Yes, it is possible. But only if you start with the right plan, and then follow it through. Read about it here.

Subscription Web Site Profit Potential

So, just how do you earn $250,000 with a subscription web site?

The answer: sign up 2,500 subscribers with an average annual subscription price of $100 each.

If you can do that, you'll earn $250,000 per year with your subscription web site.

But how do you find 2,500 subscribers?

Finding paying customers, whether you are an online subscription web site or an offline print newsletter, is the key to success in the publishing for profit business.

Because finding paying subscribers is so vitally important to the success of any subscription web site, the development and marketing strategy of such a site must, from the very beginning, be built around finding and satisfying paying subscribers.

This means that well before the site is created, the owners of the site must first define the following:

• The target market - Ideally the site will be developed for a known group of consumers who have a pre-existing desire to buy the kind of content offered on the site.
  
  
• The site focus and the kind of content - Ideally the site will offer the target market the exact kind of content they have been looking for but can't find elsewhere on the net.
  
  
• The subscription pricing strategy - Ideally the subscription plans will offer the target market access to the site at a price they are comfortable paying. This could involve a 'recurring billing' plan for shorter term subscriptions to avoid 'sticker shock'.
  
  
• The WOW! Factor - The 'unique selling proposition' that causes people in the target market to take notice of the site and become interested in subscribing.
  
  
• The marketing strategy - The different methods used to make those in the target market aware of the site and to give them a reason to join.
  
  
• Site creation and day-to-day maintenance plans - A plan detailing how the mechanics of subscription management and content publishing tasks are to be handled. Ideally, a purpose-built software tool will be used to do this - eliminating the dependence on outside help, web designers, and other expensive ongoing labor commitments.
  
  
• The startup survival strategy. - A plan that allows the site to stay in business long enough so that revenues catch up with and eventually cover expenses. Many sites fail because they don't have a start up survival strategy

In addition to coming up with the right strategy, the site owners must be willing to stick to that strategy in getting the site created and launched.

Getting Started

The first step, to be taken long before the site is created, is to define the right product for the right target market.

Ideally, you want to offer a subscription web site that offers the kind of content that those in the target market will say, "That's exactly what I have been looking for. I am excited!. Let me join now."

If you can generate that kind of excitement, you have the right topic. But if you can't generate that kind of excitement, keep refining your choice of target market and site content until you hit on just the right combination.

Choosing the right target market and topic is the most important aspect of a successful subscription web site (or print newsletter).

Developing the Content

The term 'content' is used to described what subscribers to the site will find within. More often than not, content consists of written articles covering different aspects of whatever the site is focused upon.

In addition to written articles, content can also be downloadable files of interest and value to subscribers. These files can be almost anything, ranging from software to ebooks, to clip art, to videos and audios. All designed to make the subscriber feel good about being a member of the site.

In most cases, site subscribers will expect the content of the site to be updated regularly. At least weekly, and usually daily.

This means that the site owner must develop a strategy of how to add new content to the site. This can mean a lot of research and the writing of a lot of articles. (Many subscription web sites hire full time and free lance writers to develop content.)

Getting Ready for Site Launch

One of the biggest mistakes many subscription web sites make is they announce or 'launch' the site before much content has been added to the site.

I've seen subscription sites make the 'official' launch with less than 10 pages of content on the site. In my opinion, this will almost guarantee that new subscribers will be disappointed in what they find - and many may ask for refunds.

It is far wiser to populate your site with at least 50, and preferably 100 or more valuable pages of site content before your launch. This way, new subscribers will find lots of material to keep their interest and they will feel good about joining.

Another big mistake made when launching is lack of attention to site layout and design. With subscription web sites, visitors to the web site have to be able to trust that the site will be able to deliver.

If the site design is not up to par, a lot of potential trust is eroded - and visitors will hesitate to subscribe.

Reaching the $250,000 Goal

If the goal is to attract 2,500 paying subscribers, the site owner must continually adjust and refine the elements of the site to make it appealing and valuable to subscribers.

Minor changes to the site logo, the benefits page, and the testimonials page can mean the difference between signing up one paying subscriber a day, or signing up seven.

And signing up just seven paying subscribers a day for a year is all that is needed to generate $250,000 in subscription revenues.

Just seven people a day. Doesn't sound too difficult, right?

Whether it is or not depends a great deal on:

• choosing the right target market
• choosing the right topic
• having a WOW! factor
• and doing a good job in site presentation (layout and design)