Helping yourself while helping the planet

From our name to the look of our site to the way we deliver information, it’s all rooted in our understanding of what engages mainstream audiences. The key to our success has been using data to identify topics people care about and deliver information and advice they’re not finding anywhere else.”

Anna Robertson, TCD co-founder

Climate, environment, sustainability and similar topics are top of mind across the planet. Still, you might not find those words in most of the content on The Cool Down (TCD) website or in its five newsletters, although those topics are fundamental to TCD’s mission and success. Instead, TCD’s mission is “helping yourself while helping the planet.” In just three years, TCD has become the largest lifestyle platform, focusing on saving money, living healthier and wasting less while benefiting the planet.

“Much of the great information, innovations and technologies about climate and sustainability are being communicated in a very boring, dense way, with complicated language. Many of the solutions were too out of reach for people. When [climate] news is dominated by doom and gloom, many people feel disengaged. It doesn’t encourage people to act or be engaged in solutions,” Anna Robertson, TCD co-founder, said.

After founding Bleacher Report, leading it to great success and selling it to Turner Sports, Dave Finocchio joined with Ryan Alberti, the former managing editor of Bleacher Report, and Robertson to launch The Cool Down in July 2022. Robertson brought her experience as an executive and producer at ABC News, ABC-owned television stations, Yahoo and as Diane Sawyer’s producer.

Co-founders of The Cool Down, left to right, Dave Finocchio, Anna Robertson and Ryan Alberti (Photo credit: Anna Robertson)

They and their staff of curators and writers generated 45 million unique visitors in June 2025, and TCD newsletters have 847,000 subscribers. TCD is now 26^th on the Press Gazette’s list of the top 50 news websites in the United States, ahead of Reuters, HuffPost, POLITICO and many other well-known sites.

“From our name to the look of our site to the way we deliver information, it’s all rooted in our understanding of what engages mainstream audiences. The key to our success has been using data to identify topics people care about and deliver information and advice they’re not finding anywhere else,” Robertson said.

This interactive tool on TCD’s homepage offers an opportunity to choose the lifestyle goal that most appeals to you, enter your email address and receive a newsletter tailored to your goal. This graphically represents TCD’s mission of “helping yourself while helping the planet.” (Credit: The Cool Down)

On the TCD home page, visitors can choose from six specific and practical lifestyle goals that can help them and the planet. These include reducing bills, utilizing tax credits to purchase an EV, decluttering and selling old items, saving money on groceries, shopping with brands that align with their values, and supporting groups that are building a cleaner, greener future. Visitors enter their email addresses and receive a newsletter containing information and practical solutions tailored to their goals.

TCD has also launched a guide section on its site that connects people with actions they can take, which then leads them to TCD’s new marketplace for the clean economy. While programmatic advertising has been a significant source of TCD’s revenues, Robertson said the TCD marketplace is the future growth driver of the business. The marketplace is already contributing to a year-over-year doubling of revenue.

The Cool Down has been getting a lot of buzz, such as when Anna Robertson appeared on “The Drew Barrymore Show.” (Photo credit: The Drew Barrymore Show)

“During the past six to nine months, we’ve solidified partnerships with leading companies with trusted solutions across an array of clean lifestyle products and services. Not only do we provide context around those products or services through our editorial coverage, but we also showcase their benefits. We’re also driving high-value leads to our marketplace partners,” Robertson said.

Robertson represents TCD publicly, attending many events. She spoke at the recent Sun Valley Forum and will also be attending the Clean Energy Forum in the fall and Climate Week. She has also moderated several panels on misinformation and storytelling and was a guest on “Good Morning America” and “The Drew Barrymore Show.” All in an effort to help people be cool and help the planet.

Bob Sillick has held many senior positions and served a myriad of clients during his 47 years in marketing and advertising. He has been a freelance/contract content researcher, writer, editor and manager since 2010.  He can be reached at bobsillick@gmail.com.