New York Times Tries Boosting Its Social Media Influence by Buying HelloSociety

The New York Times is buying HelloSociety, a digital marketing agency that helps advertisers get their messages on social media platforms, from startup incubator Science Inc.

A press release from the Times says HelloSociety works with companies including Instagram, Vine and YouTube. But it is best known for its early work with Pinterest, where it got “Pinfluencers” to post pictures on behalf of brands.

In 2015, Pinterest told HelloSociety that it was deleting all affiliate links that the startup’s network of influencers posted. The move came as Pinterest ramped up its own ad-selling business and plotted a new e-commerce initiative.

HelloSociety will be integrated into T Brand Studio, the Times’ content-marketing arm.

Science’s portfolio also includes FameBit, an “influencer marketing platform”, which does similar work. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Last year, Twitter bought Niche, another social media ad agency that connected brands with popular users on platforms like Vine and Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on:

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. And we can’t do that if we have a paywall.

So even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.)

If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Any amount helps.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via