How Should I Monetize? (25k/mo readers)

25,000 readers/monthly...... are these blog subscribers, or an email list?

The 25,000 readers/monthly... is this just random page views per month?

Hi there,

First of clarify what you are measuring as readership. If you aren't already doing it put some of your content in a free giveaway to ensure that you build your email list.

I've had luck with combination of methods (not this niche but other niches). It really does depend on the nature of your traffic, why they are there and what you are providing.

Something like adsense can work as it will help to do some of the targeting on your behalf but I wouldn't use that on its own.

You should be considering products not just straight in your niche but in related areas. Weight loss, fitness, empowerment etc.

You could also consider affiliate sales for products that your demographic may be interested in.

Split test and see what works.

Good luck.

Need to check into the opt-in issue. You are leaving $1000s on the table. I can hear money slipping away as I type this...

Yes, I would build list...

On average we tend to say 25000 list subs = $25,000 per month

Depend on your quality of people though.... but I readership is useless unless they sign up or buy something.....

Do you know what I mean?

Find a few good potential advertiser and offer them some ad space on your site for a monthly fee.

Click bank and cpa offers IMHO

Hopefully you have a form capturing subscribers. Today it feels that the true monitization takes place with our interacting with our prospects.

Try maybe changing the placements of your ads. It's amazing how something so small and simple like that can have a major effect on the performance of the campaign.

I agree with the others that you should focus more on your list building efforts. 25,000 uniques is a very nice number that is just begging to be monetized!

Figure out your audience a little more before you start building your list. If you have a pop up that isn't converting then offer them something that they are looking for specifically. Check your analytics and see which page(s) are getting the most traffic. What kind of content is on those pages? Build a lead magnet around those pages and offer it to them.

If your traffic is spread evenly on those 25,000 uniques then you'll have to go where they live so to speak and find out their burning desire. You said that your niche is 'dating advice for women'. What kind of women? Single or divorced? Do they have children? Education level? What are the age groups?
And a bunch of other questions...

Even if you just look at the age group it can give you an idea of how you need to be speaking to your core audience. For example, you would speak to women 20-30 years old much differently than you would speak to women 40-50 years old. Yes, they have one thing in common - they want dating advice. However, that advice is very different just between those two age groups.

After you do your research, then start with the biggest group and address them with a lead magnet and email marketing specifically for them. Once you get that done you can develop other lead magnets to monetize the other segments of your audience.

Going through this exercise will also clue you in on what you can be doing to monetize your traffic.

Focus on converting all of that traffic to getting their email address. Once you have their email address you get the chance to sell to them repeatedly versus the one time they hit your site and then left without buying.

Build a list, and build your relationship. Recycle old content on your blog, put it into an autoresponder.

I like to do this email order info>info>info>sales email. Rinse repeat.

Check out these: Announcing LeadBoxes

Lots of awesome and practical advice here. Thank you everyone, I really appreciate it. Will definitely be optimizing my lead pop ups and switching some banner ads around to test.