Topic Ideas for Subscription Web Sites
If you are looking for a good topic idea for a subscription web site, one that matches your personality, start here. In the article 32 Topic Ideas for Subscription Web Sites, I asked this question, "So what is the right topic for a subscription web site?" My answer, "Any topic that at least 500 people are willing to pay to read about. You don't need millions of subscribers to do well. Just a few hundred will do it." (Profit Potential of Subscription Web Sites) That was my short answer, the longer, more detailed answer can be found in 32 Topic Ideas for Subscription Web Sites. The problem Most people I talk to seem to have a mental block when it comes to choosing a good topic for their own subscription site. They tend to focus on topics that just about everyone else is doing (i.e., how to make money on the internet) or they try to go into competition with the free media (newspapers, TV, radio) by offering non unique, generic news. The mistake they make is trying to use logic to answer what is really a question of passion. Instead of trying to logically deduce what others might want to spend money on, they should check their own habits. What passions do they follow? Or would follow if they had time? I was thinking about this last week when I started researching a specific kind of sailboat. I started my search on Google, and quickly discovered that other than the information from the boat's manufacturer, little public information was available. However, there was a subscription web site created by an individual who owned this particular boat model, and who was extremely passionate about the boat. He had put the site together to show friends his boat, and it evolved into something a lot of people interested in the boat wanted to see. As the site grew, the creator added a discussion forum, a way for visitors to post photos of their boats and submit articles, and even a way for advertisers to buy ads. The passion exuded by these people in talking about their boats was amazing. They wrote articles about their adventures in the boat, the good times they had with their families while using the boat, how they had modified the boat, and even sent in photos of their own boats. To these people, this particular model of boat was the center of their lives. And surprisingly, it seemed from the messages in the discussion group that many of the subscribers weren't owners of this model boat - they just wanted to be. So they joined the site to learn more. This parallels the experience of http://www.shoeboxford.com - a subscription web site about a particular model of car some people are interested in. The opportunities One of the great things about the internet is that when a consumer gets 'in heat' about something they become passionate about, they can quickly go online and search www.google.com to find resources related to that passion. Often, they'll search for terms such as 'shoebox ford discussion', looking for sites where people who already own the product talk about it in a forum. (To see how this works, try this search). This 'searching for resources to satisfy a passion' is a behavior pattern which creates tremendous opportunities for those who want to operate subscription web sites. It means if you can identify a passion, and create a web site that serves that passion, you have a pretty good chance of being successful. Passions? So, what are people passionate about? In many cases, you'll find that people are passionate about things they either own, or more likely, things they want to own. These things can include:
- Cars - specific models of antique, collector, muscle cars, euro tuners, european sports cars, italian sports cars, 50's cars, 60's cars, etc.
- Boats - specific models of sail, power, collector, investor, restorable, mono hull, multi-hull, wood
- Planes - specific models of personal, antique, collector, sport, racing, vintage, war
- Pets - specific breeds of dogs, cats, birds, lizards, etc.
- Other - specific brands of any item costing at least $1000 - bicycles, motorcycles, tractors, motor homes, watches, cameras
For subscription web sites, the more expensive the 'thing' people are passionate about, the more likely they will pay to join a site to get more information about the 'thing' and read about how others use the 'thing'. All of which gets them closer to their passion - without actually having to buy the expensive 'thing'. Topic ideas Here's a question to ask yourself to find the perfect subscription web site topic to match your own personal interests. "If I had all the money I needed, and plenty of free time, what would I be doing today? What fun activity, hobby, or pursuit would I be involved in?". In most cases, your answer to that question is a good directional pointer for the topic of your subscription web site. (Follow your dreams - and others will pay to read about your discoveries and adventures.) So, where's the list of subscription web site topics promised in the headline? How about any car mentioned in this book . . . Any specific model would have enough interest in the 40 million baby boomers who grew up driving these cars. These days, as they get closer to retirement, many are interested in buying and restoring the 'toys' of their youth. And often the first place they go for information is the internet, (i.e. Shoebox Ford Discussion.) For more subscription web site topics As I mentioned above, one of the best ways to come up with the perfect subscription web site topic to match your own personal interests is to ask yourself the following question, "If I had all the money I needed, and plenty of free time, what would I be doing today? What fun activity, hobby, or pursuit would I be involved in?" Throw out any answers that have to do with paying off bills or making more money. The idea is to discover a hidden passion or adventure that excites you enough to keep your interest for a few years. If you find your passion, and can start down a path toward pursuing that passion - others will pay to read and hear about your discoveries and adventures along the way - because there will be others who share the same passion, but don't have the time or resources to follow it themselves.
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