I have read many times over that fan sites for actors/tv shows/films are not big money makers. Now what I am wondering is why is that the case? I would think that it would be an excellent site to load with affliate links. What am I missing?
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I have read many times over that fan sites for actors/tv shows/films are not big money makers. Now what I am wondering is why is that the case? I would think that it would be an excellent site to load with affliate links. What am I missing?
Some things spring to mind...
trends - 'here today, gone tomorrow'
audience - 'low socio-economic backgrounds', 'age group'
Links to 'kids games', 'dollar deals' might cover some bases - it depends on target audience, and the breakdown of who's visiting the site... 'consumer specific advertising' I think is the correct term.
working hard is hard work
they can make some decent money. its hard to get into ad networks with them though
Maybe using Amazon Affiliate program may make some cash
My site could be a "Fan site" it is about streetball.. I have gotten rejected everywhere.. FastClick,Burst, Casale etc
www.streetballonline.com, guess im stuck w/ google
You are getting rejected because your traffic is still really low. Show them that you can offer a worthy sum of impressions and they will accept. I got rejected from most, grew a whole bunch, tried again, and was accepted.
Ryan
getting accepted to top networks for fan sites is almost impossible. One big problem is copywrite issues. And also the "fad" effect. As well as there's pretty much nothing original on them.
Getting into 2nd or 3rd tier programs aren't as hard, but then you get just generic RON ads
casb: what kind of traffic do you have?
are they just lying when they tell me that they are full of those kind of sites?
Its nice to see a good streetball site.....Originally Posted by dB02
Thanks ccourt, we are probably one of the better sites around.. Look for a good summer from us. =]
I get 6,000-16,000 visitors daily [and growing].
Nah, it is true that some targeted sites have a real hard time getting on with ad networks, but chances go way up if you show that their ads will have tons of impressions.
And, yes, I have been rejected then accepted later.
Ryan
Alright, well I will keep trying to make my site grow... Are those uniques or impressions?
They like both.
I think they like up to site visitors x 6 impressions per day....
Ryan
Fan sites on most topics are a dime a dozen, and most ad networks have more "entertainment" inventory than they need. As such you really need to set yourself apart from the crowd if you want to get in.
Chris Beasley - I publish content and ecommerce sites.
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Everyone if looking at this from the point of ad networks, but what if you tried to make money via affiliate content instead? Wouldn't fans be likely to by products from their fav singer/actor? Couldn't you add CDs or DVDs to the site and make a fair amount?
well most fan sites are aimed at teenagers who a) don't have much money and b) don't have credit cards. so you wouldn't expect them to buy much.
i'd say adsense is your best bet
You cannot target your affiliate ads to your content and expect to make much. You need to target them to your visitor's needs.
Why does someone visit say, a U2 fansite?
Its not to buy a CD at that moment.
Its not to buy a poster at that moment.
Its not to buy tickets at that moment.
All they want is information. They might happen to also want some merchandise but there is no guarantee and your earnings will be low.
Affiliate programs really work when you help your visitors achieve a goal.
For instance, lets say a wireless phone review site. Why would someone visit a wireless phone review site? Obviously to research potential wireless carriers to signup with. So the visitor is already in a buying mood, they want a wireless phone, they are looking for help in making the purchase.
An example I like to give is my literature site. Book ads do horrible, really really horrible. What does well are essay advertisements. The reason is that while my content is all about literature, my visitors don't want to read books. My visitors are looking for homework help. Essays help them with their homework.
This is also a weakness with Google Adsense. Adsense targets ads to your content, this is not perfect for the reasons explained above. Perfect ads would be targetted to the needs of your visitors.
Chris Beasley - I publish content and ecommerce sites.
Featured Article: Free Comprehensive SEO Guide
My Guide to Building a Successful Website
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There are some misconceptions in this thread. Like any site, a fansite can make a great deal of money. The key is the to be the big fish in the pond. If you set yourself apart as being one of the top resources, you will get advertisers.
To say that "fansites" are targeted towards teenagers is completely inaccurate. I run a "fansite", and the vast majority of members are over the age of 21.
As far as not having the best demographics, lets look at the situation of a fansite on an mmorpg game. Visitors to this site purchase things on the web via credit card every month, are likely in the 18-35 age bracket, and are willing to pay for entertainment to consume during their substantial leisure time. If I was an advertiser, that doesn't look too bad. Blanket statements about "fansites" are not accurate in every situation.
I honestly believe you can make a site on any topic be a substantial money maker. Be the best out there, and innovate.
well we're not even talking about the same thing here. you have a much broader definition of "fan site" than I do. i guess if i had to define a fan site, part of the definition would be that it is devoted to a specific, well known person or group of people. So I would think of an mmorpg game (whatever that is) site as a gaming site, not a fan site. After all, a rpg game is computer software... would you call a macOS site a fan site?
anyway, if we are indeed talking about fan sites as sites about celebs, bands, etc, I stand by what i said. most are aimed at teens.
aspen, you made the point that adsense may not be so great because its trying to sell products, and the viewer wasn't looking to buy anything. well that isn't always true. With this "get a free ipod!" craze, a lot of the ads that get shown on my fan sites are like "who's hotter? Hilary Duff or Lindsay Lohan? Answer and get a free ipod!" And the 14 year old kids are dumb enough to click it. but for the most part what you said is right on. I have some amazon links on my site and they do horribly.
No, his point about Adsense was that it shows ads based on your content, and your content may not pull ads that your audience is interested in.
I think that it can make revenue, maybe not such as affiliate site but I think that teenageres can afford posters of theyre idoles.
Nicely put, aspen!
Mattias Johansson
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