How to monetize site in anxiety/depression/mental health niche?

You'd think that would hurt you chances of selling an ebook, but in fact the exact opposite is true. If you collected all the info from your site into one handy reference guide, you'd probably be surprised how many visitors would be willing to pay for it.
--Jeremy

Hey there Kx
First of all, congratulations recovering form anxiety/depression is very rewarding, currently my brother is suffering from deep depression,

Regarding monetizing your views, you are in a very good position to make a free ebook! I recommend gathering up all your posts and putting them into an ebook form, and give it away for free to SUBSCRIBERS, then you could advertise affiliate links in the newsletter & or referral links to amazon products (I have seen people advertising pills/vitamins in a similar niche)

I hope that helps,

Michael S

Personally I wouldn't feel right profiting from a niche like this... and from someone who has suffered before and knows the condition inside out I find it odd you would want to just recommend people to a Clickbank guide you probably haven't even read or tried yourself.

Each to their own I guess but depression and anxiety are very serious illnesses and people should be encouraged to go and seek the proper medical help they need not some ****ty Clickbank guide.

Sorry to sound harsh but I think most of us here know someone who has been through this type of disease and I just don't like to see people trying to turn something so serious into a money grab. It's just wrong.

WillR,

I think people should always be asked to seek medical advice. but that is just that - and advice. No one is sure its right or not. Even the doctors.

I have a very common knee problem and I went to chiropractors, physiotherapists, doctors, RMT etc I spend 4000+ dollars. Chiropractors are the biggest scammers out there. Do you know they even have an marketing course just for chiropractors.

You know what helped me - a 20$ ebook from someone who has researched my problem a lot.

Build your list with this site. Provide a free e-book. You will realize how powerful is the list can work for you.

With all do respect WILLR I think you may have jumped the gun a bit with your comment. Maybe he just hit a nerve with you being that you can personally relate to the niche he is WORKING in.

It sounds as though he/she offers some real value to the readers and I wouldn't say that ALL Clickbank products are crappy, if I'm not mistaken I currently promote the same product on a child safety site. I don't have the time to look it up right now but I'm pretty certain that it's the product name.

I am not a promote anything marketer, never have been never will be and I will not assume that anyone else is without direct knowledge. kx is asking for some legitimate help and I would think it's honorable to create an authority site in a niche that can help a countless number of people.

It's often recommended to build a site around your passion and that is what it sounds like kx has been doing. Wouldn't it make more sence to help kx monetize the site so he/she could continue to help others?

If he cannot make any money she probably could not maintain the site and who knows how many people would miss out on some excellent advice. I wouldn't assume that he is playing the role of a licensed psychiatrist and I would hope that all the proper disclaimers are in place.

kx I think you could do your visitors a real service by compiling your information into an eBook but I really think you should explore the forum idea as well because that could offer a terrific resource for your readers and once established I think you could significantly boost your earnings.

There are plenty of ways to monetize a busy forum and in keeping with WILLRs concern just be certain that you do check out whatever product or service you promote to maintain the integrity of your site and or mission.

I would focus on getting that forum up and running and come on back for some more help.

To Your Success!
Todd

@WILLR - I may not have expressed myself very well but trust me I meant no disrespect to you at all and I am sorry that you have ever had to deal with those issues, I have been there myself and it is painful in many ways. I wish you well my friend.

Hmmm...Is wanting to monetize a site evil? Is it somehow the antithesis of "helping people"?

Bottom line, in my book, is that creating value via information on a site with a topic that is bringing people pain is the primary focus of internet marketing. Is there a responsibility on the site owner to construct and conduct the site in an ethical way? Sadly, there isn't a direct way to regulate that.

But, indirectly, the site owner who is focused on solving the problem in the best way for the customer will triumph. Ultimately, the market will support and enlarge the site owner who is dedicated to delivering quality, with the consumer foremost in his thinking. There may be some short-term gain from a junk provider, but it will not last.

However, to suggest that a "monetization focus" is wrong, is missing the mark, in my mind. If that were the case, every product/service provider in an industry with hurting people would be evil, since monetization is a necessary requirement for having a business. Having worked internationally with doctors and health professionals who save lives every day (and make an ethical profit from it...and use those profits to fund charitable endeavors), I want more good people to learn how to make good money by creating/promoting good products/services to solve real problems..and then use that profit to do more good things...

I agree that your own product is the way to go with this. Grab hold of a good PLR ebook and add your own content to it.

You may find that a good auto responder sequence will drip sell it.

Focus on building your list. Build a relationship with the people on your list and continue to help them in any way you possible can. Do not have a monetization (it's a real word) goal in mind, there's plenty of time for that and your subscribers are the ones who will demand that you create the product/service they want. Remember, it's not about what YOU think they want, it's about what THEY want.

Build that list, build that trust, and then ASK them what they want...then go get it...then go give it to them. Forget about marketing other people's products. This is not the MMO niche so you will burn your relationship by offering other people's products. If you truly want to help these people, then you can be sure the last thing they need is a pile of ebooks and courses. They need results and they need support.

That's your goal. FIND OUT WHAT THEY WANT...GO CREATE IT....GIVE IT TO THEM.

As someone already mentioned. You should be looking to create a membership site where all your visitors can learn, help, and support each other. But first, you need to build trust with your readers/visitors.

p.s.. Keep in mind, after you condense all of your best work into a book and give it to your subscribers, what are you going to give them after that? If your book is supposed to help them cure their anxiety/panic attacks, how can you justify selling them more information? Think about your long term strategy here. This should be laid out and structured for future growth and a business that can be sustained.

Best of luck, and above all...your ultimate goal is to HELP people find what they are looking for.

I find a good way to start is to look st your competitor sites and see what they are advertising.
Then start testing these types of offers.

what I would do is gather my best stuff from the site write a short ebook build your list by putting an opt-in form in your sidebar and give the ebook away for free create a program or course and charge for it is the best thing I could say

The mental health/anxiety/depression niche is a sensitive niche. As an anxiety sufferer yourself, i am pretty sure that you understand the pain and turmoil faced by others with the same condition. And i would know also - i have schizophrenia. If you create a product (say an ebook), be gentle with your words and dont come off as a car salesman. People in this niche group desire a cure, so you have to tell them why your ebook will help them, and how it will help them to conquer virtually every symptom that they are going through.