Six Reasons to Start

1. The Set-up Costs are Low

Because PTR sites have been with us for some time now, script providers have been able to lower the cost of basic site scripts quite dramatically.

In addition to the script, you will also need to purchase some "plug-ins" and "add-ons" (additional script modules designed to work with the main software, which add to the functionality of the site). These are not expensive, and well worth the extra investment in terms of the time they save and the extra value they bring to the site. In fact, some are often bundled in with the main software at an advantageous price, so it pays to keep an eye on the latest offers available.

Apart from hosting fees, the only other expenses you are likely to incur are initial publicity costs (although these can be kept to a bare minimum, as I will show you in the Promotion section), possible site design updates, and any other add-ons or plug-ins that take your fancy.

2. You Can Work at a Time and Pace that Suits You

It is the dream of many to be able to wake up at a reasonable hour, have a leisurely breakfast, and walk the short distance to their home office to start the day’s work. Your own website will allow you to do just that - in fact you can work at just about any hour of the day or night, as long as the day’s tasks get done. In fact, your biggest worry will be how to get enough exercise!

All you need to do is login to your site administration area, and you can work anywhere there is an internet connection, i.e. at a friend’s house on their computer, on the beach via a wi-fi connection, or at an internet café. All of the information and tools you need are right there on-screen, in one convenient location.

3. There is No Stock to Buy

Remember the days when everyone bought goods in old-fashioned high street stores? Anyone who has been the owner of the simplest retail outlet will know that stock can be a real liability; it has to be insured, properly stored, and stock levels regularly checked (how would you like to do a complete inventory of stock in a hardware store?).

We will not be dealing in stock, but with other people’s advertisement inventory.

There’s one aspect of a Paid-to-Read site that people often overlook – it is essentially self-publicizing, because it is in the members' interest to employ their site referral links to recruit new members, and consequently earn referral bonuses.

This means that you will need very little, if any, additional publicity once the site is established, as your link popularity will be exceptional, because of all the incoming links from blogs, forums and other places on the net - and link popularity can result in a good position in the search engine results, making your site even more visible.

4. You Can Expand the Site as Funds Allow

You do not need a flashy website with all the bells and whistles to start with. The beauty of the site script system is, you can expand at a rate that suits your pocket, developing the site’s features as your membership grows.

As you earn more from advertisers, you can plough back some of the cash into the site to provide some interesting features for members to enjoy, such as referral contests, sweepstakes, trivia games, etc. Most of these will help to keep your site debt down (i.e. the amount owed to members who have not yet cashed out their earnings) while at the same time adding to its appeal and potential resale value.

Added value equals happy members, and should you eventually want to sell the site on, there’s an awful lot of goodwill there that can be hard to come by any other way. A healthy site with a good member base will always command a good price.

5. You Can Publicize Your Own Affiliate Programs

The great thing about running an advertising site is the fact that you can promote any other web sites you have an interest in, free of charge! Most site templates are designed to allow sponsored, rotating advertising on each and every page, either in text format, or in the form of banners and buttons. You sell some of this space to your advertisers, and keep some in reserve for your own affiliate advertising.

I spent years online trying to find the perfect vehicle for affiliate advertising. I have been the webmaster of a puzzle site, which had some limited success, and a site providing information about UK affiliate programs (when there were very few around!), but none of these brought in the money the way that the sponsor advertising on my PTR website does.

Now I use the knowledge gained from those early sites to select and maintain affiliate ads, and you too can benefit from all that accumulated knowledge, so stay tuned!

6. The Rewards Can be Substantial

It is impossible to say how much you will earn, as there are so many variables to take into account, such as the number of hours you are prepared to work, the amount of publicity your site gets, and the effectiveness of your ad pricing policy. But, as with any money-making venture worth pursuing, effort in equals cash out.

If your only reason for running a site is to make lots of money very quickly and retire early, then you are doomed to failure right from the start. Unless you are very lucky (or a complete workaholic!) it is very unlikely that you will become a millionaire running just one PTR site. However, if you are prepared to work at it, it is perfectly possible to gain a living wage once your site has become established. At the very least, it can be a lucrative part-time occupation.

NEXT: Questions to Ask