How would you go about starting your own paysite with your own exclusive content?

[mikesinner]

I've been thinking of reinvesting the money I make from blogging and other adult ventures into making my own paysite but I don't see the since in buying content because I think that most stuff is overused. I'd rather invest my money in a content provider that will make exclusive content just for my site.

I won't set it up as an sponsor program until I have built up enough videos and picture sets to launch it. I figure it will take a year for me to get it to that point. In the mean time I'll have galleries made for it and do the advertising myself.

I will go with a sub niche that fits with something like glory holes or flexible girls. I'm not totally sure what I will do but I know it will be hardcore stuff and very different from what anybody else is doing and it will still be niche specific. I'm hoping to be able to spend 1k or less on each shoot and do 1 a month.

My question is how do I go about starting something like this? How do I know that the guys doing my shoots won't think the idea is cool and just start shooting more stuff like that? Anyone else around here just starting their own program that can give me some advice?

[Georgie]

Are you going to shoot it yourself or pay someone to shoot if for you? If you're wanting to pay someone, $1K per shoot for something like glory holes isn't going to cut it, unless you find some crackwhores who will do anything for the money.

If you're just starting out and have a limited budget avoid a niche where there is an exchange of bodily fluids. That requires AIM testing and costs more. That leaves things like solo or "flexible girls" or upskirts or whatever.

For shooting yourself, you can find the talent using free Adult Gigs ads on Craigslist. Read up on 2257 very carefully, and have someone experienced draft your model release. I imagine content producers like Paul M. will be happy to discuss custom shoots with you, if that's the direction you want to go. Personally, I'd shoot the niche material myself, especially if it's something you know pretty well. Content producers tend to be jacks-of-all-trades, and may not understand the nuance of niches and micro-niches.

I didn't "just start" my program, but I've been producing content for my Web sites for a while. If I had to do it all over again I probably wouldn't take this route. It's much more work than the affiliate model, with greater risks, including financial. If you will be running the Web site for your content then that's another headache you have to deal with.

[Globofun]

"I think that most stuff is overused"

Semi-exclusive and exclusive is the way to go!

[pam]

First, talk to an attorney.

Second, begin looking into backend scripts, password protection scripts and hosts who have a clue. Set up a help desk for customers so they can contact you. Investigate the various billing agents and a merchant account.

Set up the domain and begin putting galleries on it when submitting to get the domain into various search engines.

If you don't plan to rent office space, understand your name and home address needs to be on the website as custodian of records. Talk to an attorney about 18 USC 2257.

If you plan to shoot your own content in your own state, talk to an attorney. Shooting porn is only legal in one place.

As far as content, you can't stop a photographer from shooting something. If a client comes to him and wants content like you have, he'd most likely not say no. Understand that your content will be stolen, your niche idea will be stolen and you'll have to learn to deal with it in various ways.

Don't expect to make megabucks in the first year.

[Head Boy]

Dip your toe in the water first with a few sets on an AVS site.

[MrMaxwell]

I'd find a micro micro micro niche, buy up all the content I could find for it, make all of the content I could, try not to go out of control wasting money but I'd still want to have at least something reasonable in start-up capital.. something 250k USD or higher at a very least minimum.

[Georgie]

Originally Posted by Head Boy

Dip your toe in the water first with a few sets on an AVS site.

Not a bad idea, but I think these days I'd tend to favor the clip stores, such as MovieDollars. They have better password protection for your content (most AVS's are easy to spoof, so you lose money), you can start a store with just one clip, and if you get a whale and have a bunch of clips you can afford dinner at McDonalds that day.

If you go the clips store route, find sites that cater to your niche and ask if they want to sign up as an affiliate. It's not too oversaturated as most sites haven't yet discovered the clips store concept. And if you've done what above, when they sign up under you, you get a little money that way, too.

Seriously, I'd give running your own pay site a lot of thought before starting this. It's the pits if you're a one-man (or one-woman) shop. I can never take vacations...

[mikesinner]

Ok so it looks like I should try the paysite route maybe. I think I do need to do a lot of research before I try something like this.

[johnshinil]

As a content producer primarily.. my advice to you is: dont buy exclusive content. Exclusive will cost you a minimal of 200 per set (solo girl) to 1k per set (hardcore). You want quality ? Add extra 50% on those prices. Want non pseudo russian girls (models that are west of ... Berlin?), multiply prices by 2x.

I think you should reconsider. Listen to Mr. Maxwell (the 250k usd is bullshit), but the rest of his advice is very good. Actually all of the info people gave here in this thread is very good. Am surprised , its like old days at pond.. just good info no bull.

As for semi-exclusive. There is no such thing. Semi-exclusive becomes nonexclusive, becomes cheap filler content dumped for 1 buck per set, when content producer needs money for vacation.

And stay away from the following people when buying content: videocontentsource.com, kandah (monicasmodels.com), tracy (fantasymodelling.com).
I think most of them got their websites shut down or are on a good path to have them shut down soon.

KIDS BUY CONTENT FROM BIG CONTENT SHOPS AND BIG CONTENT BROKERS, that are established. - option b) you will have to remove all the shit you bought and nobody will refund you when the shit goes down. And for the 3 bitches i posted in this thread, the shit went down in 2007.

[_LB_]

My advice is don't rely on affiliates to make you sales.

If you don't have traffic yourself (lots of it) then forget the paysite game because you will end up either breaking even or losing money.

[Video Rob]

I personal don't think you should open a paysite until you're having real success as an affiliate, and you've got a steady flow of money to put into the paysite, it may be many months before you start to see a return.

[Varzi Network]

Originally Posted by johnshinil

KIDS BUY CONTENT FROM BIG CONTENT SHOPS AND BIG CONTENT BROKERS, that are established. - option b) you will have to remove all the shit you bought and nobody will refund you when the shit goes down. And for the 3 bitches i posted in this thread, the shit went down in 2007.

I disagree here there are many smaller long established folks like Reyko. As for Fantasycontent Dan was good people and i rarely ever had any dealings with Tracy. I also did lots of design work for Fantasycontent and various other content dealers over the years.

You might think only dealing with big boys is the safe bet but look back at what Matrix pulled with Acacia selling out its customers. Yet their name remains gold and they can do no wrong because money talks and nothing else matters in this biz. Im not one of Paul Markhams biggest fans but at least he never screwed over his customers like many others have in the past.

As for startup 1 shoot per month is just not going to cut it. You would be much better off going non exclusive to fill her up enough to add some value for the price. Keep in mind if your members feel unhappy they will charge back and it could end up costing you the ability to process cards forever.

If you only have a dozen or so members it will be very easy to go over the threshold limits. You will have to pay $750 to process Visa or lose out on a good number of potential signups. Then for every chargeback there is a nice fine on top of the refund which could end up costing you more then you make.

There is good reason the majority of webmasters in this biz would much rather remain affiliates. Unless you can do about 20 joins a week on your own you should not even consider it.

[Paul Markham]

Originally Posted by Head Boy

Dip your toe in the water first with a few sets on an AVS site.

Good idea, try something different in terms of the package rather than the 30 days for $30 mode. Short term, low price memberships are so popular CCBILL even have it as a reason for cancelling on their cancellation pages. Millions of people do not want to spend $30 for 30 minutes. Or be tied into a site.

From the site you can be upselling to all your existing sponsors. Think of the trust you cultivate by selling the customer WHAT HE WANTS and upselling him.

Originally Posted by _LB_

My advice is don't rely on affiliates to make you sales.

My advice is not to go the affiliate route at all unless you have a lot of money to spend. OK It could be done cut price, just not a safe bet.

Affiliates will want a site with a LOT of content or part of a big program. Single girl exclusive single site, unless you have a great girl who will work the site every night on webcam forget about it, too many going for the same dollar. Hardcore, look at 50 scenes, adding 1 a week minimum. Cost $2,000 for a good shooter, model and scene. $100,000 start up and $100,000 in the first year. Affiliates are unlikely to join a site with less unless it's very special.

Remember exclusive to the surfer is not "the only site with this girl on a sofa" it's not exclusive if the same scene is on 1,000 other sites and the only difference is the girl and the girl might be on 1,000 other sites. Then it's just another site with another scene, exclusive is more than that. Exclusive to win the members has to be partly unique, look at Party Hardcore for a good example. Up to $50,000 a SCENE.

Exclusive will cost you and the chances of you making a profit are slim. Non exclusive unless it's in a weird niche is not going to be saturated MEMBERS AREA content. You don't buy solo girl scenes for $200 to $400 if the shooter can sell them so many times he will saturate the MEMBERS AREAS on the Internet. Site owners don't keep buying new content for their members if it's not working. You can saturate TGP sites though and this is where the myth arose and sponsors selling the "exclusive content" angle to affiliates.

I'm sure some who bought BBCS content and put it on their tours for years, will back me up how well it worked converting surfers.

Look at breaking the mold, did I spell that right?, with a site that sells what your traffic wants and other sites are not offering. Maybe along these lines.

Hosting, CMS, and everything else $2,000-$5,000. Not thinking major investment here.
Non Exclusive Content, new and not saturated crap. $60 to $100 per scene.

Put up sites with $500 worth of content and sell it for the price YOUR TRAFFIC will pay for it and buy another one or upsell happily for.

Don't think of converting 1-1000 at $30, think of converting 1-100 at $3. Then think of upselling them or selling them another $3 worth on a deal other sites with huge traffic costs can't compete with.

If you're worried about competing with Tube sites look to what they miss out on. Fast good quality delivery. It costs 6-10 cents a GB to deliver off a good fast server a good quality scene. 3 scenes a Gig, 10 scenes. 20 to 30 cents. Tube sites have to squeeze the costs of delivering content. Compete there and give them targeted content in each site.

(Prices and numbers are to illustrate the point and not facts.)

Going the affiliate route might push you to building a site affiliates want and not members.

[mikesinner]

a lot of good information here but as I read it I find myself thinking that I have a long way to go before I jump into a paysite.

[Paul Markham]

Originally Posted by mikesinner

a lot of good information here but as I read it I find myself thinking that I have a long way to go before I jump into a paysite.

If you have good traffic talk to me on ICQ, I may have a solution for you.