When West Coast beauty editors Kirbie Johnson and Sara Tan started a beauty podcast called Gloss Angeles in 2019, they knew they had the expertise and integrity necessary to bring beauty journalism to the podcasting world. Johnson spent eight years as a writer, producer, and host for PopSugar, where she helped grow PopSugar Beauty’s beauty video vertical at the height of the pivot-to-video movement in the mid-2010s. Tan has over 12 years of experience as a beauty, fashion, and lifestyle editor and currently serves as Beauty Director at Refinery29. What they didn’t know at the time was how to make money in podcasting beyond traditional podcast advertising.The two co-hosts came up with Gloss Angeles Confidential, a first-of-its-kind podcast ad program for beauty brands that allows listeners to test new and popular products. In exchange for free product, listeners provide authentic, verifiable reviews on the brand’s website. The model has made Gloss Angeles close to six figures in revenue in four months, with the program booked out through early fall.So, how did these two beauty podcast hosts leverage community marketing to reinvent the traditional podcast advertising model while simultaneously growing their audience? Johnson and Tan went on the record with BeautyMatter to reveal the strategies that have made Gloss Angeles Confidential such a hit for brands, consumers, and, of course, the podcast itself.Behind the Scenes of Gloss Angeles ConfidentialThe idea for Gloss Angeles Confidential emerged from an organic relationship that Johnson and Tan had with Amy Liu, founder and CEO of Tower 28.