Results: How Big Is Your List?

The most difficult part of creating a list is: costs, generating leads, knowing what to send, knowing where to start, setting up the autoresponder, getting traffic,

What service or programs are being used: primarily Aweber, Get Response, and Traffic Wave.

How much is being made per month? Not everyone answered (understandable) but the most answered was $40,000 and the average of those who answered is around $500. It is also interesting to note that some smaller lists are making more than some bigger lists. The largest amount per subscriber of those who answered is about $3.

112 people responded, so that means each will receive 90 credits. Thank you for participating!

So Tim Linden Bought It…

Yep, that’s right, I bought the Nickel Mania X thing. It’s because I met Gary Ambrose in Washington DC and he had some great ideas and points on list building, and also on techy stuff. So when I heard that he was selling a recording of his private workshop with Keith Wellman, I definitely wanted to hear what went on there.

And I was even more surprised when I found out the price! I got my copy locked in at 20 cents! I thought it was a joke, but really it was (ok, so shipping and handling was extra but I didn’t really expect him to ship it out of pocket). The catch is the price goes up as more people buy and time goes on.

So my suggestion to you would be to go over there and lock in your price, and seriously consider this. He really had a great way of showing me why my own list isn’t making me any money, and ways to start making money. And for such a low price it really is worth it. Even if it was $10, I know I”ll get way more than that in golden nuggets of information.

So how do you lock in your price? Simply goto this page and then put your name and email in there, and that’s it. You’ve got it locked in!

Interview with Nathy Curiel

1) How and when did your online business get started?

I have been active online for a couple of years now. Mostly as a hobby at the beginning, but I really enjoyed every minute of it. During my vacation in China (end 2006), I made the decision to turn my hobby into a business. When I came back to Holland, I resigned from my job, went to the Chamber of Commerce, and my company (c-lin Services) was born. I am a financial consultant during daytime, and internet marketer in the evenings. My consultancy work is funding my internet business until it matures enough for me to quit my offline job. That is my plan, and I am still working hard to fulfill my goals.

2) Which exchange(s) do you own or co-own?

I own EarthHits and TrafficSoldiers and I am in the process of buying Wolfsurfer.

3) Do you currently work exclusively online?

No, but it’s my goal and I know it’s just a matter of time.

4) How many hours per day do you spend on your exchange(s)?

During the week 4 to 5 hours, and on the weekend 5-8 hours.

5) Do you do support yourself, or do you outsource support?

I have outsourced it and do it myself sometimes, too. Catherine Heiter is my admin in both exchanges. She has been a great help and support for me and both of my TE’s.
Thanks to her, I can work during the daytime without worrying.

6) How fluent are you with HTML, javascript, and PHP?

I know the basics of html, but that’s it. For the rest, I hire programmers.

7) Approximately how many members join your exchange a month?

It varies, but 400-500 members at Traffic Soldiers and approximately 100 members at EarthHits.

8) Does most of your advertising come from members referring, or you?

It is a combination of both.

9) Are you subscribed to any blogs? Which is your favorite?

Yes, I am subscribed to some blogs. My favorite is Jon Olson’s Hit Exchange News.

10) What would be the biggest tip you could give to readers?

Try to build something for yourself. If it’s a website or a list, it doesn’t matter.
It’s the only way the build your online future. And never give up!!

List Building Questionnaire

So I created a quick List Building Questionnaire. I’d appreciate it if you filled it out! I won’t publish your personal results, but rather will combine the data and publish it here! I know there will be people with big lists making tons of money, and people with small lists making tons of money, and then big or small making no money.

The goal here is to see overall what the averages are. I think it’ll inspire some to realize, hey, it does work! And it’ll also make some feel real good about being above the average =P In the end, it’ll be interesting to see.

Oh, and I”ll be giving away 10,000 credits to all the people who participate. Those credits will be divided by the number who participate. I’m also interested to see how many will actually do it. I like testing things like this out LOL

Fill out the form here

Interview with Michael Coursey

Thank you for the interview Tim.

1) How and when did your online business get started?

I started when a friend of mine online introduced me to TrafficSwarm. After that my interests branched out into different online opportunities such as PPC sites and affiliate marketing. After looking around I saw traffic exchanges as a viable alternative to both build a credible business and secondarily market my affiliate products. In July of 2007 I purchased a script and hosting. Several weeks later I had the design for the site in place and “opened the doors” of HelpHits on July 24th 2007. At that time I had very little experience with online marketing and my understanding of how traffic exchanges worked was poor. The first few months was a hard learning experience for me. The people I had purchased the script from and the exchange owners that I knew at the time were what I now call “credit farmers”, meaning an exchange where nothing seems to grow for marketers except their credit pool at the exchange. I copied their methods for the most part until I realized the surfing activity was sharply decreasing after the first couple of months as well as sales and subscriptions. After realizing this I started looking at what the industry leading exchanges online such as StartXchange, I Love Hits, and TS 25 did differently than what I was doing. I looked at how they ran their businesses and their exchanges as much as possible by comparing those sites to mine. After making some drastic changes in policies surfing started to improve quite a bit.

2) Which exchange(s) do you own or co-own?

I own both HelpHits and Major League Hits.

3) Do you currently work exclusively online?

Not at present, but I plan to do so within the next 2 years.

4) How many hours per day do you spend on your exchange(s)?

I average 6 to 8 hours a day marketing, making adjustments, and communicating with members and various other exchange owners or developers.

5) Do you do support yourself, or do you outsource support?

Both, I think it is important for an owner to keep in touch with what members are thinking and feeling, but I have my trusted adviser and friend, Jackie O’Connor-Hagood, helping me out with support also.

6) How fluent are you with HTML, javascript, and PHP?

I have basic skills with HTML and enough skill with javascript and PHP to completely mess the code up.

7) Approximately how many members join your exchange a month?

HelpHits has had approximately 250 members join per month since December.

Major League Hits currently has had 369 members in just over a month of operation.

8) Does most of your advertising come from members referring, or you?

The bulk of the advertising comes from me, I think, but there is a sizable percentage from my membership. I would say it is about 65% me and 35% from my members.

9) Are you subscribed to any blogs? Which is your favorite?

I am subscribed to TE Scoop run by Solomon Huey and Hit Exchange News. I like both but I would say that TE Scoop is my favorite. I like Solomon’s journalistic style and his understanding view of day to day events going on in the TE industry.

10) What would be the biggest tip you could give to readers?

My biggest tip would be to keep learning. This goes for anything in life, but definitely internet marketing. Find people that are experts at a particular aspect of marketing that you want to master and ask questions, use their methods, and find what works well for you. There is a LOT of knowledge in the world. It is one of our purposes to absorb and use as much of it as we can to help us through this life.

If you would like me to clarify any statements please do not hesitate to ask.

Best regards,

Michael Coursey

I was invited to SuperSurf!

Well for a little while now there’s been this thing called SuperSurf, where 5 exchanges got together and said “Hey, if you use all of us at the same time, we’ll give you a bonus!”. Well I was just invited to be one of those 5!

So now if you surf StartXchange, Dragon Surf, I Love Hits, Advertising Knowhow, and Traffic-Splash at the same time, you will get a 10% surfing bonus on all 5 exchanges!

Oh, and since today is the first day we are all doubling that to 20%! Woo, I’m excited, are you? Just remember to enter your username on an official SuperSurf page.