I've seen it a hundred times before. Everyone wants to know how to find the right content for their website. What should I advertise? What sells best? What kind of content should I buy? These are common questions and there is no one answer that will suit everyone. The answer should come from within yourself. No, really!
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"I find that I make much higher sales from sites I design in subjects that I actually enjoy." |
First of all, ask yourself, what are YOUR "fetishes". I find that I make much higher sales from sites I design in subjects that I actually enjoy. For example, I am not particularly interested in the watersports fetish. I don't understand it; therefore I am not as good at selling it. Sure, I've made a few sales from my watersports sites, because I have trained myself over the past five years to research my niche and it's market before I build a site and try to put myself in the surfers shoes, but I make many more sales to my panty sponsors because it is a niche that I find rather appealing. I actually enjoy the niche so I can better relate with my visitors and tell them exactly what they need to hear to make them want to buy a membership to my sponsors, because I already know what text would persuade ME to buy.
Sure, I even know some 100% straight guys who make money with gay sites, because they have researched their niche and know the market, but as a newbie, you should stick to what you love until you have practice.
Once you have narrowed down your niche or niches, you need to search the various content providers for content to fit your niche. Things to keep in mind are price (of course) and the following:
- Are the pictures softcore? You need to keep all your free sites completely softcore in order to remain in compliance with obscenity laws. You don't want children coming to your site and seeing hardcore and having their parents find them at your site! Lawsuit waiting to happen! If you're buying for AVS sites, hardcore is okay, but for free sites, don't even show pink!
- Are the pictures decent quality? No, you don't want to give away 1024x768, high-quality, 300k images on a free site! But they at least have to be decent quality if you expect to get listed on any good link sites. The only exceptions are if you are running "amateur" sites or maybe "voyeur" sites. All other pictures should be clear, colorful and free of things like blurry photos, smudges, red-eye, and other flaws that reduce quality.
- Are the pictures in series of at least 20 of each set? Most TGP and link site owners love series and you need at least 10, preferably 20 pictures in each series. A series is the same model, with the same background, same outfit, etc. 5 pictures of her naked in the pool and 5 pictures of her on the hood of a car in panties would not make a set of 10 pictures.
- Have you seen them on several websites before? You don't want to buy content that you've seen lots of times before, because if you've seen them before, then the link sites you are submitting to get traffic from probably have, too. And they like to list sites that have content that is different from the content of sites they already have listed. If you've seen a set more than 5 times, you probably should avoid it.
You should also read the content providers license very carefully before you make a purchase. If the provider does not provide one for you before you make a purchase, e-mail them and ask to see a copy of their standard license before you buy. You should look for a license that will allow you to use your content on at least 3 domains, allows for free URL changes later, and allows you to use the pictures for whatever purpose you need them for. For example, if you are planning on making AVS sites, you should look for a content provider that allows you to use the pictures for graphics design and banners. Be sure that their license does not restrict you from doing something that you need to do with a particular set.
You also want to try to deal with content providers that have long-established reputations, because you don't want to buy content from someone who claims to own the rights to a photo set, only to find out later that they sold it to you illegally and have the real owners e-mail you and threaten to sue you if you don't remove the pictures that you paid good money for! If you find a content provider that you like, ask around and find out what other people think of them. And don't rely on the advice of just one person. You need the opinions of at least three people to make an informed decision. One person may have had a bad experience with a company, but 15 other people might think this provider is the best in the world!
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Most of this is just common sense, but you would be surprised how many new webmasters have made big mistakes in buying content. I know of one guy who bought an expensive $500 CD of content, expecting to use that CD of 1000 images to design sites for at least 50 domains. He wanted to build 50 websites on 50 different domains, using 20 pictures on each site, and the $500 he spent was a huge chunk of change to him. All he had in fact. After he bought it he found out he was only licensed to use the content on 3 URLs and he was very disappointed. Later he found out that he could have bought a CD of 800 images of similar quality for only $200 that would have unlimited domain use, or he could have bought individual sets of 20 pictures or so from another provider for about $15 and each of those sets could have been used on up to 3 domains. It taught him one very important lesson; examine your options carefully before you make a choice.
Here are a couple of extra tips for you. I follow these rules myself, but you may come up with your own alternatives in time as you become more experienced.
- I never buy expensive CD's of several hundred photos unless I can use them on unlimited domains. If I'm going to spend more than $300 on a CD, I need to be able to use it on a lot of sites so I can make my investment back.
- I prefer to buy from providers that have instantly downloadable sets, with sets of 20-50 pictures for about $10 to $30 per set. When I buy an individual set I don't mind being restricted to using the photos on only 2 or 3 sites. I don't want to use the same set on a lot of sites anyway, because I would end up over saturating my own content, thus making it harder for me to get listed when I use the content!
- When I am buying content for free sites, restrictions on usage aren't as much of a problem, but when I'm buying for AVS sites or Paysites, I make absolutely certain that I am allowed to use the images I buy for graphics design and banners.
- If you have any questions, contact the content provider BEFORE you make your purchase. Most providers will not give refunds, and they shouldn't have to if you have made a careful and informed decision when making a purchase. If you need to see a copy of the license, or you can't find an answer you need on their website, just e-mail or call them. Better to do that than go through the hassles of requesting a refund that you may or may not get later.
There are many content providers out there, some are rock-solid and some are downright shady, but once I find a company I like, I usually end up being a repeat customer. And one last time for you, if you can't find a set you need, and you've found a company that you think you really like, try e-mailing them and letting them know what you're looking for.
Some providers do custom work on request, and those that don't are usually willing to refer you to someone who does. So if you can't find any "barefoot midgets wrestling in jello" and you're dying to break into the midget jello wresting fetish, ask around! Just because it isn't there, doesn't mean it can't be had!
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