Insticator Launches COOL Comments, a Leap Forward in Online Community-Building

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May 08, 2024, 11:43 ET

Insticator unveils a streamlined, swifter, and more robust iteration of its flagship commenting product, promising a paradigm shift in online discourse.

The new platform is poised to set the standard for online engagement within the industry.
COOL Comments marks a substantial technological advancement over previous Insticator Commenting versions.
A variety of new features make COOL Comments the most-versatile option on the market to foster digital engagement.

NEW YORK, May 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on the success of their flagship Commenting platform, Insticator, a premier SSP and leading creator of engagement and monetization tools for online publishers continues to innovate with the launch of COOL Comments. This comprehensive update empowers publishers to cultivate communities around their websites, enhance engagement, and gather actionable data while respecting user privacy.

"COOL Comments is the culmination of years of development," said Zack Dugow, President & CEO of Insticator, "By both responding to our clients' feedback on our legacy Commenting product and also looking down the road at what will be needed for future success, we've built a robust product that we're confident will remain the leading option in this space for years to come."

The revamped commenting platform showcases enhancements across every facet and functionality, representing a significant leap forward not only from the original Insticator (Legacy) Commenting but also from other competitors in the field. Previously known as "Commenting 2.0" in earlier announcements, COOL Comments eventually advanced to a point where it was ready to hit the market under its own name.

Technical Upgrades

Insticator's COOL Comments platform is designed for the modern internet, which has broken free of laptops and desktops and now lives on devices of every shape and size. COOL Comments scales to fill or fit any space, no matter how wide or thin, ensuring that users on massive gaming rigs and users on old iPhones will be able to engage with comments.

"Our focus on a mobile-first design language ensures easy readability, large calls-to-action, side scrollable filters, drawer-like menus, and more, providing a native-app-like experience for mobile-web users," according to Troy Riso, Senior Director of Engineering at Insticator.

COOL Comments is 5x lighter than the original Commenting platform, with 70% faster load times, 200% faster Database searches, and 100% faster API response. The platform is optimized around Core Web Vitals, ensuring that the addition of COOL Comments still allows users to experience fast load times and seamless operation.

New Features

With COOL Comments, next-level gamification features have massively improved the commenting experience for users, with an all-new "Kudos" system allowing users to gain points from actions such as posting comments, adding an emoji reaction, or receiving a reaction to their own comment. These features allow users to "level up" to different ranks, from "Recruit" to "Hall of Famer," encouraging them to spend more time on-site and participate.

Additionally, real-time notification features alert users when other users are typing, how many users are on the page, and more. Even if they click away, email notifications will alert them to new parts of the conversation they may have missed, drawing them back for more. This ensures a lively community — while also gathering valuable first-party data that publishers can use to make informed decisions for further growth.

Coming Soon

To celebrate this new rollout, Insticator has planned a big push on social media in the coming days, including an in-depth tour of the new features on Insticator's blog. Users of Insticator's existing platform will also have the opportunity to upgrade to the next level of commenting.

"We couldn't be prouder of the results with COOL Comments," Dugow added, "The future of commenting is here, and it's Insticator."

About Insticator

At Insticator, the experience matters. As a Premier SSP, Insticator maximizes revenue through differentiated franchise brands. Their suite of engagement, ad monetization, SaaS, and media products is tailored to achieve this and more. Beyond the tangible ROI from working with Insticator, the first-party data collected puts publishers back in the driver's seat, to better understand audience behavior and facilitate extreme precision targeting for the brands they represent.

Insticator's diverse company portfolio includes OKO, a Google Certified Publishing Partner for Connected TV, and Balihoo, a leader in multi-location marketing. Augmenting these offerings are Insticator-branded products designed to empower publishers in boosting engagement within their ecosystems, fostering active user interactions with site content and each other. This commitment extends globally with the expansion of Insticator into Australia, positioning it as a leader in managed-service media solutions.

Collectively, Insticator has reached over 350 million consumers monthly across their network of premium publishers and advertisers, including Kohler, Suzuki, Acer, Pearle Vision, Trek, Brita, Viking Cruises, MLB, Playmaker, Blitz, Evolve Media, and more.

Insticator is a proud 6x recipient of the Inc 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies, a 2x recipient of Deloitte's Fast 500, recognized on Crain's New York Fast 50 list, recognized by Digiday's Digiday Media Awards as a company working to modernize digital media, and awarded as one of AdWeek's Top 10 Fastest Growing Solution Providers globally.

SOURCE Insticator