How The Financial Times is betting on personality-led vodcasts as its next subscription lever

The Financial Times is rolling out “The Story of Money,” a history‑of‑finance series produced natively as a vodcast on YouTube and a podcast on major audio platforms. By pairing star journalists with a narrow, subject‑specific franchise and a standalone YouTube channel, the publisher plans to deepen parasocial relationships off‑platform and turn market‑curious history buffs into future FT subscribers.

The series (sponsored by Nuveen) marks the opening move in a slower, more deliberate push into multi-platform, personality-led vodcasts that sit on dedicated channels, run across video and audio, and act as off-platform feeders into the FT ecosystem, according to the FT’s head of digital strategy Veronica Kan-Dapaah.

Previous FT podcasts have appeared in video form on YouTube, but typically as limited series folded into the main FT feed. This is the first time the publisher has treated a show as a distinct, multi‑platform brand in its own right, with a long‑term video and audio strategy built in from the outset. 

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Vibes over metrics: Why more creators are holding IRL events to own their audience

The creator economy’s massive growth has led to a rise in IRL creator events as brands look for more ways to reach their large, hyper-engaged fanbases. But these events are no longer just brand activations; they’re becoming a key part of how creators build and position their own brands.

Whether they’re putting on massive stadium shows, conducting meet-and-greets at branded pop-ups, or working a shift at a local shop, creators are increasingly using in-person events to engage with and own their audiences off of social media platforms.

“It’s about curating moments that get talked about on-screen, offline, and that stick in our memory bank for years,” said Brooke Berry, head of creator development at Snap. 

Those special, off-platform moments are why companies like Snapchat started holding IRL workshops called “Snap School” to not only teach creators how to thrive on the platform, but how to build relationships off-platform, as well. 

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