Moving From Content Creation to the Affiliate Side

[potentialeight]

Hey everyone. I have a few quick questions if you don't mind.

I've been on the content creation side of things for about 12 years. I got into it around the start of 2010 or so when I had been playing online poker professionally for a while and started to see the writing on the wall as a US player. As such, I've been around the SEO/marketing side of things tangentially for quite some time and am considering trying to get into the affiliate side in the upcoming year.

So I have a few quick questions:

1. I'm located in the United States (North Carolina in particular). Everything I've read in my cursory research tells me that there's nothing illegal about being an affiliate for online gambling, but I'm interested in knowing what you guys and girls have to say about that. What say you?

2. I would most likely be producing my own content first and perhaps switching over to paid writers if I got some traction and figured out what I was doing. I've been told a lot of horror stories about getting reliable writers in this space from clients and other people I know in the industry. Is that true, or is that overblown?

3. Do you have any other advice? I really like the industry, and I want to get more into it now that my other obligations outside of my writing work are settled down for now (ie: I actually have some time to put into it).

Thank you, and Happy New Year!

[universal4]

When seeking actual legal advice, it is best to speak with an attorney, since they are the only ones that can provide actual legal advice.

Rick
Universal4

[Juan Roman]

Hey man. That's something I started exploring some 5 years ago and it was the best decision I ever made. We still do both content writing and developing affiliate websites and most of the sites we created from scratch proved a big success.

Having said that, you need to know what you are doing, invest a lot of effort and obviously some money into it, but there's no reason not to give it a go.

1. I don't think that gambling affiliation is illegal in the US, but as Rick says, best to consult a lawyer. You would need to apply for a licence if you plan to target the legal US market though.

2. As far as iGaming content goes, you usually get what you pay for. There are some pretty good freelancers and content agencies that are active here on GPWA in case you may need help later, but high-quality, well-researched content is not cheap, so you are probably better off writing yourself for as long as you can. If your sites start making money, you can crunch the numbers and see whether it makes sense to start paying for content.

3. The industry is now way more competitive than it was 5-10 years ago and you'll need to be very patient and work hard in order to succeed. New sites usually don't get any traction for a year or so, so you need to be prepared to wait at least that long before seeing any tangible results.

Also, finding the right niche topic to base your site on is absolutely crucial. That can be the difference between having a shot at glory and drowning in a sea of similar websites. Better to find something where there is lower competition than compete for top keywords with super affiliates.

[chaumi]

I'll let the US-based affiliates answer on the first point as they'll be best placed, but there are a number here that have been in the game since before 2010 that (I don't believe) will ever have had any problems. One or two you may even have faced over a poker table way back!

Content, yes. The bottom line is you get what you pay for. There are at least a couple of firms active here that will get you the level of content you will need (if and when you get to the point of needing it/paying for it). Check out a recent post from Themilann (Hirequarters) and/or take a look at the signature in any of Juan Roman's posts.

https://www.gpwa.org/forum/wts-searc...tml#post966686


There are others.

Looking at some examples on PotentialEight, no one is going to outdo you for writing quality. However, it's tough to churn out the quantity/quality of content you need yourself and take care of everything else you need to do on a site of your own at the same time. Not impossible, and you probably have the best initial approach in mind already. See how it goes. you'll learn quickly enough whether it will be overstretching you.

Not really much doubt though that going to a professional (gambling-focused) content creation firm (assuming you have the funds to do it) will yield the best results. There are one or two individuals too that can provide you with reasonable level stuff, at a lower budget (I won't name, but at least 2 or 3 have posted this year).

Other advice? Well, you're in the US so you'll know what's going on there. If US is your target, then you'll need to consider the two main aspects- offshore and regulated. One 'shrinking', one growing. But both with their own challenges to overcome (trying to explain the intricacies of that here will likely end up with the longest post of the year - and take the rest of the day to compile - so I won't try...but PM if you want or make another specific post on it for detailed explanation).

You will find the competition to be very strong, whatever you do.


EDIT...and looks like I posted at the same time that Juan was answering too!!

[potentialeight]

When seeking actual legal advice, it is best to speak with an attorney, since they are the only ones that can provide actual legal advice.

Rick
Universal4

Absolutely, and I definitely would be before getting off of the ground.

[PROFRBcom]

I looked over your poker content.

It is good, but those examples are short. I would recommend real content pages to be longer and more KW oriented

P.S. Rakeback, for affiliates, is a dead-end. Take it from me!

[themilann]

Hey everyone. I have a few quick questions if you don't mind.

I've been on the content creation side of things for about 12 years. I got into it around the start of 2010 or so when I had been playing online poker professionally for a while and started to see the writing on the wall as a US player. As such, I've been around the SEO/marketing side of things tangentially for quite some time and am considering trying to get into the affiliate side in the upcoming year.

So I have a few quick questions:

1. I'm located in the United States (North Carolina in particular). Everything I've read in my cursory research tells me that there's nothing illegal about being an affiliate for online gambling, but I'm interested in knowing what you guys and girls have to say about that. What say you?

2. I would most likely be producing my own content first and perhaps switching over to paid writers if I got some traction and figured out what I was doing. I've been told a lot of horror stories about getting reliable writers in this space from clients and other people I know in the industry. Is that true, or is that overblown?

3. Do you have any other advice? I really like the industry, and I want to get more into it now that my other obligations outside of my writing work are settled down for now (ie: I actually have some time to put into it).

Thank you, and Happy New Year!

Hello mate,

As others have already mentioned regarding iGaming content, you get what you pay for. I don't know how others are doing their business, but I make sure that my company along with quality can deliver accountability and reliability, which I think is crucial for a business' success.

That being said, we invest a lot of time and energy into our workflow, communicating both clients' and our expectations of a partnership so that everyone knows we're on the same page striving towards the same goal.

Finally, when searching for content in iGaming, make sure you look for a team that you can count on long-term and has a proven record of long-term partnerships. If that's the case, this often means they also deliver quality content in terms of language, flow, industry-savvy lingo and SEO overall.

Hope this helps.

[potentialeight]

I looked over your poker content.

It is good, but those examples are short. I would recommend real content pages to be longer and more KW oriented

I hear you. Most of what I have as samples on my website right now were taken from things clients never paid for, so it was really just based around what they had asked for.

P.S. Rakeback, for affiliates, is a dead-end. Take it from me!

Not the first time I've heard this!