The creators of the newsletter the Skimm announced on April 19 that they have launched Skimm Ahead, a new feature that hopes to put the most buzzworthy events in front of iPhone users in a timely manner. For $2.99 per month, avid readers of the Skimm can subscribe to Skimm Ahead to be "smarter about their future" via iOS, according to its creators.
The Skimm, a weekday email newsletter, has already been a rousing success. Created by Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin, the newsletter includes all of the important headlines of the day condensed into an easy-to-read, sassy format. Now, Skimm Ahead promises to keep readers up-to-date on everything from must-watch television to political conventions.
"Skimm Ahead puts everything you need to know about the future directly into your iPhone calendar," Skimm posted on its blog. "Never again will you wonder when Beyonce tickets go on sale, what time the State of the Union is on, or when your favorite show is coming back on Netflix. It's like your calendar ate a smart cookie."
In short, Skimm Ahead works by integrating itself into the iCal app. This means that there's little for the user to do in order to start reaping the benefits of Skimm Ahead. Those who aren't sure whether they want to commit to the app will have one free month to determine if it's a good fit. At the moment, Skimm Ahead is not available for download on Android smartphones, but its creators encourage sticking around to see what they come up with next.
Prior to their success with the Skimm, Weisberg and Zakin were working at NBC News. While they said in an interview that it was difficult to leave, their startup has seemingly found itself a niche — and an audience willing to read.
TheSkimm.com has been around for approximately three years, and with more millennials subscribing to get bite-sized news delivered to their inboxes each morning, the future looks bright for Weisberg and Zakin.
Individuals can subscribe to TheSkimm on its official website, and more information on the Skimm Ahead app can be found there as well.
