No, it’s not a delicious type of cheese; cottagecore refers to a cozy subculture that combines vintage English architecture and decor with a simplistic and nature-loving lifestyle. There’s an emphasis on nostalgia and handmade wares, which appeals greatly to those tired of the big city grind.
Cottagecore became particularly popular during the lockdown amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. However, once life went back to normal, people continued to support the movement. In fact, in 2023, there were more than 12.5 billion views for content that used the #cottagecore hashtag.
As you might imagine, whenever there’s a strong sentiment attached to a movement, there’s also money to be made. In this article, let’s look at a few interesting ways to monetize this trend.
#1. Launch Cottagecore-Themed Products
While this is the most obvious means of monetization, there are several unique ways that you can go about this. The key point is to remember that your customers are looking for a certain vibe.
You don’t want to make the monetization process suddenly feel like just another business. In other words, maintain a sense of continuity between your branding and your monetization strategy.
For instance, your Instagram page cannot be epic levels of cottage core while your merch website looks cold and clinical. It’s a complete disconnect that’s super easy to fix. These days, even an Hocoos would allow you to choose templates that match a certain vibe.
As Hocoos explains, you choose your template based on your brand identity and objectives. This should be common knowledge, but you’d be surprised how often people make this mistake and drive away those who were about to make a purchase.
With that out of the way, the products are not hard to figure out. Handcrafted goods like crocheted items, candles, flower art, and soaps fit perfectly into the cottagecore vibe. The best way to sell them would be on your website rather than something like Etsy. This is because you save a lot of platform fees, and you can customize things to your heart’s content with your site.
#2. Offer Cottagecore Services
If you aren’t too keen on the product side of things, offering services might be right up your alley. Now, you might be confused. What services can you even offer when the theme is an aesthetic and lifestyle? More than a few, to be honest.
One example could be offering farm stays where you provide a cottagecore experience for people. This would involve a little investment to create the right vibe, but once you get things set up, you don’t have to change too much from one guest to the other.
According to research by Sierpien and Tucki, Gen Z prefers experiential and value-driven travel, often inspired by social media platforms like Instagram. They also found a strong interest in village life activities.
For this reason, you could also offer workshops and classes where you teach cottage-core skills like flower pressing, balcony gardening, and bread baking. Once again, the key is not to compete with conventional online lessons.
You have to constantly remember that you are selling a niche lifestyle and the comfort and coziness that comes with it. So market and sell your services with this fact as the main focus.
#3. Become a Cottagecore Influencer
If you haven’t already done this, you need to jump on this train ASAP. The cottagecore niche predominantly exists on social media. The fact is, as beautiful as the lifestyle is, it isn’t sustainable to live out in real life.
A recent article in The Guardian points out something interesting from a survey by B&Q on 2,000 millennials. It turns out that while people admit to loving cottagecore, they also can’t do without modern conveniences like air fryers!
Despite this reality, you can still make good money via brand deals and sponsorships. If you want to increase the chances of getting sponsored, try creating content from the ground up to attract them. One way would be to emphasize ‘organic’ food and healthcare. Do this, and you’ll soon be getting contacted by brands who wish to collaborate with you.
All things considered, we all have to make a living in some way or the other. Just because you choose to monetize a cute aesthetic doesn’t mean you’re being some sort of toxic capitalist. As long as you make people happy and provide real value, you don’t have to feel bad about earning a few dollars.
