Content Before Commerce

Kevin Rose shares how Hodinkee grew from a watch blog into a $100M+ revenue business by building trust through high-quality content before expanding into luxury commerce.

Key Points:

• Build Trust Through Expert Content:

  • Hire writers with deep technical knowledge of the product (watches)
  • Focus on detailed technical writing about mechanics, movements, complications
  • Establish credibility through serious editorial standards
  • Create content for "geeks" who care about technical details

• Leverage Trust for High-Value Commerce:

  • Once trust is established, extend into selling premium products
  • Customers willing to make $20-50k purchases because of established credibility
  • Not about selling low-value items like "throw pillows"
  • Focus on premium, collectible items where trust matters

• Writer Hiring Strategy:

  • Hire people with deep product knowledge first
  • Look for "B+ writers" with technical expertise
  • Apply editorial layer on top to polish the content
  • Prioritize authentic enthusiasm and knowledge over pure writing ability

• Results:

  • Grew from $1.5-2M revenue as content business
  • Expanded into ecommerce with authorized dealer relationships
  • Now generating over $100M in annual revenue
  • Successfully merged content and commerce in luxury space