"Hi,
We are interested to place our ads on your site. If interested, please
email me.We, WuTravel.com, is a start up travel site in Singapore.
Regards, Stella"
I at first thought this message was spam, but I typed up a quick response...
"Hello,
A couple of return questions for you.
1) Why my blog?
2) What are dimensions of the advertisements?
3) Will I receive any compensation?
Thank you."
... and clicked Send. I didn't get a response until early Sunday morning, when I received this in my inbox:
"Hi,
Here are our company current marketing packages.
1) For sites PR >= 4, and Alexa in top 100,000, and site is travel topic related, we are willing to buy ads space from SGD 100 /month, and invite them to join our affiliate program
2) For other sites, we can only offer them to join our affiliate program.
You have one good site, but your site traffic is really low.
Here is our offer, we are willing to invite you join our affiliate program, and send you USD 50.00 as signup reward. Here are main features of our affiliate program.
1) Earn 70% of recurring commission, averagely every hotel partner's ads click you will earn USD 0.30 - 0.50
2) Earn passive commission FOREVER. Every visitors, you brought to our site,
generate any revenue in the future, you will ALWAYS earn 70% of them.3) 2 Level Referral Program. Affiliates are encouraged to invite other sites
to join our affiliate program, and affiliates will get 10% commission generated by other affiliates.4) Payment sent out every month through PayPal, with minimum USD 100.
Let's say that you refer 2 visitors to our site a day, and both of them click once on our hotel partners ads. Within 1 year, you will make USD 292 (one click USD 0.40, 0.40 * 2 * 365 = 292). But wait. For those visitors from your site, they come to our site and generate revenue in the future (1 year, 5 years, 10 years ...), you will still earn commission, even though your site maybe not exist any more. :)
If you can redirect more visitors to our site, you can calculate how much $$$ you will earn!!!!! You can view our affiliate program details from http://www.wutravel.com/affiliate.html
If you are willing to accept our offer, I can open an affiliate account for you, then you can place our banner, and start earning commissions.
Regards, Stella"
Although this sounds too good to pass up, I think I'm going to decline. I don't really think that I'm going to get a whole lot of people who want to book vacations in Singapore that just happen to read my blog, or vice versa. Also, I don't like having to sift through ads to get to actual content on sites, so I'm going to resist as long as I can with not putting ads here.
The question I keep coming around to is, Why this blog? I'm thinking that I was probably just part of a mass e-mail that went out to hundreds of people with the same offer. I hardly doubt that anyone in advertising would intentionally seek out this blog to advertise anything at all, other than anti-flea treatments or non-transparent bathing suits.
16 Comments:
Oh, word's got out that there's this fantastic geek in Maine who has a blog. You can't keep a lid on that, man!
Even after reading that, I'm not sure how the ads work, but I know that I've never clicked on one on anybody's blog. If you only get paid by the click, then you're not going to make much money.
I don't see anything wrong with having ads if you make some money, though.
Ads are fine with me too, but that one sounds...shady?
Why hasn't my blog been singled out? That's what I want to know!
Seriously, I've heard that there are loads of these dodgy sites around.
Maybe a few proper ads (i.e.Google) discreetly placed would help to boost your income.
Why WOULDN'T they pick you?! I've never clicked on ad on someone's blog, though it doesn't bother me if they are there as long as I can read and get to what interests me. I guess it comes down to reasons you blog in the first place.
Granted, I have a full-time job (as do you and most other bloggers) but even if I didn't I don't think I'd put ads on my page. They're annoying and no one likes them or clicks on them.
Good for you for not selling out.
I really don't care if people have ads on their sites. I read the people I want to read regardless if there are ads or not. But why not make a few extra bucks if you can? Something with that one just doesn't sound right. And how long would you have to wait for that initial $50, if only send a minimum of $100 through PayPal?
Lola: At least I'm popular in Singapore, right? If I ever post ads (which I most likely won't) I'll have a bunch of friends go on a clicking frenzy to work up some money.
Heather: Definately shady. Definately.
Scatterbrain: Google does have a decent ad program (AdSense), but I just don't want them on my blog.
Moonspun: The thing I don't like about blog-ad's is that it's all done by a computer program that picks up on "buzz words" on the page and places semi-related ads from there. You can't control specifically what they advertise unless you censor your content.
Daddy Files: The ad's wouldn't pay nearly enough to make it worth it for me. Even more popular blogs I've heard rumor of only getting $120/year from them.
Employee No 3699: I wouldn't mind making a few bucks from my writing here, I just wish there was a better way to go about it other than advertisments. The Singapore place just sounded too fishy.
badass- I don't have ads on my site either. I have heard that the bigger bloggers make some reasonable change, and even smaller bloggers and have some fun money. But, it also limits you from accepting certain offers. Of course, you can always get rid of your ads and then accept whatever offer it was, so it isn't that limiting really.
Oh, get some ads, we'll still read you and a little extra cash never hurts.
I get that stuff all the time. As administrator for our company website, I get the strangest requests for ad placement. My favorite was an online pharmacy. Yes, my professional, conservative office would love to push viagra! Sure, send me the details!
That is certainly an interesting request! I may not click on an advert for travel to Singapore but an advert for non-transparent bathing suits? Consider it clicked!
I get stuff like this too. Usually people just want free advertisement or the offer of MAYBE winning a gift basket. Um...no.
No, no, no.
My theory is if they want to advertise on your blog, they should have a product that you yourself would actually want. They should actually know a little bit about you and your blog and be able to make an effective pitch, not it will make you money.
Oh quit with your inferiority complex. Your blog because you're cool.
Although I think that ad sounds sorta shady. I'm not anti-ad though. I have ads, I just try to make them not-too-invasive.
Enthalpy Mama: Bigger blogs like Dooce can make money by advertising because their site traffic is through the roof. I don't think I'll ever match their traffic to make ads worth it.
Cape Cod Gal: I've seen Viagra, Contraceptives, and Pregnancy tests advertised on the same page before.
Jen W: I think non-transparent bathing suits is a very lucrative business.
Aunt Becky: Gift baskets? Thats worth a gaudy ad for sure.
Kat: I'm with you on that. It'd probably take too much work on their part.
Miss Grace: I'm cool? Thanks for letting me know!
Hmmm. I see you are one who likes to take risks. Just responding to their email seems like a great way to get a shit load of spam in your email. How is that workin' out for ya?
I, personally, don't care for the ads on a person's blog. I think it looks cheap. But that's just my opinion. I would still read your blog even if you did whore yourself out to the world ;).
TOTALLY KIDDING!
I wouldn't read your blog anymore.
KIDDING KIDDING!!
but seriously...
Sus: I actually haven't had any spam come through to my inbox from it. As far as I can tell, it must have been an actual person who sent me the e-mail. Lucky for me, I don't plan on whoring myself out any time soon.
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