Growth What are the best ways to bring in revenue in your community?

[Nomad]

You might not like ads but you need to agree to this fact that ads will bring in revenue and you can use the revenue to invest back to your community and grow it big. You might certainty fund your forums through your pocket, if you have funds, but there is a limit to how much you can spend. Can you invest $10K, $20K, maybe not. If you are running ads and generate revenue, investing in your forum growth is certainly possible.

If you have decided or run ads, or if you are already running ads, what do you think is the best strategy to bring in revenue? Here are some common methods to choose:

Network ads like Adsense, Media.net, etc.
Affiliate networks like Amazon, Clickbank, etc.
Merch store
Selling advertising space
Selling membership
Donation
Sponsorship

If you add any method to this list, you can write in the comment section.

 

[Deep]

You might not like ads but you need to agree to this fact that ads will bring in revenue and you can use the revenue to invest back to your community and grow it big. You might certainty fund your forums through your pocket, if you have funds, but there is a limit to how much you can spend. Can you invest $10K, $20K, maybe not. If you are running ads and generate revenue, investing in your forum growth is certainly possible.

If you have decided or run ads, or if you are already running ads, what do you think is the best strategy to bring in revenue? Here are some common methods to choose:

Network ads like Adsense, Media.net, etc.
Affiliate networks like Amazon, Clickbank, etc.
Merch store
Selling advertising space
Selling membership
Donation
Sponsorship

If you add any method to this list, you can write in the comment section.

What is a merch store??

 

[Nomad]

What is a merch store??

Mech is a short form of merchandise. It is a business model where you create designs for the product and outsource product manufacturing and fulfillment through another company. In a simple term it is a print on demand business model

 

[Cpvr]

Google AdSense can work well for a forum, depending on its traffic. If you prefer not to show ads to members, you could display them only to guests or offer members an option to upgrade their accounts and remove ads.

For forums discussing many products, Amazon Affiliate links might be a good fit.


Selling your own ad slots could be more profitable than using Google AdSense, especially if you have multiple or long-term ad slots available.


Additionally, selling your own merchandise, like T-shirts, hats, or mugs, could be a great option—especially if you can source them at a good rate.

 

[Cloaked]

Amazon affiliates used to be the best. Then one day they decided to stop allowing affiliates in states that passed the online tax law. I was Illinois at the time so my revenue dried up overnight. I moved to Adsense along side Viglinks. Made some money. No were near what I did with Amazon.

I think today selling ad space is the best way to go. It can be a good revenue stream that doesn't go up and down with trends.

 

[Nomad]

Google AdSense can work well for a forum, depending on its traffic. If you prefer not to show ads to members, you could display them only to guests or offer members an option to upgrade their accounts and remove ads.

For forums discussing many products, Amazon Affiliate links might be a good fit.


Selling your own ad slots could be more profitable than using Google AdSense, especially if you have multiple or long-term ad slots available.


Additionally, selling your own merchandise, like T-shirts, hats, or mugs, could be a great option—especially if you can source them at a good rate.

I have used all of these methods for my blogs but I have only used Adsense for my forums. I think Adsense can earn you a decent amount if you have regular traffic and activities. However, I would like to explore selling merchandise on my forums. Have you tried it?

 

[Nomad]

Amazon affiliates used to be the best. Then one day they decided to stop allowing affiliates in states that passed the online tax law. I was Illinois at the time so my revenue dried up overnight. I moved to Adsense along side Viglinks. Made some money. No were near what I did with Amazon.

I think today selling ad space is the best way to go. It can be a good revenue stream that doesn't go up and down with trends.

I lost my first Amazon Associate account because I did not sell a single product in six months. I managed to sell some products with my second account but Amazon has not been great for me. I tried Vigilinks for my blogs but it did not work. I would like to explore selling ad space, which I have never done on my forums.

 

[freelancermaria]

In my humble opinion, selling digital products is a great way to generate revenue for your forum or website. You can sell eBooks, printable digital products, or online courses. Many individuals are interested in buying digital products, particularly eBooks and online courses, which can greatly contribute to your revenue. In addition, your digital products can reach a global scale, which provides excellent potential for passive income. The automated delivery system can be of help in handling sales of your digital products and allocation effectively.

 

[gwolf666]

Ads are always the classic and typical income on any website, it is essential to use them, the second income that is not always done but which is also very good is that it is something paid on the website, sometimes it can be a premium account or things like that and the last one is the affiliates

 

[Cpvr]

I lost my first Amazon Associate account because I did not sell a single product in six months. I managed to sell some products with my second account but Amazon has not been great for me. I tried Vigilinks for my blogs but it did not work. I would like to explore selling ad space, which I have never done on my forums.

If you’re looking to explore selling ad space on your forum, I’d recommend creating an “Advertise on Our Forum” page. This will serve as the central place for potential advertisers to find all the details they need, including pricing, formats, and guidelines for ads on your forum.


For pricing, you can consider the following options:

A text link or banner ad near the header could be priced at $20–40 per month.

A footer link or banner ad might be priced at $20–30 per month.

Ads placed between posts or a banner ad could go for $50–80 per month.

A sticky topic for a month might be priced around $15–20. A link or banner notice on every page could have a varying price depending on visibility. Finally, a link in your signature could range from $10–25 per month.


These are just some initial ideas, and you can adjust them based on your forum’s traffic and engagement. You might also consider offering discounts for long-term contracts or bundling multiple ads.

I have used all of these methods for my blogs but I have only used Adsense for my forums. I think Adsense can earn you a decent amount if you have regular traffic and activities. However, I would like to explore selling merchandise on my forums. Have you tried it?

I haven’t tried selling merchandise yet, but it’s something I want to explore in the future. I have an uncle who makes and designs t-shirts, so I could probably get them done at a low rate.

I’d also like to sell hats and possibly mugs one day.