The travel publisher Lost In will publish its latest city guide, focused on Brooklyn, on July 21, marking its 29th guide overall and its second all-new edition since the company was acquired a year ago by Jukin Media founders Jonathan and Mike Skogmo, alongside Anton Reut.
In the 12 months since the acquisition, Lost In has overhauled its business model, moving beyond its legacy print-first approach to build a travel brand defined by premium books, short-form social video, influencer content, and live events.
It now reaches more than 12 million followers across platforms and is on track to cross more than $1 million in advertising revenue by the end of the year, according to chief executive Jonathan Skogmo.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R14e4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R24e4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe"We've focused on building brand equity and reach while keeping overhead low," said Skogmo. "Now we're seeing strong demand from advertisers, tourism boards, and creators who want to work with us."
The Lost In revenue strategy
In its first year growing its advertising business, Lost In is on pace to generate around 70% of its total business from a mix of advertising and branded partnerships, according to Skogmo.
The client makeup is a mix of endemic brands, such as tourism boards and lifestyle, and non-endemic brands like Graza and Talea Beer Co. The publisher primarily offers ad buyers a menu of social video, editorial sponsorship, and in-person activations.
Supplementing its advertising business, Lost In brings in around 20% of its revenue from book sales.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R1ae4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R2ae4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframePrint remains core to the brand identity of Lost In, although the product is positioned more as a marketing asset than a standalone business. Its city guides are available through its website and more than 200 retailers globally, including Urban Outfitters and Milligram. Book sales are projected to grow 141% this year, the company said.
The remaining 10% of its revenue comes from events, an area the company expects to ramp up in 2025.
This summer, Lost In is hosting a Brooklyn launch party followed by a public event the next night. In the fall, it will run a series of pop-up dinners across the U.S. In total, the company will host around six events this year and hopes to grow that number to nearly 20 next year.
"URL to IRL is a big theme for us," said Skogmo. "We want to bring our digital audience into real-life experiences."
Timeline to profitability
Before acquiring Lost In, Skogmo and his partnership team founded and ran Jukin Media, later sold to Trusted Media Brands for a nine-figure sum, after generating around $10 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R1he4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R2he4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeWhile Lost In is not yet profitable, the company expects to reach profitability in the next 18 months, according to Skogmo.
The team remains lean, with around 12 full-time employees primarily in Los Angeles and one ad sales lead in New York. Content production is handled by a mix of freelancers and a creator network that includes Pretty Little London, Vaga Brothers, and Jeremy Jacobowitz.
To expedite its growth, the company raised $4 million in seed funding last year. A portion of that capital went toward acquiring BuzzFeed's travel franchise, Bring Me!, which included over 7,000 videos, several international sub-brands, and more than 6 million social followers.
"Bring Me! gave us a massive content library and access to a new generation of travelers," said Skogmo. "It also allowed us to start experimenting with long-form video and creator-driven series right out of the gate."
A new type of travel publishing
Lost In's model bucks traditional travel publishing norms by focusing less on web traffic and more on an unorthodox mixture of channels.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R1pe4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R2pe4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeIt produces limited editorial content for its website, instead investing in books, newsletters, and social video as the core storytelling formats. Each city guide is paired with curated itineraries, influencer collaborations, and original video.
"We treat our books like art pieces or time capsules," said Skogmo. "They're not about trend-chasing-they're about documenting what makes a place special, with inside access you can't get from Google."
The upcoming Brooklyn edition will spotlight neighborhoods such as Fort Greene, Bushwick, and Red Hook, with contributions from local writers and tastemakers.
It will be the second release in its new "Neighborhoods Collection," following a Venice Beach guide last year. Lost In also reissued updated versions of its Tokyo, Stockholm, and Amsterdam guides in 2025.
"Brand is the biggest moat we can build," he said. "If we get the trust right-through smart editorial, great books, and meaningful experiences, revenue will follow."
