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More info about solo ads and ad swaps?

by Masterminding
21 replies
Recently I've been looking into solo ads to build my list. I'm a total rookie when it comes to solo ads and ad swaps though and to be honest? A lot of the solo ads sites I found through Google look spammy as in... we take your money, you get nothing.

Does anyone know a reliable way to do solo ads? And what's the price? Where can I find out more? I want to do solo ads until my list is big enough for me to do ad swaps.

Please don't answer with "I'm the best place for solo ads" :rolleyes: don't be a spammer.
#ads #info #solo #swaps
  • Profile picture of the author Matt Morgan
    Originally Posted by Masterminding View Post

    Recently I've been looking into solo ads to build my list. I'm a total rookie when it comes to solo ads and ad swaps though and to be honest? A lot of the solo ads sites I found through Google look spammy as in... we take your money, you get nothing.

    Does anyone know a reliable way to do solo ads? And what's the price? Where can I find out more? I want to do solo ads until my list is big enough for me to do ad swaps.

    Please don't answer with "I'm the best place for solo ads" :rolleyes: don't be a spammer.
    I'm not the best place for solo ads. does that qualify?

    Tips
    Check out the JV section of the forum.

    whats the price? that depends on the size of the persons list, how many people he sents your ad too.

    yea if they look spammy, and have no feedback of others who have done them, then be catious.
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  • Profile picture of the author paul nicholls
    theres tonnes of solo ads available you just have to find them

    ive been using solo ads for the last 6 months and ive built up an awesome list of the best ones

    what ever solo ad you use make sure you get a guaranteed number of clicks to your squeeze page, its much easier and far less hassle

    the average price i pay is around $30 - $70 for 100 - 200 clicks

    theres lots of price points though so something to suit everyones budget

    as to ad swaps, ive never used 1 single ad swap, i just dont feel happy about using them. if anyone elses likes them the thats cool but ive been on someones list before that used to do a lot of ad swaps and it really annoyed me

    if you want some solos to get you started check out buysolos.com

    rodger has a list that he has used himself

    also reed florens site has plenty of solos which he has used and has documented his results

    paul
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    • Profile picture of the author Masterminding
      Originally Posted by paul nicholls View Post

      theres tonnes of solo ads available you just have to find them

      ive been using solo ads for the last 6 months and ive built up an awesome list of the best ones

      what ever solo ad you use make sure you get a guaranteed number of clicks to your squeeze page, its much easier and far less hassle

      the average price i pay is around $30 - $70 for 100 - 200 clicks

      theres lots of price points though so something to suit everyones budget

      as to ad swaps, ive never used 1 single ad swap, i just dont feel happy about using them. if anyone elses likes them the thats cool but ive been on someones list before that used to do a lot of ad swaps and it really annoyed me

      if you want some solos to get you started check out buysolos.com

      rodger has a list that he has used himself

      also reed florens site has plenty of solos which he has used and has documented his results

      paul
      Thanks for the detailed info Paul!

      Quick question: if you get 100 guaranteed clicks for $30 or so (decent price), then how many opt ins can you expect on average? In other words: what's the opt in rate of solo ads in your experience?

      Is it like 1%, 10% or what?
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      • Profile picture of the author paul nicholls
        Originally Posted by Masterminding View Post

        Thanks for the detailed info Paul!

        Quick question: if you get 100 guaranteed clicks for $30 or so (decent price), then how many opt ins can you expect on average? In other words: what's the opt in rate of solo ads in your experience?

        Is it like 1%, 10% or what?

        my squeeze pages always convert at around 40% - 55% so when ever i buy a 100 click solo i usually gain about 60 - 70 subscribers

        i gain more subs because the solo sellers always send you more than what you bought, its just a standard thing they do. they always over deliver some by 20 clicks others have sent tonnes more

        the bigger solo you buy then obviously the more extra you will gain

        no its not like 1 or 10% lol

        i could probably create a squeeze page with my eyes closed and probably still get a 3% opt in rate

        you should be aiming for around 30% +

        but obviously the higher the better and not only that the higher your page converts the better ROI you will get on your campaigns

        paul
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        • Profile picture of the author Phil Ainsworth
          My friend Coby Wright and I came up with the 7 rules of buying a Solo Ad...

          1) ALWAYS ensure the vendor guarantees the number of clicks. If they fall short, they need to mail again to get you what you paid for!

          2) Ask them if any of the traffic will be coming from exit-pops. If so, you want to be paying less for it, as it's not as good as email traffic.

          3)Ask them if they use rotators... not the end of the world if they do, but again, you'll want a better price because again the traffic wont be as good.

          4)Check that they will be using the swipe you provide them with. Some solo ad vendors will change your swipe and make it more generic and less personal, using blind copy and lots of call to action phrases. This will get you the clicks, but low conversions. Get them to stick to your tried and tested swipe copy. N.B. Unless they make a genuine suggestion to improve it, of course

          5)How did they build their list? Look for answers like - from my blog, from solo ads, adswaps, exit pops from a sales page, PPC, etc... if anyone says anything like "I bought it" or mentions anything that seems fishy.. run a mile!

          6) Ask if they have testimonials from other purchasers. Lots of happy customers = someone you can probably trust. Not many happy customers... taking a risk!

          7) How soon will the clicks be delivered? Any vendor worth their salt should be able to provide the agreed number of clicks within 48 hours of the mailing.. maybe within 72 if its a bigger solo ad. If people start asking for a week or longer... sounds dodgy to me... unless its a HUGE solo with someone you trust of course

          Other things to remember are the average price is around 30c per click... if anyone is selling clicks really cheaply (without a good reason) they are more than likely dodgy.

          You can find lots of vendors here in the JV section (along with reviews) or there's this review site... Reed Floren's Solo Ad Directory is Red Floren's site, just click where it says "review" by the person's name and also it's not a bad idea to google the vendor's name along with the words "solo ad review" to pick up any others online.

          A final piece of advice is to start small with a new vendor and scale up as they earn your trust! You might have $1000 to spend on solos, but you're better off spending it in small chnks, spread around different vendors until you know who you can trust!

          Finally, I would advise adswapping as you grow the list, but not too aggressively. In my experience, one or maybe two adswaps a week is a good balance between maximising the value you are getting from the solo ads and "over-egging the omelette" by bombarding your subs with too many solo ad emails.

          Best of luck, now get growing that list!

          Phil Ainsworth
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          • Profile picture of the author Masterminding
            Originally Posted by Phil Ainsworth View Post

            My friend Coby Wright and I came up with the 7 rules of buying a Solo Ad...

            1) ALWAYS ensure the vendor guarantees the number of clicks. If they fall short, they need to mail again to get you what you paid for!

            2) Ask them if any of the traffic will be coming from exit-pops. If so, you want to be paying less for it, as it's not as good as email traffic.

            3)Ask them if they use rotators... not the end of the world if they do, but again, you'll want a better price because again the traffic wont be as good.

            4)Check that they will be using the swipe you provide them with. Some solo ad vendors will change your swipe and make it more generic and less personal, using blind copy and lots of call to action phrases. This will get you the clicks, but low conversions. Get them to stick to your tried and tested swipe copy. N.B. Unless they make a genuine suggestion to improve it, of course

            5)How did they build their list? Look for answers like - from my blog, from solo ads, adswaps, exit pops from a sales page, PPC, etc... if anyone says anything like "I bought it" or mentions anything that seems fishy.. run a mile!

            6) Ask if they have testimonials from other purchasers. Lots of happy customers = someone you can probably trust. Not many happy customers... taking a risk!

            7) How soon will the clicks be delivered? Any vendor worth their salt should be able to provide the agreed number of clicks within 48 hours of the mailing.. maybe within 72 if its a bigger solo ad. If people start asking for a week or longer... sounds dodgy to me... unless its a HUGE solo with someone you trust of course

            Other things to remember are the average price is around 30c per click... if anyone is selling clicks really cheaply (without a good reason) they are more than likely dodgy.

            You can find lots of vendors here in the JV section (along with reviews) or there's this review site... Reed Floren's Solo Ad Directory is Red Floren's site, just click where it says "review" by the person's name and also it's not a bad idea to google the vendor's name along with the words "solo ad review" to pick up any others online.

            A final piece of advice is to start small with a new vendor and scale up as they earn your trust! You might have $1000 to spend on solos, but you're better off spending it in small chnks, spread around different vendors until you know who you can trust!

            Finally, I would advise adswapping as you grow the list, but not too aggressively. In my experience, one or maybe two adswaps a week is a good balance between maximising the value you are getting from the solo ads and "over-egging the omelette" by bombarding your subs with too many solo ad emails.

            Best of luck, now get growing that list!

            Phil Ainsworth
            Phil, thank you for your incredibly detailed advice. Hearing multiple people say check out Reed Floren's directory usually means it's pretty good so I'll check it out.

            Just out of curiosity: can you really get away with 1-2 ad swaps a week? I mean, you sound like that's a medium number of swaps to do. I thought it was like once every 1-2 months, which is exactly why I asked for tips because I was just guessing does it depend on the market? I'm int he IM market.
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            “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared” – Sun Tzu

            Check out the Motriz Marketing blog for a funny yet informative, brutally honest look at the IM world in general and SEO in particular.

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            • Profile picture of the author Phil Ainsworth
              Originally Posted by Masterminding View Post

              Phil, thank you for your incredibly detailed advice. Hearing multiple people say check out Reed Floren's directory usually means it's pretty good so I'll check it out.

              Just out of curiosity: can you really get away with 1-2 ad swaps a week? I mean, you sound like that's a medium number of swaps to do. I thought it was like once every 1-2 months, which is exactly why I asked for tips because I was just guessing does it depend on the market? I'm int he IM market.
              Dude, I know people that swap 5 or 6 times A DAY...and sent another 5 or 6 emails on top of those ones, every day!

              It does build a list fast... but it doesn't help responsiveness... that's why I would keep it to 1 or 2 a week. 1 or 2 a month is fine if that's all you want to do, but I think you a missing a trick there.

              I found that people tend to accept patterns and resist change... if people get on your list and receive say 3 emails a week from you (one adswap, one content, one promo) then they will come to expect that every week, and not mind. It's only when you are inconsistent (like 2 emails one week, 20 the next) that people get funny.

              Just my opinion anyway, try it and see what works for you :-)

              Peace and happy listbuilding!

              Phil Ainsworth
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              • Profile picture of the author Masterminding
                Originally Posted by Phil Ainsworth View Post

                Dude, I know people that swap 5 or 6 times A DAY...and sent another 5 or 6 emails on top of those ones, every day!

                It does build a list fast... but it doesn't help responsiveness... that's why I would keep it to 1 or 2 a week. 1 or 2 a month is fine if that's all you want to do, but I think you a missing a trick there.

                I found that people tend to accept patterns and resist change... if people get on your list and receive say 3 emails a week from you (one adswap, one content, one promo) then they will come to expect that every week, and not mind. It's only when you are inconsistent (like 2 emails one week, 20 the next) that people get funny.

                Just my opinion anyway, try it and see what works for you :-)

                Peace and happy listbuilding!

                Phil Ainsworth
                Hahaha I'm aggressive in a lot of ways when it comes to IM, but apparently I'm not aggressive in the email marketing department.

                Thanks for the clarification.

                From what I do know about email marketing I couldn't agree with you more: consistency is key. Same goes for Google and improving SEO results by the way, hell, same goes for all areas of IM. Be consistent. Build a system. Get money. Done. IM in a nutshell (being sarcastic of course)
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                “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared” – Sun Tzu

                Check out the Motriz Marketing blog for a funny yet informative, brutally honest look at the IM world in general and SEO in particular.

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        • Profile picture of the author Masterminding
          Originally Posted by paul nicholls View Post

          my squeeze pages always convert at around 40% - 55% so when ever i buy a 100 click solo i usually gain about 60 - 70 subscribers

          i gain more subs because the solo sellers always send you more than what you bought, its just a standard thing they do. they always over deliver some by 20 clicks others have sent tonnes more

          the bigger solo you buy then obviously the more extra you will gain

          no its not like 1 or 10% lol

          i could probably create a squeeze page with my eyes closed and probably still get a 3% opt in rate

          you should be aiming for around 30% +

          but obviously the higher the better and not only that the higher your page converts the better ROI you will get on your campaigns

          paul
          Thanks for the more detailed explanation. I know 3% conversion on a squeeze page is peanuts, but I'm simply doing my due diligence... trying to get a feel for the market, potential ROI, etc. Thanks again!
          Signature

          “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared” – Sun Tzu

          Check out the Motriz Marketing blog for a funny yet informative, brutally honest look at the IM world in general and SEO in particular.

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  • Profile picture of the author thedanbrown
    Solo ads are a great way to get started. You should check out safe-swaps

    They have a wide variety of IMers and Clickbank gurus that you can purchase a solo ad from. Make sure to research who you are buying from and check the reviews of their previous list swaps.
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  • Profile picture of the author Exel
    There's no better solo ad resource than Reed Floren's Solo Ad Directory

    Reed tests every solo himself and publishes the results.

    That's the only solo ads resource you'll ever need.
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    • Profile picture of the author Masterminding
      Originally Posted by Exel View Post

      There's no better solo ad resource than Reed Floren's Solo Ad Directory

      Reed tests every solo himself and publishes the results.

      That's the only solo ads resource you'll ever need.
      Hey that's a great tip man! Thank you! I'm compiling a list of resources to check out here. I always prefer trying out multiple sources as not to consider a marketing channel worthless (just because my "market entry partner" was worthless )
      Signature

      “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared” – Sun Tzu

      Check out the Motriz Marketing blog for a funny yet informative, brutally honest look at the IM world in general and SEO in particular.

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  • Profile picture of the author Bill Hugall
    I like safe-swaps.com. Really good ROI on a lost of the top lists. One good email and you are landing 180-225 per thousand. That is a good enough list size to start making a little cash. I never swap. I only solo. I want a good relationship with my list. They buy more and trust me.
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  • Profile picture of the author JaimeCruzM
    Soo ads are very effective , but you really need a good Source and Know who they are coming from.
    Send a couple of emails to SOLO ADS providers, wait for their personal response
    ask them probing questions, and take it from there.

    Don't spent your marketing money on Hopeless SOLO ADS, there are providers we have caught send in 50 clicks, same ip address.

    Just be careful and trust the SOLO AD SOURCE First.

    Jaime(El Tigre)
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    • Profile picture of the author Masterminding
      Originally Posted by JaimeCruzM View Post

      Soo ads are very effective , but you really need a good Source and Know who they are coming from.
      Send a couple of emails to SOLO ADS providers, wait for their personal response
      ask them probing questions, and take it from there.

      Don't spent your marketing money on Hopeless SOLO ADS, there are providers we have caught send in 50 clicks, same ip address.

      Just be careful and trust the SOLO AD SOURCE First.

      Jaime(El Tigre)
      You're right. I know now that I won't accept solo ad deals if clicks aren't guaranteed.
      Signature

      “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared” – Sun Tzu

      Check out the Motriz Marketing blog for a funny yet informative, brutally honest look at the IM world in general and SEO in particular.

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  • Profile picture of the author devogolf
    Originally Posted by Masterminding View Post

    Recently I've been looking into solo ads to build my list. I'm a total rookie when it comes to solo ads and ad swaps though and to be honest? A lot of the solo ads sites I found through Google look spammy as in... we take your money, you get nothing.

    Does anyone know a reliable way to do solo ads? And what's the price? Where can I find out more? I want to do solo ads until my list is big enough for me to do ad swaps.

    Please don't answer with "I'm the best place for solo ads" :rolleyes: don't be a spammer.
    I,ve recently done a few solo ads with pretty good results. I have a list of some really good solo ad sellers that helps shortcut the process in finding a good vendor. PM me and I will send it to you...
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    There is more information and some great FREE stuff over at http://www.allandevlin.com
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  • Profile picture of the author hellow0rld
    Solo ads are a bust. ZHow do you make money off them ? They are just rolled out to blog networks and the same people click the ad. I had one user come to my website and click around 91 times all from different urls...same IP. Was a waste of money I bought a 10pack for $97 as well...such a noob. I've only used it once.
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  • Profile picture of the author timb98133
    Originally Posted by Masterminding View Post

    Recently I've been looking into solo ads to build my list. I'm a total rookie when it comes to solo ads and ad swaps though and to be honest? A lot of the solo ads sites I found through Google look spammy as in... we take your money, you get nothing.

    Does anyone know a reliable way to do solo ads? And what's the price? Where can I find out more? I want to do solo ads until my list is big enough for me to do ad swaps.

    Please don't answer with "I'm the best place for solo ads" :rolleyes: don't be a spammer.
    I mostly use solo ads to build my list. I'll say they're very effective. You just need to know where to look and always pay per click. You should be careful if you just Google "solo ads for sale". There's a lot of garbage out there.

    If you PM me I can send you links to where I purchase some of my solo ads!
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    • Profile picture of the author Masterminding
      Originally Posted by timb98133 View Post

      I mostly use solo ads to build my list. I'll say they're very effective. You just need to know where to look and always pay per click. You should be careful if you just Google "solo ads for sale". There's a lot of garbage out there.

      If you PM me I can send you links to where I purchase some of my solo ads!
      Quick question before I PM: is it Reed's Solo Ad Directory or safe-swaps where you get your solo ads? I already know of both sources, so I don't want to spam your inbox to get an answer I already have haha
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      “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared” – Sun Tzu

      Check out the Motriz Marketing blog for a funny yet informative, brutally honest look at the IM world in general and SEO in particular.

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  • Profile picture of the author jthom804
    Solo ads depends both on the quality of traffic and your offer. From my experience it is best to offer something free on your squeeze page. There quite a few quality solo ads right here in the forum.
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  • Profile picture of the author travelerjim
    Hi, please check out GroupSwaps.com | Group Swapping, things are beginning to take shape on our site, and I'm excited about that.
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