Wired published an article this week offering a 20% discount code for Brooks running shoes. The piece follows the standard format for promo code articles: a discount code, a list of featured products, and links to purchase.
This type of content has become common across tech publications. It functions as affiliate marketing — publications earn commissions when readers use tracked links to buy products. The articles are typically updated regularly with new codes and deals.
What matters: Readers looking for actual news about running shoes, athletic gear, or the footwear industry won't find it here. These articles are structured to convert traffic into purchases, not to inform. The "tech news" label often encompasses consumer electronics and gear, but promo code roundups occupy a grey zone between helpful and promotional.
The broader pattern is that deal content pays the bills for many publications, but it doesn't much resemble the journalism those same sites do elsewhere.