FutureAudiophile.com is a free-to-read online magazine about stereo systems, high-end audio components, and the overall audiophile hobby. Our focus is on finding new people who are interested in starting (and growing) their own journey in the hobby. We are currently the fastest-growing publication in the space, and we are creating more content (including both high-performance audiophile component reviews and insightful news and opinions on the hobby) than any other publication in any media.
A few of our readers have asked the question: just how do you make money?
We don’t have any proprietary secrets when it comes to our business model, so here’s a look at how we generate revenue here at FutureAudiophile.com. On the most basic level, we make the vast majority of our money comes from selling advertising directly to clients. We make a little bit more money via affiliate sale commissions. We will explain both in more detail.
Explaining the FutureAudiophile.com Advertising Model
Our publisher, Jerry Del Colliano, was a pioneer in the world of online publishing in the consumer electronics space. He started AudioRevolution.com in 1996 and has founded, built and sold various successful properties that have sold for millions of dollars each over the past 10 to 20 years.
Large-Format Banner Ads
FutureAudiophile.com sells banner ads on a real estate basis. Historically (meaning until we launched FutureAudiophile.com), we sold ads like most other websites did, which was on an “impression basis.” This model dates back to the 1990s online and has significant flaws. The real estate model for banner ads has allowed us to get over DOUBLE the Internet average for CTR (click-through rate) without having to worry about the whims of search engine algorithms and readership changes.
We currently serve both 300 x 250 and 300 x 600 banner ads, which are standard-sized banners that have yielded far better than average click results over the first few years of the publication.
Email Newsletter Ads
At FutureAudiophile.com, we send a bi-weekly email newsletter that contains 300 x 250 banner ads. There are normally three to four included in each email newsletter, depending on demand. Our email list reaches over 20,000 people, including most North American specialty audio video dealers, custom AV installers, hybrid audio video installers and more traditional audiophile salons or “stereo stores.”
Readers opt into our email newsletter and can opt out at any time. There is no cost to subscribe whatsoever.
At past publications, we have offered more text-based “advertorial” ads for our newsletter. Noel Lee, the founder of Monster Cable and one of the co-creators of Beats Headphones, was the first person to ask for this, back in the early days at AVRev.com. We don’t offer a scheduled spot for these ads but, on very rare occasions, we will add some paid, promotional text to our email newsletters.
Monthly Audiophile Sweepstakes
What is better than getting free reviews of audiophile gear? We asked our readers, and they told us that, when we give them the chance to win really cool audiophile equipment, they love it. We’ve given away some amazing gear over the years and it is rare (often in the summer) that we don’t have a sweepstakes running.
Our clients pay us to run the events and provide the prize and the shipping. The odds of winning are really good, too. Normally, we get a few thousand people who enter to win our sweepstakes.
Advertisers love the engagement with the end users. We are able to provide them some often fascinating market research and demographic data. Readers can opt into our newsletter or a client’s mailing list. They are encouraged to follow us on social media and more. Our sweepstakes yield win-win outcomes for everyone involved. As always, no purchase is needed to enter to win.
Dedicated Consumer Emailings
We “rent” (need to use quotes around that term, as it can be misunderstood in this context) our FutureAudiophile.com consumer email list from time to time. By “rent,” we mean that the list never leaves our secure servers, but the entire scope of a FutureAudiophile.com Consumer Emailing allows the client to present their message directly to audiophile consumers, in this case, without any of the content and possible distractions of our bi-weekly email.
FutureAudiophile.com Dedicated Consumer Emailings are normally sent on days when we don’t sent our bi-weekly newsletter (Tuesdays and Thursdays). Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the holiday season are popular times for dedicated consumer emailings to be sent.
Our readers’ privacy is a top priority at FutureAudiophile.com.
Dedicated Dealer Emailings
This is a more under-the-radar ad product, in that a FutureAudiophile.com Dedicated Dealer Emailing is a B-to-B (business to business) marketing tool, whereas the FutureAudiophile.com Dedicated Consumer Emailing is a B-to-C (business to consumer) model. Consumers would likely never see an audiophile company talking directly to AV dealers about them selling their products.
All marketing boils down to one concept, which is cost per acquisition of client (CPA). If a campaign costs $25,000 per year, for example, and one dealer opens the product line and starts successfully selling said audiophile product, it isn’t hard to see how, just on the opening order, the entire campaign can be paid for in mere days. Clients love this kind of return on investment (ROI) and it helps build loyalty with our advertisers, aka: the source of the majority of our revenue needed to pay the bills
If you want to see the FutureAudiophile.com Rate Card, click here.
How Does Affiliate Sales Work at FutureAudiophile.com?
For years, our founder fought the concept of offering affiliate links for sale of audiophile products on the site. What changed was, in 2018, back at HomeTheaterReview.com, a study was commissioned and the readers overwhelmingly said that they wanted the option to buy products on the pages of the publication. In the first month, we made under $50. The second month went up to about $200, then $300, and it kept climbing on a month-to-month basis.
Currently, Future Audiophile offers affiliate links as both a courtesy to our readers and as small, additional revenue stream. We have some links with Amazon.com, which sells some products not found elsewhere in the audiophile hobby. Amazon is also a very comfortable and safe way for many to buy things such as consumer electronics. Our main partner for audiophile component affiliate sales is Crutchfield. They are both a brick and mortar retailer and a powerful catalog retailer with over 50 years’ experience. We find that their product offerings are the best in the business. Pair that with strong sales support, and even better after-the-sale customer support, and we have a recipe for success for our readers.
By no means do we insist that anybody buy anything via our affiliate links. They are there to help make our pages more useful and engaging, and to put a few pennies in our pocket to help offset our editorial costs.
It has been argued that the real benefit of affiliate sales is to be able to show our clients (as well as our ad sales prospects) who is buying what. In the mid-1800s, retailer John Wannamaker was credited for inventing the price tag. He is more famous for saying, “I know advertising works half of the time – I just don’t know which half,” which is a classic cliché in the marketing world. Thankfully, because of concepts like affiliate sales, we get a slight glimpse of what readers buy, and those data points often help us to use solid data and fact to earn new business.
Can You Buy a Review on FutureAudiophile.com?
Hell no!
Have companies tried? Sadly, yes, but we politely said no.
Nobody has to buy anything from us, be they readers or audiophile companies. We think there are too many media outlets out there that will take money for basically anything. That is not how we roll.
If you’d like to learn more about FutureAudiophile.com’s Editorial Policy, click here. In an effort at full and total transparency, we show how the editorial process works, so that all of our readers know that we’ve got their backs. If you want to learn more about FutureAudiophile.com and our team, check out our About Us page.
