#16
Nov 26, 2016Quote:
Ad Rev (i.e. Adwords), Affiliate Revenue (kind of same thing as credit cards but with other partners), Sell ThroughOriginally Posted by farbster
What would you say are the top 3 or 5 ways to make a ton of money?
#17
It seems to me that to most families nationwide would not find any use out of posts about week long trips to the Maldives. They simply cannot afford trips like that, and if they can, the kids are in school for most of the year.
Branching out too much has been the failure of many a business.
-LPDAL
Branching out too much has been the failure of many a business.
-LPDAL
#18
notquiteaff , Dec 10, 2015 7:20 pm
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Quote:
It is all about going after the mainstream audience these days, which is the rationale behind Inside Flyer.
Originally Posted by Raffles
It is all about going after the mainstream audience these days, which is the rationale behind Inside Flyer.
Should have called it MainstreamFlyer.com then. Perhaps it wouldn't be so dead then.
In the age of FB and other social media sites, is there really an opportunity for this? Is IF going to build up a long-term relationship (lifetime value) with mainstream once-a-year travelers?
#19
Quote:
In the age of FB and other social media sites, is there really an opportunity for this? Is IF going to build up a long-term relationship (lifetime value) with mainstream once-a-year travelers?
Not that mainstream. We are talking about people like my wife who fly for business, even have status, but have no interest in their miles and would probably redeem for a toaster if not married to me Originally Posted by notquiteaff
Should have called it MainstreamFlyer.com then. Perhaps it wouldn't be so dead then.In the age of FB and other social media sites, is there really an opportunity for this? Is IF going to build up a long-term relationship (lifetime value) with mainstream once-a-year travelers?
The IF model assumes that these people can be taken halfway down the road even though they would never in a million years sign up for FT.
#21
oliver2002 , Dec 11, 2015 5:50 am
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
TodayQuote:
Ad revenue on BArea is a tiny fraction of it once used to be, the 'other partners' pay maybe a third or a quarter of what a back like chase would pay you for conversions. Originally Posted by TMM1982
Ad Rev (i.e. Adwords), Affiliate Revenue (kind of same thing as credit cards but with other partners), Sell Through
The blogger would be well advised to stick to topics like flying to see grandma or the mouse. But then there is an intense market out there providing tips and tricks on how to visit the disney parks and the US airlines are now far too smart to hand out awards at low levels during peak grandma visiting travel times
#23
Quote:
When she met up with Gary at the PH Maldives it was over. It's hard to transition from a blog about free travel to see the grandparents to a blog that featured a RTW trip in F/J and keep the same readers.Originally Posted by JetAway
She lost sight of her original mission and tried to keep up with the Krug and caviar bloggers.
#24
josephstern , Dec 11, 2015 9:49 am
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Quote:
Wow - I did not realize she went from her short United hops to the Park Hyatt Maldives. That is really something. I lost track of this blog years ago.Originally Posted by skunker
When she met up with Gary at the PH Maldives it was over. It's hard to transition from a blog about free travel to see the grandparents to a blog that featured a RTW trip in F/J and keep the same readers.
So, in a way, she was very successful. And her own success was her demise?
But it's a crowded field these days.
#25
Quote:
So, in a way, she was very successful. And her own success was her demise?
But it's a crowded field these days.
Wasn't she featured on Nightline several times? I would have thought that alone would pull in more readers than a feature in RS. I don't know if she has had a "demise". I assume her targeted demographic aren't the type to sign up for multiple cards or churn. They also might not be the type to check her site daily for deals or information.Originally Posted by josephstern
Wow - I did not realize she went from her short United hops to the Park Hyatt Maldives. That is really something. I lost track of this blog years ago.So, in a way, she was very successful. And her own success was her demise?
But it's a crowded field these days.
#26
josephstern , Dec 11, 2015 10:00 am
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Right - 'demise' might be a strong word, but I'm willing to bet that Chase was the lion's share of her blog income.
#27
Selling cards to a mainstream audience (and hers will have been more mainstream than, say, Gary) will have been a challenge. This is, I would guess, especially true when applying for cards which have a transferable currency - getting people who fly AA to get an AA card is a big sell, getting mainstream readers to get an odd card which converts into airline miles (so two currencies you don't understand) is even harder.
The pitching of the site also means that hard-core people who do apply for 6 cards in a day and may spread around the love would not be reading.
The pitching of the site also means that hard-core people who do apply for 6 cards in a day and may spread around the love would not be reading.
#28
I'm not the target demographic for this blog and I rarely find any information of value there. However, I do read it periodically and I find that Summer is more in touch with normal reality than any of the other high profile bloggers out there. Ben's blog comes across as a reality TV show, Gary's as a badly edited news feature and Seth as an adventure travelogue. The old Mommy Points couldn't be pigeonholed like that - maybe this will be the wakeup call for Summer to take the blog back to the roots that made it so successful.
#29
Mommy Points , Dec 11, 2015 3:57 pm
Formerly known as iahsumr
Thought I would briefly weigh in...
The miles and points blogging world is so different than it was when I started five years ago and even so different than roughly two years ago. The various ways to monetize your site beyond a hobby blog are also so different than they were. It is still a very evolving and maturing medium.
The volume of traffic required to do business with various entities today is different than it was at any point in the past, and likely it will be even more different going forward. I'm sure the type of traffic you have will be even more relevant in the future as data and metrics are even easier to capture and measure.
In terms of content on my site, it was always first and foremost about things everyday families can do to travel more for less. It always was, and it presumably always will be. Mainly, that's just where my interests happen to be. A handful of fancy miles and points redemptions taken while we had a pretty self-sufficient four year old at home (and grandparents nearby) knowing we were planning to very soon head back into the infant years didn't change that. In fact, I strongly encourage families to take those sort of trips when you have the chance between little kids since the infant years are really not the time to do it!
I can see how to those who didn't know our long term plan it looked at the time like a shift, but it was never a shift, it was a planned blip. Either way, I can assure you that writing about fancy redemptions increases, not decreases, traffic, but that was never going to make-up the majority of my content since it does not make up the majority of my travels.
I'm lucky to have been able to pay the bills writing about stuff that I love for over four years, and I hope to be so lucky as to find a way to keep doing it for many more. Only time will tell. For those of you who do read the site, even if only on occasion, thank you.
The miles and points blogging world is so different than it was when I started five years ago and even so different than roughly two years ago. The various ways to monetize your site beyond a hobby blog are also so different than they were. It is still a very evolving and maturing medium.
The volume of traffic required to do business with various entities today is different than it was at any point in the past, and likely it will be even more different going forward. I'm sure the type of traffic you have will be even more relevant in the future as data and metrics are even easier to capture and measure.
In terms of content on my site, it was always first and foremost about things everyday families can do to travel more for less. It always was, and it presumably always will be. Mainly, that's just where my interests happen to be. A handful of fancy miles and points redemptions taken while we had a pretty self-sufficient four year old at home (and grandparents nearby) knowing we were planning to very soon head back into the infant years didn't change that. In fact, I strongly encourage families to take those sort of trips when you have the chance between little kids since the infant years are really not the time to do it!
I can see how to those who didn't know our long term plan it looked at the time like a shift, but it was never a shift, it was a planned blip. Either way, I can assure you that writing about fancy redemptions increases, not decreases, traffic, but that was never going to make-up the majority of my content since it does not make up the majority of my travels.
I'm lucky to have been able to pay the bills writing about stuff that I love for over four years, and I hope to be so lucky as to find a way to keep doing it for many more. Only time will tell. For those of you who do read the site, even if only on occasion, thank you.
#30
josephstern , Dec 11, 2015 4:02 pm
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Quote:
The miles and points blogging world is so different than it was when I started five years ago and even so different than roughly two years ago. The various ways to monetize your site beyond a hobby blog are also so different than they were. It is still a very evolving and maturing medium.
The volume of traffic required to do business with various entities today is different than it was at any point in the past, and likely it will be even more different going forward. I'm sure the type of traffic you have will be even more relevant in the future as data and metrics are even easier to capture and measure.
In terms of content on my site, it was always first and foremost about things everyday families can do to travel more for less. It always was, and it presumably always will be. Mainly, that's just where my interests happen to be. A handful of fancy miles and points redemptions taken while we had a pretty self-sufficient four year old at home (and grandparents nearby) knowing we were planning to very soon head back into the infant years didn't change that. In fact, I strongly encourage families to take those sort of trips when you have the chance between little kids since the infant years are really not the time to do it!
I can see how to those who didn't know our long term plan it looked at the time like a shift, but it was never a shift, it was a planned blip. Either way, I can assure you that writing about fancy redemptions increases, not decreases, traffic, but that was never going to make-up the majority of my content since it does not make up the majority of my travels.
I'm lucky to have been able to pay the bills writing about stuff that I love for over four years, and I hope to be so lucky as to find a way to keep doing it for many more. Only time will tell. For those of you who do read the site, even if only on occasion, thank you.
Did she do OK staying home alone?Originally Posted by Mommy Points
Thought I would briefly weigh in...The miles and points blogging world is so different than it was when I started five years ago and even so different than roughly two years ago. The various ways to monetize your site beyond a hobby blog are also so different than they were. It is still a very evolving and maturing medium.
The volume of traffic required to do business with various entities today is different than it was at any point in the past, and likely it will be even more different going forward. I'm sure the type of traffic you have will be even more relevant in the future as data and metrics are even easier to capture and measure.
In terms of content on my site, it was always first and foremost about things everyday families can do to travel more for less. It always was, and it presumably always will be. Mainly, that's just where my interests happen to be. A handful of fancy miles and points redemptions taken while we had a pretty self-sufficient four year old at home (and grandparents nearby) knowing we were planning to very soon head back into the infant years didn't change that. In fact, I strongly encourage families to take those sort of trips when you have the chance between little kids since the infant years are really not the time to do it!
I can see how to those who didn't know our long term plan it looked at the time like a shift, but it was never a shift, it was a planned blip. Either way, I can assure you that writing about fancy redemptions increases, not decreases, traffic, but that was never going to make-up the majority of my content since it does not make up the majority of my travels.
I'm lucky to have been able to pay the bills writing about stuff that I love for over four years, and I hope to be so lucky as to find a way to keep doing it for many more. Only time will tell. For those of you who do read the site, even if only on occasion, thank you.