Interesting Spin on More Legit Affiliate Marketing (article)

[maximus]

I came across this article and thought it can get some of your brains spinning with new ideas / ways to view affiliate marketing as more of a legit business route. We all know the volatile, short term CPA or rebill world of affiliate marketing but this site (thewirecutter.com) took a more "real business" approach to affiliate marketing and did $150mm in revenue last year -

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...rs-to-get-paid

Article jist is that they take a unique spin on reviewing products - "In many cases, the site enlists the help of engineers, chemists and scientists. While reviewing the best bike locks, it received input from an actual bike thief, according to the company’s website. While testing waterproof iPhone cases, one of its employees swam a quarter of a mile in the ocean."

Not saying to copy this model but unique ideas can get you thinking outside the box for your own products and business models.

[omar]

Basically, content is king.

[Eric]

They definitely took a longer term approach. With a staff of 60 and less than a post a day, I'd like to see who is doing what there and how the numbers really look. Anyway, good model. I've seen some training websites take that approach with multiple coaches who focus on different disciplines, the website promotes them and takes an affiliate commission when someone signs up.

[darklord]

I know this is an old post but I think there was a key point missed in the article. Content is only part of the equation. Lam's business model is not new. However, he has a user base that trust their reviews. Without trust, it would be very hard for them to be successful. Trust is the factor that will separate Lam's model from the fly-by-knight content spinners out there looking to make a quick affiliate buck.

“We move as much product as a place 10 times bigger than us in terms of audience,” Lam said in an interview. “That’s because people trust us. We earn that trust by having such deeply-researched articles.”

I would argue that the bulk of their revenue is not from cold leads but repeat visitors to their website looking for product reviews.

[Etido]

These guys just got acquired by the NYT for $30M cash.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/bu...tter.html?_r=0