Affiliates: free content versus own content
 

A question for affiliates who earn their money by sending traffic to sponsors:

Which content do you preferably use to promote your sponsors (for example at TGPs): free content provided by your sponsor, or your own (exclusive) content?
Which of them converts best?

John

It depends on the sponsor site. I promote mostly single girl amateur sites. Purchased content isn't a viable option, since I'm promoting a specific girl rather than a niche.

I don't know that better conversions is the issue re: using purchased content. It's more a matter of avoiding over used sponsor content in order to get your galleries approved. Approved galleries convert WAY better than declined ones. :D

I would also say that it depends on the sponsor site... I buy lots of content, and I try to mix it up with some sponsor content.
(The content I buy is not exclusive though)

I just try to keep the reviewers from looking at the same content in hopes they accept my sites.

But on the other hand declined galleries burn much less bandwidth...|jester|

To get back to the question: I use sponsor content for those sites where using it is necessary, because they are specific sites and bought content won´t work.

A asked this questionon another board and I think it fits in here as well.

I'm only talking about the free content and FHGs.

I do know there are a few solo girl sites that feature models we shot. the sites give out the content they own, but not ours. We sell our sets to some of the affiliates of those sites.

You may mislead the surfer if he signs up to check out one girl more in depth and the site does not have that content you bought for promoting them... same applies for exclusive sites.

Very true. If the site is of content like Bang Bus, then having content of lesbians will be totally worthless. Having content of girls getting screwed in the back of a van would be useful though. What you have to do is be clever with it.

For instance, use the right words to send the traffic.

But if you could purchase content of a girl who is on a solo girl site yet the content is not going to be with 100 other affiliates that same day, how much is that worth?

There are girls shot for solo girl sites, that we shot before they did the site.

I sell mostly creampie, so i only use sponsor content, but mostly get member access and cut my own so it's fresh when i can. i would buy content too, but have checked tons of content providers and none sell creampie video or even pix?? except for the ones who will shoot it for me lol, but i will do that myself and make a paysite, not going to pay tons of money to promote someone else.


p.s. if you have creampie content for sale PM me :)

There is one thing to consider that has just raised on another board.

IF YOU USE SPONSORS FREE CONTENT HE OWNS THE TRAFFIC, NOT YOU.

You can't use his content to drive the traffic anywhere else, you can't take it down, you can't build your content portfolio for the future, if you and the sponsor change direction the content stay directing traffic to the sponsors site, if you and the sponsor fall out you can only take the page down and maybe get banned by the FS owner.

You take the mans shilling, you whistle his tune.

I get the thrust of your argument, but its a bit over the top :D

I do tend to press things home on the boards. But I'm making the point that nothing is for free.

Paul do you ever stop shilling? I really wish that you had more to contribute than 'buy more content'.

Think about this for a moment:

Surfer visits a free site or gallery featuring the tease pictures of a particular set of a model that he just falls in love with. He now wants to see the full set of her so he can get his groove on. So he signs up.

When he gets inside and discovers that that full set or even that model is not even inside the members area, I'd imagine he is not going to be happy.

On the other hand after logging in he is first directed to the full content set that matches the promo content set of the gallery or free site he signed up off of. Or can easily find it. I'd imagine he is going to be very happy and more apt to stay around.

Can I just ask who's buying/shooting exclusive content to make free sites & galleries?

Seems like a waste of money to do that with exclusive content.

I've given lots of advice about photography and pornography on many boards, you obviously have not seen any.

But yes I'm here to promote my company. If that stops you from reading what I have to say then fine.

Other than that is my statement wrong?

Also do you think content providers, the people who produce the main product we sell and the only thing surfers log on for, should be quiet and only speak when spoken to?

Think outside the box for a moment.

Why are you buying content of a girl surfers will fall in love with and your sponsor is not?

I argue with site owners who bought ten sets of mine for the tour and the 100 crap sets on price for the bulk of the site. Or just want single images for design.

Here's the solution.

If you find a content provider with content that drives surfers, makes the surfer sign up, then tell the sponsor and get yourself a cut from the content provider.

Here's the deal from me. Get a sponsor to buy from www.paulmarkham.com and I will GIVE you a copy of the sets he buys for you to promote him with. He can't give it to his other affiliates.

Win win situation?

Can I keep my day job too?
|banghead|

Do you need to? |jester|

No, it is a fair point: A few years back when most link lists and TGPs accepted sponsor's content, I spent a lot of time setting up free sites and TGP galleries with it. Then one of my sponsor's stopped doing an affiliate program. They were fair about it, they emailed everyone and told them that they were giving up paying about 2 months in advance, to give you a chance to pull their stuff. But as I was using their free content I could not redirect sponsor clicks from all the sites, because it was still their copyright content. I could not even just change all the piccies because these were free sites listed on link lists and galleries listed on TGPs and I would have got blacklisted. So I had wasted all that time. And worse, I could not even pull the sites as this would mean about 20% of my free sites and galleries would 404, which would also got me blacklisted with the TGPs and link lists, so I had to continue paying bandwidth for sites sending these guys free traffic.

Happy, I was not.

Yeah, I did when I started. It was not too much more expensive, and it is easer to get listed with exclusive content, so I don't consider myself out of pocket. Plus I have since reused the content a lot. But I have not done this for many years because I can buy content a lot cheaper nowadays, so the price difference is greater.

Here's an idea I just came up with, will it work?

You can be the judge of my idea to see if it works for you.

If you find my content drives good traffic, that spends money, to a sponsor who does not buy from us, then speak to the sponsor.

Tell him about the content and how well it works for you.

Any content the sponsor buys, I will also give a copy to the introducing affiliate, free of charge.

The sponsor can't give our content to anyone else, the affiliate can use it within the confines of our license.

Simple enough?

Does that include GUBA?

Especially those cock suckers. Would love to see them buy content.

Or do they give their affiliates content from their site?

ecchi, I didn't say his point was invalid.

Paul, there's nothing wrong with content providers voicing their opinion, but you aren't really discussing an issue, you're advertising. Nothing wrong with that either, but then don't be surprised when people don't buy your arguments because your words are agenda-driven.

You're not really succeeding in building trust with this thread. You refuse to look at free content/traffic issue from all sides. Ultimately, the choice between free/bought content depends on who you promote and how you promote them.

You make a sweeping generalization that ultimately leads to the convenient conclusion -- everyone should buy content, specifically your content. Your last few posts are nothing but "Have I got a deal for you!" I just don't buy it.

You have me wrong.

I can see instances where free content is good, when the niche or style of the site is such that it has to be content from the site. When a site is so under promoted content from the site and bought have no difference, when am affiliate is new and learning how to drive traffic buying could break him. When it is simply not profitable to buy.

But there are many instances when buying content to drive traffic is a good choice the one stumbling block is that the bought content is not on the site, my option resolves that.

My harsh words about GUBA are about anyone who makes money from stolen content and content submitted to newsgroups is often stolen, selling access to it is not on as far as I'm concerned.