Since this thread was primarily about what the title says it's about and I don't really have use for those scripts I haven't had much to add up to this point, but since the discussion is hitting lots of other areas now I'll throw in my 20 cents or so
I agree entirely with not giving away all the money shots. This is the line you walk with free site content (since it must be at least 20 pics): You want some sort of nudity in the first gallery (i.e. 10 pics), then maybe some stripping or teasing or stroking, then have maybe the last 7 or 8 pics of the good stuff (varies up and down greatly by niche). Sales text that supports much more hardcore in the member's area goes a long way. For a gallery I'd agree with what's already been said, maybe 3-4 pics of the really good stuff.
------------------cool, this is what I was thinking too pic-wise; we have the scene accurate text to go with the sets too.
Stats mean nothing unless you have a full understanding of where the traffic's coming from, IMO. When sponsors advertise "1:40 Conversions" or something I usually just chuckle, because a) you can make stats say anything you want and b) is that 1:40 from the join page? Could be
------------------agreed, disclosure is helpful in this case, maybe we should just list averages based on types of traffic, i.e., review sites = x/y, freesites = y/z and list the percentage of traffic derived from each. The point would be to give affiliates some sort of median to compare to in order to judge general performance.
Lightspeed Cash shows the top 100 affiliates and what they've made for the month. I find this interesting, and it shows you what webmaster #100 is making every month. Gives the affiliate a real idea of the scope and size of the program, which might or might not reflect well. If you want to be seen as a big program webmaster #100 better be making some decent cash every month, but that's not necessarily true for smaller/niche/amateur programs.
--------------If you don't mind my asking, do they name the affiliate or keep it discrete by using a code or something?
I'd find it cool to see the top ten affiliates' revenue and conversions for the month if their names were not revealed. I wouldn't want my cashflow publicized, but if I could look at my earnings and see that I was in the top 10 or 20 or whatever that would be quite cool.
---------------cool, this would be a good idea for creating some sort of benchmark or goal for performance I think.
I agree. The pitfall there would be having every affiliate trying to promote you with the most popular sets and they would get stale and unlistable pretty quickly. Would be a great behind the scenes way to sort out which sets you should release into the free content pool though
----------------I think the way to overcome this is to only put sets out for a limited period so there is never overexposure. Or, we could limit the number of affiliates that have access to certain sets. We are at an extreme advantage in this regard because we have waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy more exclusive content than 99% of the programs out there.
I'll agree with tickler on this...the vast majority of affiliates will probably never see anything out of a "most sales" type contest, since they just can't compete with the top of the heap. From the average affiliate's point of view a "most sales" contest is just a chance for people who can afford to buy cool stuff to get it for free. From a program's point of view, though, I can see contests as being a great way to stroke some more traffic out of your big affiliates.
------------------- Great point and I really like the idea of making incentives for even the smaller affiliates that can't match the whales but work every bit as hard and deserve a shot at some sort of bonus all the same.
The ideal situation would be to have at least some perks/benefits that smaller webmasters can still get something out of. I'll use WEG cash as an example here. If I make more money with them this month than last month, I get a bonus. Here's the relevant section of their TOS:
_------------------Thanks and more thanks for pointing this out. No wonder WEG has been around so long and enjoys such loyalty from their webmasters.
What it boils down to is that no matter how big or small you are, they regularly kick you a bonus if you're selling more for them. This type of structure definitely wouldn't be for everyone, but it's a good example of a bonus structure that can appeal to any affiliate.
So, hopefully I didn't bore you to sleep