It all started in 2013 when our CEO, Paweł Strykowski, discouraged by the tedious link-building process, came up with the idea of creating a platform that would allow promotional content to be published on external portals and acquire links.
From the very beginning of this venture, he was accompanied by our current CTO, Tomek Kwaśny, who brought Paweł’s vision to life by programming the first version of the platform in just two months. There were many ideas for the name: whitefactory, whitemarket, presscentral… Until finally, we settled on WhitePress®.
We quickly reached our first milestone in November — a million unique users from publishers who decided to collaborate with us. Admittedly, it wasn’t a million in revenue, but those six zeros still made us extremely happy!
This is a time filled with fruitful collaborations and new opportunities! At the beginning of the year, we launch sponsored and expert articles on the platform and start partnering with major Polish publishers. We’re gaining more and more attention, and the feedback we receive is positive. In October, we merge with Netsprint and introduce CPC promotion for platform users, and in December, we integrate WhitePress® with SEMSTORM. So much is happening!
In the spring, a new idea blooms… What if we try something different and create an e-book? By June, our vision becomes a reality, and we officially release the first WhitePress® e-book on content marketing tools.
But that’s not all! Due to our dynamic growth, a few months later we register the WhitePress® trademark in Poland and join IAB Poland, an association of the largest internet portals, advertising networks, media houses, and interactive agencies. It is quite an honour for us.
We are embracing new possibilities! WhitePress® is no longer just about SEO and content; we are officially venturing into Influencer Marketing. We launch the influencer.pl website and add an influencer module to the platform, designed to enable creators to easily communicate with advertisers and automate the process of managing influencer marketing campaigns. In December, along with Christmas and a lavish New Year's Eve, we have one more reason to celebrate — Netsprint acquires a share of WhitePress®! We enter the new year with all guns blazing.
Here comes a new chapter! At the beginning of the year, we launch a refreshed version of our website and continue to develop and enhance the platform, adding new modules, features, and statistics. Over the summer, we focus even more on Influencer Marketing and expand our Affiliate Program to include influencer referrals.
It’s time for WhitePress® 2.0. In September, we develop a new international, multilingual, and multicurrency version of the platform. Did it take us 14 months and a total of 6,000 hours of testing and coding to prepare it? Maybe. But it was worth it!
This year, we also decide to share our SEO and content marketing expertise even more, launching WhitePress® Academy.
The platform in Poland is thriving. Isn’t it high time we conquered foreign markets? The first countries we expand into are the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. The WhitePress® logo is gaining increasing recognition, so we decide to take it a step further and create our own brand persona — Whitepresso. Are you familiar with it?
And as they say, appetite comes with eating, so in September, we also acquire the GoodContent.pl platform.
The beginning of the year heralds nothing but success—our international expansion is going like clockwork, and by January, WhitePress® is available in three more countries: Ukraine, Bulgaria, and the UK. However, the next month brings a setback for us (and many other companies) as COVID-19 disrupts our plans and confines us. Nevertheless, we didn’t face these challenges empty-handed! Adopting remote and hybrid work styles, we continue to grow the company, and it seems to be going quite well. In the autumn, we establish the WhitePress® Influencer Management Department.
We start the year ambitiously. In January, we introduce an innovative Content Premium module in the Polish version of the platform, allowing users to order content from specialized journalists. Just a month later, RTB House acquires 100% of WhitePress®, enabling us to grow even faster across Europe (by May, we are already present in almost every European country!), expand our publisher base, and attract new advertisers in Asia and the Americas.
Since September, WhitePress® is trademarked not only in Poland but throughout the entire European Union.
January marks a relocation, as some of us move to our new company headquarters. Is 300 meters far? It depends. If you have to move dozens of cardboard boxes filled with documents, books, and gadgets, then yes, it can be! Fortunately, we don't have to worry about that, as everything is handled by a moving company. <3
In May, we expand into more regions—Estonia, Sweden, and Denmark—and in September, we venture overseas to conquer a new market: Brazil. The Brazilian climate steals our hearts, so we establish a local office with a team of several people in São Paulo.
By the way, 2022 is the year of events! Not only external ones (we’re present at Romania's Content Marketing PRO conference, England's Brighton SEO, Germany's SEO CAMPIXX, and our home country's Targi eHandlu—just to name a few), but we also organize our first in-house conference in Szczyrk: SEO & Content Camp, which turns out to be a hit. Its success gives us wings, and we are already planning the next edition of the camp for the end of the year.
Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye... Does that mean we’re just celebrating all year? Far from it.
Since the start of 2023, we've been diligently working to enhance the WhitePress® platform. The result of our efforts is the AI Media Planner, an innovative tool designed to streamline the link-building and digital PR processes for our users.
We also spent the first four and a half months planning the second edition of the SEO & Content Camp conference in Zakopane. But that’s not the only event hosted by WhitePress® this year. In September, we organized SEO Vibes Budapest, along with a series of 13 smaller events across the globe as part of SEO Vibes on Tour.
What else? We’re continuing our international expansion by launching operations in the Middle East and North African markets. We’ve also released the Backlink Manager, a completely free tool from WhitePress®, and published an extensive International SEO Report! 2023 is also our year of webinars—we hosted a total of 15 online sessions, attracting over 8,500 registrations. It’s been quite a year!