5 builders who never spoke to each other

Underprice the first sponsor slots until they sell out

Ad inventory that does not sell is worth nothing, so price the early slots well below what you think they are worth, fill the edition, and raise the rate each time it sells out. Keep the rate card flat and simple, throw in a free slot for a bulk purchase, and price a top placement against the traffic it actually buys. Treat the share of income coming from advertisers as a number to push down deliberately, because it depends on other companies' budgets rather than anything you control.

The method

1. 01

   Price the first ad slots far below what you think they are worth so the inventory sells out, then raise the rate each time an edition fills.

2. 02

   Price sponsor slots flat and give a free slot for bulk purchase.

3. 03

   Add a reader tip jar; it earns money even when you barely mention it.

4. 04

   Price a top sponsorship tier against the traffic it buys, and put the sponsor's logo where every visitor sees it.

5. 05

   Measure what share of revenue comes from advertising and deliberately push it down, because that line depends on other companies' budgets rather than anything you control.

What it returned

• $100

  Anthony Castrio's approach on Bot Eat Brain, which Sam Klemens copied after failing to sell $100 slots at 10,000 subscribers.

• $400

  $400 per sponsor slot, one free when bought in bulk, about $4,500 collected so far

• $635

  $635 in tips

• $2,000

  Two of Evan You's supporters pay $2,000 a month each for their site and logo on every page of a property reaching over 500,000 unique visitors a month, which underpins his $15,713 monthly total.

Sources

• 54 of the Biggest Earners on Patreon (And What They're Selling) - Detailed.comGlen Allsopp · detailed.com · Evan: $15,713 per month · 2023-01-04
• How we grew a local newsletter to 10,000 subscribersNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · Sponsorships and revenue · 2022-03-22
• Friday Feature: Strategy BreakdownsTom Alder · sparkloop.app · #3 - Diversified revenue · undated
• Friday Feature: The RollupAnthony Castrio · sparkloop.app · 🙋 How The Rollup does it · undated
• How to Make $2,000/Month with a Personal Development BlogLidiya K · failory.com · How did you build Let’s Reach Success? Which is your business model? · undated