Critique two possible gameplans?

by Hankus
5 replies
Hello all,

I have just got my hosting, domain, wordpress is installed, and now I am trying to decide between two game plans. I feel a little overwhelmed and unsure of which path to go, nor do I feel like I am fully grasping the pros and cons to each, so any critique would be wonderful.

Plan 1:

Create a review site for multiple products. Start building a list right away and draw traffic through social media/SEO (maybe eventually PPC if funds allow). I would also like to create a "magazine/newsletter" of sorts. Think along the lines of latest news in the niche, maybe peppered with affiliate links here or there. My hope is that this newsletter will entice people interested in the niche enough to get them to sign up and become regular buyers.


Plan 2:

Create a full-fledged news website. The works. This plan involves creating a brand that hopefully people will eventually know they can come for the latest news and information. It still involves list building, and I would still like to send newsletters with the links peppered in, but the primary source of news would be the site itself. This plan to me feels a bit more grand, in that maybe it could eventually become a business somehow. My reservation about it is that I don't really know how I would monetize the site besides ads and newsletter links. Products would not quite be as readily in front of potential customers, since the main pages would be about news and such.


All in all, I'm not afraid of the work, but am feeling lost as to which would be the better course. I want this to be profitable and become my primary source of income if possible.

Thanks for any insight you guys can give me
#critique #gameplans
  • Profile picture of the author ColdWritingLLC
    Originally Posted by Hankus View Post

    Hello all,

    I have just got my hosting, domain, wordpress is installed, and now I am trying to decide between two game plans. I feel a little overwhelmed and unsure of which path to go, nor do I feel like I am fully grasping the pros and cons to each, so any critique would be wonderful.

    Plan 1:

    Create a review site for multiple products. Start building a list right away and draw traffic through social media/SEO (maybe eventually PPC if funds allow). I would also like to create a "magazine/newsletter" of sorts. Think along the lines of latest news in the niche, maybe peppered with affiliate links here or there. My hope is that this newsletter will entice people interested in the niche enough to get them to sign up and become regular buyers.


    Plan 2:

    Create a full-fledged news website. The works. This plan involves creating a brand that hopefully people will eventually know they can come for the latest news and information. It still involves list building, and I would still like to send newsletters with the links peppered in, but the primary source of news would be the site itself. This plan to me feels a bit more grand, in that maybe it could eventually become a business somehow. My reservation about it is that I don't really know how I would monetize the site besides ads and newsletter links. Products would not quite be as readily in front of potential customers, since the main pages would be about news and such.


    All in all, I'm not afraid of the work, but am feeling lost as to which would be the better course. I want this to be profitable and become my primary source of income if possible.

    Thanks for any insight you guys can give me
    The only problem I have with Plan 1 is that unless you have lots of contacts you can go to directly then the SEO portion will probably not get you very far. There is already a huge competitive group of players in the 'product review' sites and the ones that have been playing for a couple years now have the search engines pretty well locked up on themselves. That's not to say it's a poor idea, I just think you'll have to be a bit more battle ready if you want to take up the challenge.

    I agree with your reservations about Plan 2 and having a lack of direct income, but since you used the word "grand", I think it's something you should consider for the passion alone. Again, I agree that it is a bit of a grand idea but that sort of raising standards is exactly how you get ahead in business. It might not be visible now but when the work pays off it will probably be in a greater way than you could imagine now. Paywalls, advertising, and a category for reviews in the site could all be helpful, but don't discount the value of donations and subscriptions from people who actually appreciate quality and honest work.
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    • Profile picture of the author Steve B
      Both your plans are actually very similar except for a detail or two.

      In both you plan to present news within the niche via similar types of newsletters. Review sites (as mentioned in your Plan 1) can be added either way as typically such sites are hosted on separate domains anyway.

      In both instances you're going to add affiliate links to your newsletter and maybe some ads.

      Having a news site requires that you stay on top of the niche and report often as nothing is more stale and boring than yesterday's news. So prepare yourself for a hefty time commitment and a willingness to spend effort in searching daily for the latest happenings and activities in the niche. Many people begin such endeavors and soon lose interest because they fail to gain traction. It could take 4-6 months of daily effort before you begin to see some results.

      Be aware that review sites were all the rage starting about 5 years ago and now there are tons of these things in most niches. Most are nothing more than a disguise for affiliate links. Part of the problem is that, IMO, most owners of such sites never buy or try the products they promote, thereby only being able to offer a very generic review, something they pulled from the product page, or worse, from Amazon.

      You success will depend upon you and your ability to be credible, and rise above all the other affiliate marketers. I think you're in for a real battle with either one of your plans . . . but you can be successful if you rise above all the noise.

      Good luck to you,

      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author nichecloner
    Originally Posted by Hankus View Post

    Hello all,

    I have just got my hosting, domain, wordpress is installed, and now I am trying to decide between two game plans. I feel a little overwhelmed and unsure of which path to go, nor do I feel like I am fully grasping the pros and cons to each, so any critique would be wonderful.

    Plan 1:

    Create a review site for multiple products. Start building a list right away and draw traffic through social media/SEO (maybe eventually PPC if funds allow). I would also like to create a "magazine/newsletter" of sorts. Think along the lines of latest news in the niche, maybe peppered with affiliate links here or there. My hope is that this newsletter will entice people interested in the niche enough to get them to sign up and become regular buyers.


    Plan 2:

    Create a full-fledged news website. The works. This plan involves creating a brand that hopefully people will eventually know they can come for the latest news and information. It still involves list building, and I would still like to send newsletters with the links peppered in, but the primary source of news would be the site itself. This plan to me feels a bit more grand, in that maybe it could eventually become a business somehow. My reservation about it is that I don't really know how I would monetize the site besides ads and newsletter links. Products would not quite be as readily in front of potential customers, since the main pages would be about news and such.


    All in all, I'm not afraid of the work, but am feeling lost as to which would be the better course. I want this to be profitable and become my primary source of income if possible.

    Thanks for any insight you guys can give me
    I have been very successful in implementing a combination of 1 and 2. I have a site which contains information, news, and tips on a particular niche. I look like an authority on the subject and have built a solid list that I market information products and affiliate products related to the niche itself from social media sites.

    LinkedIn has worked the best for me in this niche.

    The key is to pick a targeted niche and try not to get distracted. Laser FOCUS is key!
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  • Profile picture of the author lotsofsnow
    Plan 2 is the better way to go "in that maybe it could eventually become a business somehow."

    You might want to limit the scope to a certain niche though. A general news site would be not smart unless you have a large budget.

    If it's a one-man-show in the beginning you are much better off creating a niche specific news site.
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    • Profile picture of the author Hankus
      All great comments. Thank you very much.

      And sorry if I wasn't clear. Plan 2 is definitely going to be niche specific as well.

      I am leaning more towards plan 2. I am unafraid of the workload, and the prospect of creating a long term business is much more appealing to me.
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