How do you pick your sponsors?

[Papa]

#1 Not over exposed
#2 Got niche sites
#3 Don't offer shitloads of freebies
#4 Can pay by Epassporte
#5 I can talk to the owner by ICQ or MSN when i wish

[JohnWebcams.com]

When selling other sites other than our own (and our own as well) to surfers, I'm really quite indifferent about the quality of the tour.

The important part is the content that is provided or if they will allow their members area content to be advertised by affiliates. If they do this, I find it much more effective to provide good content to the surfer (potential buyer) and be as descriptive as possible about the site. Then the surfer knows what to expect and you can just link straight to the join form and don't have to worry about a sponsor screwing up a tour and causing your surfer to lose interest.

Basically, controlling your own destiny by making good ads using sponsor content and linking to the join form is much better so what's important is GOOD content available to sell the site(s).

[jayeff]

Originally Posted by JohnWebcams.com

Basically, controlling your own destiny by making good ads using sponsor content and linking to the join form is much better

I'm often dismayed by how much of what used to be considered basic knowledge, is rarely mentioned any more. Traffic management, which is far easier to accomplish than traffic generation, is one such "basic" and good traffic management would include exactly what you described, at least for several types of sites.

However it isn't practical for all. For example, someone who has a database of 100K+ hosted galleries from dozens of sponsors and hundreds of sites, feeding a network of TGP's doesn't have that option. It is a major task even for someone who builds and hosts many galleries himself to create FPA's for all of them, let alone (mini) tours.

And there is another aspect to all this...

From time to time, certainly when I sign up with a new sponsor, I email about something or other. If I don't get a response, it takes too long to come back, or I only get a half-assed response, I will not promote that sponsor. I generally have the same attitude towards weak tours or tours with leaks, etc., even if I don't plan to send surfers to them.

The reason is that people sometimes, but not often, run one part of their businesses professionally and the rest sloppily. There are so many sponsors to choose from these days, that there really is no need to go with someone who doesn't seem to have everything running as it should.