Never underestimate the power of adult websites. Adult ad platforms are serious YouTube competitors.

Using adult websites to advertise your product is often overlooked. But when we look at how successful similar, non-adult sites perform in the ad space, there’s no question of how powerful they can be as a revenue stream. If that’s not a double standard, then I don’t know what is.

Recently, I was interviewed on Svencast, the podcast hosted by Digistore24’s founder Sven Platte. On it, we lift the curtain on the taboo that is advertising on adult sites and I help uncover just how powerful they can be as an ad platform. You can listen to that episode here.

There Is Great Potential for Monetization from Adult Websites

And the best way to exploit it is through advertising.

Adult Tube Sites vs. YouTube

Are they so different? The goal for any adult tube site like Pornhub or Xvideos is the same as YouTube: provide as much free content as possible to attract visitors and sell more ads.

Think about YouTube for a second. You don’t blink twice when asked to brainstorm ways of running display ads, sponsoring a content creator, or working with affiliates on the platform.

The same concept can and should be applied to adult tube sites because they’re ad platforms above anything else. More than that, they’re ad platforms you aren’t using (yet).

The Business Model of Porn

You might be surprised to know that the business model of porn is not to sell porn. It’s to get people onto the page.

Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane.

Pre-2008, pretty much every adult site was selling subscriptions. The problem was no one wanted to buy in. Users were embarrassed about it, so they either didn’t want to pay or would never admit to paying for adult content.

Then, in 2006, YouTube appeared on the tube scene. It attracted tons of eyeballs, which means tons of quality traffic. Porn tube sites took a cue from YouTube and that’s why this business model has both exploded and remained so effective.

You want the traffic more than anything, because you can do a lot with it. Think about how annoying it is when you are on YouTube and that huge popup appears asking if you want to try YouTube TV or YouTube Music. You want the free content, not the subscription.

Getting People in the Mood…to Buy

Visitors of adult sites are already in a very specific mood. So how do you grab their attention and get them to click your ad? It’s tough, but when it works it proves just how strong of an ad platform adult sites really are.

Sell Differently

You can just plop down your typical ad and expect it to convert. Viewers are enthralled in whatever video they’re watching at the time. You need to be even more attention-grabbing than that video so a visitor can spend the extra half-second to glance away from the stream.

How do you do that? That’s a tough question to answer, but researching what ads appear on adult sites would give you a creative direction for your own.

Keep in mind you aren’t (only) selling to recluses or fetishists. Porn streaming sites are among the top 10 most visited sites in the world. Everyone uses them. The average joe. Your neighbor. You. So when you’re creating ads, you don’t have to go to such extremes.

You need to be catchy.

Here’s an example of something that has performed incredibly well on top adult ad networks: cartoon-style ads. It obviously depends on the kind of videos the viewer is streaming, but cartoons can be such a drastic switch from what they’re expecting to see that it draws attention.

Or you can go for something simple and sweet, like an egg or banana. Weirdness can have the effect you’re looking for.

Think about how effective sexualizing a product is on non-sexual ad platforms. Your best strategy is to reverse it but not in a boring way.

FYI, an adult advertising network is not the same as an adult ad platform. The best adult ad networks include JuicyAds, Exoclick, Juicy, EroAdvertising, TrafficJunky, and PlugRush. Adult ad platforms are the sites, themselves, like Pornhub and Xvideos. Other ad networks that may or may not appear on adult websites include Adsterra, TrafficJunky, TrafficStars, TrafficFactory, HilltopAds, ZeroPark, and AdSense.

Products That Sell Well

If you can create the right ad, anything will sell. But traditionally, here are the top industries or products that sell best using adult site platforms and advertising networks:

1.     Products that sell men’s confidence. The vast majority of adult site visitors are men. Naturally, that means anything that can help with male-related issues has the potential to perform well. Relationship advice, sexual or male enhancement supplements, and courses about how to speak to women have historically converted highly.

2.     Health and beauty products. We all want to look our best, especially when in a compromising position. Vanity sells, people. If you can sell something that makes people look and feel their best while doing things that can quickly make you look ugly, then it’s going to sell. This could be intimate clothing, underwear, makeup, and skin care.

3.     Dating services. Tap into the loneliness of the visitor, or maybe just their desire to be with someone. Adult ad platforms are the perfect opportunity for dating services to promote meeting someone in real life, which is a big part of why people are visiting these sites in the first place. Hookup apps, dating apps and services, and meetups can all perform really well.

Here’s something that might flip your brain a few times, but porn isn’t the only thing that sell on porn websites. Once you bury that nugget of information in, adult site ad platforms are your oyster.

Something else to remember: test out different ad formats. Popunder ads, native ads, verticals, banner ads, and video ads all have their place on adult ad platforms. Test them all and see discover which one drives the most adult traffic back to your site.

Spend the time to optimize your ads, too. Ad optimization is better solution than replacement in most cases. Your ads could perform better with advanced targeting options and a few tweaks here and there, as well as less costly than replacing it entirely.

Don’t Be Shy When It Comes to Marketing on Adult Ad Platforms

There’s no need to feel dirty about it. Marketing thrives just as well, if not more, on adult sites.

Excellent Affiliate Programs

The adult entertainment industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry that can be quite lucrative for those with the right connections and marketing know-how.

Despite the popularity of adult websites, many website owners and advertisers are unaware of the fact that adult ad platforms have excellent affiliate marketing programs and referral programs which pay extremely well for webmasters able to drive high-quality traffic to their sites. And for the affiliates, too, with CPA-based payment options. Services like Paxum, WebMoney, PopCash, and simple wire transfer make it even easier to get paid.

Although still considered taboo in many circles, marketing products and services through adult websites is a growing trend. That’s a missed opportunity for them and a pot of gold for you.

This is because adult sites receive more traffic than mainstream websites.

Adult websites also have longer visitor retention times, as well as a more engaged audience. These elements are key to increasing your chances of making a sale.

Higher Conversion Rates

The adult entertainment industry is a massive business, with the industry earning upwards of $97 billion per year. That’s more than the combined revenues of Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

For advertisers, it represents a huge opportunity to reach a highly engaged audience. Adult sites tend to have higher conversion rates than general websites because of the large amount of traffic, which is great for advertisers.

As an example, an ad for a random app might get about 0.3% click-through rate on an average site (which isn’t particularly high). The same ad placed on an adult website might get 10x that click-through rate (or more).

Make sure your ad campaigns are set-up to attract mobile traffic, too. You’d be surprised how many people go to adult tube sites on their phones.

Performance-Based Advertising

With the growing demand for adult entertainment, it’s no wonder why many publishers are jumping on board this lucrative industry.

There are plenty of adult advertising networks that offer a variety of ad types that can help a publisher earn revenue from their traffic. Although the minimum payouts may not be as high as other industries, the opportunity for growth is there.

Many adult ad networks thrive on performance-based advertising, which means that a publisher usually receives payment if a user clicks on their ad in real-time. There’s no need to sell or promote products to get paid. Such ad networks also offer different monetization methods, such as popunders (Popads) and redirects. Be on your toes to renegotiate your CPC.

Some networks and adult ad platforms base payment options off ad impressions and cpm rates, too. Monitor your

Publishers who have large amounts of traffic can contact an adult network directly and ask to set up a private deal with them. Doing so will allow them to either maximize earnings or try out new offers before they go live across the entire network.

Does Your Merchant Account Support Your Business Type?

You may not be working in the adult industry, but your business could still be high risk. That means you need a payment processor and merchant account to support you, otherwise you run the risk of getting shut down.

With your own merchant account, you can offer the payment methods your customers prefer, not just the ones that come standard (looking at you, PayPal).

DirectPayNet can help. Give us a call and we’ll get you set up with an account that backs your business so you can scale.