But for every person like you who earns $7k plus a month there would be tens of thousands earning a fraction of that – and they’re not happy. :)

My feeling is that too many thought it would be an easy ride and no real thought was made of what happens when new blogs (in their thousands) enter the fray.

So it all boils down to creating quality content (lots of timeless content I see helps, which I think is your real secret) in a solid niche and not just following the pack – simple advice but very, very true.

…those who stay out of the fight and focus on providing real value for their visitors.

Spot on. They’re the true success stories. You don’t hear from them, how much they did or did not earn. They just go ahead and do their job.

BTW, isn’t it sad that in our current cynical times one must preface a comment with “I don’t sell any …” just so you don’t get shot down as being conflicted.

My ad revenue has been growing faster than my traffic, partly because my Adsense CPMs have gone up considerably this year. Last month they were higher than ever. If Adsense is cracking, I’ve seen no direct evidence of it.

I suspect what’s happening is that certain segments (like internet marketing perhaps) are undergoing a market correction. There’s so much info-bloat out there now that the high CPC ads may be getting spread thinner and thinner, pushing down revenues for bloggers in those fields. So if you blog about the same topics everyone else is writing about, you create a bigger field for advertisers, which drives down your CPMs. In effect your market becomes a commodity.

In other segments I think the opposite is happening. The number of people creating quality content doesn’t grow as fast as the ad money pouring in, so there’s more advertiser competition for targeted exposure. Consequently, CPMs go up.

I wouldn’t say that Adsense is cracking. I just think we’re seeing a natural market adjustment. I suspect it’s negatively affecting those who are most vocal about it, and the more vocal they become, the more info-bloat is created, and the more they hurt themselves by continuing to drive down CPMs in their field.

Of course, as already mentioned in the original post above, this situation creates a tremendous opportunity for the contrarian. When ships start sinking, somebody’s making a killing as an expert on why ships sink.

The stable opportunities, however, are still available for those who stay out of the fight and focus on providing real value for their visitors. And the big losers are those who remain paralyzed by indecision on the sidelines.

And just like you, I’m watching this very closely.

I’m more interested in the collective blogosphere’s reaction to this technique and any product marketing that will follow. I believe the blogosphere has a very good BS detector so I’m just sitting back and taking it all in.

Should be fun to see how it works out. That’s how the rest of us learn. :)

And yes, the genius here was the market approach… plenty of disgruntled people that were sold the “AdSense Dream” are now ripe for something new.

As in my previous comment, I focused on what seems to have been a well-executed marketing plan. But now I’m watching if there’s any cynical/jaded backlash. I expect some. How much is the big question.

Darren – you’re right. 30,000 could easily be only 20,000 or 10,000 or even 1,000 – but still it all depends on what he’s selling, and he’s picked a ripe market: those not happy with AdSense.

Lots of hype to live up to now.

1. 50 cents per opt-in subscriber for affiliates
2. 50 cents per opt-in subscriber for affiliates
3. 50 cents per opt-in subscriber for affiliates
4. Immediately recruit new subscribers to recruit new subscribers for…
5. 50 cents per opt-in subscriber for affiliates

Still a great marketing plan, but not new (at all), especially in this day and age of organic viral. I don’t have anything against it at all, but spending money does not make one a genius.

But, best $15k they ever promised to spend (but haven’t yet paid out). :)

Sure they can. Do you think any of those emails might start bouncing? Most of the interest came from SEO forums and the like. I doubt this list will stand the test of time, especially when the hype wears off.

1. Pick a strong topic (making money)
2. great headline (all of 4 words – “The Death of AdSense”)
3. attack the big names (guaranteed instant traffic generator)
4. and ride this horse all the way.

Now, this can also be achieved if both sides are in on the act – actually works better that way, but either way will do.

Also, make it look like you’re flying by the seat of your pants producing “updates” and new reports when in fact it was all probably polished and ready to go weeks ago.

We’ve all been given a lesson in info product marketing 101.

Do you want me to explain how that actually happened, or should you? :)

Of course Adsense isn’t dead. Google’s Adsense revenue in the last quarter was down 2%, but it was due to seasonality.

Adsense, unfortunately, is still the big winner.