Brazil's 1st K-POP Magazine Founder on Collaborating with HYBE and JYP

Hello, this is Klab Insight. Starting today, we’re bringing you a series of interviews featuring stories of people who make a living through K-pop.

For our first feature, we’re introducing Carol Steinert, the editor-in-chief and founder of HIT! Magazine, who has been at the forefront of promoting K-pop in Brazil.

More than just a fan, Carol has created merchandise and content for Brazil’s K-pop fandom, establishing the country’s first-ever K-culture magazine. She’s also the host of 'Ponto Kpop', a K-pop-focused program on Brazil’s PLAYTV.

Her journey began with a simple love for K-pop, but today she serves as a bridge between fandoms and the industry, becoming a vital hub that connects Brazil and South Korea.

The insights and successful strategies she’s gained along the way will inspire not only K-pop fans but also those interested in K-culture and the global content business.

Through Carol’s story, let’s discover how one person’s passion can mobilize a fandom and make a meaningful impact on an industry.

This newsletter highlights:

• Pioneering K-Culture in Brazil

• Strategic Collaborations with Industry Giants (HYBE, JYP, Kakao etc.)

• Innovative Fan Engagement

Q. Can you introduce yourself?

I'm Carol Steinert, 29 years old, editor-in-chief and founder of HIT! Magazine in Brazil. It's the first official K-culture magazine in the country, available both in print and digital formats, complete with exclusive merchandise from Korean idols. I also host "Ponto Kpop", a Brazilian TV show on PLAYTV, where we dive into all things K-pop.

My journey into K-pop began with SHINee during their "Replay" era. That was my first time watching a K-pop music video, and I became a Shawol instantly. Taemin's dancing and performance skills blew me away. From there, I explored groups like BTOB and BIGBANG, becoming a huge G-Dragon fan. K-pop quickly became a daily part of my life.

In terms of my career, I started as a journalist but also studied Cultural Production and Film Direction. My K-pop journey truly took shape with YouTube content creation, where I shared my passion for Korean music and culture. Over time, these efforts evolved into something larger, culminating in the founding of HIT! Magazine, where I aim to bridge the gap between Brazilian fans and the K-pop industry.

This role has given me the opportunity to connect fans with idols, create meaningful content, and foster a deeper appreciation for Korean culture in Brazil.

Q. What motivated you to start HIT! Magazine, and what strategies did you use to expand its reach initially?

One of the major factors that motivated me to start HIT! Magazine was the lack of official K-pop merchandise in Brazil. Despite being one of the largest consumers of the genre, Brazilian fans had limited access to authentic, exclusive products. This gap motivated me to create a platform where fans could access official K-pop merchandise and content tailored to their interests.

Convincing publishers and companies in Brazil to recognize the potential of K-pop was challenging, especially as the industry was primarily focused on concerts and shows. Shifting the perspective toward K-pop-related content, like our magazine, wasn’t easy. However, our passion and commitment allowed us to break through, and today we proudly represent K-pop fans in Brazil and beyond.

HIT! Magazine primarily benefits Brazilian K-pop fans, providing them with access to exclusive content and merchandise that was previously difficult to find. In addition to the magazine featuring an exclusive interview, our magazine includes a poster in every issue and either a postcard or photo card with exclusive photos of the artists. This makes it a collectible item.

By addressing this market gap, we’ve helped foster a sense of pride and belonging among Brazilian fans, allowing them to enjoy the same level of content as fans in other countries.

The Korean entertainment industry also benefits from our work as we help them expand their reach into the growing Brazilian market. Through our collaborations with fan-bases and the creation of high-quality content, we help Korean artists build deeper connections with international audiences, supporting their global success.

Despite the general engagement challenges faced by various platforms, we are experiencing very significant organic growth, with over 6 million accesses solely on our Instagram.

Our main strategy is to bring fanbases closer by consistently sharing newly released content from their favorite artists, enabling them to promote the material and reach the largest possible number of truly engaged fans.

Another strategy we employ is collaborating with the artists' management teams to ensure they share the content we post about their artists, often through reposts on their official social media channels. We also enjoy creating posts in collaboration with partner companies to enhance our visibility, such as our ongoing partnership with the event production company Live Nation on its Brazilian profile.

Of course, we always allocate a portion of our budget to ads, but currently, within this 6 million engagement, only 2% comes from paid advertising.

Q. Since it must have been difficult to access official merchandise in Brazil initially, how did you overcome this and provide official products to Brazilian fans?

The import taxes in Brazil end up being very expensive, so we noticed that fans missed having more exclusive content at a more affordable price. That’s when I decided to create the magazine, an item that could be produced locally in Brazil and include the highly anticipated content fans were eager for.

We handle all production in São Paulo and distribute it across Brazil with low shipping costs, which is a significant advantage for those living here. Interestingly, we also sell a lot internationally, including to Korea itself, where our magazines are available through major K-pop retailers like Kpoptown, KTOWN, and many others.

Q. Can you share some meaningful achievements you’ve had through HIT! Magazine?

Some of our most significant achievements include our collaboration with JCDecaux, where we broadcast Korean culture news in São Paulo's subway system, reaching over 2 million people daily. Our partnerships with K-pop groups like TWICE and Stray Kids also led us to trend on X/Twitter in Brazil for three consecutive days. These campaigns, driven by fan engagement, helped build lasting relationships with the K-pop community.

We’re also expanding our reach through collaborations with industry giants like HYBE, JYP, and Kakao Entertainment, who have been instrumental in our growth. Working with HYBE, JYP, and Kakao Entertainment allows us to serve as a bridge between the K-pop industry and Brazilian fans, amplifying the visibility of K-pop culture and enabling global collaboration.

These partnerships have not only bolstered the magazine’s credibility but have also fostered deeper ties between Brazilian fans and major K-pop entertainment companies.

Q. How did the collaboration with JCDecaux come about? Considering the magazine was relatively small at the time, it must have been challenging to secure such a partnership.

I noticed during my subway commutes that there were screens inside the cars displaying daily news, fashion, politics, and so on. That’s when I thought there could be a space for K-pop and Korean culture there.

After all, São Paulo is still the largest hub of K-pop fans in Brazil, so we know where the fans are, and it would be amazing for them to see K-pop news on their way to work, school, etc. Our idea is for HIT! to become a part of their daily lives in various moments, not just when they’re buying our magazine.

The partnership, in fact, happened very smoothly because we demonstrated that we knew what we were talking about, especially by showcasing my 10-year portfolio (at the time) of working with Korean culture. This earned us their trust, and it has been an incredible partnership ever since.

Q. Could you share how you collaborated with HYBE, JYP, and Kakao? What led to these partnerships, and what were the key steps in the process?