It also plans to launch a business-to-business newsletter, called Green Screen, in the coming weeks. And a business insights operation, predicated on helping companies manage their sustainability initiatives, is in the works for later this year.
Cultivating a consumer audience is critical to establishing a healthy brand. However, doing so requires substantial resources and only becomes lucrative at scale, according to a media executive who requested anonymity.
Enterprise efforts like Green Screen will help The Cool Down reach more valuable readers and tap into larger budgets—potentially even public relations reserves unavailable to standard publishers.
“There is a lot of opportunity with [environmental, social and governance] initiatives,” said the executive. “They can tap into spend outside of traditional media budgets.”
Green products, green revenue
The Cool Down integrates affiliate links into its reporting, and its recommendations consist of products and services.
According to Finocchio, some of its most popular products have been items like electric leaf blowers and hot plates. Both are greener versions of existing products at affordable price points.
On the services side, The Cool Down has worked with companies like GotSneakers, an upcycling service that lets people donate old shoes and receive a check for their value.
The offering taps into two of the motivators—guilt over throwing away shoes, and the financial incentive of a check—that power some of its most popular affiliate items, said Finocchio.
New publishers like The Cool Down face challenges of scale in the affiliate space compared to incumbents, making it a difficult industry to break into, said Michael McNerney, founder of Martech Record. And attribution, especially for services, can pose challenges.
But the market for sustainable alternatives to everyday products continues to expand.
“The ecommerce adoption curve is moving in the direction of higher prices and more complex sales,” according to McNerney. “It’s a good place to position themselves.”
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