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Any tips for the survival/prepper niche?

by PharmaPunk
10 replies
Hello again guys!

My love for Post-Apocalyptic Steampunk and survival video games has gotten me into the Survival/Prepper niche, so I'm doing my research to learn about it so I can build a list around it.

Is this a good niche for a newbie to get into or will I get torn apart if people sense that I'm not a expert on survival (even though I am currently researching it to get a grasp)?

Is this still a profitable niche to learn about or should I move on to the traditional dating, health, wealth, etc?



Sorry if this has been asked before; I just heard that some niches are not newbie friendly and if your subscribers sense that you're not really a "expert" you'lll loose subscribers fast

Thank you in advance
#niche #survival or prepper #tips
  • Profile picture of the author Jonny2spoons
    I can't see any reason why your chosen niche wouldn't be profitable - people are willing to spend money on this stuff so I say go for it.

    or should I move on to the traditional dating, health, wealth
    Definitely stay away from these niches. The fact that they are "traditional" niches that ever man and his dog goes after is exactly the reason you should avoid them.
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  • Profile picture of the author elmo033057
    Despite any gut reactions you may have about this niche, you'll want to do some research on this market.

    1. Check out related keywords and subjects on Google Trends

    2. Look at as many books and comments on the subject on Amazon. If there are a ton of books and people are involved enough to write comments, then you may have a good market.

    3. Check out mail listing sites to see if they even have this category, if they don't there may be a good reason why.

    4. Run an ad campaign on a survival product stating that you are developing a product (or whatever) and tell them the first 200 people that raise their hands give your their email address will receive an amazing discount. If you get a response that is significant, you'll have a better idea if the niche is worthy.( Don't tell me this doesn't work because Jon Morrow and Dan Kennedy both sent me email alerts like this just 2 days ago.)

    Try to do some research on other methods of checking this niche out first because this is super important. You definitely don't want to start promoting something that has a tight market.

    God Bless,

    Elmo
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    Mark "Elmo" Ellis
    "When It Comes To High Response Copy - I've Got Your Back!"
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  • Profile picture of the author RoVaMarketing
    I think its a good niche to get into if you can offer value to it. Some questions for you are: What is your unique selling proposition? What products are you offering to this market? Also, once you know those things, you need to look at what your competitors are doing, because if someone else is offering the same thing as you how are you going to differentiate yourself?
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    • Profile picture of the author ShayB
      Which segment do you plan to market to?

      I work in this niche, and there are two different subniches in it:

      1. Survivalist, TEOTWAWKI niche: if there is a zombie apocalypse, you want to be in their bunker.

      2. Emergency prepper niche: if there is a hurricane, chemical plant explosion, flood, etc., these are the guys (and gals) to hitch a ride out of town with.

      Each niche has a particular culture, belief system, and mindset.

      It's a GREAT niche to be in -- I've done Expos with them and such, and they are AWESOME -- but you need to do your research first.

      My advice would be to start in the emergency prepper niche first.

      1. Get a "Hurricane Preparedness Guide" online. (Most local news channels have one. Red Cross has one. Use an online search.)

      2. Each Guide has a list of supplies you'll need in an emergency, plus tips about evacuation, how to secure your home, what to do after the storm, etc. Read it cover to cover. You now have a list of products and services.

      3. Search for affiliate products to serve those needs. (Food, flashlights, etc.)

      4. Build a website. Build a list. SEO. Blah Blah Blah. The usual affiliate marketing stuff.

      5. Start creating your own products (or hire someone to do so). Market those to your list.

      6. Build it NOW. Hurricane Season starts June 1st. Don't wait until May to get started.

      This is a loose guide, but it's what I would recommend.
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      "Fate protects fools, little children, and ships called Enterprise." ~Commander Riker
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    So the good thing is you have a rabidly enthusiastic audience built in. You don't have to create that. The bad news is there is TONS of competition. I had a survival site since before I got into IM (thought it would be fun to have a blog about it. Did a few reviews but didn't understand affiliate marketing--I told you this was before I learned about IM...hadn't even visited the WF. Should have sold the domain, too, rather than let it lapse, but that's a minor issue.)

    There's lots of survival/prepper PLR out there to pick up and personalize.

    Now what you need to know is: some preppers are plain NUTS.

    That's probably true of any niche, but these guys are armed to the teeth! So if you get in and sell stuff to them, you'd better make sure it's top quality.

    What do YOU have to bring to the prepper table that's unique and interesting?

    The smart thing to do is review gear and promote hops to affiliate products you're going to earn commission on the sale of.

    Your USP could be HOW you review them.

    Opinion articles, How To's...those are fine, especially if you can embed product links in them, but your real money maker will be those reviews. That's what people are searching for.

    You can even get paid to write reviews, eg. http://hellboundbloggers.com/2009/12...-reviews-4396/

    However, and this is a BIG HOWEVER (you see how big that is?? Don't ignore it), if you do get paid for a review or are given the product in return for a review make sure you clearly disclose that in the review.

    Far more of this is going on--the paid reviews run by 3rd party marketing firms connecting product vendors with reviewers who have followers--than I thought until a short while ago...and guess what, the disclosures are missing a lot of the time.

    Is there a market? Yes.

    Can and will they pay? Yes.

    Do you need something to stand out from the crowd of marketers pursuing the same niche? That would really, really help.

    Should you concentrate on opinion pieces, product reviews or How To articles? If you want to make money, product reviews. People are googling for those specific terms and you know they're at least interested in making a purchase. How To-seekers are often freebie info-seekers, and opinions while rallying the troops do not make you money.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Consider selling survival/prepper products to fellow video gaming enthusiasts. This is a huge but very competitive market, and requires developing an affinity among your targeted prospects. An excellent place to start would be recommending relevant Clickbank products (they currently have some exceptionally hot sellers on survival/prepper topics) and progressively towards higher end books, videos, and products from Amazon.
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    • Profile picture of the author PharmaPunk
      Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

      So the good thing is you have a rabidly enthusiastic audience built in. You don't have to create that. The bad news is there is TONS of competition. I had a survival site since before I got into IM (thought it would be fun to have a blog about it. Did a few reviews but didn't understand affiliate marketing--I told you this was before I learned about IM...hadn't even visited the WF. Should have sold the domain, too, rather than let it lapse, but that's a minor issue.)

      There's lots of survival/prepper PLR out there to pick up and personalize.

      Now what you need to know is: some preppers are plain NUTS.

      That's probably true of any niche, but these guys are armed to the teeth! So if you get in and sell stuff to them, you'd better make sure it's top quality.

      What do YOU have to bring to the prepper table that's unique and interesting?

      The smart thing to do is review gear and promote hops to affiliate products you're going to earn commission on the sale of.

      Your USP could be HOW you review them.

      Opinion articles, How To's...those are fine, especially if you can embed product links in them, but your real money maker will be those reviews. That's what people are searching for.

      You can even get paid to write reviews, eg. http://hellboundbloggers.com/2009/12...-reviews-4396/

      However, and this is a BIG HOWEVER (you see how big that is?? Don't ignore it), if you do get paid for a review or are given the product in return for a review make sure you clearly disclose that in the review.

      Far more of this is going on--the paid reviews run by 3rd party marketing firms connecting product vendors with reviewers who have followers--than I thought until a short while ago...and guess what, the disclosures are missing a lot of the time.

      Is there a market? Yes.

      Can and will they pay? Yes.

      Do you need something to stand out from the crowd of marketers pursuing the same niche? That would really, really help.

      Should you concentrate on opinion pieces, product reviews or How To articles? If you want to make money, product reviews. People are googling for those specific terms and you know they're at least interested in making a purchase. How To-seekers are often freebie info-seekers, and opinions while rallying the troops do not make you money.
      Thank you so much for the advice! That's the question I'm asking myself also, what am I bringing that's unique to this niche? Hopefully I'll think of something. So much great advice here thank you to everyone who commented
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      • Profile picture of the author myob
        Originally Posted by PharmaPunk View Post

        That's the question I'm asking myself also, what am I bringing that's unique to this niche?
        I would think your connection to fellow survival video gamers is an excellent starting point. Although there are some nut cases in this niche, it is not an extremist viewpoint to be prepared for emergencies and disruptive natural events.

        Appealing to emotionally-charged topics tempered with rational judgement and planned preparedness will generally win in the long run over panic and hype.

        For example, I made a killing for more than a decade in the Mayan 2012 "prophecy" of cataclysmic events which threatened human existence. My target market was staunch believers in this eschatological belief in the end of the world.

        My marketing was through articles debunking the rather popular astronomical goobelygook prominently promoted by self-proclaimed "experts". This controversial angle resulted in massive publicity and sales on both sides of the argument.

        What I learned early on from this experience is that if you can consistently elicit a strong emotional response from your targeted audience, they will often bring in referrals and viral traffic.
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      • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
        Originally Posted by PharmaPunk View Post

        Thank you so much for the advice! That's the question I'm asking myself also, what am I bringing that's unique to this niche? Hopefully I'll think of something. So much great advice here thank you to everyone who commented
        It could be anything. YOU. Your antics. How you unbox the thing. Maybe you mix Prepper with some other niche for a different flavor.

        Don't let this stop you: stay out of analysis paralysis.

        Lots of people started their Youtube channel one way, and altered it to something else as their market developed and people told them what they wanted. The key is getting the interaction started so you can begin getting feedback.
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  • Profile picture of the author reachintan
    Hi,


    It is a very difficult niche to deal with. However, you can go through this article:

    How to Create a Blog: Step-By-Step Guide with Pictures

    It will help you get going and become successful within few months.


    Thanks,
    Chintan
    Signature

    Chintan Mehta

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