Internet Marketing with Josh SpauldingMaking Money through Ethical Internet Marketing.

58 comments

1. Rika Susan's Juicing For Weight Loss (28 comments.)
   8th October, 2010 at 3:06 pm 

   Interesting post, Josh! Great that you are sharing your review site results with us. I am sure it is going to grow… Love the possibilities in this game!

2. Alex (5 comments.)
   8th October, 2010 at 3:08 pm 

   I guess it depends on how competitive the niche is.

   Any more tips on the “how to” welcome!

   

   Alex

3. John
   8th October, 2010 at 3:09 pm 

   Is this a clickbank product?

4. Eric | My 4-Hour Workweek (2 comments.)
   8th October, 2010 at 3:09 pm 

   Yep, review sites are a great way to get started in affiliate marketing. The key is to really find the right niches, and stay on top of “what’s new.” For products and services that have been around a long time, the review opportunities are probably slim. For newer products though, you can probably find several untapped areas.

   Thanks for the article, Josh!

5. Larry
   8th October, 2010 at 3:09 pm 

   Josh,

   Would you mind sharing the review template you used?

   Thanks.

6. Kris (10 comments.)
   8th October, 2010 at 3:18 pm 

   Josh, how did you decide on the niche?

7. steve (1 comments.)
   8th October, 2010 at 3:19 pm 

   5 months and you can earn that much ? man, I’ve doing it for more than a year and still hasn’t get that much! why!

8. Josh Spaulding
   8th October, 2010 at 3:20 pm 

   @ John – No, all three have their own in-house affiliate programs. But I don’t think it would really matter what they use to manage their affiliate program.

   @ Eric – The niche I’m targeting has been around for thousands of years and the services are all established. But I will admit, there don’t seem to be a whole lot of other affiliate marketing going on within the niche

   @ Larry – Sure, send me an email and I’ll reply with what I used.

9. James
   8th October, 2010 at 3:22 pm 

   That sounds great Josh. Do you have adsense on the site or just affiliate products links. Can you show an example of a review site or where do I get a review site template?
   Thanks,
   J

10. my online income system
    8th October, 2010 at 3:31 pm 

    The domain name was it a generic one?
    2nd – What was the competition like for the niche?
    My review site comes 3rd position on google first page for a cooking product. But the sales are very minimal.

    “Next I wrote a handful of articles and submitted them to the top article directories. I targeted some laser targeted keywords in the actual titles of the articles to get direct traffic, then I used anchor text to link to the site in the signature of the articles.”
    Were the keywords related to the product or product name? Or niche related and not the product name?

    Also, where can I get this template and how much does it cost?

    Thanks a lot

    Latha

11. Josh Spaulding
    8th October, 2010 at 3:31 pm 

    @ Kris – This is a risky subject I better not get into it too much because of the nature of the niche and my brand online.

    @ Steve – Don’t get discouraged! I could site here for a half house naming off sites I put up that never succeeded! It’s hit and miss. Some hit and some miss.

    @ James – The purpose of a review site is to generate affiliate income. Adsense should never be put on an affiliate site. The template I used is niche specific, but you can find plenty by doing a simple google search.

12. John
    8th October, 2010 at 3:36 pm 

    Very helpful post.
    Like to have your recommendation for the best themes and plug-ins for product review sites, especially for auto contents.

    Thanks.

13. Josh Spaulding
    8th October, 2010 at 3:37 pm 

    @ Latha – I never use “generic” domains. The domain name contains the main keyword I’m targeting on the homepage. Not extremely competitive, but not weak either. The articles were niche related, but not product specific. You can email me and I’ll tell you what template I used.

14. Mike
    8th October, 2010 at 3:46 pm 

    Hey Josh,

    Thanks for sharing, I have thought about a straight out review site for other product apart from what I do now, I will have to give it more thought

    Thanks again

15. Sean Breslin
    8th October, 2010 at 4:01 pm 

    Youv’e got my interest Josh… is it anything to do with with your mini site formula?

16. Josh Spaulding
    8th October, 2010 at 4:03 pm 

    @ Sean – Nope, there really is no more to it than what I’ve posted here. No secrets or tricks.

17. Brian
    8th October, 2010 at 4:07 pm 

    I have done 1 or 2 review sites in the past where you rank the top 3 in the niche and they work really well actually. I just didn’t enjoy the process of making it and promoting it. I’ve kind of put it on the way side but its definitely a solid business model if that’s all you want to do. The 2 review sites I have still make money for me today, which is over 2 years since I put them up, which tells you something right there.

18. Rhonda Morin
    8th October, 2010 at 4:28 pm 

    I understand not adding Adsense to a site where you are trying to sell something and if the affiliate links are merely for a call to action or a click then that makes sense but having had an increase of my adsense revenue by 50% in the last 2 months, I AM LOVING GOOGLE ADSENSE!

    So what would be the reason for Google Adsense? Your $5 a day site concept?

    Rhonda

19. Josh Spaulding
    8th October, 2010 at 4:35 pm 

    @ Rhonda – There are many situations where adsense is the best alternative and yes of course my $5 Formula is one of them.

    In my comment above I was just saying for a review site adsense is not a good alternative, as the whole purpose of a review site is to generate affiliate income.

    I’m not sure if you’re a Hot Niche Spy member or not, but I added a new video yesterday that explains exactly how to decide whether adsense is best for any particular site or affiliate offers.

20. anthony
    8th October, 2010 at 4:37 pm 

    Amazing info. One of the few super marketers left that I have any respect for. I find it much more enjoyable to make review sites.

21. Kent F (4 comments.)
    8th October, 2010 at 4:38 pm 

    Hey Josh – great stuff! I’m confused on the math – it’s a monthly recurring $12 and you’re making roughly $250/month? I guess you’re referring to recurring membership commissions of approx. 20/month? Thanks!

22. Josh Spaulding
    8th October, 2010 at 4:39 pm 

    @ Kent – “The average commission I get is a monthly recurring $12 (some higher some lower)”

23. Shawn (2 comments.)
    8th October, 2010 at 4:50 pm 

    Great post Josh. I have done a few reviews myself with much success. One is actually for one of your products.

    I simply used a web 2.0 property and submitted some articles to a few directories and have been making regular sales for few months now.

    Nothing really to brag about money wise, but this formula does work. With a little more effort I am sure my sales would increase.

    Josh are the products you are promoting physical products or digital? Just wondering how well this will work for physical products.

24. Paul (1 comments.)
    8th October, 2010 at 4:58 pm 

    I’ve been thinking of moving into this area myself. I tried it a few years ago but that was before I knew how to drive traffic to a site. Would you mind sharing the address where you got the template from? I think it’s a good idea to have a number of different sites and not just concentrate on one business model.
    Nice post

    paul

25. Gail Richardson
    8th October, 2010 at 5:08 pm 

    Josh,I really enjoyed this information. I am in the process of doing/having my first review site and it has made very little money but I keep writing articles. I would like to know which templete you used if you don’t care to say. I think I did way to much work because I didn’t use a templete I just created a site.

26. Josh Spaulding
    8th October, 2010 at 5:10 pm 

    If you would like to know the review template I used just email me and I’ll let you know.

27. Gary Lambert (9 comments.)
    8th October, 2010 at 5:22 pm 

    I have reviewed products on another site that I had but never made a site to review specific products. I would like to see that template also. I will be sending you an email too.

28. Bovic (5 comments.)
    8th October, 2010 at 6:27 pm 

    Great post Josh,
    Reviews are not something I have considerd. And that is probably because I don’t read a lot about them, or see anyone pushing them. Sounds very interesting.
    Bovic

29. Quincy | Motivational Thoughts (6 comments.)
    8th October, 2010 at 9:29 pm 

    Not surprising that you’ve had a good outcome, Josh. Review sites, if done properly, are a good way to generate consistent revenue. Mainly because of their ability to tap directly into the late phases of the buying cycle.

    @ Bovic – Actually, review sites were the “flavor of the month” maybe about a year or two ago, until a bunch of sites started getting flagged for being fake review blogs, or flogs. Then everyone moved on to the next shiny object. Review sites still work though, as long as they provide value to the visitor.

30. Angie Berg (52 comments.)
    8th October, 2010 at 10:36 pm 

    It’s always interesting and challenging to get more ideas on how to expand my online presence successfully. I find that there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do all that I would like to accomplish. I’ve just started outsourcing, so hopefully that will help.

31. MikeRogers
    9th October, 2010 at 12:49 am 

    Hey! Josh’s Sites That Sell…

    Might make a fantastic eBook if you run out of other stuff to do.

    Seriously though, people who are looking to buy a specific product genuinely appreciate being able to go to a single site where they can compare shop.

    These visitors are your best shot at making a sale. Why? Because they’ve pretty much already made their mind up to buy something, they just aren’t sure which brand suits their needs best. Just TELL THEM.

    Great post as always, Josh – Glad to see you have finally discovered the review angle.

    Mike

32. Linda | Fix My Credit (20 comments.)
    9th October, 2010 at 5:04 am 

    Hi Josh

    this is something I have seriously been considering. I believe there is money to be made from them. I think having a template like the one you used is half the battle, plus a good paying affiliate product/service. You’ve inspired me – am going to look for some review templates on line now

33. Shane Trusty (1 comments.)
    9th October, 2010 at 11:18 am 

    I have to testify to the benefits of having a review style site in ones arsenal as it made me my first bit of money outside Adsense.

    The templates used don’t matter as much as getting some good copy that informs the reader of the benefits. (My first review site used a basic WordPress theme .)

34. Jamie Pelaez (1 comments.)
    9th October, 2010 at 6:03 pm 

    I was just talking to a friend about a review site she wanted to do to generate extra income. I told her that it is more than just putting one up, she has to know her target market, keywords, best products to review and to also get some traffic via web 2.0 properties, articles and video marketing.

    Just the first half scared her away! She does not want to learn the business but wants to make money. I told her she either needs to have cash to outsource or do it herself for now… Either way, she should now the ‘how to’ so she does not get ripped off.

    Sounds like your business model is more simple than the one I projected to her. Are you doing anything besides article marketing to get traffic to your review site?

    I know ezinearticles, articlebase, articlealley, goarticles, articledashboard are some of the top amongst others. What ones do you recommend?

    After talking to her and reading your post, I know it is time for me to plan a review site of your own.

    I emailed you as I would like to know what you used to create yours.

    Blessings,

    Jamie Pelaez
    Skype: jamie.pelaez

35. ric (1 comments.)
    9th October, 2010 at 10:29 pm 

    Josh, what service or software did you use for your article submissions?

36. Matt B (1 comments.)
    9th October, 2010 at 11:11 pm 

    Very interesting. I might give it a try after I do a little more research. Small return but sounds like it will compound your earnings monthly over some time creating some nice positive cashflow.

37. nette
    10th October, 2010 at 5:19 am 

    Don’t you have to buy each and every product you do a review on? Otherwise, how can you write a review??

38. Stef (68 comments.)
    10th October, 2010 at 12:11 pm 

    @Gail

    The secret is not in the template, but in the product/service you are reviewing.

    And if it worked as easy with clickbank products, Josh would have chosen clickbank products

39. Gail J Richardson
    10th October, 2010 at 12:36 pm 

    Josh
    I emailed you through the contact link at the top to find out which template you used. The template just sounds a lot less complicated than what I did.

    @Stef- I wonder if there are any secrets all I have found is hard work. However I am looking for every way I can do a good job and save time.

40. Alex (1 comments.)
    10th October, 2010 at 6:42 pm 

    I’ve been doing the adsense job for a while now and I was thinking of moving on to something else…so your post came at the right time…I don’ t know where to begin though…any thoughts?

41. mark@rubbedoilfaucet.com (1 comments.)
    10th October, 2010 at 9:29 pm 

    Man, $765 is nothing to sneeze at. I had a passing thought about constructing a site like this. Thanks for the encouragement to explore this further.

42. Han (1 comments.)
    11th October, 2010 at 9:44 am 

    Of course review site can make money. If I am the customer, I also will find the product review before I buy.

    So when I searching the product review site, I’m sure the product review site have the link to buy. Then I will click it directly and I am impossible go find other link.

    For me, review site can make money.

43. Josh Spaulding
    11th October, 2010 at 3:37 pm 

    @ Ric – Automatic Article Submitter.

    @ nette – Yes, you should and I am a member of all three sites I review on the site I’m referring to in this post.

    @ Alex – There seems to be a good response here, so I believe I’m going to write a short report explaining the whole process. I’ll be releasing it something in the next 2 or 3 weeks.

    And for anyone else asking about the review site template, I’ll just tell you right here.

    I bought the PSD’s along with the template below and paid a designer to replace the image with one specific to my niche.

    http://landingpagedesigns.net/dating-casual-review-site-template.html

44. Stephen Cronin (34 comments.)
    13th October, 2010 at 8:13 am 

    Hi Josh,

    Long time no speak.. Is it too spammy for me to say that these days I’m the lead developer (not owner) of the WP Review Site premium WordPress plugin.

    I won’t drop a link to it, but I will say that we’ve got quite a few ideas on how to take it forward. I also agree with you that there is money to made in niche reviews – and you’re just the guy to explain how, so I look forward to the followup post!

45. Josh Spaulding
    13th October, 2010 at 5:43 pm 

    Hey, nice to hear from you Stephen Cool, I use that theme/plugin at http://www.smartconsumerz.com/ (A site I put up a long while back and just haven’t done much with.) I like it though.

46. When to Target High Paying Niches & Low Paying Niches
    13th October, 2010 at 8:53 pm 

    [...] Mortgage site is a good example of #1 and the review site I mentioned the other day is a great example of #2. (I’m actually working on a small report laying out [...]

47. Stef (68 comments.)
    14th October, 2010 at 3:17 pm 

    @Gail : I agree with you, no secrets, just 2 ways of doing things: work smart and have free time or work hard all the time.

48. Gail Richardson
    15th October, 2010 at 12:02 pm 

    @Step:Thanks and you are right. I have never heard it said like that but it is so true. I am still struggling with getting my review site set up right because I didn’t use a template. I guess my biggest problem is that I am not making enough to feel like I can pay people to help and when you don’t know certain things it can take hours to get it done and then it may not be right and then it’s to do over. i guess I am still falling into the category of working all the time but maybe not to smart. I think I will purchase the template Josh used and get someone to help me make it work for me. i like to follow Josh’s posts because he always gives good information and

    @Josh :I really appreciate the way you take time to answer back when I ask questions.

49. Stef (68 comments.)
    20th October, 2010 at 5:48 am 

    @Gail

    You are already working smart, since you are reading Josh

    Just remember that even David Beckham needs to do his daily training. But once he “got the bal rolling” he was smart enough to venture elsewhere and take more money from the table.

    Compare IM with a train: it takes a huge locomotive with lots of energy to get the not moving train rolling, but once it has speed, is oh so difficult to stop it.

    Do the work, once you see the money coming in, finetune and keep what’s working, eliminate what’s not working and use the extra time to try out new IM ventures or a holiday

50. Gail Richardson
    25th October, 2010 at 1:49 pm 

    @ Thanks Stef, I really like reading Josh’s posts. I own some of his products and he has never failed to answer my emails when I have a problem and that impressed me that he still takes the time to help even after the sale. Thanks for the great advice and I hope to someday get my train to rolling. I got to a point where I had to limit my time in who’s stuff I read because when I actually make a note of the hours in the day ,way to much was being spent just roaming around and reading so I still do it but I choose very carefully now where I spend my time. Thanks for the encouragement and let me say you have helped me start my workday with a little more upbeat spirit.
    We sometimes never realize how just the little things we take the time to say can totally change someone’s day. Thanks for taking the time.

51. Jan Ashby
    28th October, 2010 at 1:38 pm 

    Josh: Are you buying a domain name with laser targeted keywd (I assume so) – as to the article directories, I recall in your $5 a day you’d stated it was not necess. to re-write the articles – Does THAT have any implications with this?
    Also, do u mind my asking – as to A.A.S. (submitter), is that pretty simple to use – or there tutorials with? I’ve not gotten it yet..but thinking of.
    Sound like you pick monthly recurring (only) for this – correct?

52. Jan Ashby
    28th October, 2010 at 1:54 pm 

    HI again, Josh.
    I have a special question, related to the actual submitting of articles for the Review site project here.

    It happens that I own an article submitter (MAS) which submits 10 articles ..but doesnt alter the resource box info(so I can use it , but I wind up with identical resrce box INFO each time ).

    Would this be an issue with the articles I’d submit (for a review type site)?

53. Josh Spaulding
    3rd November, 2010 at 8:39 pm 

    To all who asked, here is a step-by-step guide as to how I did this http://www.easyreviewcash.com/

54. Vic
    4th November, 2010 at 7:03 pm 

    Hi Josh,

    Grabbed my copy of ERC yesterday and love your usual no-nonsense step by step style.

    In terms of domain selection, just wondering why you suggest going for a .org if there are no .com variants available. Is there a reason why .net should be avoided? Or am I reading things too literally?

55. Josh Spaulding
    4th November, 2010 at 7:06 pm 

    Hey Vic,

    Glad you like it and I hope you do well with your first ERC site!

    I wouldn’t say to avoid .nets I own a few myself. .org’s are my personal preference for the #2 option, but as far as I know google doesn’t have any preference in terms of SEO.

56. Elina Rawlins
    9th January, 2012 at 8:23 pm 

    Josh..

    your incredibly inspiring! Thank you for your insight and info.

    I’m going to apply many of these ideas and check deeper into my own techniques for improvements.
    Thanks bunches..

57. Elina Rawlins (1 comments.)
    9th January, 2012 at 8:27 pm 

    Josh..

    your incredibly inspiring! Thank you for your insight and info.

    I’m going to apply many of these ideas and check deeper into some of my sites for improvements.

    Thanks bunches..

58. Blog Lady
    23rd January, 2012 at 2:22 am 

    I’m guessing this is a niche that people are quite willing to spend money on. Is there a minimum price per product that you recommend?