paysites that don't update

[Dzinerbear]

Actually I've been thinking about this. Maybe this is a strategy based on research.

Maybe these programs know from experience that surfers buying memberships don't rebill all that well for their plug-in filled member's areas, so they have weighed the costs of producing more exclusive content versus just capturing the initial membershp and they calculated that it's not worth it -- or the costs are too high.

Does that make sense?

Let's say I have site and I have produced 20 movie clips and made my members area. If I invest another $3000 in content every month, am i getting that money back in another $3000 in new memberships or is my return the same if I do nothing because new traffic keeps buying?

Cheers,
Michael

[Dzinerbear]

And I think Husky Hunks has a point, too. I mean, isn't it a lot harder to sell an AVS membership these days than say in 1998. Haven't so many people already had one and they didn't have a terribly satisfying experience, so why bother getting another one? Or maybe you bought another membership and not much had changed, so why bother?

And I'd say with a sites like Sean Cody and the like a surfer could probably buy a membership, chew up everything they want to see and cancel. Then they could come back in six months and buy another and do the same thing. They'd save themselves a heap of money. And maybe eventually Sean Cody just becomes boring because the content is always created by the same people, so while the guys are the different, the set-up never really changes.

Another example is Next Door Male. The guy sits on couch, he pulls out his cock and gets hard watching porn, he jacks off for a few minutes, and then, he stops and has a shower, then he comes back and finishes off on the bed. This happens over and over again. So after a while a surfer must get bored.

Michael

[Huskyhunks]

Basschick, I would be so disappointed to join any site only to see a few clips on the members area. I wouldn't know how they could keep their chargeback ratio low enough.

Michael, I think you're on to something here. It's probably more profitable to re-invest in advertising than to try to produce new content. $3,000 buys alot of advertising and not so much content. Maximizing the initial sale business model seems to work pretty well even if a surfer never comes back. You also have residual values like emails and upsells that are factors as well.

Sean Cody will probably always do well just because of the sheer volume and quality of product he has. The site hasn't been redesigned in a while but you know, it's a decent design and alot of webmasters try to knock it off. What they don't understand is that it's all about the content behind the design.

Theme sites rely on the "edge" factor. Once a surfer gets off on that edge, then it's not new. Been there done that. So, I think what you see is alot of the theme sites relying on the initial sale model because it offers that edge thing cause people are always looking for new ways to get off so the demand is always there.

[Dzinerbear]

Theme sites rely on the "edge" factor. Once a surfer gets off on that edge, then it's not new. Been there done that. So, I think what you see is alot of the theme sites relying on the initial sale model because it offers that edge thing cause people are always looking for new ways to get off so the demand is always there.

Yes exactly, today's "come and watch guys suck off the cameraman in these audtion videos becomes tomorrow's "twinks swapping cum in another's mouths" or "guys getting pegged by their girlfriends wearing strap-ons." The cameraman blowjob schtick is passe, create a new idea and invest in that instead of trying to prop up a dead horse.

Michael

[Xstr8guy]

Sean Cody will probably always do well just because of the sheer volume and quality of product he has. The site hasn't been redesigned in a while but you know, it's a decent design and alot of webmasters try to knock it off. What they don't understand is that it's all about the content behind the design.

Theme sites rely on the "edge" factor. Once a surfer gets off on that edge, then it's not new. Been there done that. So, I think what you see is alot of the theme sites relying on the initial sale model because it offers that edge thing cause people are always looking for new ways to get off so the demand is always there.

I think you nailed it! Gimmicky theme sites, ala the originator Bang/Bait Bus, have a very short shelf-life. Whereas quality content sites such as Sean Cody have a potentially limitless lifespan.

It's too bad really. I could possibly still be selling lots of penispalooza.com memberships if they just updated once a month. I don't think I've ever had better conversions with a paysite since the early days of baitbus.com.

[basschick]

funny you guys think reality sites have a short shelf life. my best recurring straight sites are all reality site with an average of 5 months retention or better.

reality sites that have give access to their entire exclusive networks with multiple updating reality sites with different themes retain very well.

[Xstr8guy]

funny you guys think reality sites have a short shelf life. my best recurring straight sites are all reality site with an average of 5 months retention or better.

reality sites that have give access to their entire exclusive networks with multiple updating reality sites with different themes retain very well.

I guess I should qualify my comment. I was just referring to the cheesy reality sites. We all know who they are.

[IntenseCash.com]

I couldn't imagine not updating a site much. The members would just drop off like crazy if I didn't update. My members want updates more and more. I don't understand how they would keep the paysite going without updates or with a small members area like you are reviewing.

Mark

[Lee]

You also have to take in to account the 'actual' value of a member, cancellations are common place these days, almost immediately after the member joins, the reason for this? Dubious practices when it comes to telling the surfers what they will get when they become members... Then not delivering.

I update all of my sites weekly, with the exception of Gay Christmas Porn for the pure fact, there is barely any gay xmas content out there as it is.

Whether its a photoset, new movie, new story, whatever each site does get new content on a weekly basis as thats what i tell the surfers before they become members.

A lot of these sites that do only have 8-12 exclusive movie scenes or photosets in them only have that much because that is the amount of content a member will view on a regular site before cancelling their membership or their card no longer rebills.

On the subject of exclusive content, the amount of programs that shoot even 8 exclusive movie scenes simply dont know enough about 'business' to realize they could be maximizing their profits with this content, not just online, but offline. It only takes 4 shoots of exclusive content to have a DVD ready, but how many programs using exclusive content at the moment, have their own DVD lines also?

You also have those funky CMS programs that will update the members areas based on when a surfer becomes a member, only showing a certain amount of content during the first month, a new set the 2nd month, etc etc you figure with an industry standard [on the straight side of things] at 3 months retention max, if you are lucky, that is all the content these sites need to remain profitable [from a retention standpoint] as if you join next week you are going to go through the motions of these 'updates' just like i did 1 month ago.

You then have the sites where the surfer joins and is given the same content month after month, after month and the only thing that updates are the plugin feeds, which do update and by most program owners are considered an actual 'update' to the sites members areas, thats one of the reasons i havent used any plugins in my paysites, i know if i do ill become lazy and start skipping updates because the feeds will update my sites for me.

In addition you have the 'boredom' factor that Michael explain, the surfer has seen the same plot, over, and over, and over, and over again so many times before it becomes old hat. When DVD content became the latest fad in the industry i openly commented that this type of content will only work for so long until it becomes worthless, guess what, it has become worthless, less than 2 years after it really became the 'craze' because every site owner flocked to WWC, myself included to get DVD content.. That is now worthless, to the site owners and the surfer who has seen it everywhere.

The real money with paysites is to be made at the expense of the affiliate and the surfer/member, email collections, upsells, cross-sells, console chains, cancellation offers, old member emails, new member emails, existing member emails, all of which are being done by the programs whilst paying the affiliate $30-$40 PPS.

Just like everything in the industry, we [the industry as a whole] grab ahold of something and duplicates it to death, TGPs, Blogs, DVD Content, Review Sites, the circle will continue with the next 'craze' [HD content] ad infinitum.

Regards,

Lee