You’ve probably seen the tweets. Maybe you’ve heard the voice through your AirPods at 7:00 AM while nursing a lukewarm coffee. If you follow business media at all, you know Toby Howell. He’s the guy who somehow made reading about quarterly earnings reports and Federal Reserve interest rate hikes feel like catching up with a friend at a bar.
Honestly, the rise of Toby Howell at Morning Brew is a masterclass in how modern media actually works. It isn't about being the "most professional" person in the room anymore. It’s about being the most human.
But how did a guy who cold-emailed his way into a startup become the Associate Director of Editorial Social and a co-host of one of the biggest business podcasts on the planet? It wasn't just luck. It was a very specific, very intentional strategy that changed how brand voices are built in the 2020s.
The Cold Email That Started It All
Toby Howell didn't follow the traditional path to media stardom. He didn't spend a decade grinding at the Wall Street Journal or Bloomberg. In early 2020, he was working at a sports and entertainment agency. He was a fan of Morning Brew, the newsletter that was already disrupting how millennials consumed business news.
He did what most people are too scared to do: he sent a cold email.
He didn't just say "hey, I want a job." He showed them what he could do. He basically pitched himself as the missing piece of their voice. The founders, Alex Lieberman and Austin Rief, saw something in his writing—a mix of wit, cultural awareness, and a total lack of corporate stuffiness.
He joined in February 2020 as a writer. Think about that timing. He started just weeks before the world shut down. While everyone else was scrambling to figure out Zoom, Toby was figuring out how to make a business brand go viral in a world that was suddenly obsessed with digital connection.
Why Toby Howell Morning Brew is the Blueprint for Modern Social
When Toby took over the Morning Brew Twitter (now X) account in March 2020, it had about 30,000 followers. By the time he transitioned roles a couple of years later, that number had ballooned to over 300,000.
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He didn't do it by posting boring links to articles.
Instead, he turned the brand into a person. He used memes. He "hijacked" trending topics. He replied to big-name accounts like JJ Watt and Elon Musk with the kind of cheekiness that you usually only see from personal accounts.
The Art of the "Piggyback"
Toby’s secret sauce was something he called "piggybacking." He realized that if you're the first person to leave a funny, relevant comment on a tweet that’s about to go viral, you get to ride that wave.
- The Match II Example: During a charity golf match with Tiger Woods and Tom Brady, Toby saw a tweet from NFL star JJ Watt. He replied instantly with a Morning Brew-style quip.
- The Result: That one interaction brought in thousands of new followers and massive impressions.
He proved that for a brand like Morning Brew, the goal isn't just to distribute news. It’s to be part of the conversation. If you can make someone laugh while they're learning about the supply chain crisis, you’ve won.
From Social Lead to Podcast Star
Fast forward to 2026, and Toby Howell is much more than a "social media guy." He is the co-host of Morning Brew Daily, the flagship podcast and YouTube show alongside Neal Freyman.
The chemistry between Toby and Neal is what makes the show work. It’s not a stuffy news broadcast. It’s two guys who clearly like each other, debating whether a 10% cap on credit card interest is a good idea or if "enshittification" is truly ruining tech companies.
They bring a "work bestie" energy that resonates because it feels authentic. Toby often talks about his life outside of work—his obsession with golf, his past as a soccer captain at Brown University, and his surprisingly strict rules about never eating expired food.
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It’s these tiny, weird details that build E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). You trust his business takes because you feel like you actually know him.
The Launch House Detour and the Return
Every career has a "wait, what happened there?" moment. For Toby, that was a brief stint as the Content Lead at Launch House in 2022.
Launch House was a buzzy, controversial startup community. Toby went there to build out their newsletter and social presence. He successfully grew their reach to 25,000 readers in a matter of months. But the "vibe" wasn't the same.
He eventually made his way back to the Brew. It felt like a homecoming. Sometimes you have to leave a place to realize that your voice is perfectly synced with the brand you helped build. Since his return, he’s moved into leadership roles, helping guide the editorial social strategy across the entire Morning Brew ecosystem.
Misconceptions About Toby's Success
A lot of people think Toby just "posts memes all day." That’s a massive oversimplification.
Social media at this level is high-stakes data analysis. Toby has spoken before about how they test every single subject line. They look at open rates, click-through rates, and sentiment analysis.
Behind the "kinda" and "sorta" conversational tone is a very sharp editorial mind. He knows exactly where the line is between being funny and being unprofessional. He understands that a joke only works if the underlying business facts are 100% accurate.
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If you get the news wrong, the meme doesn't matter.
What You Can Learn from the Toby Howell Playbook
Whether you’re a creator or a business owner, the Toby Howell Morning Brew story offers some pretty heavy-hitting lessons for 2026.
- Voice is a Competitive Advantage. In an age where AI can churn out 1,000 "professional" articles in five seconds, a human voice is the only thing that stands out. Don't be afraid to sound like a person.
- Cold Emails Still Work. But only if you provide value. Don't ask for a job; show them why they’re losing money or attention by not having you on the team.
- Community Over Audience. Toby doesn't just talk at people. He talks with them. He asks questions. He replies to comments. He makes the audience feel like they're "in" on the joke.
- Consistency is King. You can't just be funny once. You have to show up every morning at 4:00 AM (which is when Toby actually wakes up to prepare for the show) and do it again.
How to Apply These Insights Today
If you want to replicate even a fraction of Toby’s success with your own brand or personal platform, stop trying to be the "authority" and start trying to be the "guide."
Start by auditing your own "voice." Does it sound like a corporate brochure or a human being? If it’s the former, try writing your next post exactly how you would say it to a friend over lunch. Cut the jargon. Keep the nuance.
Watch the Morning Brew Daily show on YouTube or listen on Spotify to see the interplay between news and personality. Take note of how they transition from a serious topic like a DOJ investigation into something lighthearted. That "pivot" is where the magic happens.
Finally, remember that Toby grew the Twitter account by 10x by being the most active person in the room. Don't wait for people to find your content—go to where they are already hanging out and add value to the conversation.