A stronger subscription business
That connection between talent and business is most visible in Wired’s subscription metrics.
The brand relaunched its offering in July, raising prices two to three times higher than before. Instead of deterring readers, subscriptions rose 31% month-over-month, according to the publisher.
Year to date, new subscription starts from January to September 2025 are up 94% compared to the same period a year earlier, although the publisher declined to share specific subscription or financial figures.
For Drummond, the data underscores her belief that Wired had been undervaluing itself.
“My theory was that Wired was so inexpensive, it implied the work wasn’t worthwhile,” she said. “There’s something to be said about putting a stake in the ground and declaring that something is valuable.”
Condé Nast’s willingness to bankroll a costly marketing campaign shows confidence in Wired’s subscriber momentum, according to Young.
“Historically, subscription mechanics in news and lifestyle media were broken and had a very low LTV [lifetime value],” he said. “If you can spend a little to push them over the hump, the ROI is excellent. Plus, Condé always places bets on their brands.”
Drummond has also extended the talent-forward approach into live events.
Wired’s AI Summit in mid-September was livestreamed as a subscriber benefit, while its Big Interview franchise has grown into an omnichannel, global franchise with editions in Milan, Tokyo, Mexico City, and San Francisco.
The next U.S. installment, slated for December, will feature Wicked director Jon M. Chu, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire, and AMD chair and CEO Lisa Su. Each event is paired with a print issue, podcast, livestream, and cut-down vertical videos, creating multiple touch points for audiences to connect with Wired journalists.
“Any event we do is a chance to connect our journalists in real time with an audience,” Drummond said. “We’re trying to find new and novel ways for our audience to connect with journalists and connect with those journalists in real time.”
