In this Cash In On Camera interview, host Sheryl Plouffe talks with Scott Gatz, co‑founder of Q Digital, about the sizable economic power of the global LGBTQ community (estimated at $3.7 trillion in 2019) and how brands can authentically engage this audience. Gatz explains that many marketers treat LGBTQ consumers as a June‑only (Pride) opportunity, which limits impact and can lead to "pink‑/rainbow‑washing". He stresses the need for year‑round, genuine conversations, starting with internal inclusion (LGBTQ employee benefits, supportive policies) before outward marketing. The discussion covers media strategies—earned, owned, and paid—highlighting video, social platforms, and custom content, and the importance of repurposing longer videos into short clips for TikTok, Reels, and YouTube. Gatz outlines Q Digital’s multi‑platform reach (LGBTQ Nation, Queerty, Into, Gay Cities) that attracts 7‑8 million monthly readers, and lists brand partners such as Lexus, Chevrolet, Target, MasterCard, Capital One. Practical tactics for brands include donations to local LGBTQ charities, featuring community issues in blogs/social, and leveraging employee insights. The interview concludes with a forward‑looking view: Q Digital will double down on video and social as the community’s primary content consumption channels, and invites interested brands to connect via www.q.digital.
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In 2019, LGBTQ adults globally had a combined total value of buying power at $3.7 trillion. Just think about that. That is a huge market that for many of you might be untapped. And that's why we have Scott Gatz with us today from Q Digital to really dive into the opportunity, uh, with the LGBTQ community, Scott, so great to have you here on Cash In On Camera. And obviously, as more and more people come out and then this is becoming more mainstream that we're talking about the community that you are having such an impact with, I think people, businesses don't really see what they should be doing or maybe how they should be marketing differently to that community. Can you explain a little bit more about what the opportunity is?
Well, absolutely. I mean, I think you, you have talked about it. I mean, if you think about over $3 trillion globally, I mean, more and more folks are feeling comfortable finding the words to come out as LGBTQ. And with that, their financial impact is, is immense. And we've been Qdigital, we started about 14 years ago. We're, we're a company that's all about providing content for the LGBTQ community, but we also introduce brands to the community as well, connecting them to our community authentically and entertainingly. And I don't think— I think people, a lot of people think about LGBTQ folks in June, Pride Month. You know, what should I do to be sponsoring the Pride Parade? Should I put a rainbow up in my window? You know, should I have a special campaign? And those things are great, but really, you know, I'm not as grateful in January as I am in June. And it's a full-year initiative. I mean, ultimately, how are you talking to this really valuable community and getting them to spread word of mouth and talk about you? It's really untapped. It's amazing that there's a lot of advertisers talking to us right now, but really, when you take a big step back, it's a really small number.
Yeah, we're starting to see a little bit more of that in terms of products. I know my son and I were talking about recently, we're at the grocery store and we're starting to see some branding and different things that are happening in products. But I want to really dive into the media aspect of it because obviously that's what you do and you represent some, some growing brands within Qdigital itself. And I know that you have experience with, you know, NBC News in the past, with Yahoo, Good Morning America and Lifetime Network. So I just want to dive into the idea of the media piece of it and some of the brands that you're representing. What kind of direction are you guiding them into, into doing as far as maybe social media or any type of media earned, owned, or paid?
Yeah, ultimately, I mean, if you think about it, you're trying to have a conversation, an authentic conversation with a community that cares about your products or your offerings or your services. And ultimately, I think approaching— I mean, honestly, this is in any marketing, but certainly in LGBTQ— speaking authentically, reaching out, having a conversation, understanding their needs, and then talking in a direct way. And that could be on social. We care about the issues you care about. We're excited about the things you're excited about. It could be custom content that you're writing for your company blog or other channels like that. It could be video. It doesn't really matter, but it's about, are you part of the conversation? Are you really trying to speak with us and not just kind of broadcast at us?
Yeah, that's right. It's more about that conversation. I think people are, you know, regardless of whether you're in the LGBTQ community or not, You can sense when something is genuine. Like, you can sense when a communication is genuine. I wonder what your feeling is or what advice you would give to business owners. Let's just say that you have a business owner who is— how shall I say this— not on board, okay? Personally not on board. But they recognize that, you know, there's an opportunity from a marketing perspective. Is that a disconnect Or it is, you know what I mean? Because that's not a genuine thing then if it's coming from— you have a business owner who doesn't believe, um, and is trying to just market for the sake of marketing. That does— that seems disingenuous to me.
Absolutely. And there's a term that people call it, but they call it either pinkwashing or rainbowwashing, where, you know, you'll come out with a t-shirt with a rainbow on it, but, but are you really talking about— talking to us? Are you really Are you really connecting with the community? And honestly, I, you know, don't do it. I mean, you know, to be truthful to yourself as well, if you're not on board, you know, perhaps there's another community that you want to talk to. And I know that's a hard thing to hear, but ultimately, and we've talked to the biggest brands in the world, and the first thing we tell them is to get their own house in order. Are they treating their own LGBTQ employees well? Do they have, you know, before marriage equality, we would ask them, are, you know, You know, do you support civil unions and other ways that your partners— do you have same-sex benefits, things like that? If you didn't have any of that, why are you trying to talk to this community? Yeah, look internally, clean up your own house, and then feel free to come forward because you will be coming from that place of authenticity. And I understand everyone might not be able to get there, and— but, but then, you know, really be honest with yourself.
Yeah, I agree. And I read that 4 to 7% of the total population identifies as LGBTQ, right? It's a, it's a lot. There are a lot of people. And I want to know a little bit more about the brands that you were working with. I think you have some branding here behind you, I think, in your set. But what are some of the brands that you're working with? And tell me a little bit more about the expanse of your Q Digital agency.
Well, ultimately QDigital, we are, uh, we publish content for our community and we bring in, you know, roughly about 7 to 8 million people come and read our sites on a monthly basis, whether that's LGBTQ Nation, which is our kind of our traditional news site, Queerty, our entertainment site, Into, which is really focused on the Gen Z community and the kind of issues that they're facing that are different than us, and, uh, and Gay Cities, which is like a kind of a gay TripAdvisor or Yelp. Amongst these, we're trying to hit upon the things that, that really help people live their lives to the fullest, whether it's knowing the best thing to watch this weekend, the best place to go for dinner this weekend, or, or really diving deep into the issues that matter to us.
So, Scott, aside from the idea of creating and building true, genuine relationships and communication that's genuine, what are the things can business owners do to better understand the market and how to actually break through in a genuine way.
Yeah, I mean, I think it's really important to know that about 75% of the LGBTQ community has said that they are willing to switch brands to a brand that is loyal to our community, that spends money in LGBTQ advertising, that stands up for the issues in the community. So if you are aligned, so there's really some simple things you can do. You know, speaking to those issues, talking about your support of the community. And you said it, 4 to 7% of, you know, depending on the numbers you read, of folks in the United States are LGBTQ. There's probably employees in your company that are LGBTQ that can be a great resource. You don't need a big fancy agency. Obviously, the bigger you are, maybe then you will, but it's a great place to start. And, you know, chat with friends, do things. But sometimes the simple things go a very long way. It might be a donation to a local LGBTQ center, or it might be just talking about the issues in your social channels or your blog. And as much as I do say, don't limit it to just Pride, Pride is right around the corner. The month of June is Pride Month. It might be a good place to start and to try to dip your toes into the water, get out there, as long as there's something in July and August September as well.
That's right, it's not just June. But you're— to your point, June might be a good time to, like you said, dip your toes into the, into the water. And then, but then have a strategy for how you're going to continue that conversation for the other remaining months of the year. And I like what you said about, you know, contributing to the community, but then not being, you know, not holding the cards close to the vest. I go promote that, tell people, like, really get out there and publicize the fact that yet you're doing that. And again, if it's coming from a genuine place Everything should align.
Yeah. And something as simple, you know, people will do— they'll do a percentage of a product, a particular product sale given to a local LGBTQ charity. It may be, it may be just advertising. And if you're local and advertising in a local newspaper, if you're national, looking at properties like ours at Q Digital or other sites for the community and getting out there digitally. But, but kind of putting a little bit of money where your, your mouth is, something you can afford. But ultimately saying this is something that we care about, that goes a long way on top of any messaging that you're looking to do as well.
Yeah, I love that. So tell us a little bit more about the work that you're doing and I'll show your website on the screen.
Yeah, ultimately, you know, we're in the business of connecting brands to this community as well as creating content that our community loves. And we've been lucky to work with brands like, you know, Lexus and Chevrolet and Target and MasterCard. Capital One. We're ultimately trying to figure out how do we essentially connect them in a unique and authentic way. We create custom video, we create custom content, the pure advertising campaigns. It's ultimately all about kind of helping you come up with a custom thought, a way of approaching this community. But generally, by the time that people are working with us, they've actually already We've tried lots of stuff and have gotten out there in the community, but we're happy to always kind of share our take, even if you're not working with us.
Yeah, I love that. And what does the future hold? I mean, you've been at this, what now? I think you said 14 years.
Yeah, it's been 14 years and we continue to grow. I mean, we're very proud to be the number one LGBTQ online network in the United States. You can reach more people through us than anyone else, and we're super proud of that. Ultimately, we're serving our community. We're, you know, as much as we are connecting brands to our community, our responsibility is to provide what our audience cares about and what they want. So you'll see lots more great content from us. And especially as things shift online, you know, we're spending more time on video and more time on social. These are not, you know, we're seeing this all across the internet and certainly through our community as well. So you'll see more and more from us on that.
That's great. And on the subject of distribution, Now, if people want to connect with the content that you're creating for your various brands, what is the best way for people to really tap into the richness of the content that's being created?
Yes, thank you for asking that. Yeah, if you visit www.q.digital.com— excuse me, q.digital, no .com, just www.q.digital— we have a great contact link on there that'll get you right in touch with us. And it's a great way to start the conversation.
Awesome. One of the things we love to do on Cash In On Camera is stop marketing like it's 1999. Big Prince fan over here. What is, what is a tip, tool, or tactic that's helping you, Scott, to market? It could be you personally or Q Digital, something that you've learned about, or, you know, a tool that's really helping you to, to get the word out about Q Digital.
Well, it's going to sound— I feel almost it does sound a little old school, but everything that's old is new again. And, you know, you mentioned I was a I was into television producing for various different folks, and video is very much a focus right now. You know, we— whether you're probably sitting there watching on TikTok like everybody else, or on Instagram Reels, or on YouTube, and especially for folks that are younger than I am, it's become a primary method and primary way of connecting and learning about information. So don't be afraid to create content. Don't be afraid to put stuff out there that's uniquely you. And it doesn't have to be very fancy, you know, whether it's how to fix your washing machine and you're a local repair person, or how to— or something that's kind of funny and quirky and weird. All of it finds an audience, and then that audience finds you. And we've been, as I said earlier, we've been spending a lot of effort on creating fun, exciting video for the LGBTQ community. And it works. It brings in folks, people enjoy it, and ultimately they get to know your brand.
Yeah, I love that. You're right. I think video— I'm a video-first type of person. I love audio. I love— I think written content has a place too. But for starting with video, I think it really just allows you to have kind of the best of all worlds. In that sense, especially if you start to do some repurposing into short clips like you mentioned. I think that can be a really strong strategy.
So I think what you— I'm gonna double, you know, I wanna double down on what you just said. You cutting it into different size clips for different kinds of places is such an incredibly valuable thing. And you might create a longer YouTube video, but a short Instagram Reels video that'll get in front of a huge audience. So it's one of the great things. It's a little bit of work, but it has a lot of payoff.
And it's one of the things we do here, right? This is the macro, right? We do this longer form interview and then we will cut a short clip, which you're going to get, Scott. We're going to—
I love it.
—put this into a short clip and then send that to you as well. So I really appreciate you coming on the show today and sharing your insights, your experience, and helping us all learn about the important work that you're doing for the LGBTQ community.
Well, thank you very much for having me. And this was a fun conversation.
