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Written by Bec on March 2, 2009 – 9:30 AM -

I occasionally get emails that ask blogging questions that have answers I think others would benefit from, so this week I’m going to try to tackle most of the questions posed by Michael H. in the email below. I realize a lot of my posts assume an above average knowledge about blogging and about working in Adult in general, and Michael’s email made me realize that not all of my readers fit that profile.

Hi, I am looking into creating a blog somewhat similar to blog.waybig.com or randyblueboys.com. By no means will I copy, I will certainly mix it up a bit in order to seperate it from the pack, but I am using it as a learning tool. Anyway, I have never created a website before. I am young and knowledgeable with the computer. I am 26 so I guess I should be. I want to apply to sites like randyblue.com, corbinfisher.com, seancody.com etc, to get referrals and then advertise with some of the remaining free space. I was wondering if you think those affiliates are good for making money? Is this a route that will make me somewhere around $100-$150 a day?

I have a lot of time (out on back surgery) and I enjoy porn. I know that sounds weird, but if you use it responsibly, porn can provide a “clean” fun way to enjoy ones self. Others see it different I guess. Also, if I purchase a domain and then wordpress.org to transfer, (i think thats how it goes), how do I get my site in the top of google and yahoo.com?

I have to admit, I almost sent off a quick reply referring Michael to a couple of the gay adult webmaster boards that have blog forums, (Gaydemon, GayWideWebmasters, GayMainStreet). While it will certainly help him learn more about the business and meet other webmasters working in Adult, the information given by other ‘helpful webmasters’ also usually assumes a level of knowledge that most newbies don’t have. If you don’t know just what to ask the answers on forums can lead to frustration, confusion and ultimately to a newbie possibly giving up on a project. Therefore, I’m going to attempt to present some information on how to get started in Adult from the point of view of one who will start out by creating an Adult blog as the sales tool.

First off let me say that I am also working in porn because of physical disabilities and family illness. Many who enter this field do so out of the need for a way to generate money from home. There is no shame in it, and so long as you stay on the legal side of the business, no jail time either. Trust me, you’re not alone in why you’re here, and I do understand the “stigma” others will attach to what you do. But I will caution you, this is not a ‘field of dreams’ solution. If you build it, they may, or may not, come. This is a JOB, and it takes time and commitment (and a good dose of Luck) to be even remotely successful. A few years ago you could put up a sexy picture and a link for a porn site and be rich overnight (literally), unfortunately, those days are gone and it takes a lot of hard work and learning about how to interest a surfer enough in about 5 seconds to look at whatever it is you’re selling.

Let’s start off by defining a few of the basic terms used in the Adult business. Note: I’ll use gay site examples since that is the marketing venue Michael is interested in.

Adult Affiliate: any webmaster who builds sites that contain referral links to a variety of porn sites that require a membership fee. These sites could be any combination of the 4 page free sites, blogs, review sites (TabooReviews – in progress), tgps, link lists (BentLinks), avs sites, free communities (JustUsBoys), hub sites (offers a combination of galleries, link lists, blog area, and/or site reviews, etc on same domain: Gaydemon), simple directories (GayBlogFinder), legal tube sites (RocketTube) and so on.

Adult Sponsor: any webmaster that produces a site for adults (18+) requiring a fee to join so as to view its content or participate in the site’s offerings, and who has an affiliate program whereby others can promote said site and earn a commission from any sales. Examples of Gay site sponsors would be Hunk Money, Blue Loot, Pridebucks, Intense Cash, KJ Cash, and Zbuckz to name a few. There are of course paysites out there that do not have an affiliate program, with the owner/producer choosing to promote the site without affiliate help. Most sponsors provide affiliates with an assortment of “sales tools” to help them sell the sites. These can include free hosted galleries, RSS feeds, video clips, photos, banners, full page ads and more.

So where does one start?

First off I’d figure out what niche within gay porn interests you the most. If you personally enjoy a specific type of guy, chances are you’ll find they’re easier to sell. From Michael’s email, I can pretty much deduce that he’s into the Straight Guys and the Gay for Pay niche. Before registering as an affiliate with various sponsors that have the sites he likes, he’ll find it easier to get an account if he has a “porn” domain and email. Knowing the niche you wish to sell beforehand makes it easier to start hunting for a domain name that fits it.

Head over to Godaddy and start trying out various names to see what’s available. Without going into long explanations on why — do buy a dot com for your first domain. When you find one y0u like, ignore the dozen or so pages of other stuff they try to sell you, you don’t need their email or hosting service, and get to the cart page. Now look to see that you are paying for ONE year, and in the code box at the bottom try goxt3004c to get your domain for $7.49.

Next choose a hosting company that allows adult content and get a starter account and an email set up. (I have a pretty good list of hosts on the sidebar). Some of the hosts have cpanels for you to login to where you can create your emails, install various programs with a click or two (including wordpress), check your stats, and so on. Otherwise, create a database for the blog to use, jot down your database name, database password, and user name and fetch a current version of WordPress. Unpack the zip into a folder on your hard drive and follow the upload and install directions available on the WordPress website.

If you’re new to uploading files, you’ll need an FTP program. I use Filezilla, it’s easy and free. Your host will provide you with the information you need to put in for the host, user and password so you can connect to your website’s server files.

Be sure to go back to Godaddy, login to your account, and set your DNS (Domain Name Servers) to your new host once your account is setup or you won’t see your site. (Note, if you see an index.html page when you open your site via ftp, delete it, as it will over-ride your index.php that comes with the blog. This is assuming you’re setting up the blog in the root of the domain, and not into a sub-folder.)

Are the sites he names good ones?

Yes, absolutely. They’ve been around awhile, the content is constantly being updated, the models “fit” what each site proclaims to have available to its membership, and you rarely hear any bitching on the boards about not getting paid by them. The downside to those sites? Everybody promotes them. Finding a balance of well known and little known sites that fit his niche will be crucial to his success. The main thing though is to select sponsors that have sites in the niche he wishes to promote. Having links out to Bear sites or Hairy Daddy sites on “my hot twink blog” just isn’t going to generate much traffic or sales to guys wanting to see Twinks.

Will he make 100-150 dollars per day selling these (or other) sites?

There is no solid answer to that question. Straight guy/gayforpay sponsors I promote on my blog sites could be a total bust for Michael. A lot depends on his traffic, link trades, where he lists his site once it’s built and has some posts, the quality of his posts, and the conversion ability of the sites he promotes once he gets a surfer to it. I know guys that it took a year for them to pull down their first sale, while others grasp the whole marketing picture and are off and running with decent sales in a month or two. Chubbs is one webmaster that I know of that actually discusses his sales, and how he’s doing with various sponsors. He’s taking a bit of a break right now, but his site, Blast Report, is worthy of some study.