Not me. That boat sailed a long time ago.
I'm talking to you, new adult webmaster. You've just made your first sale and you are riding high. You're floating on air. All that effort, all that learning, it finally paid off. You are now the proud member of the elite, professional Internet pornographer's club. All the rewards are before you - the yachts, the bodacious babes, the fountain of champagne in your foyer. You found the golden ticket and now you own the chocolate factory.
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"One sale isn't lousy but it also isn't the destination, it is the beginning of the journey. That single sale is a signpost. It is a a beacon. That solitary sale points you in the direction you need to go. Your first sale is the example that tells you, you're doing something right." |
Yes, I know. I am a condescending ass. I'm not trying to crush your dreams. I know very well how good it is to make your first sale. Every adult webmaster has experienced what you're feeling right now. It is glorious. Your first sale is your badge of courage. It is a defining moment. It sets you apart from the amateurs. When you complete that initial sale, you are officially a professional. That first sale means you have accomplished three very important goals:
So, go to the boards and shout it to the world. Enjoy your good time. Savor your buzz. Get it out of your system because eventually, you're going to have to face this reality - What next?
One sale is one sale. You want to make many sales. You want to make some decent income. You at least want to make some profit over the costs of your time, your hosting and your content. Breaking even isn't much of a goal and neither is one lousy sale.
Did I say lousy? There I am again, being an ass. One sale isn't lousy but it also isn't the destination, it is the beginning of the journey. That single sale is a signpost. It is a a beacon. That solitary sale points you in the direction you need to go. Your first sale is the example that tells you, you're doing something right.
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Here's the fly in the ointment. Was that first sale the result of your promotion or was it a fluke? Maybe you just hit the right user at exactly the right moment. Maybe your sponsor's banner and resulting tour page is what did it for you. There's the possibility that you'll throw up another gallery or free site (with similar content and the same sponsor) and not sell a thing. The truth lies somewhere in between all those what-ifs. The truth is you're always going to have to experience way more views than signups. This is a volume business. The more surfers that see your page, the better your chances to convert those views into money. The fact is, you won't know if your promotions are successful until you see consistent signup ratios. One sale after 25,000 page views is not a decent ratio. Your next goal is something more realistic like 1 sale per 1000 views/clicks. Your ultimate goal should be along the lines of at least 1 in 300.
In other words, you have to take what you did that worked and do it more, a lot more. You have to do it regularly. You have to keep at it because the idea of this being some sort of auto-generating business is a myth. Actually, it's a lie. Signups don't sell themselves. You work at it and you keep working at it. If you make galleries, you'll have to keep buying new content and submitting new pages to gallery lists. If you make mini-free sites, you'll have to continue to register new domains as well as buy content for them and submitting them to top lists. If you have an adult blog, you've got to make new posts every single day.
I don't want to be the ass but I don't want to mislead you. That first sale is cause for celebration but it is a fleeting joy. I want you to progress to the next level. One sale a day, then ten sales a day, then a dependable number of sales per month and (hopefully) the point where you have a legitimate reason to quit your day job. Never forget, you're not going to get a check for one sale. Most sponsors won't pay out until you've sold at least $50.00 worth of memberships. Most sponsors pay out 25.00-35.00 per signup.
You made your first sale. Now, figure out how you did it and do it again and again. Celebrate but do so with your future in mind.