Hardcore Italians shield logoMedia partnerships & business features Chicago

Hardcore Italians

Where
Italian‑America
gets its news.

Hardcore Italians covers the feasts, the neighborhoods, the family businesses and the stories nobody else does. Our audience reads the comments, shares it with their relatives, and shows up.

2.4M+

followers across Instagram, Facebook and TikTok

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The numbers

  1. 22,867,426 video views per month, six-month average
  2. 1,203,342 followers on Facebook
  3. 1,004,918 followers on Instagram
  4. 249,876 followers on TikTok
  5. 246,118 subscribers on YouTube

Figures are self-reported from platform analytics.

Who the audience is

Italian-Americans across the United States, most heavily in the Northeast and Midwest, and mostly 35 and older. They follow the page for heritage, family, food, neighborhoods and history, and they treat it like a hometown paper: they read the comments, and they share posts with their relatives.

Two ways to be on Hardcore Italians

Editorial

We cover the Italian-American world because that's what we do. Feasts, openings, family businesses, neighborhood history, people doing something worth knowing about. If your story fits, we may run it. We choose up to five free features a month, we write them, and there's no fee. There's also no guarantee: we can't promise coverage before your event date, and editorial posts don't include ticket links, product links, or fundraisers. If you need people to act by a date, that's promotion.

Send us your story

Promotion

Promotion is for when you need people to act: show up, buy, or donate. We write the post in our voice so it reads like Hardcore Italians and not a press release, it carries the platform's paid partnership label, and you get the numbers after it runs. Contact us for campaign options and pricing.

Get a quote

Not sure which door? Fill out the form. We'll tell you.

What's included in a paid campaign

  • Guaranteed publication on agreed dates.
  • Copy written by Hardcore Italians, facts checked with you.
  • The platform's paid partnership label, always.
  • Performance screenshots after the campaign.

What we don't do: guarantee reach, engagement, sales or attendance, or hand over message approval. Posts that read like ads underperform, and that costs you reach.

Lead time: 30 days for posts, 45 days for video.

What happens after you reach out

  1. Review. We reply within two business days.
  2. Scope. We confirm what fits and which dates are open.
  3. Quote. You get a price for the campaign.
  4. Payment. We confirm your dates and send the invoice, due on confirmation. The booking is final once it's paid.
  5. Scheduled. We publish on the confirmed dates and send the numbers after.

Editorial, creator and merch requests get a reply in the same two business days. Cancellations and missed posts are covered in the terms.

What it looks like when it works

Real posts and real numbers, straight from platform analytics. Tap a post to open it on Instagram.

Hardcore Italians news post about Little Italy's street party in Chicago, with 10.1K likes and 5,767 shares Promotion

Taylor Street Fest afterparty, with Avanti Group

A collab post for the afterparty Avanti Group hosted during Chicago's Taylor Street festival weekend.

  • 221,423views
  • 5,767shares
Avanti Group logo
Hardcore Italians news post about New Orleans creating the world's largest antipasti board Promotion

Carla Pesono's Taste of Italy, New Orleans

Awareness for the inaugural Taste of Italy event and its world record antipasti board representing all 20 regions of Italy.

  • 100,020views in four days
  • 1,451interactions
Carla Pesono's Taste of Italy logo
Hardcore Italians video spotlight with the family behind American Stone LS Editorial

American Stone LS

Our editorial spotlight introduced a family stone company to the audience. Nothing about it was paid, and that is the point.

  • 66,497views in two weeks
  • 3,267interactions
Hardcore Italians Top 5 Italian feasts video, with 12.9K likes and 2,875 shares on Instagram Promotion

Taylor Street Italian Fest, with Onesti Entertainment

Taylor Street was featured in our Top 5 Italian feasts list video, putting a festival known mostly in Chicago in front of a national audience.

  • 312,502views
  • 19,980interactions
Onesti Entertainment logo
Hardcore Italians news post announcing Armand Assante as narrator of the Little Italy documentary, with 15.6K likes Promotion

The Streets of Little Italy documentary

Coverage of Armand Assante joining as narrator of a documentary still in production.

  • 764,742views
  • 18,201interactions
Ciao USA TV logo
Hardcore Italians collab post with Old Town Italian Fest announcing the festival's return, with 1,571 likes Promotion

Old Town Italian Fest, Bloomingdale

A collab announcement with the festival ahead of its return, plus a Hardcore Italians booth at the fest itself.

  • 66.9Kviews
  • 29.1Kaccounts reached
Old Town Italian Fest Bloomingdale logo

Make content for Hardcore Italians

If you make Italian-American content and want a regular home for it, there are two ways in. Collabs: we repost what fits, and regular collab partners get a Hardcore Italians creator code so you earn on what your audience buys. Content partners: you make ad-ready video for us, we put our own ad budget behind it, and you get paid on every sale it drives. There's no application fee for creator collaborations, and reposts are selected at our discretion.

Apply as a creator

Hardcore Italians merch, your way

Want to sell Hardcore Italians at your shop, restaurant, or shows? Order wholesale through Faire.

Want a shirt with your name on it? Collab designs are by invitation. We design it, we make it, we sell it, and you earn a royalty on every sale through your code.

We don't carry other brands' products on our store.

Order wholesale on Faire

Sponsorships and donations

Hardcore Italians supports Italian-American causes through a yearly allocation. Requests go through the same form below and are reviewed quarterly.

Tell us what you've got

What are you interested in?
Is there a date, ticket, product, or fundraiser involved?
Budget

One address for everything: media@hardcoreitalians.com.

Questions

Can I pay for an editorial feature?
No. We choose editorial features, up to five a month, and they can't be bought. If you need a guaranteed post, that's promotion.
Can I approve the copy?
We verify facts with you. We write the post.
Will you carry my product on your store?
No. We sell Hardcore Italians merch. If you want to sell it, Faire is the door.
Can I sell Hardcore Italians at my shop or show?
Yes, through Faire.
Do you guarantee results?
No. We guarantee the post runs on the agreed dates with the numbers reported after.
How do I become a regular on the page?
Make content for us. See the Creators section.
Who do I contact?
media@hardcoreitalians.com. Please send all inquiries here so our team can coordinate.