Make money with Paid Content

So if the large local and international newspapers with their huge audiences are not generating subscriptions, who is?

The answer is highly focused niche websites. As Gary Hoover said at the recent SIPA (Specialist Information Publishers Association) Conference “In the information business all the money is in the niches”.

There is a huge amount of PROFIT being made online in the form of online membership sites which is a paid content business model.

Highly successful examples include:-

•Strategic Profits – $10m+ business
•Stompernet – $25m+ business
•Success Chef (prelaunch)
•Double Your Dating – $20m+ business

I could the continue the list with the likes of Armand Morin , Mike Filsaime , Jeff Walker , Yanik Silver , John Reese , Ray Edwards , Jim Edwards , Frank Kern , Jason Postash and many many more. Among bloggers Brain Clark with Teaching Sells and Yaro Starak with Blog Mastermind immediately come to mind.

Then of course there are the mega information marketers such as Agora Publishing with multiple content channels such as Early to Rise.

Knowledge and expertise is still a limited resource and there are many reasons why people pay to get access to it. Check out these paid content websistes:

When knowledge is restricted to one individual or a small group of individuals e.g. share tipping and investment information - www.t1ps.com and Bull Market Report www.bullmarketreport.com

When knowledge is inextricably linked to one personality or celebrity e.g. Jancis Robinsons’ expertise in wine, www.jancisrobinson.com

When the editor has privileged access to source material e.g. insider industry information like www.beernet.com

The timeliness of information. If one website gets access to information quicker than other sites, people will pay for that time advantage e.g. the fashion trend prediction site www.wgsn.com

A specialist website aggregates information which saves the reader time and hassle e.g. www.lvtbulletin.com provides analysis of court judgements that are relevant to landlords

The website hosts a specialist community. Charging for access acts as a quality filter to ensure all members have a reason and interest in participating e.g. the many collectors clubs and niche industry groups such as www.restaurantowner.com

People pay for exclusivity. Many paid-for websites are driven by people wishing to be a member of a small elite group. Its much the same as private members clubs or exclusive golf clubs in the real world e.g. www.smallworld.com

People who are passionate about a subject often want to submerge themselves in it and are prepared to pay to mix with likeminded people e.g. fans of the T Bird car www.tbirdfans.com

Training sites that give people access to information that will improve their skills or knowledge e.g. the photography site www.photographytips.com and the writers bureau’s writing course www.writersbureau.com

Help sites that enable people to improve themselves or their health e.g South Beach Diet, www.southbeachdiet.com and What to Expect Pregnancy Club, www.whattoexpect.com

Save people time e.g. business book summary sites such as www.bookbytes.com, www.redbooks.com, www.preachingtoday.com and the site that provides preachers with downloadable sermons


Conclusion

I should include affiliate links to all of them, but that isn’t the point – most of these guys are pulling in million dollar earnings on a yearly basis, and whilst they have diversified into physical products, exclusive coaching and seminars.

Agora might even be pulling in $1m a day by now, I don’t have recent figures.

Agora might be making more money than Facebook

Paid content certainly isn’t a dying business model

The future of internet publishing is in the niches. Subscription and advertising revenues will continue to migrate down the long tail to the niche sites. Specialist publishers who are focused on creating the best site in their subject area in the world are set to prosper. The mass market publications will continue to see their audiences and revenues squeezed.

Last but not least is iPad.
iPad

Learn everything about it and start your own Paid Content business, visit
www.hinenimedia.memberlodge.org