Media News

Founder Griffey on what Industry Dive got right

February 25, 2025

Posted by Chris Roush

Sean Griffey, until recently the CEO of Industry Dive, joined Brian Morrissey on “The Rebooting Show” to discuss the big things Industry Dive, and by extension a lot of B2B, got right.

Here are some highlights:

  • Focus on a specific audience. Industry Dive would turn off ads if it had a story picked up by Reddit that led to a flood of viral traffic. That’s because the people arriving weren’t the “right people.” B2B isn’t about reaching everyone.
  • Know who you’re writing for. A trick of B2B that narrows the focus: Write for a specific job title. Media properties nowadays can be messy, but they need to have a person in mind (and know enough similar people exist).
  • Get receipts. Industry Dive focused its business model on marketing services and lead generation. In B2B, budgets are far greater for demand generation than branding or thought leadership.
  • Do more with less. Industry Dive operated dozens of publications in verticals like wast management, retail, marketing and for CFOs, CIOs and more. But it operated a single platform. That allowed it to quickly move to create new brands, even if it sacrificed unique branding elements.

To listen, go here.

Subscribe to TBN

Receive updates about new stories in the industry daily or weekly.

Subscribe to TBN

Receive updates about new stories in the industry.