About
In the crowded landscape of digital media, Frenchly stands apart. It is more than a website about France; it is the premier English-language destination for a passionate global community of "Francophiles." Operating from a headquarters in New York City, Frenchly has built a multi-platform media operation that blends aspirational cultural content with multi-channel monetization. Under the leadership of founder Emmanuel Saint-Martin and a new generation of editorial talent led by Editor-in-Chief Catherine Rickman, the brand has evolved from a simple offshoot of an expat-focused publication into a powerful and commercially sharp voice in the world of travel and lifestyle media. It is an operation built on the understanding that for its audience, France is not just a place, but an identity.
Frenchly: Origins and Growth
The story of Frenchly is inseparable from that of its parent company, the French Morning Media Group (FMMG), and its founder, Emmanuel Saint-Martin. A French journalist with a career spanning nearly three decades, including time as a reporter for Le Point and as a New York correspondent for France 24, Saint-Martin founded frenchmorning.com in 2007. Initially conceived as a "side project," it was designed to serve the practical needs of the French expatriate community in the United States.
Over the next decade, French Morning executed a successful expansion, establishing itself as the leading online media outlet for French citizens in the U.S. and the United Kingdom by launching local editions in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and London. The group even tailored its model for the Quebecois market with the launch of Mauditsfrançais.ca. This period solidified the business model and built a loyal base within its core Francophone demographic.
The strategic pivot came post-2016, when Saint-Martin formally took the role of CEO at Frenchly. This marked a crucial shift in strategy, born from the "revelation: people all around the world love France." Frenchly was created as "French Morning's English Edition" to target a much larger psychographic community: English-speaking Francophiles. To fuel this growth, FMMG launched an equity crowdfunding campaign in August 2019, successfully raising $70.3K by September 16, 2019, turning loyal readers into financial stakeholders.
A November 2021 reader survey signaled another phase of evolution, promising a "new website, a new editor in chief, some new writers." This heralded a significant leadership transition. Caitlin Shetterly, an established author with bylines in The New York Times Magazine, moved from Editor-in-Chief to Editor at Large. Taking her place was Catherine Rickman, a self-described "professional Francophile" with a B.A. from NYU, an active presence on Instagram and TikTok, and her own podcast, "Expat Horror Stories." This calculated move placed a digitally native, multi-platform creator at the editorial helm, positioning Frenchly to aggressively pursue a younger, more online audience while retaining its connection to literary prestige. The strategic vision of its founder was recognized in 2022 when Emmanuel Saint-Martin was decorated as a Knight of the National Order of Merit by France.
Frenchly Content and Style
Frenchly's editorial product is a blend of "aspirational service journalism." The content is organized across four key verticals—Travel, Culture, Lifestyle, and Food & Wine—combining the romantic allure of the French lifestyle with the practical information required to access it. Articles like "The 14 Best Things to Do in Bordeaux: A Local's Guide" inspire readers, while service-oriented guides like "Your Guide To Renting A Car In France" and "How to Retire in France" provide the actionable intelligence to turn those dreams into reality. The publication also makes an explicit commitment to inclusivity, dedicating itself to representing the "evolving face of French culture" by celebrating "women, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC individuals."
The brand's YouTube channel, created on March 24, 2008, has become a cornerstone of its audience acquisition strategy. With 170,000 subscribers and over 62 million total views across 405 videos, the channel functions as a powerful top-of-funnel marketing tool. Its content has proven viral appeal, with videos like "Brands that French People and Americans Pronounce Differently" and "Parisians Try to Pronounce Words in English" achieving viewership of 9.5 million and 18 million, respectively. This video-first approach introduces the Frenchly brand to a massive global audience, who are then guided into the wider content and commercial setup.
How Frenchly Makes Money
Frenchly's commercial success is built on a diversified business model. As an integral brand of the French Morning Media Group and operating under the legal entity French Morning LLC, it leverages its parent company's infrastructure to execute a multi-pronged revenue strategy. FMMG's stated mission is explicitly commercial: to provide "advertising solutions" for any brand wishing to reach French people abroad or Francophiles worldwide.
The revenue streams are varied and resilient: * Direct Advertising and Sponsored Content: Frenchly offers direct ad sales, with Clément Mercet listed as the contact, and develops high-margin sponsored content through its in-house creative agency. Partnerships with brands like the luxury cruise line PONANT and testimonials from the boutique airline La Compagnie validate its effectiveness in reaching a high-value audience. * Business Directory: The website hosts a paid directory of Francophile-friendly businesses, including bilingual schools like The École and Le Lycée Français de San Francisco, and lifestyle services like the somMailier wine club. * Events and Webinars: The company creates and monetizes its own events. Online webinars like "Living the French Dream" and "Confidently Buying Property in France" are often sponsored by real estate agents, financial advisors, and relocation experts. In-person events, such as the popular "Best Baguette" and "Best Croissant" competitions in U.S. cities, are monetized through sponsorships and ticket sales.
Technologically, Frenchly has embraced AI not for content creation—which its editorial guidelines explicitly forbid—but for content discovery. The implementation of "Le Chat," a chatbot powered by Maya and trained exclusively on Frenchly's own 15-year content archive, acts as an intelligent search layer, increasing the return on investment for every article ever published.
Frenchly's Network
Frenchly's strength lies in its deep network of commercial and editorial partners, managed by a team that includes Romain Poirot, Managing Partner & Head of Revenue, and Sophia Tamimy, Head of Marketing & Partnerships. The success of its webinar series is a direct result of collaborations with a roster of experts in French real estate, finance, and relocation, including Amaury de Monclin of Bluesky Finance, Anas Sihamdi of RA Immobilier, Ellen Van Duijn of Currencies Direct, Tom Easdown of French Plans, and relocation expert Fabien of FAB Expat.
Frenchly: Public Reception
The dossier reveals no major public controversies associated with Frenchly. The publication maintains a detailed set of Editorial Guidelines that articulate a commitment to journalistic integrity, including policies on fact-checking, editorial independence, and a "no-tolerance policy for plagiarism." It explicitly prohibits the use of generative AI for writing its articles, a stance that protects its brand voice and distinguishes it from lower-quality content farms.
Frenchly Today
Frenchly represents niche media success at its best. It has identified a passionate, commercially valuable audience and built a resilient business to serve it. Backed by the institutional stability and two decades of experience of the French Morning Media Group, it has diversified beyond simple advertising into high-margin sponsored content, directory services, and monetized events. Under Catherine Rickman's editorial leadership, Frenchly is firmly positioned for a multi-platform, digitally native future.