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grist.org

27 technologies
VerifiedVisit393.0K/mo$16M7727 Tech
Deep Dive

Grist: The Climate News Powerhouse

How a 27-year-old nonprofit built a $15.8M revenue engine on environmental journalism

In a media landscape dominated by clickbait and consolidated giants, Grist has quietly built something rare: a profitable, high-impact journalism mission that actually scales. With 393K monthly visits and a lean team of 77, they're proving that climate news isn't a niche—it's a movement.

$15.8M
annual revenue
77
employees
7.1M
backlinks
52%
direct traffic

"Grist doesn't just report on climate change—they weaponize journalism to accelerate the transition."

The Traffic Moat

While most publishers bleed from social media dependency, Grist commands 52% direct traffic—nearly double their 32% organic search. That's brand equity, not algorithmic luck. Their 7.1M backlinks (a staggering number for a niche publisher) create an SEO fortress that competitors can't replicate. They're not chasing virality; they're building an institution.

Audience Architecture

The data reveals a sophisticated audience strategy. 'Grist' alone drives 16K monthly searches, but long-tail terms like 'grist uranium' (250 searches) and 'grist fellowship' (160 searches) show they own both brand authority and niche expertise. Their TikTok and Instagram presence signals they're capturing the next generation, not just preaching to the choir.

What's most impressive is their revenue-to-headcount ratio. At $15.8M with 77 employees, they're generating over $200K per employee—exceptional for nonprofit media. This isn't a charity case; it's a well-oiled machine that treats journalism as infrastructure for climate action.

  • 52% direct traffic proves they've built a destination brand, not a content farm
  • 7.1M backlinks create an unassailable SEO moat in climate journalism
  • Multi-platform presence (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube) shows generational reach
  • Lean operations: $205K revenue per employee in a notoriously tough industry
No subscription paywall blocking content
Free access model maximizing impact and reach
Not chasing venture capital or unicorn valuation
Sustainable nonprofit revenue from grants and partnerships
No pivot to AI-generated content or clickbait
Human-first journalism with deep investigative roots

Grist is the blueprint for mission-driven media

They prove you can build scale, revenue, and impact without selling your soul—or your editorial independence.

What tech stack does Grist use?

45 detected
Accessibility1
Programming Languages1
Privacy & Consent1
Email Marketing1
Forms1
Customer Support1
Web Standards2
Build Tools1
UI Libraries2
JavaScript Libraries2
Tracking & Analytics18
F
Facebook Pixel
G
Google Tag Manager
H
Hotjar
L
LinkedIn Insight Tag
L
LinkedIn Insight Tag
H
Hotjar
T
Twitter Pixel
G
Google DoubleClick
G
Google Tag Manager
F
Facebook Pixel
T
Twitter Ads
L
LinkedIn Insight Tag
G
Google AdSense
G
Google Analytics
L
LinkedIn
T
Twitter/X
F
Facebook
H
Hotjar

How much traffic does Grist get?

Traffic & Engagement

275.4K
Monthly Visits
-7.4%
1.4
Pages/Visit
5:51
Avg. Duration
82%
Bounce Rate
Monthly Traffic Trend-49%
536.3K
Oct 2025
Oct
297.3K
Nov 2025
Nov
275.4K
Dec 2025
Dec

Rankings

#140,734
Global Rank
#37,770
United States Rank

Backlinks & Authority

7.1M
Backlinks
62.5K
Ref. Domains
48
Authority Score
Low
Penalty Risk
Backlinks Trend-18%
8.7M
Jul 2025
Jul
8.2M
Aug 2025
Aug
7.8M
Sep 2025
Sep
7.5M
Oct 2025
Oct
7.5M
Nov 2025
Nov
7.1M
Dec 2025
Dec

Search Traffic

Organic
57.3K
Paid
2.1K

Top Organic Keywords

#1magic sponges environmental impact
4,400 vol1.3%
#2us magnesium llc
22,200 vol1.3%
#1kangaroo penis
1,900 vol1.0%
#6grist
18,100 vol0.9%

Where is Grist's audience located?

🇺🇸United States85.2%
🇨🇦Canada4.6%
🇬🇧United Kingdom2.0%
🇩🇪Germany1.4%
🇮🇳India0.8%

Device Distribution

Desktop44.1%
Mobile55.9%

What keywords does Grist rank for?

5 keywords
1grist16.2K vol$1.73
2grist uranium250 vol
3maha51.4K vol$1.73
4grist fellowship / fixers under 30160 vol
5grist name nature400 vol

How is Grist's SEO?

Open Graph Image

OG Image preview
og:image

https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Grist-rebrand-logo-announcement.png?quality=75&strip=all

Meta Tags

title46 chars

Grist – Climate and environmental news | Grist

description132 chars

Independent news on climate change and the environment and their intersections with energy, policy, food, extreme weather, and more.

og:title

Grist – Climate and environmental news

languageEN-US

Schema Types

Unknown

Who works at Grist?

Loading leads...

What do customers think of Grist?

No Trustpilot reviews available for this company.

Frequently Asked Questions about Grist

What is Grist's Revenue?
Grist generates approximately $16M in annual revenue. With 77 employees, that's $205,000 per employee.
What does Grist do?
Independent news on climate change and the environment and their intersections with energy, policy, food, extreme weather, and more.
How fast is Grist growing?
Grist has declined by 7.4% in the last 6 months according to traffic data. employee count has changed by -4% year over year.
How do people interact with Grist?
When visiting Grist, visitors view an average of 1.4 pages per visit, and spend around 5:51 on the site, and the bounce rate is 81.6%.
How do people find Grist?
216.0K people (78%) visit Grist directly. 57.3K (21%) find them through organic search. 2.1K (1%) come through paid advertising.
Who uses Grist?
Grist's top market is United States with 234.7K visitors (85.2%). Canada is 2nd with 12.6K (4.6%). United Kingdom is 3rd with 5.6K (2.0%).
What technologies does Grist use?
Grist uses 27 technologies across their website including Accessibility, Programming Languages, CMS. Key technologies include UserWay, PHP, Contentful, WordPress.
Who are Grist's competitors?
Grist's main competitors include Ganjapreneur, SteadyTake, ReelWorld Productions, KREM 2 Media Group, KSPS PBS. These companies operate in similar markets and compete for the same customer base.

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What are Grist's key pages?

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About grist.org

Independent news on climate change and the environment and their intersections with energy, policy, food, extreme weather, and more.

Company Overview

grist.org
Website
science_and_education
Industry
#149,960
Global Rank
393.0K
Monthly Visitors
27
Technologies

Contact grist.org

Technology Stack

grist.org uses 27 technologies across their website including UserWay, PHP, Contentful, WordPress, and more.

Accessibility

UserWay

Programming Languages

PHP

CMS

Contentful, WordPress

Privacy & Consent

Cookiebot

Email Marketing

Mailchimp

Advertising

DoubleClick Floodlight, Twitter Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, Google Ads +1 more

Traffic & Audience

393.0K
Monthly Visits
56%
Bounce Rate
1.5
Pages/Visit
0:40
Avg. Duration

grist.org receives approximately 393.0K monthly visitors and ranks #149,960 globally. The website has a bounce rate of 56% with visitors viewing an average of 1.5 pages per visit. Users spend an average of 0:40 on the site.

The majority of grist.org's traffic comes from undefined, undefined, .

Frequently Asked Questions

What is grist.org?
Independent news on climate change and the environment and their intersections with energy, policy, food, extreme weather, and more.
What technologies does grist.org use?
grist.org uses 27 technologies including UserWay, PHP, and 21 more. View the full tech stack analysis above.
How do I contact grist.org?
You can contact grist.org via email at [email protected] or through their contact page.
What are grist.org's social media accounts?
grist.org is active on tiktok, twitter, youtube, facebook, instagram. You can find links to all their social media profiles in the social section above.
Is grist.org hiring?
Check grist.org's careers page for current job openings and opportunities.
How popular is grist.org?
grist.org receives approximately 393.0K monthly visitors and ranks #149,960 globally. Traffic is declining by 10.3% month-over-month.

Related Searches

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This page provides publicly available information about grist.org. Data is collected from various public sources and may not always be up to date. For the most accurate information, please visit grist.org directly at https://grist.org.