What Would You Say Are The Biggest Mistakes Webmasters Make Marketing Gay Site?

I know we have all seen sites marketing to gay surfers that scream out dont buy a membership here but, for those community members who perhaps havent been working the gay market for long what would you say are the mistakes they should avoid?

For me the absolute biggest mistake to avoid is the use of the word 'twink' when accompanied by guys who are quite obviously not twinks.. a burly, butch 40 something guy is not a twink ;)

I know it sounds crazy but even today i still see this happening all the time, and not just by webmasters but also sponsor programs :eek:

Regards,

Lee

Similarly, I think dishonesty on any level is bad for the business in general and bad for one's personal karma.

Most of the time, when I've asked a sponsor if I can have some of their content, they gladly give it. So don't steal it or hotlink it. Operate your site with integrity.

And can I say right here and now, for the absolute last time: guys who weigh under 170 pounds (unless they are under 5' tall) are not now, nor will they ever be, a bear. Surfers looking for bears know what they look like, so you're not fooling them.

Don't lie.

Dzinerbear

avoid using the word GAY or GAYS as a noun. you can say gay men, gay people, gay guy, but GAYS is a word that straight people use about gay men.

do not use the word BOY or BOYS unless the people you are talking about are 18 - 21. otherwise you can use guys or men. i hate hate HATE sites that describe EVERY man in it as a "boy" even though all the pics are clearly of men over 25.

do not use phrases like "butt bandit" or "rump ranger" if you want to sell memberships. they are not sexual to anyone.

anytime you're not sure what to call a person or activity in gay marketing, use the same word or phrase that you'd use in marketing the same niche to straight guys.

I just thought of another one. I was just looking at a lot of programs from other countries and in some cases they're hysterical.

For instance, this Ukrainian site: Old on Boy - Innocent Angels and Old Rakes. I guess "old rake" is Ukrainian slang for "old man" or "pervert."

In any event, if English isn't your first language, hire a translator or at least run your site by someone who is a native speaker of English. And if you're not gay and you're trying to launch a gay site, run it by a gay man so you avoid words like "butt bandits" and "rump rangers." (Thanks basschick, that was a good giggle.)

a rake was what they called a sexual predator in england and here in the 1700's and 1800's. women who read regency romances will be familiar with the term. dictionary.com says "An immoral or dissolute person; a libertine". the problem is that NOBODY uses that word in that way anymore.

Dzinerbear is VERY right about hiring someone to write your text if you don't speak english. it would probably be a good idea to hire a text writer even if you DO speak english but don't know the gay market or that particular niche.

Know the gay market or at least run your ideas and promotions by someone who is either gay or successful in the gay market. It completely cracks me up to see these big tough sponsor programs who are somewhat uncomfortable with gay sites trying to promote them. Honestly, if you can't relate or it doesn't turn you on how do you expect to effectively sell a product?

undermyspell - i know gay men who can't sell gay sites for shit. running your text passed a gay man does not guarantee that he will know and like your niche enough to be able to market it.

research - egroups, magazines at your local newsstand, etc. that will help.

btw, i make good money and excellent conversions at many niches that don't turn me on in the slightest, including two i actively didn't care for. i have adjusted to them, however, after all this marketing.

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Originally posted by basschick
avoid using the word GAY or GAYS as a noun.

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Quote:

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Originally posted by basschick
do not use phrases like "butt bandit" or "rump ranger" if you want to sell memberships. they are not sexual to anyone.

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Basschick you're giving all the secrets away to the scared straight guys trying to make a buck in our market.

Any idiot who would say "Watch this Gay get fudge packed by a butt bandit." obviuosly doesn't deserve any Gays money! lol

Squirt - i think we're all safe. the people who write stuff like that SO very rarely take advice or listen to anyone ;)

I think Dzinerbear hit it on the head when he talked about good translations.

I used to post joke threads with the bizarre TGP descriptions I've had submitted... things like "Two Boys Fuck Couch" or "He Fell Pooper for Twink".

Using descriptions like "Cub" when you have a guy in his 40s. "Twink" when using a guy in his 30s who's solid muscle and looks like George Clooney.

We touched on this yesterday, but thinking that "gay" is a niche in itself and having "Gay" sites that are just a Hodge-Podge of 8 different types of guys.

I also think a big mistake a lot of people make is not giving a shit about rebills... making a great tour and a great sales pitch and then having a site that sucks and doesn't update much and has a crappy unusable interface. The Gay market can and will be loyal if you give them value for their money, but they'll only stick around for their trail if what they find inside isn't what they wre promised.

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Originally posted by Jasun
The Gay market can and will be loyal if you give them value for their money, but they'll only stick around for their trail if what they find inside isn't what they wre promised.

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I agree. I can't help but to think, like fashion, most porn sites have a limited shelf life. By porn sites I mean sites with one director, one basic niche, etc. Just like when you watch a sex in the city marathon, it gets boring after a while. The good thing is, if we keep our sites up long enough, they'll become vintage and back in style :high:

Also, as we all know, the chemistry of a site is very important. Some sites are big hits, but change a little thing, and the feel of the site changes.

Marketing has a big part to play in the chemistry of a site. Even if you keep a sites design the same, and change the marketing, people have a different perspective of the site.