A Newby recently posted, asking about options to monetize a niche content site. Here's the monster list of every way I know of, to monetize a niche content site.
Sell information products ( to download or to use online )
-------------------------------------------------------
# ebooks, including compilations of site content -- I know a woman who has a site about a travel destination. She lives there, and writes about how to really see it like a native. She put together her own travel guide, and promoted it to her list. She sold over 100 in the first day. This is for a destination that I'd never heard of. It's one of those out-of-the-way parts of the world. Her list responded to news of the impending publication of the book with excitement, and purchased over 100 copies of it on the first day. She continues to sell a few copies a day.
# software and other digital products
# access to online application (software as a service)
# coaching
# online courses and membership sites -- here's a story about how this works. A guy I know started a site about learning an Asian language. He was a native english speaker himself, but had a thing for learning languages. He put up great content, got impressive traffic coming in, and couldn't monetize for anything. AdSense paid almost nothing, and there were only about two affiliate programs that he could promote. He began to think he had wasted his time. That is, until he got the idea of starting a paid membership site. He hires native speakers to record phrases, etc., has articles about all kinds of aspects of the language and the customs. His audience signed up in droves. The recurring membership fees, combined with the small amounts of Adsense and affiliate commissions, is enough for him to live on, comfortably.
Sell physical product
---------------------
You can add a shopping cart, get a merchant account, and sell physical product. Operations can be very labor intensive, and investing capital in product involves significant risk. But if physical product sales is a fit for you and your audience, consider these easier options. Essentially you're outsourcing the warehousing, picking, packing and shipping. If you drop-ship you'll outsource the capital investment too. Your margin (profit) will be lower -- but it's the only way I'd consider selling physical product. After my 200th Ebay sale, picking, packing and shipping got very old. And I was only selling my personal crap, not running a business. Your tolerance for that kind of pain may vary.
Whatever you do, don't try to sell current popular consumer electronics. The margins are razor thin, and the large discounters will often sell below your wholesale cost.
# Informal Drop Ship -- Not sure your audience will go for the product? Not sure you'll like selling physical product? Find an eBay seller who is already selling the product, and make a deal - small time operators are often happy to drop ship for you, just ask. It's the easiest way to get your feet wet selling physical product.
# Formal Drop Ship -- By all accounts, this is your best bet for finding REAL distributors who will drop-ship (Drop Ship, Light Bulk, Liquidation and Import Wholesalers from Worldwide Brands! - Home Page) Be careful, there are several scam operators out there in the 'drop-ship' market. At least one offers punters inventory at 'wholesale' prices -- that won't move because the wholesale price they charge is too high to be competitive once a reasonable markup is added on.
# Outsource fulfillment -- However you source your products, a fulfillment provider will warehouse, pack and ship it, on your instructions, for a fee. Fulfillment by Amazon is an attractive option for small inventories. (Fulfillment by Amazon - Let Amazon Ship for You)
# Cafepress -- On demand production of items you've customized with your designs. They handle payment processing and fulfillment for you. You could have a tee-shirt customized with your design and available for sale almost immediately. They even offer payment processing. (CafePress: Custom t-shirts plus unique & personalized gifts)
# Drop ship your own CD / DVD physical product at a cost of $1.75 each, no minimum - you set the price, they manufacture on demand. They even offer payment processing. (Kunaki -- CD/DVD manufacturing and publishing service)
Promote affiliate products
--------------------------
For instance a photography site could promote stock photos, cameras, lenses, camera bags, books) Tip to find converting offers -- keep an eye on the Adsense ads on your site. Follow the display URL (never click on them yourself) to the advertiser, and see what they're promoting. They may be buying cheap content clicks and funneling them into well paying offers. If the same ads appear persistently, there's a good chance your traffic converts for that offer. Find it, and start promoting it yourself. (and block the original advertiser)
# Ebay EPN program - BANS, etc.
# Share-a-Sale (and other networks') datafeeds
# Amazon feeds, aStores
# Clickbank
# CPA offers
# etc.
Directly sold opportunities
---------------------------
Hard slogging, often involves direct sales, including direct mail and cold calling. Buy a list, or scrape the yellow pages, and start promoting, mostly offline. That said, here are some opportunities worth considering:
# sell leads: i.e. build relationships with landscape architects on a gardening site, and sell them directory listings on your site's -- but on a pay-per-lead basis. Be careful of "percentage of sale" deals, keeping your partner honest can become a full time job. I recommend you get an deposit up-front, that's replenished as leads are delivered. If you're offering booking leads, you may want to consider a deal with the merchant where you accept a non-refundable "deposit" for the booking. The deposited funds would go into a customer account, and leads would be deducted automatically from it's balance. (cabin rentals, native tour guides, chartered boats, etc.)
# site advertising - install an adserver, consider these free or low cost options: OIOpublisher Ad Manager - Control Your Ad Space, or OpenX: Take control of your advertising | OpenX or https://www.google.com/admanager, Consider offering your community a commission for referring advertisers (worked well for a blog with a new music audience, as many of the readers knew bands, music promoters or others in the industry)
# newsletter advertising - if you have a newsletter in the right niche, you may be able to sell advertising in it. Start out with small text ads inserted into your content, kind of like AdSense, rather than solo mailings - at least to start.
# offer business listings -- add a directory app to your site, and then offer businesses premium listings -- for a fee.
# classifieds - add a classifieds app, and sell ads to your visitors -- many pet sites have small time breeders for whom this kind of thing appeals. Compete with Craigslist by providing a niche focused audience who will be more interested in that used whatsis
# add a job listing app (or sign up with a provider like this one: Job Board Software & XML-API | SimplyHired) and sell help wanted advertising to businesses -- many niche programming sites offer this
# Joint Venture - search for info products that you like, that suit your niche, and that don't already have an affiliate program (ie. are not sold through Clickbank). Contact the owner and pitch a joint venture where you promote the product to your list/on your site, for 50% of the sales price. You'll have to work out a sales tracking process that you can trust, but if it's a good fit -- it's certainly a lot faster than trying to create your own products.
Donations
---------
Asking for donations works best when the donor gets something in return. Here are some ways of promoting donations.
# Provide advert free pages to donors.
# Throttle access and remove all restrictions for donors (like the NYTimes does, only registered donors can read more than one or two pages and then you get prompted to login or register). I know a Manga site that operates like that.
# ad free print pages (donors get different css print style sheet that hides the adverts )
# offer a pdf of your site content in exchange for a donation -- I've read where one site owner increased donation response 2000% (20 times) over his previous "support this site if you appreciate the material" donation appeal. You have to pitch it right. I believe he called the pdf a 'thank you gift' for supporters of $10 or more.
# buy me a beer / support this site appeals are reported to have very low response
Contextual Advertising
----------------------
Google is not the only game in town, and it used to be that if you want to keep using Adsense, you couldn't use any other contextual advertising on your site - but that's changed. Now, as long as the other advertising can't be confused with Adsense, your good. (See: https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=48182)
# Adsense for content (the original)
# Adsense for search (including a custom search engine)
# Adsense for feeds
# Adsense for video units
# Adsense for mobile (if you have a "mobile site")
# infolinks (http://publishers.infolinks.com/)
# Kontera (Kontera Hybrid | Publishers)
# Chitika (Chitika - Premium Ads for Search Traffic - Make Money Online)
Semi-Contextual Advertising (you supply the keywords)
-----------------------------------------------------
# Shopping.com Partner Program has contextual widgets and an API (https://partners.shopping.com/app)
# Chitika (Chitika - Premium Ads for Search Traffic - Make Money Online)
# Clickbank HopAd Builder (HopAds Builder FAQ - ClickBank)
# Display ad networks (AdBrite, Tribal Fusion, ValueClick Media and AzoogleAds, etc.)
... others ...
Sell information products ( to download or to use online )
-------------------------------------------------------
# ebooks, including compilations of site content -- I know a woman who has a site about a travel destination. She lives there, and writes about how to really see it like a native. She put together her own travel guide, and promoted it to her list. She sold over 100 in the first day. This is for a destination that I'd never heard of. It's one of those out-of-the-way parts of the world. Her list responded to news of the impending publication of the book with excitement, and purchased over 100 copies of it on the first day. She continues to sell a few copies a day.
# software and other digital products
# access to online application (software as a service)
# coaching
# online courses and membership sites -- here's a story about how this works. A guy I know started a site about learning an Asian language. He was a native english speaker himself, but had a thing for learning languages. He put up great content, got impressive traffic coming in, and couldn't monetize for anything. AdSense paid almost nothing, and there were only about two affiliate programs that he could promote. He began to think he had wasted his time. That is, until he got the idea of starting a paid membership site. He hires native speakers to record phrases, etc., has articles about all kinds of aspects of the language and the customs. His audience signed up in droves. The recurring membership fees, combined with the small amounts of Adsense and affiliate commissions, is enough for him to live on, comfortably.
Sell physical product
---------------------
You can add a shopping cart, get a merchant account, and sell physical product. Operations can be very labor intensive, and investing capital in product involves significant risk. But if physical product sales is a fit for you and your audience, consider these easier options. Essentially you're outsourcing the warehousing, picking, packing and shipping. If you drop-ship you'll outsource the capital investment too. Your margin (profit) will be lower -- but it's the only way I'd consider selling physical product. After my 200th Ebay sale, picking, packing and shipping got very old. And I was only selling my personal crap, not running a business. Your tolerance for that kind of pain may vary.
Whatever you do, don't try to sell current popular consumer electronics. The margins are razor thin, and the large discounters will often sell below your wholesale cost.
# Informal Drop Ship -- Not sure your audience will go for the product? Not sure you'll like selling physical product? Find an eBay seller who is already selling the product, and make a deal - small time operators are often happy to drop ship for you, just ask. It's the easiest way to get your feet wet selling physical product.
# Formal Drop Ship -- By all accounts, this is your best bet for finding REAL distributors who will drop-ship (Drop Ship, Light Bulk, Liquidation and Import Wholesalers from Worldwide Brands! - Home Page) Be careful, there are several scam operators out there in the 'drop-ship' market. At least one offers punters inventory at 'wholesale' prices -- that won't move because the wholesale price they charge is too high to be competitive once a reasonable markup is added on.
# Outsource fulfillment -- However you source your products, a fulfillment provider will warehouse, pack and ship it, on your instructions, for a fee. Fulfillment by Amazon is an attractive option for small inventories. (Fulfillment by Amazon - Let Amazon Ship for You)
# Cafepress -- On demand production of items you've customized with your designs. They handle payment processing and fulfillment for you. You could have a tee-shirt customized with your design and available for sale almost immediately. They even offer payment processing. (CafePress: Custom t-shirts plus unique & personalized gifts)
# Drop ship your own CD / DVD physical product at a cost of $1.75 each, no minimum - you set the price, they manufacture on demand. They even offer payment processing. (Kunaki -- CD/DVD manufacturing and publishing service)
Promote affiliate products
--------------------------
For instance a photography site could promote stock photos, cameras, lenses, camera bags, books) Tip to find converting offers -- keep an eye on the Adsense ads on your site. Follow the display URL (never click on them yourself) to the advertiser, and see what they're promoting. They may be buying cheap content clicks and funneling them into well paying offers. If the same ads appear persistently, there's a good chance your traffic converts for that offer. Find it, and start promoting it yourself. (and block the original advertiser)
# Ebay EPN program - BANS, etc.
# Share-a-Sale (and other networks') datafeeds
# Amazon feeds, aStores
# Clickbank
# CPA offers
# etc.
Directly sold opportunities
---------------------------
Hard slogging, often involves direct sales, including direct mail and cold calling. Buy a list, or scrape the yellow pages, and start promoting, mostly offline. That said, here are some opportunities worth considering:
# sell leads: i.e. build relationships with landscape architects on a gardening site, and sell them directory listings on your site's -- but on a pay-per-lead basis. Be careful of "percentage of sale" deals, keeping your partner honest can become a full time job. I recommend you get an deposit up-front, that's replenished as leads are delivered. If you're offering booking leads, you may want to consider a deal with the merchant where you accept a non-refundable "deposit" for the booking. The deposited funds would go into a customer account, and leads would be deducted automatically from it's balance. (cabin rentals, native tour guides, chartered boats, etc.)
# site advertising - install an adserver, consider these free or low cost options: OIOpublisher Ad Manager - Control Your Ad Space, or OpenX: Take control of your advertising | OpenX or https://www.google.com/admanager, Consider offering your community a commission for referring advertisers (worked well for a blog with a new music audience, as many of the readers knew bands, music promoters or others in the industry)
# newsletter advertising - if you have a newsletter in the right niche, you may be able to sell advertising in it. Start out with small text ads inserted into your content, kind of like AdSense, rather than solo mailings - at least to start.
# offer business listings -- add a directory app to your site, and then offer businesses premium listings -- for a fee.
# classifieds - add a classifieds app, and sell ads to your visitors -- many pet sites have small time breeders for whom this kind of thing appeals. Compete with Craigslist by providing a niche focused audience who will be more interested in that used whatsis
# add a job listing app (or sign up with a provider like this one: Job Board Software & XML-API | SimplyHired) and sell help wanted advertising to businesses -- many niche programming sites offer this
# Joint Venture - search for info products that you like, that suit your niche, and that don't already have an affiliate program (ie. are not sold through Clickbank). Contact the owner and pitch a joint venture where you promote the product to your list/on your site, for 50% of the sales price. You'll have to work out a sales tracking process that you can trust, but if it's a good fit -- it's certainly a lot faster than trying to create your own products.
Donations
---------
Asking for donations works best when the donor gets something in return. Here are some ways of promoting donations.
# Provide advert free pages to donors.
# Throttle access and remove all restrictions for donors (like the NYTimes does, only registered donors can read more than one or two pages and then you get prompted to login or register). I know a Manga site that operates like that.
# ad free print pages (donors get different css print style sheet that hides the adverts )
# offer a pdf of your site content in exchange for a donation -- I've read where one site owner increased donation response 2000% (20 times) over his previous "support this site if you appreciate the material" donation appeal. You have to pitch it right. I believe he called the pdf a 'thank you gift' for supporters of $10 or more.
# buy me a beer / support this site appeals are reported to have very low response
Contextual Advertising
----------------------
Google is not the only game in town, and it used to be that if you want to keep using Adsense, you couldn't use any other contextual advertising on your site - but that's changed. Now, as long as the other advertising can't be confused with Adsense, your good. (See: https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=48182)
# Adsense for content (the original)
# Adsense for search (including a custom search engine)
# Adsense for feeds
# Adsense for video units
# Adsense for mobile (if you have a "mobile site")
# infolinks (http://publishers.infolinks.com/)
# Kontera (Kontera Hybrid | Publishers)
# Chitika (Chitika - Premium Ads for Search Traffic - Make Money Online)
Semi-Contextual Advertising (you supply the keywords)
-----------------------------------------------------
# Shopping.com Partner Program has contextual widgets and an API (https://partners.shopping.com/app)
# Chitika (Chitika - Premium Ads for Search Traffic - Make Money Online)
# Clickbank HopAd Builder (HopAds Builder FAQ - ClickBank)
# Display ad networks (AdBrite, Tribal Fusion, ValueClick Media and AzoogleAds, etc.)
... others ...
