Which converts better: adult or mainstream?
 

I've ran across several mainstream "make money online" (yeah, right :1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh) blogs that make the claim that mainstream is way better than adult because you need less traffic to make money. Do you agree with this? Which content category converts better: adult or mainstream? We're talking POST-TUBE ERA here...

http://i26.tinypic.com/2pq5n4k.jpg

I guess it would depend on what mainstream product you was promoting.

I can see that,everyone isn't giving the house away.

I see scaling being a major issue.

You may have a point. What's the point of getting a 1:50 conversion rate at $20 a pop when that mainstream product only gets 50 clicks a day?

In adult we seem to have this unique ability/opportunity to create markets. I don't know how difficult or easy creating markets could be for tangible goods in mainstream. Possibly service mainstream could be scaled, but I don't know.

Well yes,i mean if you have let say mainstream site with 100 seo hits daily,you can at least bank on adsense.Adult site with 100 seo hits wont bring income ever.

Tell me about it:disgust

Good point but I'm sure some adsense niches are better than others. Let's say there's 2 niches and both pull in a CTR of 5%. One niche pays $3 to $5 per click. The other pays chump change rates of 10 cents to 25 cents per click. Difference between $25 and $1.25 for that site for that day.

Maybe to offset this shit, build A LOT OF SITES

You mean, niche markets in adult? content subniches?

porn, only those who never done mainstream think mainstream is easier (wait and those who have "friends" who make millions in mainstream a day)

Mainstream is far bigger and far more diverse than adult, so comparisons between the two are mostly pointless. You have to look at separate mainstream industries: gambling, mortgages, health, entertainment, self-help, dating, etc.

Tell that to the mofo "pro bloggers" :1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh who wrote smack about adult. Anyone care to post a list of casino sponsors and how much they pay? Leave your ref ID on so you can get referrals

I sell $300-$800 in a single sale, sometimes several sales a day, at least one a day, to a fishing product. The ticket items in mainstream can be huge. Then I sell 'harmonizer' products that are $30-$100 each, and several ebooks, etc.

In porn if you slap up crap, you make money because content sells. All it needs is a few links, repeat, and sales will almost always follow.

That doesn't work so well in mainstream.

In mainstream you have to fulfill a desire or need, to replace the porn content desire, then it's no different than working in niched porn with some sales mojo added in.

well said when I worked in mainstream for a company that did insurance quotes. I would talk to these monster mainstream affiliates who made boats loads of money. Mainstream costs more to get into, its harder but much bigger ocean to swim in.

you are that 5 dollar submissions guy right?

You are dead on. In adult, the traffic is already there. In mainstream, you pretty much have to cut that shit up.

If all you're capable of bringing in is 50 clicks a day, you got bigger things to worry about.

Mainstream is too broad a covering to really compare to adult. There's just way too many things you can promote. While adult has some slight variations, it's all basically the same shit.

I've promoted mainstream products that couldn't sell for fuck all. Then I've promoted others that are turning 1:10 or sometimes better off the landing page for $30-40 a lead.

That's 50 clicks on one site, bro. No one just builds one, right? :1orglaugh

Great point about landing page though.

In mainstream, the landing page makes a huge difference. An offer that pays $45 might not make you near as much as an offer paying $32. Exact same shit, entirely different lp. Split testing is a must. Your squeeze page, the offer's landing page, tiny discrepancies on either of them can lose you a lead. For instance there is a specific color combo for weightloss landing pages which does incredibly well. Go look at the EPCs for 20 or so Acai offers, check the LPs. The best EPCs all follow a similar color code. It's been tried, proven, and it does make a difference.

Like TheDoc said, in mainstream you actually have to understand a little something about real marketing. The product won't just sell itself for you. Where some people may make the move from adult to mainstream and have great success, there are going to be a lot who simply don't, because they don't know anything marketing their product. They can't trigger an emotional response from the viewer, they can't make a connection with their readers, or convince them that the purchase is an absolute must, yadda yadda. There's been talk floating around about "the content becoming the ad". This is a very important point. By the time your reader has read everything you have to say, their curiosity needs to have been peaked. If you've done your job correctly, a simple text link at the end of a 1000 word article should be all you need.

I like mainstream for a lot of reasons. Every outlet you have for adult traffic generation, you have 1000 in mainstream. Especially if you're willing to work in the grey areas. So many angles you can approach things from exist. I really enjoy working in mainstream products now. I think I've learned more in the last few months than I did in a couple years of adult. I've been able to apply a lot of my existing knowledge, but it's still been a rapid learning experience.

It's a harder sell, but it's a rewarding one.

Great post, AJC. Do you recommend people to browse through those long sales pages so they can see what the most common features are and test it on their lps? Good idea to test using small PPC buys?

I spend hours combing through other people's squeeze pages. Keeping an eye on the trends in your niche is huge. When you see the same pages popping up over and over and over again, you know someone is throwing a lot of PPC monies at that promo. They wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't making them money. Watching what other people are doing is a big part of the biz.

PPC is dangerous ground though, a guy can easily lose thousands of dollars in a matter of days if they don't know what they're doing. I've lost a lot on certain campaigns. So starting small, ya, probably a good idea. This is where the scalability of buying traffic in mainstream shines. Once you have perfected a pitch on small PPC buys, the sky is really the limit. Keep tossing money at it. Keep adding keywords, scale up your daily limits and let it grow.

This is what people are talking about when they talk about "having 9 campaigns fail for every 10 they try." It's throw and stick mentality. You have to keep playing the game, keep throwing shit at the wall until one log sticks. Then you duplicate that piece of shit, and huck it at as many walls as you can...

There is more Money in Mainstream and always will be. Period.

A 6'th grader can't become a Millionare in Adult but she can in Mainstream.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=zPmRb8ZTZlo

I didnt check the vid but is that about the girl with the myspace layouts?

nope but that's another good example

It's amazing how one simple idea can spiral into something so enormous.

PDCAffiliates they pay 40% on poker and all casino games. They take us players and the poker room is pretty large.

And you can also promote them on adult sites. :thumbsup

no bottlecap necklaces called snap caps she sold 40k of them last month.

:eyecrazy:eyecrazy:eek2:thumbsup

If you're promoting poker/casino stuff, check out AffiliateFuture for a few poker "accessories" they carry. I seem to remember them having an odds calculating program that works with most major poker rooms. Can't remember the exact payout, but it seemed pretty reasonable, and looked like it would be something that would go nicely alongside any poker related site.

So can you share some actual tips about the LP optimization? I don't want to know your niche, only some directions on how to design the LP.

poker > all