’s audience. In an earlier interview, the company’s head of revenue, James Denis, told Toolkits that it wants to work with brands in sectors as varied as fintech, finance, travel, real estate, luxury, liquor food and beverages. A company spokesperson said the company’s flagship newsletter, Snacks, has over 40 million subscribers. The company declined to provide a revenue number, but said it has already established revenue via ads in its newsletter, and will now offer display ad and branded/sponsored content opportunities ti brands as well
Robinhood has long been bullish on content as a key way to reach customers. The company acquired the financial newsletter MarketSnacks in 2019, and in 2023, announced the launch of Sherwood and appointed Joshua Topolosky as editor-in-chief and president.