A well-developed and effective strategy will allow you to reach a wider audience, and even generate revenue.
Communicate differently
Branded products can serve as vehicles for the values and information you wish to communicate to your community. Vert offers, for example, in its Postérothèque illustrated posters on IPCC proposals or fossil fuels.
Another example: the bookmark for La Déferlante that displays a guide to inclusive writing on the back.
Grow your readership
The Morning Brew newsletter has a referral program. The concept is straightforward: recommend a newsletter subscription to your friends and you'll be rewarded (stickers, mugs, t-shirts, etc).
Today, the media attributes 30% of its growth to this program that Axios also drew inspiration from. But beware of the risk of harmful overproduction of unnecessary products.
Get funding
In 2019, Block Club Chicago devoted a series of articles to an alligator discovered in a lake in the city. Inspired by its audience success, the media outlet decided to sell t-shirts featuring the reptile.
Result of this operation: $100,000. A repeated experiment in 2022 involving a pair of "piping plovers" that resulted in a gain of approximately $40,000.
To go further
- Want to start your own shop? Check out our dedicated how-to guide.
