In his post, nmcog wrote "I am newbie to the online adult industry, and like many, I have plans for starting a facials/cumshots TGP site. I would be able to dedicate a lot of my free time (which I have plenty of) to it, but, with so many TGPs out there (probably 1000s), is there any hope of making money via affiliate programs? If you run a TGP site, what's the url? When did you start it? How much time do you spend on it? And most importantly, how much money does it make for you?"
Expectations & Understanding
My initial response to the question of "Do they make 'any' money?" was "Yes," but that "Having 'realistic' goals is the key..." After which I briefly described my personal plans to come out with a new TGP this year, but that I am looking to use it as more of a traffic pump / hub to feed other projects, and not primarily as a direct "revenue generator" – meaning that I wasn't counting on this site being "worth the effort" in the more traditional context. This type of "different" approach is what I want to focus on:
First, let me say that folks who expect to just put up a script and make "real" money are likely in for a rude awakening. While a micro-niche TGP might tend to fare better, the bottom line is that a lack of creativity and effort on the TGP owner's part is what will doom a TGP to being an unprofitable waste of time and energy.
You've gotta do something different - and even then, the outcome isn't guaranteed. Consider the fact that surfers are at TGPs because they provide easy access to a mountain of free porn. Trying to sell them more porn is an often futile exercise in bandwidth overload; but the right offer to the right surfer still has a chance at success. This chance is so slim though, that it results in the "1:10,000" conversion ratios you see being talked about.
TGPs aren't a waste of effort because of poor conversion ratios, they're a waste of effort due to poor utilization. Given the factors outlined above, you really need to see the value of your TGP as a traffic generating commodity. For instance, the niche TGP that I am now developing is designed to feed traffic to a similar niche pay site, but it's more complex than just making sure that site has the top slot and a nice text link too...
The Plot Thickens
You see, I've been looking at buying traffic, but after talking to some folks in the know, it's become clear that rather than buying traffic for the site I really want to feed, having an intermediary hub that feeds not only my primary site, but my sponsor exits and trades as well, is really the best way to go...
Well, why not build a clean thumbs-based "pseudo" TGP to use as that hub? This way, not only are the listed galleries all "mine" (this means those designed to feed my main site, as well as sponsor-provided FHGs), but I can also easily feed any site that I choose. Think of my TGP as a giant exit console, and you'll get the idea. As a side note, all of my adult sites will in fact pop this TGP as an exit console, and all 404 and other error traffic will be sent there as well.
Every outbound click will either give me a chance to make a sale, or return a fresh visitor, and most banners will be for banner exchanges where I'll receive fresh visitors based on the banner impressions I'm generating – building a steadily increasing flow of traffic, in line with my desire to create a true traffic pump.
I won't feature explicit imagery that would require a '2257 statement, but will offer compelling, high-quality thumbs that beg to be clicked.
Because I won't skim gallery clicks, and will only feature quality galleries, surfers will trust and bookmark my site, and once the archive gets 10 pages deep (100 links / page), I'll add some additional content and turn that into a pay site, with say a $14.95 or as low as $9.95 non-recurring membership fee. I may not get many members, but every little bit helps, and my overhead is virtually non-existent. And at that point, folks will be paying me to see my ads...
There's more to it than all of this, but my point was to get you to think in broader terms about the use and implementation of TGPs, because doing so will allow you to build a site that is indeed "worth the effort." Stay creative!
