Exclusive: CNBC to begin selling paid courses
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie at the New York Stock Exchange with Jim Cramer and Carl Quintanilla on Jan. 4, 2023. Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images
CNBC on Wednesday will debut its first paid course as part of a new educational venture developed by the editorial team behind CNBC's "Make It" franchise, CNBC president KC Sullivan told Axios.
Why it matters: It's part of a broader effort by CNBC to diversify more toward digital consumer revenue.
- "It's about making sure that we increase our share of time and wallet of our core audience," Sullivan said.
Details: The new course, called "How to Ace Your Job Interview," will provide interview tips and tricks, insights into how hiring managers think, and guidance about how to handle tricky interview questions.
- It will be hosted by Hanna Howard, a senior work editor for the "Make It" editorial franchise, which focuses on entrepreneurial content and financial wellness tips and tricks.
- The course will cost $99 for 100 minutes of video content plus a companion workbook. CNBC is offering a launch discount of $50 for the entire course.
- The "Make It" editorial team wrote and produced the entire course, said executive editor Jenna Goudreau.
Zoom out: The course is part of a new venture called Smarter developed by the "Make It" team for curious professionals eager to develop their careers and learn new skills.
- Goudreau, who has been with the franchise since it launched in 2016, said CNBC hopes to eventually build a suite of courses and products across its core subject areas, such as work, money, success, entrepreneurship and life.
Be smart: While CNBC's niche audience doesn't pull the same type of ratings that general news networks can, it has allowed the network to launch a slew of digital-first products to an audience willing to pay for professional insights.
- CNBC debuted its $400 annual Investing Club membership in 2022, which gives subscribers access to market analysis and research from CNBC host Jim Cramer.
- It launched its broader CNBC Pro membership in 2010, which gives subscribers access to its live-TV feed and exclusive digital content for $300 annually.
- More recently, it's leaned into curating communities for business executives and upselling those networks through events.
The big picture: More publishers are launching wellness brands to help expand their audiences, especially to younger, aspirational consumers.
- For CNBC, financial wellness is a natural fit, given that business leaders have leaned on the network for years to realize their financial goals, aspirations and ambitions, Sullivan said.
What to watch: Asked whether the network expects individuals or companies to pay for these courses, Sullivan said it will probably start as a product for individuals but could expand to different types of products for C-suite professionals eventually.
