How can you monetize user-generated content?

If you’ve got a forum with solid traffic figures and a loyal audience in a hot niche, you’re probably not having any problems making money. You can sell sponsorships, or space for display advertising, and you may just stop there.

But what about all that content? All that lovely, user-generated text, the heart and soul of your site, sitting there alongside those ads? There’s more money to be made in that there content, if you’re clever enough to know it.

Tapping into the real goldmine that is ‘UGC’

User-generated content (UGC) in a forum, or even just in the comments of a blog post, is rich, genuine and frank, allowing readers or members of a site to have their say, providing ‘real’ discussion around the subject matter.

When that subject matter is a product or service available for purchase online, it’s the perfect opportunity to monetize links and product references through affiliate marketing.

A reader will often include links as reference for others, and mention product and retailer names countless times in during the course of a discussion in a forum thread.

And when their fellow readers click through and proceed to make a purchase on a mentioned retailer’s site, an affiliate commission can reward the forum/website owner for providing the platform that lead to that sale.

That? What you just read? Its actually impossible to do with traditional affiliate marketing.

Sorry to lead you on like that.

It’s impossible to earn from the user-generated content on your site using traditional affiliate marketing – but, of course, it’s ridiculously easy using Skimlinks.

Our technology simply and seamlessly monetizes the links your members add anywhere to your site (with SkimLinks), and it can even add relevant affiliate links to product references or retailer names they mention (with SkimWords).

Yep, you can start earning from a new revenue stream; not beside, or on top of the UGC on your site, but directly within it.

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So, it’s worth trying monetization on your user-generated content, but just how lucrative is it?

All types of content sites can earn through Skimlinks, but we actually see a higher than average conversion rate for sites with UGC.

The average editorial site will convert at around 1-3%, while a site with user-generated content will generally convert at anywhere between 3-10%.

The reason behind this drastic difference in conversion rates could be attributed to the fact that user generated content is honest, and the community involved in the discussion often has a level of trust in each other.

Communities will often discuss the negative points around a product along with its positive points, so readers feel like they have a complete, rounded view of the product and have confidence in buying it, becoming a consumer.

Certain verticals earn the most with Skimlinks, and those include consumer electronics, automotive, lifestyle and fashion.

How do I go about trying Skimlinks on my site?

Thought you’d never ask. Apply to join Skimlinks today, and in no time, you can start to unlock the hidden cash in your UGC.