• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, November 13, 2015

Publishers are suddenly the belle of the ball as social media companies woo them with content and distribution partnerships -- although like all amorous suitors, their true intentions may not be altogether honorable.

This week brought word of two new trysts, as Hearst and The Wall Street Journal both prepare to launch new channels on Snapchat’s Discover, a platform created specifically to help big media companies reach millennial viewers with short form content.

Hearst’s new channel, called “Sweet,” is produced by Hearst Digital and launched with a short teaser video showing images and clips touching on a range of subjects covered by Hearst magazines, Women’s Wear Daily reported -- but it’s not clear whether it will actually carry content from all Hearst magazines, or just a select few (for example, predominantly women’s interest titles).

The promotional copy is certainly vague enough: “Love something every day. Sweet is insatiable. Sweet is composed. Sweet is imperfect. Sweet is inventive. Sweet is bold. Sweet is fresh. Sweet is irreverent. Sweet is playful. Sweet is sexy. Sweet is unexpected. Sweet is coming soon.”

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal is also gearing up to roll out a Snapchat Discover channel, according to Re/code. Although there’s no set release date for the new channel, WSJ has finalized a deal with Snapchat so it’s definitely coming -- perhaps sometime in the New Year.

As Re/code points out, it’s an interesting partnership to say the least, as the WSJ -- oh she of the gray stipple portraits -- doesn’t exactly scream “millennial,” but that’s probably the point. Presumably even some Snapchat users are interested in global business, have stock portfolios, and care about things like securitized investment products with variable tranches.

It’s also worth noting that WSJ has been assiduously adding lifestyle content tailored for its well-heeled audiences, some of which probably lends itself to a medium like Snapchat Discover rather well (tours of private islands and mega yachts, etc.).