Since we still don’t have enough advertisers to keep the lights on without RF having to dig into his own pockets, it’s time again to toot our own horn about how awesome we are much like a shiny lure on a fishing line. And if Q1’s numbers are any indication 2012 is shaping up to blow 2011 out of the water.
To be fair, SHOT Show is the main event of the year in terms of coverage and it happens every January. Last year saw a relatively large bump in traffic from our coverage so we were expecting a similar anomaly. The thing is… the traffic never went away.
The SHOT bump came and went, and when the dust settled we had maintained that same level of traffic. Even two full months later the readers we gained during SHOT are still here. We’re more popular than ever, and the stats I’m seeing indicate that even if we stop publishing today the views we get from Google traffic will still put us at the top in terms of blogs.
We may be the “top dogs” in terms of firearms blogs, but as far as the industry is concerned we’re still nobodies. I run into that fact every time I talk to a media rep for a firearms company, pushing me aside to pander to the writers for the failing magazines instead. Even worse — we’re nobodies who take pride in giving their products bad reviews. They want us to fail, so that they can go back to paying the magazines to give their crappy products good reviews.
Crappy products deserve crappy reviews, and if our traffic statistics show anything it’s that people are hungry for fair and honest reviews. We’re fighting the good fight, trying to make right years of backroom dealing and fluffed reviews. But we need help, specifically money to keep the doors open and the writers writing. We need advertisers.
Those interested in advertising please contact [email protected] for information. Because I’m going to keep posting articles like this at least every quarter until someone pays me to stop.
The folks who write and manage TTAG are a smart group with years of real-life experience. If the firearm manufacturers are not responding because they are unhappy that some of the gun reviews are too brutally honest and objective followed by a comment’s section with too many brutally funny, insightful, and sometimes sarcastic comments then perhaps TTAG should look elsewhere for sponsors.
You guys at the helm of TTAG are smart. Think about all the industries and companies that profit by the existence of guns and ammo. You can even go beyond them obviously to any organization that isn’t opposed to advertising on a pro-gun pro-liberty blog and isn’t concerned about the anti-gun PC crowd boycotting it. Years ago, the politically-correct liberal San Francisco Chronicle’s site wasn’t too proud to feature a banner ad for conservative Rush Limbaugh since he paid them. If the gun manufacturers bunch who have been spoiled by the old boy network of reviewers and the too cozy relationship between them $$$$$$ then it is time for you to move on to new sponsors and it will be the loss eventually of the gun makers (if it isn’t already). Back in 1999, I sold online advertising during the early Dot Com boom and I was there for the bust too. I worked near San Francisco’s South Park area where it was all happening. There is no reason that you all don’t have more paid advertisers with the numbers you are quoting above.
This site is unusual in that you do also cover political and social issues, and some of those pieces are possibly not politically correct enough in their context and tone for some overly-sensitive manufacturers. So what? There are lots of companies to call in America who will only be concerned with your audience and the money it will bring them.
Have you picked up the phone and called to discuss ad sponsorship with Liberty Safes, Carhartt, Cabelas, Ka-Bar Knives, The Kansas City BBQ Store, Eton Grundig Radios, Russells for Men (fine merchandise), Hogue Grips, Maxpedition, etc?
With that many views / month, I’m STUNNED that advertisers haven’t clamored to be here. You should be having to turn them away. Crazy.
Very impressive charts, and well-earned.
Open a Paypal account and ask for a $1.00/month contribution. Make it convenient and affordable and you’d get a ‘good enough’ response rate.
I’m in.
I’d be in as well..This site is a multi-time-a-day stop for me.
Hmmm… would be good to have some demographic data on viewers / registered members. I don’t recall any data input to that effect when I registered…. gender, age, income range, geographic location, occupation, etc. Would probably be good info to have to offer to potential advertisers.
Except that a lot of people wouldn’t provide the info. Me for example.
I can understand that. I’m not one to offer up personal info, either. Anonymous info, however (and assuming I’m using a screen name.. my name isn’t really “racer 88”), I might allow… such as age and gender.
The reality is that such data is GOLD when it comes to soliciting advertising.
That said, we could probably make SOME assumptions on the demographics of the audience here. I bet a vast majority are male. I’m a genius, eh? 😉 The fat part of the age bell curve probably lies between 30 and 60. Geographically, I’d bet we’re pretty evenly spread out, with some bald spots in New England, Chicago, and most of Kalifornia. Income is a bit of a crap-shoot, though.
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