Jordan Greenfield, the CEO of hoo.be chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about his new platform and being a CEO in the digital age.
The tech entrepreneur created the new invite-only, creator-first platform—which is taking the “link in bio” social media feature to a whole new level for brands and content creators—and launched it during the 2020 pandemic.
Already popular with users like Diplo, 50 Cent, Steve Aoki, Erika Costell, Chris Paul, InTouch Weekly, and Tom Brady’s TB12 Sports, hoo.be allows users to create a customized social home page where they can centralize all their content and social accounts through numerous features and embed options, as well as track engagement, support social causes, and better understand their audience.
Jordan built the platform during the global lockdown. hoo.be is elevating the Linktree idea for creators and brands, and the many new features to launch in the coming months.
What inspired you to start hoo.be?!
What inspired me to found hoo.be was the fact that creators will always rely on multiple social platforms to reach their audiences, but needed a better way to unify their digital presence on their own terms. We wanted to help creators convert social media followers into meaningful audience members — a relationship owned by the creators, not the platforms.
How did this idea to elevate the link-in-bio space come about?
We did not want one link that simply leads to more stagnant links, but instead to a deeper connection between creators and their audiences. Bearing this in mind, we saw a huge opportunity to create a unified social hub specifically for creators through an evergreen, content-first approach.
Our initiative was to replace fragmentation with centralization, ultimately leading to better engagement, more conversions, and an overall more thoughtful experience between both parties.
Can you briefly tell us why the invite-only model?
We built hoo.be for people who actually need it; creators with highly engaged audiences across multiple platforms. Our goal has always been to be the most seen link in bio tool, not the most used.
While most people were binge-watching TV shows to pass the time of the global lockdown, you were building your dream career with hoo.be. What motivated you?
The pandemic gave us insight into what’s next in terms of social — more content, more creators, more platforms. This fact showed us that creators are essentially “renting” their audiences from these platforms instead of owning them. We are motivated to help creators regain control, establish a direct to audience relationship, and funnel traffic in their own and unique way.
How does it feel to be a CEO in the digital age? (now with streaming and technology and social media being so prevalent)
Working as a CEO in the digital age has placed me at the intersection of both influence and technology. Although the exponential growth and ever-changing nature of these spaces has compelled me to adapt and absorb, I’ve had to remain grounded in what motivates and fuels me.
Keeping my head down and remaining focused on the goal at hand without letting the outside noise inhibit my progress is the very reason I will leave a lasting mark on the digital age, not the reverse.
Can you tell us more about hoo.be’s digital creator series?
Our digital creator series brings hoo.be users to life by showcasing the person behind the link. Each one of our users has a unique story, so shedding light on how hoo.be has helped them tell that story is the goal of this series. Season 1 of Creator Stories featured hoo.be users such as Katie Austin, Cousin Stizz and Perez Hilton, and we’ll be back with more episodes featuring your favorite creators for Season 2 in 2022.
What do your plans for the future include for hoo.be?
By leading with a link, we have provided our users the ability to funnel their existing audiences to their social homepage allowing them to dictate the narrative, increase conversions, and ultimately better monetize their existing audiences. The future of hoo.be is an ecosystem built on the premise of direct to audience interaction between creator and audience members. No longer will creators have to rely on an algorithm or rented social audience in order to get information to those who care most.
In the coming months, hoo.be will roll out a variety of features that will allow creators to better connect with their audience, as well as introduce new tools to support commerce and monetization needs.
What does the word success mean to you?
Success to me has always been a moving target. From day to day I look at success as my ability to inspire and elevate those around me. From launch to exit I look at success as keeping my word; providing a solution for our users and a return for our investors.
