by howit
86 replies
Just a quick question if anyone has any thoughts.. Is conspiracy theory a niche that can make money? any examples of anyone out there doing it with marketing?
#conspiracy #niche
  • Profile picture of the author MattCatania
    If you look at Amazon you'll notice a plethora of books surrounding this topic which suggests that IT IS in fact a viable niche to enter.
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  • Profile picture of the author eshapard
    Conspiracy theorists are pretty rabid about their chosen topic. They prefer to call themselves "truth seekers". Hope that helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author LegionNate
    I hate to label myself a 'truth seeker', kind of like to keep my personal life a bit more private around these parts - but I have really been wanting to get into this niche based on my interest in it. I think it can go hand in hand with survival type products and things like that.
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  • Profile picture of the author JOSourcing
    Banned
    Coasttocoast AM (previously, the Art Bell Show) has profited from this genre for years.
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    • Profile picture of the author The Copy Warriors
      Originally Posted by JOSourcing View Post

      Coasttocoast AM (previously, the Art Bell Show) has profited from this genre for years.
      Yeah, isn't he bigger than Rush Limbaugh now in terms of viewers?
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  • Profile picture of the author LoganCoolBike
    It's sounds like a great idea to me. There's certainly money in that niche. Although to answer your question directly, no, I personally haven't made money in that area.
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    • Profile picture of the author howit
      truth seekers..ill look the term up in click bank ect, its somthing i could write about.. mabey a blog set up to funnel. well back to researching that
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  • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
    Do not believe any of these people. They are setting you up because they don't want you to go into a niche with real money.


    Yes, there is money in conspiracy, if you can be creative and low-key about monetizing it... Which is why most people don't do more than write books, etc.

    Personally, I like to sell accessories. One of the best sellers is a shirt that says, "Big G put my hat in the microwave"


    No I'm not really in the conspiracy niche. That's just a joke. And don't tell anyone, okay? It's just between us. In other words, membership site + conspiracy niche = money.


    Hope this helps.
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    • Profile picture of the author howit
      hey mike, that was funny.
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    • Profile picture of the author markowe
      Originally Posted by MikeTucker View Post

      Do not believe any of these people. They are setting you up because they don't want you to go into a niche with real money.
      Ha, you beat me to it
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      Who says you can't earn money as an eBay affiliate any more? My stats say otherwise

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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Ten
    I would personally advise that you do not invest in fear. Do conspiracies always involve fear? Is there a truth niche that you could invest time, energy, and resources in? That could perhaps be more positive.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alan Petersen
    Yes, but the CIA, the Department of Education, and the EPA are making sure the money is hidden so they can divert the funds into the the 1% owned llama farm in the Peruvian Andes.

    It's all rigged, man.
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    • Profile picture of the author Michael Ten
      Originally Posted by Alan Petersen View Post

      Yes, but the CIA, the Department of Education, and the EPA are making sure the money is hidden so they can divert the funds into the the 1% owned llama farm in the Peruvian Andes.

      It's all rigged, man.
      I heard that five awkward gazelles in the special dark chocolate forces wandered past the coca island on their way to a llama herding convention. One of them sneezed on the way.
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      • Profile picture of the author natebunger
        Originally Posted by Michael55555 View Post

        I heard that five awkward gazelles in the special dark chocolate forces wandered past the coca island on their way to a llama herding convention. One of them sneezed on the way.
        Halarious
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  • Profile picture of the author Jashandeepmax
    Conspiracy theories have been survival since the beginning of time. When a occurrence that people don't believe and understand occurs, humans will reconcile these events with facts from which they can form a frame of reference.
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  • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
    I'm told the CIA actually owns Chiquita Bananas.

    Oh wait, that's not a conspiracy, it's true. Ooops...
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    • Profile picture of the author absoluteallen
      Good niche. Also check out the paranormal, pseudo skeptics, parapsychology niches.

      Be on your game though.. skeptics + believers = war.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Meaney
    I spent a long time in that niche... it's incredibly difficult to make money in it but it can be done if you really work at it.

    The way that I managed to do it was through organising real world events and producing dvds.

    You need to get huge volumes of traffic and build up a lot of trust and tolerate hordes of racist douchbags.

    Make no mistake, despite what the big names say about their "mission", it's just a business and they are extremely savvy when it comes to marketing and PR.

    Ultimately I walked away from it after realising I, and many others, were making money from the aftermath of truly horrendous and terrible things, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and crimes against humanity - in an industry that lacks any concern for the victims of these tragedies, despite what they claim.

    There's other ways to make money without lying to people and without ridiculing the victims of tragedies.
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
      Originally Posted by Mick Meaney View Post

      I spent a long time in that niche... it's incredibly difficult to make money in it but it can be done if you really work at it.

      The way that I managed to do it was through organising real world events and producing dvds.

      You need to get huge volumes of traffic and build up a lot of trust and tolerate hordes of racist douchbags.

      Make no mistake, despite what the big names say about their "mission", it's just a business and they are extremely savvy when it comes to marketing and PR.

      Ultimately I walked away from it after realising I, and many others, were making money from the aftermath of truly horrendous and terrible things, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and crimes against humanity - in an industry that lacks any concern for the victims of these tragedies, despite what they claim.

      There's other ways to make money without lying to people and without ridiculing the victims of tragedies.


      Not really. Just advertise on Alex Jones. :p

      And, I don't touch anything to do with 911 or anything like that. In fact, I have found historical conspiracies, which have little implication on anything in our lifetimes, is easier to write a lot about... For one thing, you barely have to do any fact-checking!
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      • Profile picture of the author Michael Meaney
        Originally Posted by MikeTucker View Post

        Not really. Just advertise on Alex Jones. :p
        Alex would feature my articles on PP and IW and the traffic was pretty good, but when things went wrong (like DVDs getting lost in the post - or not making it into the USA at all because I was sending from the UK), customers would assume the worst and either go on a rampage about how you've ripped them off, or go on a rampage about how the government must be monitoring their post - and oh no, if they were monitoring their post, the government must be monitoring their phone calls, their emails, their surfing habits.

        Which might or might not be true, but stocking up on Amazon labeled packaging just so you can get anti-government propaganda DVDs into the USA isn't as easy or as cost effective as you'd think. And it could have been be a legal nightmare, had I ever done that.
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        • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
          Originally Posted by Mick Meaney View Post

          Alex would feature my articles on PP and IW and the traffic was pretty good, but when things went wrong (like DVDs getting lost in the post - or not making it into the USA at all because I was sending from the UK), customers would assume the worst and either go on a rampage about how you've ripped them off, or go on a rampage about how the government must be monitoring their post - and oh no, if they were monitoring their post, the government must be monitoring their phone calls, their emails, their surfing habits.

          Which might or might not be true, but stocking up on Amazon labeled packaging just so you can get anti-government propaganda DVDs into the USA isn't as easy or as cost effective as you'd think. And it could have been be a legal nightmare, had I ever done that.

          lol, yeah, I've never had that kind of problem on a large scale, but that is a great point... The tough customers in this niche do tend to be pretty hot headed.

          Almost makes you want to stick to politics and religion, LOL
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        • Profile picture of the author trevpen
          Originally Posted by Mick Meaney View Post

          .... but when things went wrong (like DVDs getting lost in the post - or not making it into the USA at all because I was sending from the UK), customers would assume the worst and either go on a rampage about how you've ripped them off, or go on a rampage about how the government must be monitoring their post - and oh no, if they were monitoring their post, the government must be monitoring their phone calls, their emails, their surfing habits.
          That's hilarious, but spot on! I have no experience of the niche, but have had some discussions with "truth seekers", and what you describe is exactly how I came to see these people - nothing is as it seems, there's a conspiracy behind everything!
          Personally, I think it would be quite tricky to build a business with customers like this.
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          • Profile picture of the author Kierkegaard
            Originally Posted by trevpen View Post

            That's hilarious, but spot on! I have no experience of the niche, but have had some discussions with "truth seekers", and what you describe is exactly how I came to see these people - nothing is as it seems, there's a conspiracy behind everything!
            Personally, I think it would be quite tricky to build a business with customers like this.
            You are exactly right

            This niche isn't something you can walk into expecting to build a business - which is exactly why it can not be considered on a par with any of the other, more traditional IM niches.
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          • Profile picture of the author Michael Meaney
            Originally Posted by trevpen View Post

            That's hilarious, but spot on! I have no experience of the niche, but have had some discussions with "truth seekers", and what you describe is exactly how I came to see these people - nothing is as it seems, there's a conspiracy behind everything!
            Personally, I think it would be quite tricky to build a business with customers like this.
            Some are more than just customers, they are fundamentalist willing to attack anyone who doesn't share their views. Check out how they harassed 9/11 and 7/7/ victims family members... and sometimes the victims themselves, journalists and politicians.

            You're either with them or against them. There is no middle ground.

            Not all the customers are like that, but enough.

            It's not a good idea, imo, to build a business where expressing an opinion that doesn't 100% match the customers can result in more than the loss of sales but threatening phone calls to your home, vicious lies and suspicion/ridicule being placed on the people you work with. That's been my first hand experience of the conspiracy market.

            But as I said, not all are like that... there's a lot of good people in the market too.
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      • Profile picture of the author myob
        Originally Posted by MikeTucker View Post

        I have found historical conspiracies, which have little implication on anything in our lifetimes, is easier to write a lot about.
        A good example of such a conspiracy in action is the events on Thursday, 7/26/2001, aka the sea of red hats.
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        • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
          Originally Posted by myob View Post

          A good example of such a conspiracy in action is the events on Thursday, 7/26/2001, aka the sea of red hats.

          Whatever, that's not exciting. Leonard NoMore already proved logically beyond any shadow of doubt that it was a war among Linux spawns. The Red Hat team had Bill Shirtner come in as a stringer, and they got all of the Enterprise customers. They also created a worm-hole that allowed you to change the Windows XP Admin password.

          See, here is my fake Amazon affiliate link. It explains the whole thing in detail for $12.99 which is a steal because when the book came out it was like $40. They dropped the price because Amazon was using it as an excuse to try and take the book out and not sell it anymore. You know how corporations are always trying to hide the truth from the masses. So they lowered the price and now the don't have an official excuse, not like it will stop them for long. They will probably remove it soon anyway, so that people can't buy it anymore.

          Mostly I think they are scared of the last chapter, which predicts what is going to happen to them when everyone learns the truth about what is going on the next day of the Sea of Red Hats, which is coming soon, and I think will be more like an Ocean.

          You should check it out. It's going to be Awesome!
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Chicas
    I would listen to Mick Meaney. I know a few people that are working non stop in this niche and they are not making any money at - then again they don't care about ever making a money, which most likely what will happen for most.
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
      Originally Posted by Christiani View Post

      I would listen to Mick Meaney. I know a few people that are working non stop in this niche and they are not making any money at - then again they don't care about ever making a money, which most likely what will happen for most.

      Yeah, that is any niche.

      Unfortunately as Carl Sagan was able to prove, you can come up with a great idea and work non-stop on it, but if you don't know a blasted thing about actual sales & marketing you are still not gong to make any money.
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    • Profile picture of the author absoluteallen
      Originally Posted by Christiani View Post

      I would listen to Mick Meaney. I know a few people that are working non stop in this niche and they are not making any money at - then again they don't care about ever making a money, which most likely what will happen for most.
      I wouldn't. The conspiracy niche is full of truth seekers, doubters, curiosity. Following a bunch of conspiracy, paranormal sites through the years.. I have seen a good deal of monetizing that capitalizes on the human desire to "know".

      I think review sites of authors would be a good start. I, though would shoot for the paranormal theories more so. Better audience willing to pay
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  • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
    I don't think we are actually disagreeing. I think we're talking about two different points.

    You are saying that in this niche, people tend to spend all of their time on the work, on seeking what they perceive as truth. That is fine. In fact, any niche-- even marketing-- can be like that-- People can spend all of their time seeking knowledge and thinking about what the details mean.


    But, without marketing to drive the right traffic, and without closers to make the sales, you are not going to make money, no matter the niche. You have to take time away from your passion to do these things, if you expect it to bring you money.


    The OP asked if this niche can make money. Yes, it can and will-- If the marketing and sales is put together right.
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  • Profile picture of the author MichaelHiles
    Agora Publishing owns Stansberry Research, who publishes the Stansberry Report. Porter Stansberry publishes a report and sells other information products by using the fear & gloom marketing ploy. His ads can be heard on talk radio shows like The Savage Nation and Rush Limbaugh.

    It's a massive market, and an evergreen one because even in an up economy, the next bubble is just right around the corner.

    Psychology of fear of loss.
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  • Profile picture of the author JeanneLynn
    I think people like Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Alex Jones and Jesse Ventura have made a fortune on promoting their wacky theories. Conspiracy theories are really fun to read and write about. I'm not sure how much money you'd make as there are a lot of competing sites, but at least your article writing and research would be entertaining.

    You'd probably make money promoting some sort of product, like survival food packages to people who think the world is going to end!
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Consider approaching this niche to debunk conspiracies. These beliefs are often emotionally charged and so incredibly and persistently widespread, people will mostly buy your recommended books just to prove you're wrong. And there's well over 10,000 of these type of books on Amazon to choose from.
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  • Profile picture of the author ActA
    have fun earning from other's fears
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      It seems to be profitable as there are some big players and different type of media around it: books, tv shows, radio, etc.

      There are also subniches: politics, health, etc.

      Many call them directly independent journalism, as they assume mainstream media is compromised.

      Some of the sites you can check out to grab monetization ideas are:

      Prison Planet.com
      Natural health news
      Home - Coast to Coast AM

      Natural news is the easier to replicate from my point of view. I am adding some of their articles - with permission -and using a similar business model for a site in Spanish around organic products.

      Sandra
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  • Profile picture of the author Vikram73
    +1 for this niche. Even if you don't believe in the conspiracies you can so easily get sucked into it. I've wasted countless hours of the day watching conspiracy vids on youtube. I see a lot of nice media buy opportunities on conspiracy sites, conspiracy forums, survivalist sites/forums etc. etc. etc.

    It's unlimited how you can monetize this niche. Tons of stuff I see just listed in ClickBank alone.
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    There are hundreds of conspiracy theories. This isn't a niche, it's a major market. There's some pretty wild stuff out there and there's some that gets labeled "conspiracy" by the mainstream while it's actually true.

    Some of the people mentioned in this thread get called whackos when in fact, they're far more honest than the totally rigged mainstream media whose duty is to keep much of the truth from the herd.

    Hey, I just read the above two paragraphs and it seems I might have a place in this market.

    Sure, there's money in this stuff. And you don't have to lie or deceive people to get your piece of it. The trick is to pick something you actually believe in. Alex Jones covers dozens of topics. He's after the entire market. You just have to pick one.

    The way to go about this is the same model you'd use to market anything wisely. Start a blog and write (or hire someone) to write intelligent posts about your topic. Say, UFOs.

    There is so much information out there on UFOs even the most zealous UFO freak couldn't know it all. I know I have a really cool PLR book on UFOs and aliens. Find something like that and offer it as a teaser to start building your list.

    Then give your subscribers a bunch of free quality content. Once you've established yourself as an authority of sorts find some UFO affiliate program and soft sell your list a product your people "just gotta have."

    As with any marketing I believe it's best to sell stuff you actually like and believe in. I wouldn't go into this market just because it's ripe. But there are certainly plenty of conspiracies out there. One probably tickles your fancy, go with that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tim3
    Originally Posted by howit View Post

    Just a quick question if anyone has any thoughts.. Is conspiracy theory a niche that can make money? any examples of anyone out there doing it with marketing?


    You can bet your life there is.

    When someone first thought: " I wonder if I can make a lot of money by writing a book about a conspiracy theory that I make up"

    "Then I can write a couple more and become the 'expert' on it and make even more money from the media"

    "They might make a film of it... Wow $$$$$$"


    Books like that are always going to get their followers.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Originally Posted by MikeTucker View Post

      Whatever, that's not exciting. Leonard NoMore already proved logically beyond any shadow of doubt that it was a war among Linux spawns. The Red Hat team had Bill Shirtner come in as a stringer, and they got all of the Enterprise customers. They also created a worm-hole that allowed you to change the Windows XP Admin password.

      See, here is my fake Amazon affiliate link. It explains the whole thing in detail for $12.99 which is a steal because when the book came out it was like $40. They dropped the price because Amazon was using it as an excuse to try and take the book out and not sell it anymore. You know how corporations are always trying to hide the truth from the masses. So they lowered the price and now the don't have an official excuse, not like it will stop them for long. They will probably remove it soon anyway, so that people can't buy it anymore.

      Mostly I think they are scared of the last chapter, which predicts what is going to happen to them when everyone learns the truth about what is going on the next day of the Sea of Red Hats, which is coming soon, and I think will be more like an Ocean.

      You should check it out. It's going to be Awesome!


      The critical factor that is often overlooked is the alien influence from UFOs. The sea of red hats is growing, and what we have seen from the events of 7/26/2001 is the calm before the storm. It is not only corporations who are trying to hide the real facts from the masses, but they are pawns themselves in the unseen agendas of shadowy agencies and powers that be.

      What most people don't realize is that the final chapter has not been written because red hats are still in the process of infilterating the silent majority under the delusions of open source. The bastion of Windows XP has fallen, but Windows 8 will prove to be the hope of what otherwise may become the late great planet earth.

      Protect yourself against the wave of red hatters by reading this book, using my real Amazon affiliate linkreal Amazon affiliate link . This is urgent, we may be running out of time. Hurry - buy it now, before they remove it.
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      • Profile picture of the author Tim3
        Originally Posted by myob View Post

        The critical factor that is often overlooked is the alien influence from UFOs. The sea of red hats is growing, and what we have seen from the events of 7/26/2001 is the calm before the storm. It is not only corporations who are trying to hide the real facts from the masses, but they are pawns themselves in the unseen powers that be.

        What most people don't realize is that the final chapter has not been written because red hats are still in the process of infilterating the silent majority under the delusions of open source. The bastion of Windows XP has fallen, but Windows 8 will prove to be the hope of what otherwise may become the late great planet earth.

        Protect yourself against the wave of red hatters by reading this book, using my real Amazon affiliate link. This is urgent, we may be running out of time. . Hurry - buy it now, before they remove it.

        You have just done my head in. LMAO
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  • Profile picture of the author Kierkegaard
    It is incredibly difficult to make money in this niche.

    Here are three reasons why:
    1. Alex Jones, David Icke et al already have enormous websites, years of experience and a huge following.
    2. Unless you're offering substantial original research on a particular topic then you'll never be able to compete with the scads (and scads) of FREE material available on the internet.
    3. There is little motivation for people to spend money (other than buying Jones, Icke et al books and videos).
    I make around $400 a very similar niche but this is a hobby/labour of love project rather than a money earner (and it took many years to reach these dizzy heights!)


    I'd advise anyone looking to make money to avoid niches like this.
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
      Originally Posted by Kierkegaard View Post

      It is incredibly difficult to make money in this niche.

      Here are three reasons why:
      1. Alex Jones, David Icke et al already have enormous websites, years of experience and a huge following.
      2. Unless you're offering substantial original research on a particular topic then you'll never be able to compete with the scads (and scads) of FREE material available on the internet.
      3. There is little motivation for people to spend money (other than buying Jones, Icke et al books and videos).
      I make around $400 a very similar niche but this is a hobby/labour of love project rather than a money earner (and it took many years to reach these dizzy heights!)


      I'd advise anyone looking to make money to avoid niches like this.


      1. Other IMers have enormous websites, years of experience, and a huge following. Does that mean new IMers cannot compete effectively?

      2. If you are not offering substantial original content, I would question why you are trying to market in any niche?

      3. Impulse buys and memberships to secret clubs with access to special information are doing quite nicely, in my experience.



      I would advise anyone who wants to make money to go for niches like this.

      (Just remember that no "niche" will ever make money by itself... It still requires proper sales & marketing.)
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      • Profile picture of the author Kierkegaard
        Originally Posted by MikeTucker View Post

        1. Other IMers have enormous websites, years of experience, and a huge following. Does that mean new IMers cannot compete effectively?

        2. If you are not offering substantial original content, I would question why you are trying to market in any niche?

        3. Impulse buys and memberships to secret clubs with access to special information are doing quite nicely, in my experience.



        I would advise anyone who wants to make money to go for niches like this.

        (Just remember that no "niche" will ever make money by itself... It still requires proper sales & marketing.)
        You must joking :confused:

        Someone who would advise 'anyone' to go for a niche like this is either completely negligent or just doesn't know what they're talking about.

        In some niches taking on a competitor who controls a huge website and has a massive following is simply difficult - in others (such as conspiracy) it is nigh on impossible.

        Substantial original content in, for example, the weight loss niche does not require you to be another Robert Atkins or Pierre Dukan but to compete in the conspiracy niche - and make as much money - you would need to be another von Däniken, Jones or Icke.

        If you were converting very nicely in this niche then you would already understand how difficult it is and wouldn't recommend it to others. This much is obvious to anyone with experience of internet marketing - niches are not equal and some are easier to get into and make money from than others - a blindingly obvious truism.
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        • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
          Originally Posted by Kierkegaard View Post

          You must joking :confused:

          Someone who would advise 'anyone' to go for a niche like this is either completely negligent or just doesn't know what they're talking about.

          In some niches taking on a competitor who controls a huge website and has a massive following is simply difficult - in others (such as conspiracy) it is nigh on impossible.

          Substantial original content in, for example, the weight loss niche does not require you to be another Robert Atkins or Pierre Dukan but to compete in the conspiracy niche - and make as much money - you would need to be another von Däniken, Jones or Icke.

          If you were converting very nicely in this niche then you would already understand how difficult it is and wouldn't recommend it to others. This much is obvious to anyone with experience of internet marketing - niches are not equal and some are easier to get into and make money from than others - a blindingly obvious truism.

          So I'm either a joker, lazy & uncaring, or clueless & inexperienced? :rolleyes:

          What if they used this method, wouldn't it work?


          A quick glance tells me that there were more than 4 million people subscribed to conspiracy-themed magazines in 2011. (That means real, paper magazines, where they have to pay for subscriptions...)

          Also, a large percentage of these people are 50+.


          I do stand by my claim that yes, there is a lot of low-hanging fruit, and yes, decent money can be made in the "Conspiracy Theory" niches.


          ...Oh, but to clarify, I do not remember making any claims that a newbie could enter the niche and "make as much money" as the heavyweights, at least not with some serious preparation and very strong sales & marketing skills.

          If anyone read anything like that into anything I wrote, I certainly didn't mean for it to be there.
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          • Profile picture of the author Kierkegaard
            Originally Posted by MikeTucker View Post

            So I'm either a joker, lazy & uncaring, or clueless & inexperienced? :rolleyes:

            What if they used this method, wouldn't it work?
            Actually Mike, you're right that method would work
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          • Profile picture of the author Michael Meaney
            Originally Posted by MikeTucker View Post

            What if they used this method, wouldn't it work?
            With all the traffic and his massive following, David Icke wasn't successful with that business model.

            When Icke launched a monthly newsletter, his asking price was around £5, he only got a handful of subscribers.

            I'm posting this is because he has already put this information out there.

            Myself and at least one other Warrior ended up working behind the scenes with David Icke and other conspiracy gurus, these guys work incredibly hard to make a living from what they do - they have multiple business models and their overheads are massive.

            Also the majority of the information they sell online is being pirated - and that's generally tolerated and accepted in the market, much more so than in IM or other niches.

            You can make a small amount of money from the conspiracy stuff, no question, but it's often not worth the hours of work that it takes, every day.

            Which is a shame in my book, it's one of the few markets where the amount of value you need to deliver dramatically outweighs your returns.

            Most, but not all, of the people I've known to enter the market end up losing more money than they make. Of course if they are willing to stick with it long enough they will see a return, but it takes a long time, investment, hard work and a lot of traveling.

            It's a market where sharing the content you've bought is regarded as a good thing by conspiracy communities, because you're "spreading the word" and "doing your bit".

            While this activity has the potential to bring in new customers and followers, it's bringing in the wrong type of customers - who are conditioned to expect content for free.

            In conspiracy land, the information you share only has a monetary value to a small minority of the market.
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            • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
              Yet, there are IMers in this forum-- and in this very thread-- who make decent money (I daresay, even "very good" money) without all of the struggle and suffering you describe.

              So, I suppose that, once again, it all comes down to your business model and marketing strategy.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennisknows
    Oh yea.. Depends on what you talk about.. My thing is I don't just want to sell people stuff. I would actually want to sell them something that is really the truth..

    I'm considered a conspiracy theorist on things that are obviously not a conspiracy at all but a lot of research goes into seeing if something is real; sometimes...

    I actually had a beyonce fake pregnancy site I couldn't make any money from anything but Adsense and a few CPAs here and there.. I made around $500 from it but as the pregnancy news was over, I saw my traffic start dipping under a thousand uniques a day.

    It's tough mentally for me writing or producing negative material.. and plus one of her stalker fans said he was going to report the site for defamation of character.. I figured with the way the internet laws is these days, I had made my money anyway.. I just shut it down..

    clickbank has a good Food crisis product just in case you decide to go the "martial law is coming" route
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  • Profile picture of the author natebunger
    Very interesting topic...I think for sure there is growing demand here. People are searching for truth, and as a person who has seen a good handful of conspiracy type documentaries I know they can become a little addictive. My dad for one buys tons of videos on this kind of stuff..He always has a new one for me to watch. We as humans are intrigued with the thought of some secret society pulling strings from afar. The more you watch, the more real it becomes.
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  • Profile picture of the author myob
    Originally Posted by howit View Post

    any examples of anyone out there doing it with marketing?
    Here's a jumbo conspiracy combo pak including Amazon books and telescopes for believers and skeptics alike:

    http://www.warriorforum.com/off-topi...ted-haarp.html
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  • Profile picture of the author seadog33
    I'd have to agree that there are sub niches of conspiracy that are gaining some traction. New shows coming out like Preppers are certainly proving there's a market for people that are a little spooked these days. Food storage and survivalist kind of niches might do pretty good in the near future. Of course that's just my theory...but wait, is it a conspiracy theory? I don't know. You tell me :-)
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    • Profile picture of the author absoluteallen
      The way politics are going anymore and more people being exposed to government conspiracy I see potential in this niche even if you aren't an authority figure.

      It's more of a complicated niche though, many so called intellectuals battling it out for the need to make an idiot out of the other.

      I'd monetize this with articles of conspiracy, a review of books proving or disproving and a forum.
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  • Profile picture of the author MichaelHiles
    Frugals Squirrels has been around and earning a lot of money for a very long time.
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  • Profile picture of the author MichaelHiles
    Originally Posted by Rough Outline View Post

    That's a completely different market and a much easier market to make money from.

    I was thinking about creating a conspiracy theory article site, every known conspiracy theory available on it. More out of curiousity than financial gain but decided against it because I'd rather make money.

    haha... you obviously aren't a member of their forum

    There's a REASON these follks are building bunkers.
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    • Profile picture of the author absoluteallen
      I'd personally rather go for the paranormal niche than the conspiracy niche. Just a suggestion to the OP.

      I'm not talking ghosts but more of the Near Death Experiences, Out of Body Experiences, PSI, etc.

      It's a big topic right now if consciousness survives death and more people are ready to read any new book that comes out for the "I've had a NDE, there is an afterlife".

      Plus many scientists and medical professionals are studying this which as of now results in tons of theories one can capitalize on as a nice money maker.

      Much more viable than the conspiracy nice in mho.
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    • Profile picture of the author Rough Outline
      Originally Posted by MichaelHiles View Post

      haha... you obviously aren't a member of their forum

      There's a REASON these follks are building bunkers.
      Motivation doesn't matter. There are tonnes of survival and sustainability products you can market to them.
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      • Profile picture of the author MichaelHiles
        Originally Posted by Rough Outline View Post

        Motivation doesn't matter. There are tonnes of survival and sustainability products you can market to them.

        Right. I understand that. You said that's a different market than conspiracy though. I said it's the same market.

        Just like Stansberry... he sells his report based on gloom and doom end of the world OMGWTFBBQ!!!!1!!!ONE!!!

        And the Stansberry Report is a funnel to get you to buy precious metal commodities - in case the government melts down and you need to buy stuffs.

        He advertises on everthing from Rush to Coast to Coast with George Noory and such. That's the conspiracy demographic.

        The rationale goes like this...

        1. Oh teh noes!! People are doing bad stuff that could cause a big problem.

        2. I'm afraid of losing my way of life, freedom, status quo, assets, family, life, (fill in blank).

        3. I will buy things that I think will help me preserve those things in the event of the coming disaster.


        I am deeply involved in selling to this niche through another angle... RKBA... 2nd Amendment activism. And we also sold products that were direct conspiracy stuff. I built a merchandise screenprinting company that sold exclusively via internet marketing (PPC, forums, etc...) to the tune of several million in gross sales before I sold the company. We had designs like "When all else fails, vote from the rooftops." with a sniper silhouetted against the sky of a roof. You get the idea.

        A large segment of the firearms niche consists of the conspiracy fringe... the Frugal Squirrels guys are big gun guys and frequent the big gun forums.

        If you check out ARFCOM for any length of time, you'll see the volume of money changing hands in this niche. AR15.Com - Your Firearm Resource. (AR-15, AR-10, M4 Carbine, M16, H&K, SIG, FNH, FAL, AK-47, 50 Cal, M1/M1A, Handgun, Pistol, Training, Hunting, and More!)

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  • Profile picture of the author hmartin90
    I think that you would be better off going into the survival niche... Lot's of buzz around that in the Conspiracy community.
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Short
    I have a small (but rapidly growing in terms of traffic) "conspiracy theory" site and what I find kind of amusing is all the people who have been conditioned to think that anyone who goes against the status quo are "crazy conspiracy theorists".

    For example, if I write a well researched article that cites numerous, already publicly documented facts and sources, provides a timeline and conclusion based on those facts, I'm a nutcase. If the same article was written by a NYT writer, it is accepted by the public because they call it "investigative journalism."

    But. I digress...

    Can the conspiracy theory or "fear" niche be profitable?

    Yes. And here's the key to making it so - understand that it's entertainment and all good entertainment causes a strong emotional reaction. Everybody likes "sticking it to the man", feeling empowered or knowing secrets that the general public doesn't know.

    Watch a handful of David Icke's or Alex Jones' videos on youtube and just TRY and keep your stomach from tying itself in knots.

    It's the emotional reactions that are the key. Yes, those reactions are mainly based in fear.

    And as you already know from being a marketer and selling stuff online already, people buy things largely because of emotions.

    * They buy dating how-to books because of the desire to be more attractive to the opposite sex - AND - so that they can look like a dating rock star to their friends.

    * They buy internet marketing products based on emotion-inducing sales copy.

    * They buy weight-loss products because they want to feel more attractive and look good in tight clothing.

    * They go to salons and get their hair done in the latest celebrity style so they can feel more popular.

    etc.

    And people who read and follow "conspiracy theory" books and information feel they are not being fully informed about what's really going on in the world around them... fear of the unknown, the monsters under the bed.

    Like any other niche, you inform them with the information they seek, which builds trust, which keeps them coming back... and the ads in the sidebar for survival food and equipment, off the grid power generation, self defense courses and how to buy gold and silver in preparation for the impending social & economic collapse are there when they decide to "wake up and smell the tyranny."

    People want to take back control of their own lives. Simply sell them the tools they need to do so.

    Paul
    Signature
    I write stuff for marketers and my current clients keep me comfortably
    busy. But if you make me the right offer, I'll write stuff for you too.
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  • Profile picture of the author myob
    Originally Posted by Chris Kent View Post

    There was a guy on here about two months ago who said that he is killing it in the 2012 niche and, far from people becoming wiser to it, sales are actually going higher and higher.

    It might be a good idea to sell like crazy in the months up to it (a la Christmas) but pull out 60 days before so you don't get hit by a ton of refunds when the world doesn't actually end!
    All you have to do is just wait until 12/22/2012, then announce that according to confirmations of a newly translated ancient Anunnaki code, the end of the world has been postponed until 2022. There's over a hundred books on Amazon ready and waiting to be marketed about that when the 2012 niche expires.
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    • Profile picture of the author DireStraits
      Originally Posted by myob View Post

      All you have to do is just wait until 12/22/2012, then announce that according to confirmations of a newly translated ancient Anunnaki code, the end of the world has been postponed until 2022. There's over a hundred books on Amazon ready and waiting to be marketed about that when the 2012 niche expires.
      According to the inexorable Harold Camping, it ended already - three times over, or more! Turns out the Met Office ain't the only ones whose faulty forecasts are shrugged off time and time again, so sure, why not? :p
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      • Profile picture of the author myob
        Originally Posted by DireStraits View Post

        According to the inexorable Harold Camping, it ended already - three times over, or more! Turns out the Met Office ain't the only ones whose faulty forecasts are shrugged off time and time again, so sure, why not? :p
        But, Harold Camping did win this improbable 2011 Nobel Prize in Mathematics, for teaching the world to be careful when making mathematical assumptions and calculations.
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        • Profile picture of the author DireStraits
          Originally Posted by myob View Post

          But, Harold Camping did win this improbable 2011 Nobel Prize in Mathematics, for teaching the world to be careful when making mathematical assumptions and calculations.
          LOL. Well I'll be ... it's common knowledge that there's a fine line between madness and genius, but if I'd known then that amentia, not just arithmetic and algebra, is a branch of mathematics, I might very well have done better than a "C" grade at high school and been among this list of lucky recipients myself. :p
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  • Profile picture of the author Matt Huggins
    Even in conspiracy I would choose one way to focus your conspiracy niche be it aliens, money, politics etc..
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Short
      Originally Posted by Matt Huggins View Post

      Even in conspiracy I would choose one way to focus your conspiracy niche be it aliens, money, politics etc..
      Yes! vigilantcitizen dot com does this expertly while specializing in Illuminati symbolism and mind control. Exopolitics dot com does it well with aliens/politics and naturalnews dot com does great in the health and nutrition niche.

      You don't have to be Icke or Jones to do well in the conspiracy niche. Just carve out a piece of the pie most appealing to you and offer a unique perspective.

      Paul
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      I write stuff for marketers and my current clients keep me comfortably
      busy. But if you make me the right offer, I'll write stuff for you too.
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      • Profile picture of the author GettingBetterAtIt
        Originally Posted by Paul Short View Post

        Yes! vigilantcitizen dot com does this expertly while specializing in Illuminati symbolism and mind control. Exopolitics dot com does it well with aliens/politics and naturalnews dot com does great in the health and nutrition niche.

        You don't have to be Icke or Jones to do well in the conspiracy niche. Just carve out a piece of the pie most appealing to you and offer a unique perspective.

        Paul
        True - there are so many facets to it that someone can easily find something to grab onto: education system, DHS,TSA,vaccines, monsanto, adulterated foods etc. etc.

        Before you know Alex will be calling you to be on his show
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      • Profile picture of the author myob
        Originally Posted by Kierkegaard View Post

        You must joking :confused:

        Pardon me for being serious for just a moment, but Mike really is not joking - about that. Some warriors are making fortunes. And it's not just about a niche, but actually more like a phenomena ... bigger than you could ever imagine. According to some polls I've seen, more than 80% of Americans believe in conspiracies, "NWO", and government coverups of one type or another. And more than half believe in the paranormal, ghosts, UFOs, aliens, etc. I would expect perhaps similar results across the pond. My point here is it doesn't even need to be true, and being a skeptic, it doesn't mean you have to miss out. For one very powerful and effective marketing method for competing against the big authoritative conspiracy sites (LOL!), look at post #30.
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        • Profile picture of the author Paul Short
          Originally Posted by myob View Post


          *snip*

          For one very powerful and effective marketing method against the big authoritative sites (LOL!), look at post #30.
          And be labeled an NWO shill?!? No way!

          You COINTEL PRO, bro?

          Paul
          Signature
          I write stuff for marketers and my current clients keep me comfortably
          busy. But if you make me the right offer, I'll write stuff for you too.
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          • Profile picture of the author myob
            Originally Posted by Paul Short View Post

            You COINTEL PRO, bro?

            Paul
            Officially until only 1971.

            Paul "the Wolf"



            (jk )
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          • Profile picture of the author Michael Meaney
            Originally Posted by Paul Short View Post

            And be labeled an NWO shill?!? No way!
            That happened to me when conspiracy fanboys "discovered" my fiancee has Jewish roots.

            It's not so bad being a NWO shill... it keeps the racist conspiracy types away from you... although they really commit to the delusion and go the extra mile to make stuff up. Apparently I made a deal with "dark Illuminati forces" who bought one of my sites and now use it as a disinformation tool. A quick whois check would have set their minds at ease.

            But boy, the next time I want to sell a site... forget Flippa, now I know they are into buying sites I'm going straight to the Illuminati.

            It's easy to group conspiracy theorists and their fans together and label them all as nuts. But in truth that's not the case.

            There's a few warped individuals drawn to that market, and sometimes they are make more noise than the rational ones... but I've made friends with some very cool and intelligent people in it too - who's opinions I have great respect for, even if I disagree with them.

            It's silly to judge a person by how they view the world, only how they interact with it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Burton Lancaster
    No better way to sell product that to scare the crap out of your audience! Fall out shelter reviews may be a good entry point
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  • Profile picture of the author kayshaw
    You can be involved in this niche and not stoop to the level of some of the people who are involved in this niche. As a "conspiracy theorist" I would advise you to do the following to gain the trust of your more serious (aka not crazy) audience. Disclaimer: I am not interested in debating which theories are real or not real. I have never marketed in the conspiracy theory niche, however my opinions come from being a consumer and a knowledgeable researcher.

    1. CHECK YOUR FACTS!!! Don't make ridiculous claims that have no basis in reality-that's how conspiracy theories are born anyways. What makes a theory so intriguing is that they were based on facts at some point!

    2. Do not exaggerate or be sensational. If you just present the facts with a level-headed analysis you will get recognition. The more believable you sound the more people will be attracted to your content. I can spot BS 100 miles away, but I would go to a site that presented just the facts and analysis.

    3. There is tons of money to be made, but you have to be unique. There are literally THOUSANDS of conspiracy theories that are rarely talked about. Pick the less known ones, do your OWN research and go from there. Conspiracy theorists like to see new stuff. I'll give you a tip right now. Look into the Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison electricity/light-bulb scandal.

    Anyways, just my two cents.
    Frith,
    Kayla
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  • Profile picture of the author steven Clayden
    ssshhh! There watching...
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  • Profile picture of the author megawarrior
    I'm sure you could monetise the youtube adsense if you are unique and have a wild enough imagination to link together random things/events and make them look like calculated, evil plots by "the powers that be"
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Meaney
    Originally Posted by MikeTucker View Post

    Yet, there are IMers in this forum-- and in this very thread-- who make decent money (I daresay, even "very good" money) without all of the struggle and suffering you describe.

    So, I suppose that, once again, it all comes down to your business model and marketing strategy.
    Of course that model works in other niches.

    I missed anyone saying here they are making very good money from the conspiracy market. Maybe I missed it.

    As far as I can see, if you want to make "very good" money from conspiracy stuff and you don't have large volumes of traffic you need to produce offline material or something more than a newsletter.

    If we look at the models Icke is currently using; advertising, books & DVDs, and a subscriber option that costs £3 a month for which he's offering:

    Chance of a personal meeting, special forum access, video archives, newsletter, the ability to upload content.

    Now that's an offer that a devoted Icke fan might find hard to refuse.

    But personally, I think Alex Jone's model is (maybe?) more profitable.

    Neither of these models have changed in years, so they must be working to some degree.
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  • Profile picture of the author mrelk159
    I think that niche could make some decent money, especially since the 2012 "end of the world" is coming, there should be decent traffic this year
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  • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
    myob and I both make decent money in the conspiracy niche. He does so through article syndication and I run a private forum. You have a point, however... Neither of us use it as our only niche, although I still believe we could if we actually cared to limit ourselves that way.


    While we are on the subject of conspiracies being popular, I was reading up on the news and weather, I saw this on the front page of Google News... Check out the user comments at the bottom of the article:

    Angry Bovine Affliction?

    :rolleyes:
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