Interactive Sex TV: Not Prime Yet - by Brandon Palmer
Let's face it: your potential customers may be in the mood for some interactive adult fun, but they may not always want to sit in front of a 17 inch computer monitor to enjoy it. Once again it's technology to the rescue - well, maybe at least. With cable companies like Comcast already testing Video-On-Demand adult material for television, which has shown higher buy rates than standard adult pay-per-view in tests, along with the growth of HDTV...

Controversy Money Can't Buy - by Brandon Palmer
By now we've all heard about the methods for getting free exposure for a site - submit to directories, post on forums, visit newsgroups, and so on. Contrary to what many may believe, these methods can still be quite effective to spread word of your offerings. But what if you don't want to get a few extra visitors, maybe even members, but instead want a busload of people hitting your site and overloading your server?...

Marketing Gay Sites in the Age of Uncertainty - by Brandon Palmer
Online gay porn is a giant, now mainstream industry, faced with the issues of saturation, tired marketing strategies and finances that plague corporations in the offline business world. Porn has become consolidated, centrist, has hit Middle America, and gay site webmasters must keep up with business models that suit a changing online culture. How do you battle stolen content without alienating your customers, as the record industry has done?...

Group Sales - by Brandon Palmer
So you gave up on Yahoo Groups a few years ago when they shut down your porn group and deleted your creator ID? Well, Yahoo is still more than just a search engine for marketing or finding great porn sites. There is a massive and growing network of adult content groups that exist beneath the Yahoo radar -- it's like the old days, a large scale porn infrastructure right below the noses of the mainstream...

Gay Global Hot Spots - by Brandon Palmer
Yup, there are some places on the globe where being gay or lesbian is just still not accepted the way we would like it to be. But that doesn't mean the United States is the only decent market for online gay adult content. And that doesn't mean we can't find ways to break through into brand new markets. On the contrary, the world is a big place, and there are a lot of countries where people are looking for quality gay porn...

The Name Game - by Brandon Palmer
Let's face it, the online adult market is super-saturated, and just having a great website with the best pictures and hottest movies isn't enough if you can't get 'em there in the first place. Obvious domain names are almost a surefire success due to all the incidental hits - Sex.com, for example, is one of the most popular sites on the 'Net. But just because you can't afford a high profile name, doesn't mean you are left out of the game...

China: Paving the Way to Wireless Porn - by Brandon Palmer
Think Beijing, Zhuhai, Shanghai and Hong Kong. China is the largest growing Internet market in the world, with 22 million new users joining the Web last year alone, to bring the total number of online Chinese to 80 million. That's second only to the United States, and it won't be long before they become number one in Web users - which gives adult webmasters the opening to make them number one in online porn consumers. With an essentially virgin marketplace, China will be the new land to make millions. And while, with the right business model, standard Internet porn can reap the benefits of the massive demographic, the country is charging ahead in the Wi-Fi revolution, and might just be the hottest market for wireless adult content as well...

Party Madness - by Brandon Palmer
People have been swinging for at least as long as film could record them doing it, but more recently, well-organized and profitable sex parties have been on the rise - whether affiliated with adult video conventions or launched by professional sex party planners. Most porn webmasters already have the basic know-how and access to sexy exhibitionists with open minds, which presents a great marketing opportunity. Throwing a sex party for your site can raise your profile in the industry, attract new members, create new Web content and bring in serious profits. But there are some important logistics to consider - location, overhead, invitations, cover charge...

School of Punk - by Brandon Palmer
Sex and rock and roll have always been happy bedfellows, from Jimi Hendrix to Britney Spears. But punk - a full-blown subculture - was long left by the Internet's erotic wayside. The punk rock scene favors tattoos, piercings and crazy hair - but until recently, punks had to make do with traditional online porn. The best marketing scheme in the book is simple - know your customers and give them exactly what they want. But punk porn takes this adage one step further, by not just making content for the punk community, but creating sites that have become a part of the punk community...

Finding Hidden Treasures - by Brandon Palmer
As we've declared here before, the days of the hard sell are over. These days, consumers are far too sophisticated, and the competition is too great to be forcing things down customers' throats. If you offend them in any way, they will click their way to another site so fast it will make your head spin. A valid upsell, where you are offering the surfer a legitimate value for their extra money, can be a great asset to your pricing strategy, but a sleight-of-hand upsell will usually come back to bite you in the ass...

Yellow Brick Road Leads to the Forum - by Morgan Sommer & Tim Lutz
While it may appear that Cybersocket acted as a veritable pied piper in leading gay adult companies to the Phoenix Forum, it was really Patrick Curran and the CCBill family that were most influential in getting us and other gay companies to show up. We attended two years ago to be supportive of CCBill. It's true that many companies were hesitant until we gave them positive feedback about the show's value-how it is unquestionably worth the time and money to attend. Not to mention that we found it to be one of the most energetic adult industry shows of the year...

Gay Porn: Be There at 8 - by Brandon Palmer
If you own or run an adult gay site, and haven't allocated any funds for special events, it's time to reexamine your marketing budget. The use of special events, both online and offline, can be a powerful marketing tool to extend your brand, thank your advertisers and customers, as well as create new business, all in one fell swoop. In today's economy, many people are looking to cut line items wherever possible, and often the first thing to go is special events. This is understandable on the surface, because events can seem like something that may not be totally essential, but it's important to look deeper here...

The Future of Gay Adult Content - by Brandon Palmer
The problem is that these days content doesn't just need to change frequently; it must evolve and integrate with new technologies and trends. Identifying these trends is the trick, and fortunately we were able to talk to a few experts in the field who graciously shared their latest secrets. "Let me just say that big, slow and clunky is out," says Bill Pinyon, CEO of Badpuppy. "Small, fast and portable is in. More and more people are looking to get away from their desks...

The Future of Gay e-Commerce - by Brandon Palmer
A few years ago, we were all promised that the Internet would change our lives forever, making everything easier and faster. Although that Utopia remains to be seen, the Internet has forever changed the way we get our porn - but it's important to remember that the Web is still in its infancy. The next decade will bring sweeping advances in adult e-commerce, and the gay sector will be no exception. With the gradual integration of computers and digital televisions, and more people getting high-speed connections, videos-on-demand will become so commonplace that your local video store will seem like an ancient relic...

Buried Treasure - You've Got Gay Traffic! - by Melissa V, AzureEntertainment.com
Mr. Wonderful had destroyed his company hat by surfing in it all day, so I loaned him my brand new BadPuppy.com hat. It's cute, and doesn't 'scream' pornography. If you don't know BadPuppy.com, it's the oldest and largest, gay site. So off he went to deliver his chicken wings to all the conservative Middle America moms and dads, with their 2.5 kid families. It was a normal, non-sporting event, regular-old Wednesday night, but later on, he showed up with a special delivery just for me, and news that his tips were triple what they normally were...

Shock Jock with a Heart: Darren Austin - by Kath Blackwell
Darren Austin is oh so much more than your typical radio talk show host. His mission to educate, inform, entertain and bring people together has earned him a respected reputation among his peers. His repertoire of guests has included the extremely controversial, virtual unknowns with unique outlooks and perspectives on both our industry and on life - as well as a few A-list celebrities who came on to entertain and surprise the audience! Those who know him - love him. Those who have only heard - are intrigued...

Magazine Moolah - by Brandon Palmer
Many webmasters face the problem of placing and keeping something interesting, provocative and attractive on a site. The major challenge to maintaining a good lucrative site is, of course, content. You need "glue" to promote stickiness and keep people coming back, and a well designed product to please your demographic. Of course, you need to bear in mind that you are competing with scores of online outfits, as well as the enormous print media and video industry...

Gay Melting Pot - by Brandon Palmer
In the online adult industry, anything that seems exotic or taboo, at least in some circles, tends to make for a good niche site. Interracial gay porn is no exception, and the trend seems to be growing. As with most niche markets, it's hard to say exactly why some fetishes fizzle and others explode, but given the potential revenues, the interracial appeal is a topic worth exploring. If you're not already featuring interracial content, the most obvious place to start is to identify the audience...

At the Movies - by Brandon Palmer
When I go see a movie at a theater, I like to be on time so I don't miss the trailers. That may sound a little crazy, but a good trailer can be exciting - especially if it's for a movie you can't wait to see. Hollywood knows that there is no better place to advertise movies than directly to that captive audience in the theaters, and they even design the trailers to fit the genre and demographic of the film you're seeing...

Everybody's Going Gay - by Lee "European Lee" Windsor
The past few months in the online adult industry have seen some rather dramatic changes happen. From Visa charging additional fees to accept their credit cards online, Paypal no longer processing adult - and several large companies going out of business. However, one thing that also seems to be changing for the better is the amount of webmasters looking at new niches to promote. Surprisingly, the one niche that many webmasters are looking at is that of the gay niche...

Keeping it Real - by Brandon Palmer
It should come as no surprise to anyone that "reality" porn has become, as Adult Video News recently predicted, "the hottest trend in adult." The straight market was the first to capitalize on the public's fascination with reality, churning out such top sellers as the Shane's World series as well as Web-based fare like The Bang Bus and Mike's Apartment. Gay reality videos and Web sites followed shortly thereafter, and proved to be equally as lucrative...

The Right Price - by Brandon Palmer
The question 'how much is too much?' has been on the minds of American entrepreneurs since the snake oil salesman of over a century ago... Those guys knew something fundamental about human nature - that making money isn't about giving someone a good deal, it's about making them think they got a good deal. Today we call it 'perceived value,' and it's still more important than actual value. This doesn't mean you are tricking customers into buying an inferior product or service, on the contrary - you can still give them their money's worth and then some...

Gay 4 Pay - Brandon Palmer
The largest online segment, the straight adult market, is packed with free and paid sites to an extent that standing out, and generating revenue, is harder than ever. What many owners don't realize is the enormous untapped potential of the online gay adult market. Regardless of your sexual orientation, you can succeed if you know what's selling, and how to cash in on the latest trends. "The gay market is a fantastic market to break into," states Lisa Turner, Marketing & Advertising Administrator for leading gay adult Site, Badpuppy.com. "There is a huge gay community out there, still waiting to be reached. The market is nowhere near as saturated as the straight market...

A Queer World - by Brandon Palmer
There was a time, long ago, when people thought the Earth was flat. There was also a time, not so long ago, when people thought gay adult Web sites were a niche market. We know differently now, on both counts. The world is ever-changing, just like the Internet, but one thing is for certain: it's getting smaller. It's easier to reach out to people now than ever before, all over the globe, in countless ways. Why then, can it seem so difficult to reach international audiences with your gay adult site?...

Porn & Fries - by Brandon Palmer
It's probably the most famous upsell line in history, and it rarely works any more. As consumers become more sophisticated, the days of the hard sell are over. Now it's all about offering your customers options. What if that same cashier had said, "Would you like fries with that, or would you prefer a fresh garden salad?" I very likely would have answered, "A salad would be great, thanks." When creating upsell strategies for your adult site, the same philosophy applies. Find out who your customers are, and what they want, by increasing their choices...

Open for Business - by Brandon Palmer
Surfers are no longer looking simply for images to gawk at and mpegs to download. They want products. Today's online consumer is looking to the Web for all of their sexual accessory needs, whether it be dildos, nipple clamps, cocks rings, lingerie or the like. For an adult content site to remain competitive in an increasingly saturated marketplace, it needs to offer customers the convenience of one-stop shopping...

Affiliate for Success - by Brandon Palmer
Let's face it, the economy isn't what it used to be, and the virtual gold rush of the 90's seems like a distant dream. In this time of uncertainty, we all need to tighten our belts, especially those of us working in the increasingly competitive online adult market. Reducing business expenses is one approach, but many webmasters already run a lean-and-mean operation. The next step is to maximize revenue for your existing site, and one way to do this is through the skillful use of affiliate programs...

Content Across Borders - by Brandon Palmer
Whether you're buying, leasing, or creating your own, it's all about content, right? Well, that's only half right. As we all know, it's really about how many people are looking at your content, and one way to increase those eyeballs is to think globally. Sure, we'd all like a piece of that international pie, but how do we get it? Expand your content to specifically target overseas markets...

A Family Affair - by Brandon Palmer
Few people would argue that the online adult market is, first and foremost, a business. Certainly webmasters should enjoy their work, but unless they're doing it as a hobby, the bottom line is still to make a profit. So therefore, customers, one might reasonably conclude, should be treated as little more than dollar signs. Communicating with surfers is just a waste of time. Herd them in like cattle, slice off what you can get, and send them on their way. As long as you've got their credit card numbers, who cares what they think, right?

Euro Gay - by Brandon Palmer
Take the French, for example - one moment they are lining up in record numbers to attend EuroDisney, and the next they are bombing a local McDonald's in protest of our genetically altered produce. In recent months, these feelings have only intensified, as Europeans send us mixed signals like never before, while Americans continue to create intense controversy in a perplexing New World Order. Getting a handle on the European mood is particularly challenging if you're seeking to market an American product or service across the pond...

Erotic Buzz - by Brandon Palmer
As technology constantly improves, the experts are always finding new ways to assault our senses, while trying to one-up each other with bells and whistles in the process. Audio ads are just one example of the escalating onslaught being directed at surfers, and it seems that the jury is still out as to their effectiveness, especially in the adult industry. It's happened to all of us at one time or another. We log on to a site and are startled by an unexpected voice saying something like, "Yeah baby, click my clit and let me get you off." Granted, it's usually something a little less provocative, but it can still catch you off guard.

When Did Sex Become So Much Work? - by Bruce Trono
Ahhh, the life of a big time, adult gay, Web site producer. This is how I picture it in my dreams. I am sitting at a large desk in a sumptuous office, gazing out over the city below through my large picture window. A knock comes at my door. An eager young clerk enters and breathlessly reports, "Sir, one of the main site servers went down. Subscribers don't have access to three of our biggest sites." I look at him calmly. I pronounce, without hesitation, "Tell Thompson in the systems engineering department to get that fixed right away. We don't pay him $100,000 per year to sit on his ass...

Building Your First Gay or Lesbian Site - by Kath Blackwell
There are lots of webmaster resources, services, products and programs available on the 'Net today that will help you build your gay site into a mega moneymaker in no time. Just make sure to pay attention to the details, properly target your audience and don't be afraid to try new things. The best advice I ever heard, for any webmaster who is looking to build the moneymaking site of his/her dreams, was shared by Morgan Summer of Cybersocket.com. He said, "Quality is something well thought out." Take the time to think things out, as you build your first gay or lesbian site...

Serve Content & Service: A Simple Recipe for a Gay Site - by Lisa Turner
Your initial up-front offerings can make, or break, the surfer's decision of whether or not to subscribe to your site. A preview, or tour of your site, is also an important means of introducing your products and services to the web surfer. The majority of us would never buy a car without test-driving it. I'm sure most of us would like to be able to try on clothes prior to buying them. Experience tells us that the avid web surfer wants not only to sample a bit, but also know up-front, what they are paying for, prior to being asked for their credit card number.

Gay Marketing 101 - by Gary-Alan, GayWideWebmasters.com
There is a myth out there that gay traffic is hard to convert because a gay surfer is reluctant to buy. This isn't so. Conversions come down to two things: The gay surfer is discriminating; a membership to a site that has exactly what we want. The gay surfer is loyal; I, believe, this comes from our experience as a community. When a Gay surfer decides to purchase a membership, it's typically for a longer period of time. This is evident with the better Gay Pay Sites; conversions may be lower than a straight hardcore site however, membership tend to be longer than the industry average...

Censored Gay Porn - by Gary-Alan, GayWideWebmasters.com
Depending on the method you use to get your traffic softcore verses hardcore can make a big difference. If you're working the SE's, you set the tone by way of your descriptions and keywords - and you hope that they get you the rankings and the surfers. On the other side of the fence, when you use link lists and categorized directories, their categories will dictate where your site will go. Thus, you are totally out of the loop when it comes to its placement.

Shemale Porn: Going Both Ways - by Brandon Palmer
It doesn't matter if you're straight or gay, male or female - there is something about transsexuals that fascinates a lot of us. The idea might not excite you sexually, in fact it may turn you off entirely, but you have to admit that an amazing-looking shemale is still a compelling notion. The idea that our eyes might trick us into being attracted to someone who turns out to be both male and female gets at the very root of our psyche, and can challenge what many of us hold most dear - the nature of sexual attraction...

Board Whore - by Brandon Palmer
The drill is simple. A 20-something model type, male or female, walks up to a tourist and asks if they could please take their picture, handing the tourist the latest in mobile technology - a digital picture phone. When the tourist says yes, but seems perplexed as to why they are being handed a cell phone, the model type excitedly explains all the features on their handy new gadget, complete with a demonstration of how to take pictures. Before the unsuspecting tourist knows what hit them, they're playing a part in a live commercial, created especially for them.

Gay With Words - by Brandon Palmer
With the seemingly endless proliferation of adult sites, we all know that competition is fiercer than ever, and paying attention to every detail of your site is paramount. Consequently, copy should never be treated as secondary, and writing it shouldn't be a job that's delegated to someone's assistant. The most successful webmasters don't take anything for granted, especially their copy, and for them that translates into increased sales and renewals. These webmasters didn't just get lucky - there are actually proven techniques for writing highly effective copy for your adult gay site, and it's something that can always be improved upon.

Exit Profits - by Brandon Palmer
If the surfer has decided to move on without opening their wallet, they are still valuable as a potential customer, to you or to someone else. As you all know, these surfers make up a group we like to call 'exit traffic'. "Exit traffic is unsold traffic," says Quentin Boyer, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for TopBucks, "which is traffic that didn't convert into sales upon first arriving at one of our sites." Although some people would define exit traffic as all traffic that is leaving your site, sold or unsold, the idea is still to harness that traffic for maximum profit...