How This “FAKE NEWS” Website Makes $1 Million/Month!

Summary of YouTube Video: "How to Make Money with Satire Websites"

Key Concepts:

• Satire vs. Fake News
• Website Traffic Generation
• Display Advertising Revenue (RPM)
• Niche Marketing
• Monetization Strategies (Advertising, Memberships, Merchandise, Sponsorships, Podcasts)
• Direct Traffic
• Social Media Marketing

1. Introduction: The Potential of Satire Websites

The video explores the potential of earning significant income by creating and publishing satirical content online. It differentiates between "fake news" (intentionally deceptive) and satire (exaggerating or parodying real events for entertainment). The video highlights examples of successful satire websites, ranging from large operations to smaller, single-founder projects, demonstrating the diverse possibilities within this niche.

2. Case Study 1: Babylon B (Conservative Satire)

• Description: A well-known conservative satire website that publishes fictional articles for entertainment.
• Origin & Growth: Founded in 2016 by Adam Ford, sold in 2018 to Seth Dylan. Now employs around 40 people.
• Revenue: Estimated $12-15 million per year. In early 2023, Seth Dylan stated the website was making $8 million per year and expected to grow to $12 million by the end of 2023.
• Monetization: Primarily advertising revenue, plus membership options and merchandise sales.
• Traffic: Founder claimed 20-25 million visitors per month. Similarweb shows ~10 million visitors/month with 2.32 page views per visitor.
• RPM Calculation: At a $15 RPM and 10 million visitors, display ad revenue would be ~$870,000 per month.
• Examples: Articles like "Jill Biden prepares for final week as president" and "Republican hipster says he wanted to Annex Greenland way before Trump made it mainstream."

3. Case Study 2: The Onion (Left-Leaning Satire)

• Description: A long-standing satire website with a left-leaning perspective.
• Origin & Growth: Started in 1988 as a printed publication, launched online in 1996.
• Revenue: Estimated as high as $21 million per year (though this is not confirmed).
• Monetization: Display advertising, YouTube channel, social media, and email newsletter.
• Traffic: Similarweb shows ~4.1 million visitors/month, likely underreported. Estimated closer to 10 million visitors/month with 2.54 page views per visitor.
• RPM Calculation: At 10 million visitors and 2.54 pageviews, display ad revenue is likely close to $381,000 per month.
• YouTube: Over 10 million views on their YouTube channel in the past 28 days.
• Examples: Articles like "LeBron pressures bronny to have grandchildren before he's too old to play with them in the NBA" and "Trump admits entire political career has been WWE storyline to set up match with Cody rhods."

4. Case Study 3: Sad and Useless (Single-Founder Potential)

• Description: A comedy and satire website that can be run by a single person.
• Content Strategy: Focuses on curating links to funny articles and writing some original satire.
• Traffic: Over 280,000 visitors per month.
• Traffic Sources: 43% direct traffic.
• Social Media: Over 600,000 followers on Facebook.
• Monetization: Display advertising. Potential for Facebook bonus program revenue.
• RPM Calculation: With 280,000 visitors, 1.51 page views per visitor, and a $5 RPM, estimated revenue is $2,100 per month.

5. Case Study 4: The Hard Times (Punk Rock Satire)

• Description: Started as a punk rock satire site, now covering music, politics, video games, and more.
• Origin & Growth: Started by a single person, now a team.
• Traffic: Similarweb shows 359,000 visitors/month, but the site claims over 2 million visitors/month.
• Social Media: 435,000 followers on Facebook, over 800,000 followers on Instagram.
• Monetization: Display ads, sponsorships, merchandise, and a podcast with advertisers.
• RPM Calculation: Using the site's reported 2 million visitors and 1.75 page views, display ad revenue is estimated at $17,500 per month.
• Estimated Total Revenue: Guessed at over $40,000 per month.
• Examples: Articles like "Drummer wants more creative input on where the ban stops for lunch" and "NYPD unveils AI surveillance program to help them arrest wrong guy 70% faster."

6. Key Arguments and Perspectives:

• Niche Focus: The video emphasizes the importance of starting with a specific niche to gain traction and then expanding. "The riches are in the niches."
• Traffic Diversification: Successful satire websites utilize multiple traffic sources, including direct traffic, social media, email newsletters, and YouTube.
• Monetization Variety: Relying on multiple revenue streams (advertising, memberships, merchandise, sponsorships, etc.) provides stability and growth potential.

7. Conclusion:

The video concludes that creating a satire website can be a viable way to earn money online. Success requires a sense of humor, the ability to poke fun at situations, and a strategic approach to content creation, traffic generation, and monetization. Starting with a niche focus and diversifying revenue streams are key to long-term success.