Is this a good online business idea?

  • Thread starter Thread starter pyrotechno
  • Start date Start date

Would you buy an eBook of documentary reviews/downloads?

  • yes

    Votes: 3 9.7%

  • no

    Votes: 23 74.2%

  • maybe

    Votes: 5 16.1%
  • Total voters
    31
P

pyrotechno

Guest
My friend came up with an idea for an eBook containing 100 short reviews of some of the most interesting and captivating documentaries from places like the history channel, discovery, national geographic, bbc, etc. The aim is to allow readers to discover new documentaries that they might otherwise not find, and to provide a quick guide to some of the best documentaries out there all in one place (helps the user save time by not having to search around for new shows to watch). The ebook would also contain links to official sites, download/trailer links for people to sample first before buying, and also links to purchase these documentaries.


Would you buy something like this if it were available?


Just to clarify, here are some examples of the docs

Fight Science: Fight Science | National Geographic Channel
Life After People: Life After People
I Shouldn't Be Alive: I Shouldn't Be Alive
Locked Up Abroad: Locked Up Abroad | National Geographic Channel
The Real Hustle: BBC - The Real Hustle - Home (popular in the UK but less known in North America I would imagine)
 


Most people just open review sites. You have the option of trying to get ad revenue plus affiliate revenue. An ebook might not be a bad idea, though.
 
I would say niched review site is the way to go...

1. If you're charging for the ebook no one is going to pay for documentary reviews from anybody, especially someone they don't know.

2. If it's a free ebook how are you going to monetize it? It'd be tough.

Just make a niched review site. I'd check it out. Make money through advertising. Easy.

That's not the kind of information you can sell (although it's information that people would actively read if it was free).

I still look for sites reviewing what's playing on Netflix worth watching that suits my taste. I usually end up with a half-watched shitty movie. So even a "documentaries streaming on netflix" review site, if I trusted the reviews, that's something I'd bookmark and return to on a regular basis.

-Scott
 
The best way to find out is to try it. Would I buy? I'm not sure about it, I still prefer more material stuff like paper or disc over computer file while buying books or movies. But the idea sounds interesting.
 
this thing works for specialized fields like "anabolic steroids in bodybuilding". Something which does not have a lot publicly available information but has a small tight group(niche) who are willing to go to extremes to get something. But even there you need endorsements from top figures in the industry to sell it.
 
It would need to be really specialized, maybe directed toward high school teachers or professors who need a real detailed review
 
The way I see it, it's not so much the reviews that brings value, I suspect that helping people discover new stuff to watch that they would enjoy is where the value is. There are sites/forums that post documentary links, but it's a case of information overload, not all of it is interesting.

At least for me personally, I haven't found a single place which has all the cool docs that I want to watch, so I spend a fair bit of time having to dig around.

The question is, would people pay to find out about new shows to watch that they might otherwise not have found? For those who voted yes or maybe in the poll, what's the motivating factor that would encourage you to buy it?
 
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