Digital Driver - David Liu

November 27, 2007

David Liu
Chairman and CEO
The Knot, Inc.

David Liu was one of the co-founders of The Knot, Inc., entering the lucrative wedding market in fall 1996. Its website www.theknot.com, launched in 1997, now generates more than 100 million monthly page views, Liu estimates. He is married to co-founder and Editor-in-Chief Carley Roney.

Besides what Min Online recently dubbed a "wed-site," the company also targets couples planning their weddings and lives together across other platforms, including print magazines (The Knot national magazine, which bowed in 2002, plus The Knot Weddings regional magazines) and cable TV programming. Though theknot.com has had visibility on the Oxygen Network since 2003, Liu says that hardly any of those cable programs wind up as video content on his website. The Nest has operated as a print and online property since 2006, while spinoff nestbaby.com is web-only since its 2007 launch. Promspot.com began in 2003, partyspot.com in 2006.

Q. Most companies adapted print magazines to the web, but you started online in 1997 and later expanded into print. What made you take that route?
A. Maybe lower IQ! (laughing) Our concept was always to create consumer media brands and build them in all forms of media, to have the opportunity to build awareness and market share. Actually, we signed some book deals before we launched the website.

Q. What's the latest count on your website's unique monthly visitors?
A. Between theknot.com and weddingchannel.com [the latter was acquired in fall 2006], it's north of five million. Theknot.com  alone draws three million-plus. 

Q. What are the two most heavily trafficked areas of theknot.com?
A. It's an interesting split. A lot use our community, for example, our message boards. That's a huge traffic driver. Also, our local directory area and our general content and tools.

Q. Do you have any demographics on those visitors?
A. In the past, we did an analysis showing that 30% of our unique visitors are male. Our membership is about 15% men.

Q. You offer couples their own wedding websites. How much interest is that sparking in this MySpace/Facebook era?
A. That's a pretty big area for us. We've been doing that nine or 10 years.

Q. You have a "Real Wedding of the Week photo feature and you include real-life weddings in your Knot TV section. Do you see such user-generated content growing sharply in the years ahead?
A. Yes. Couples' wedding websites have become part of the social etiquette of wedding planning. Our couples are extremely tech-savvy, so that will absolutely be a growth area. These couples have been using computers since they were in kindergarten.

Q. MPA's latest compilation of Magazine Digital Initiatives notes that you've forged retail partnerships. Can you talk a little about those?
A. Our relationship with retailers is more fluid than most. We afford guests the ability to find where couples are registered for gifts. It's about driving transactions. We have relationships with everyone from Macy's and Tiffany's to Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel to Starwood hotels and Sandals resorts.

Q. What percentage of the theknot.com content is exclusively online versus adapted from your print publications?
A. We pretty much keep our content separate across the board. Our online content isn't something published in our magazines and vice versa. We're very sensitive that our visitors don't experience "shovel ware," or repurposed content.

Q. Do you anticipate video playing an even bigger role than now?
A. Original video is going to become more and more important. Most of our TV section is original productions. Several years ago, we launched a streaming channel. And advertisers see opportunities there as well.

Q. Of your video clips on wedding fashions, beauty tips, travel, etc., which category is the biggest draw?
A. Fashionthey love the dresses!

Q. How prominent might audio be in the near future, e.g., via editor podcasts?
A. We have a radio pilot that we're out there shopping right now.

Q. Do you make periodic changes in theknot.com based on traffic patterns or focus group input?
A. We're constantly evolving the product. We generally listen to our users on what they want to see more of. They should have a great voice in what we do.

Q. Do you have any interest in expanding theknot.com into other digital platforms?
A. We've looked at mobile, but it's still a bit premature. There's not a lot of revenue there yet.

Q. Compared to theknot.com how popular are your various newer websites, such as thenest.com, nestbaby.com and partyspot.com?
A. They're very strong with the audiences they're focused on, but none is as popular as theknot.com.

Q. The nature of The Knot's .market is such that change, and thus audience turnover, is inevitable. Is that behind your adding a number of newer ventures like thenest.com?
A. Our business model is a bit the antithesis of others. We actually look to churn our audience. Our moving into subsequent life stages was the result of listening to what our audience was saying.