End of the world / survivalist niche blog

28 replies
Ok so I'm looking into starting an affiliate site around the topic of emergency preparedness and the survivalist / "preppers" movement.

I have done a little bit of research on the competition and there seems to be a fair few sites which have found success in this niche. There are a large number of products and affiliate schemes to promote, and those who are interested in such products are typically engaged and prepared to spend cash on their "hobby."

My question is, what is the best way to determine if there is to much competition to be viable? No competition is a bad sign, but when is it to much to be do-able?

Also, any other input you might have on this choice of niche would be greatly appreciated. Anyone had any success? Do you think the niche might be to crowded? Any tips?

Thanks so much,
Sam
#blog #end #niche #survivalist #world
  • Profile picture of the author EllenMoore
    Just check the main keywords and see what websites rank higher. Check their PR, see if they are mentioned on forums, how popular they are. Take a look at their offer and see what they don't cover and if there is a way you can beat their offer.
    Then, how about you start locally? You could slowly but surely build a brand.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rod Dinero
    You could have done this by december 2012 and you would have made a $hit ton of money , there are always people that are preparing for the end of the world though... I dont think this niche is too crowded (not like in 2012 anyway) so go for it, a good idea would be to put banners in popular forums, like godlikeproductions.com or abovetopsecret.com, I personally like to read forums like those, they are full of paranoid, end of the world type nutjobs, LOL, so you can make good bank there...
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Luck
    Speaking from experience, there is no such thing as "too much competition"

    More competition = More Lucrative

    The Survival niche is smokin' hot right now and trending up, so now is the time to dive in and have fun.
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    • Profile picture of the author NatesMarketing
      Do what the competition does, but better.
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  • Profile picture of the author seonutshell
    Look at southernprepper1 on youtube for some cool ideas. Turn some of his vids into a blog post.
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    • Profile picture of the author thedog
      I actually turned down some video promo work for a guy in this niche...

      It was just after the Japanese Earthquake... he wanted to use that as a scare tactic in his videos, I just found it a bit distasteful.

      On the flip side, I did, on my internet trails, come accross an awesome product... something about the 40 essential items you'll need when the $hit hits the fan...

      I was just in market research mode, but was fully engaged... whiteboard video, but done very well... it was nice to see a humours spin on a... well, end of the world niche.

      Anyway, it's impossible to say how much competition is too much... how much time and effort are you willing to put into it?

      It's a tough niche alright, I looked at it myself... by no means a quick buck

      Good luck
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  • Profile picture of the author RickCopy
    I have a site directly in this niche... affiliate stuff can work but you need a heck of a lot of traffic...more than its worth IMO. ALL the clickbank products suck bad in this niche and there's not a whole lot of other info products out there. I know some people that do OK with Amazon but they have a TON of traffic to back it up. I do infinitely better with ads. Its also a very saturated niche so unless you're actually involved in the preparedness community yourself and can give first-hand experience, put yourself out there in the various preparedness communitires and provide REAL value I wouldn't bother. Plus, there's not as much Google traffic in this niche as you think there would be.

    If you're actually a prepper/survivalist PM me if you wanna chat about it, my site does fairly well and I know most of the bigger people in this niche. If you're looking to just scrape some money off it then move on....there's easier money out there.

    Oh..and the product that was mentioned above is absolute complete crap.
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    • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
      Originally Posted by RickCopy View Post

      I have a site directly in this niche... affiliate stuff can work but you need a heck of a lot of traffic...more than its worth IMO. ALL the clickbank products suck bad in this niche and there's not a whole lot of other info products out there. I know some people that do OK with Amazon but they have a TON of traffic to back it up. I do infinitely better with ads. Its also a very saturated niche so unless you're actually involved in the preparedness community yourself and can give first-hand experience, put yourself out there in the various preparedness communitires and provide REAL value I wouldn't bother. Plus, there's not as much Google traffic in this niche as you think there would be.

      If you're actually a prepper/survivalist PM me if you wanna chat about it, my site does fairly well and I know most of the bigger people in this niche. If you're looking to just scrape some money off it then move on....there's easier money out there.

      Oh..and the product that was mentioned above is absolute complete crap.
      It doesn't matter how much traffic you need so as long as you are profitable.

      I kicked the door open in this niche last november not knowing more than anyone in here about it and its been very good to me.

      But then again, I know how to do this in any niche and I'm in a few.

      My site gets more traffic than 95% of all the other sites in this space and there are A LOT of them. Plus I'm also a top 5-10 affiliate for a number of products in the space.

      I don't spend much time with Amazon, but it is a viable strategy as I have a friend in the space who will finish this month around $1700. That's A LOT for amazon. You gotta sell like a bajillion dollars worth of crap to make that much there lol

      The key to this or ANY niche is your ability to build authority and command traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author brettb
    Don't worry about the competition. I mean Google Search launched when we already had AltaVista, Lycos, HotBot, Yahoo... yeah like we really needed more search engines.

    Just make your site better than everyone else's.
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  • Profile picture of the author Cash37
    Nothing is going to happen.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Originally Posted by Cash37 View Post

      Nothing is going to happen.
      ^^^ This will make you a fortune.

      So far, EOW debunkers have always been right.

      And going head to head against the scare mongers of this nonsense can be far more profitable.
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    • Profile picture of the author dad2four
      Originally Posted by Cash37 View Post

      Nothing is going to happen.
      Call someone in the Phillipines today and see if they agree.
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  • Profile picture of the author m5smiley
    I would really look at your competitors and offer things they do not. Have a forum so the audience keeps coming back to continue their conversations. Offer up to date information on possible upcoming dooms and email them often about this. After you tell them the potential pitfall, offer them a product that can help. Doomsdayers are often fearful, make them feel secure while still using the fear to get their attention.
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  • Profile picture of the author JanePlaten
    Banned
    Just do what you would normally do. Do a keyword search, check the keywords of the competitors, see what information the present and find a way to present your information in a better way.
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  • Profile picture of the author Danielle Murphyx
    Banned
    Competition is good, it can actually inspire you. Because you can see what others have done wrong before you and avoid that and "capture" what they did good and adapt. So take advantege of the many competitors there might be!
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  • Profile picture of the author Matt59000
    I think this is not a good niche, try niche like how to become or how to lose height
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  • Profile picture of the author Ricardo-Acosta
    I dont think you should do end of the world... a lot of these people are more preppers rather than crazy end of the world believers. Remembers TV shows are made for one thing and one thing only, Money! These folks will hype up anything they can to make a profit. Look at the warrior forum its full of hype and shiny objects, same goes for these tv "Networks"

    Instead do survival prepping for times of crisis, natural or man made.
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    • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
      Originally Posted by Ricardo-Acosta View Post

      I dont think you should do end of the world... a lot of these people are more preppers rather than crazy end of the world believers. Remembers TV shows are made for one thing and one thing only, Money! These folks will hype up anything they can to make a profit. Look at the warrior forum its full of hype and shiny objects, same goes for these tv "Networks"

      Instead do survival prepping for times of crisis, natural or man made.
      Yeah you shouldn't, neither should anyone else who reads this.

      There is no money to be made in it. Nothing to see here...
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  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    Originally Posted by SamShelleys View Post

    Ok so I'm looking into starting an affiliate site around the topic of emergency preparedness and the survivalist / "preppers" movement.

    I have done a little bit of research on the competition and there seems to be a fair few sites which have found success in this niche. There are a large number of products and affiliate schemes to promote, and those who are interested in such products are typically engaged and prepared to spend cash on their "hobby."

    My question is, what is the best way to determine if there is to much competition to be viable? No competition is a bad sign, but when is it to much to be do-able?

    Also, any other input you might have on this choice of niche would be greatly appreciated. Anyone had any success? Do you think the niche might be to crowded? Any tips?

    Thanks so much,
    Sam
    I've attached a niche questionnaire / checklist I use to determine whether I'm going to compete in a niche, it's not foolproof but it helps.

    Let me know if it's useful for you.
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  • I don't have anything to add to this conversation, other than I find very amusing that there's indeed a "End of the World" niche out there LOL

    Hilarious!
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    • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
      Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate View Post

      I don't have anything to add to this conversation, other than I find very amusing that there's indeed a "End of the World" niche out there LOL

      Hilarious!
      Its not so much the end of the world as it is disaster and emergency preparedness.

      Events such as Hurricane Sandy, the recent tirade of tornados in the midwest, and what just happened in the Philippines are examples of why anyone would want to learn how to more prepared for such scenarios or worse.

      Lets not even start with lack of trust for the gov't bc understandably there is lots of that.
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      "Human thoughts have the tendency to transform themselves into their physical equivalent." Earl Nightingale

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  • Profile picture of the author Venturetothetop
    What is the world ends before you make money from your site?
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  • Profile picture of the author Neromancer
    I have had a lot of success in this niche by targeting sub niches using magazine promotions. The real key is totally understanding the mindset - these people believe the end of the world is nigh and they have very convincing arguments. If you focus on the fanatical subniches you will do better because they are absolutely loyal to their beliefs. This will help with positioning and traffic as well. I would focus on the Doomsday Preppers as they are always looking for emergency rations, items to stockpile and info guides on sustainability.

    Originally Posted by SamShelleys View Post

    Ok so I'm looking into starting an affiliate site around the topic of emergency preparedness and the survivalist / "preppers" movement.

    I have done a little bit of research on the competition and there seems to be a fair few sites which have found success in this niche. There are a large number of products and affiliate schemes to promote, and those who are interested in such products are typically engaged and prepared to spend cash on their "hobby."

    My question is, what is the best way to determine if there is to much competition to be viable? No competition is a bad sign, but when is it to much to be do-able?

    Also, any other input you might have on this choice of niche would be greatly appreciated. Anyone had any success? Do you think the niche might be to crowded? Any tips?

    Thanks so much,
    Sam
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    • Profile picture of the author BillyPilgrim
      Russel Brunson recently sent out a knife offer testing the survivalist market. Does that tell you something?
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      • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
        Originally Posted by BillyPilgrim View Post

        Russel Brunson recently sent out a knife offer testing the survivalist market. Does that tell you something?
        He did it because the CPA was $10 on a free w/ shipping offer
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  • Profile picture of the author TheUser
    You mean like www.theeconomomicecollapseblog.com?

    Are you personally knowledgeable and passionate about the topic (and willing to commit long term to building a blog on it) or is it just a way to make money for you? Your readers will be able to tell difference. These are people who are quite serious about their beliefs.
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  • Profile picture of the author RobinInTexas
    It's the end of the world again if you are depending on Hostgator.

    Hello,

    At this time we are experiencing some network outage at our Provo data center. This affects several servers at this time. We are currently working to get this resolved as soon as possible. We will update this forum post when the issue is resolved. We thank you for your patience and apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.
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    Robin



    ...Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just set there.
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