Ad costs for escorts

[pierrot]

I'm just curious about how much escorts spend on advertising. One escort told me he pays about $3000 a year on Rentboy alone. I also wonder do you have to pay more to be listed closer to the front? What are your most productive ad sites? Most expensive?

Just curious about the economics of it all.

[seaboy4hire]

I pay about $80 for three months at http://www.men4rentnow.com Is it worth it hmm kind of. It does give me more exposer and I have gotten a couple clients off it and that more then pays for the $80. They have a new level of membership but I do not think I will pay for it as to my understanding it is only for 30 days. But the regular membership ya I will be renewing it when it is up.

 

Hugs,

Greg

P.S. Has anyone payed for the higher membership? If so have you noticed an increase of biz?

Greg Seattle Wa seaboy4hire@yahoo.com

http://www.male4malescorts.com/reviews/greg_seattle.html

http://seaboy4hire.tripod.com

[Guest Jesse Dane]

I have very rarely paid for any advertising. The few times I have they didn't increase my business much over what I was already getting.

 

I'm more active in seeking out clients than some escorts are though. When things get slow I just go on craigslist or gay.com. (I know many people find those to be lesser means of finding clients, but some of the best people I have ever met found me those ways.)

 

But they do require more time. So I think it is more of a time versus money thing. You can pay the money for advertising or you can put the time in. You'll get clients either way.

[seaboy4hire]

Jesse I've tried craigslist a couple times but found it annoying that the ad kept getting flagged. Do you put yours in the erotic section on the site?

 

Hugs,

Greg

Greg Seattle Wa seaboy4hire@yahoo.com

http://www.male4malescorts.com/reviews/greg_seattle.html

http://seaboy4hire.tripod.com

[Guest Jesse Dane]

>Jesse I've tried craigslist a couple times but found it

>annoying that the ad kept getting flagged. Do you put yours in

>the erotic section on the site?

 

 

I usually post in both the erotic section and the regular m4m section. It does usually get flagged, but not for quite a few hours generally which by that time it's already buried in the depths of craigslist and would need to be reposted to be found anyways.

 

Craigslist is a quick fix for when you're ready to get a client right then and there. Post, get responses that hour, and go.

 

It may work better in NYC where there is a lot more traffic on craigslist than in other cities.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Wow. $3k is quite a chunk of change for M4RNow (or any listing site for that matter).

 

I've never paid for advertising in the time i've escorted, but based on email responses from various listing sites, i WOULD pay over at M4RNow. I've heard that their platinum listings are now around $80/month: A little pricey and not yet assuredly worth the recurring billing.

 

If MeetLocalMen could get their act in shape, it would probably be one of the best places to advertise on the web. M4M attracts some VERY serious traffic and having MLM attached almost guarantees viewership on a constant basis. If it worked on getting a better reputation with escorts and re-designing it's outdated design, it could really clean up against the competition.

 

 

~BN

[+ deej]

That's amazing, Anton.

 

I'm curious, are there large fluctuations over time or do the percentages stay fairly static?

[Boston Guy]

The graph's an interesting one. However, be careful how you draw your conclusions from this data as well as other data related to marketing.

 

It's very tough to know accurately the true return from money spent on advertising: any advertising. You can try to get at these numbers and lots of people do but there are lots of factors that can skew the results one way or another, not least of which is that consumers often make split-second decisions not based on rational decision processes and also often lie about their motivations to buy a given product or service.

 

For example, suppose someone says that they contacted you after seeing your review here at M4M. Well, was that the first time they saw your pic? Or the first they remembered seeing it? Sometimes consumers are pre-disposed to be favorably inclined to advertising based on prior advertising that they may have seen but don't (consciously) remember. Sometimes they know they've seen an ad in a few different places and one of those just hits them at the right time and they buy. Or they see the ad in the same place enough times to wear them down and they buy. There are lots and lots of possibilities.

 

In general, within your advertising budget, getting in front of the most eyeballs possible with an attractive message will yield the best return, absent other factors.

 

BG

[pierrot]

You misread Ben, it was Rentboy not M4RNow.

[jawjateck]

Anton....You are sexy and your graphs are smoking hot too! The graphs have me lusting for you even more. That kind of intelligence and marketing savvy turns me on. I have got to hire you next time you cross the pond. Think about stopping in Atlanta when you visit the States again. :9

[+ deej]

>ps: You guys gave me an idea, if people find these graphs

>interesting, then I could consider putting them on a separate

>page on my website ...

 

Probably a coin toss. ;-) But if you look at the activity in the MC, there appears to be a fair amount of curiosity about how this business works. You're the first person I've seen back up your statements with actual data.

 

As BG points out, your data is highly specific to your situation. But it's actual data from real world experience and you have a good story behind the gathering of that data.

 

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing!

[+ Charlie]

Anton, just a couple of comments triggered by your graph. I was wondering how you advertise at the Black Tulip, since I don't remember seeing any ads when I stayed there. Also, I would assume that customers you got through Michael's Boys would not have seen your ads anywhere else, or they would have contacted you directly to cut out the extra cost for the middleman.

[JT Brooklyn]

IMHO. In a Large US Market like NYC, The guys do well with their Rentboy Ads as in Miami & LA. Of course the competition for Overall Hot Photos is a factor! It cost mucho dinero to be on one of the First 3 Pages..But apparently alot of Horney Client Guys, make it no further, before a phone call!

But of course that again is New York, where there is a large amount of Biz also! The Old Saying "It takes Money to make Money" holds true, even for the Working Guys, even with all the "Free Publicity" from M4M ...IMHO of course :7

[Guest Jesse Dane]

I tried to compile data like that on where people were coming from, but I could never get very solid answers from many of my clients. I often am told they just found me on the internet (which is fairly obvious).

 

How were you able to nail down exactly how everyone found you Anton?

[augustman]

Anton:

Wonderful information you provided. I guess I am like a few other guys on here I am entranced by the whole economics of escorting. Your case may be a bit different than say a guy who does not travel, a guy who lives in big market like New York and American guy who travels. Plus I think the most important point you made was the type of client you wish to attract.

 

Any good business man has to understand his market. I agree with BG when he said it may very well be a combination of different sites that some finally came to you. Since I use email as my primary source of communication I will try all other avenue before using men4rent's email contact which could include a small dialogue box. Direct email I can get from here or Rentboy's message box.

 

I am asked how I found them and I do tell them. I primarily look for guys between here, men4rent and rentboy, occassionally gaydar. Before putting money into escorting. I have mentioned to several guys why not be part of the message board. It gets your name out there and you can answer certain threads without feeling you will be shot down at the next turn.

 

And finally Ben you have an ad on men4rent-chicago, I assume you paid for it unless it was posted for free or did I misunderstand your statement. http://www.men4rentnow.com/ds/index.asp?cmd=view&id=118708&Login=BNicholas

[Guest Jesse Dane]

Aaah, I see how you do it Anton. Very good idea! I'm going to have to look into doing something like that.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Heya Auggie~

 

My ads on M4RN are very graciously comped and it's something i most appreciate. It's a great listing site and one that provides me some of the best pass-through traffic to both my website and to '15 Minutes.'

 

Anton: Your graphing ability is giving me a woody }(

 

 

BN

[Steven_Draker]

>Anton: Your graphing ability is giving me a woody }(

 

I came twice ! }( :9

[curious2000]

>I've never paid for advertising in the time i've escorted

 

Your ads have been plastered on just about every single escort website I've ever seen for years and years- and yet you have "never paid"? Why are you so "graciously comped" while other escorts seem to have to pay? what makes you "oh so very special" and why do you find it necessary to reveal that and seperate yourself from the other escorts that have to pay for adverstising?

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

I think the real question here is why do you feel the need to turn this into a big deal? I was asked a question and i truthfully answered it. End of story.

 

Pierott: Thanks for catching my miss. Same answer, different site. I think it's time for me to stop skimming when i read the MC

 

 

BN

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

...Now we're talking

[curious2000]

>I think the real question here is why do you feel the need to

>turn this into a big deal? I was asked a question and i

>truthfully answered it. End of story.

>

>Pierott: Thanks for catching my miss. Same answer, different

>site. I think it's time for me to stop skimming when i read

>the MC

>

>

>BN

 

It's not a big deal, but Pierott was asking about the economics of how much escorts spend on advertising since he had talked to one that spent as much as 3000.00. You pointed out that even spending 80.00 per month was a big chunk of change and then volunteered that you paid absolutely nothing and are graciously comped for your ad spaces. To me, it just seems like you are bragging and setting yourself apart from the other working boys that have pay for their ads. It's true you answered his question, and your expenses for ads are zero, but I think he wanted to hear from escorts that actually pay. Since you don't pay anything, then the only reason for responding just seems like you wanted to just boast about it and then promote your website. But since you devulged that you are "comped" and don't have to pay, I asked you why that is and you did not truthfully answer my question and

now want to close the book on the topic with your "end of story" remark. You just come off to me as thinking you are above the other escorts that don't seem to have your sweet little arrangement for free ads everywhere, and are somehow granted some kind of golden child status among escorts who" do not pay for ads" and pity the poor other fools that have to pay out a chunk of change for their ads.

[Andre]

Rent boy can get expensive and I dont think its very popular outside NYC and LA. In my opinion M4Rnow is the best one because it can give you good exposure for an affordable price. HooBoys can also be a powerful tool, a positive reference might make the difference in someone calling or calling someone else.

[Andre]

Rent boy can get expensive and I dont think its very popular outside NYC and LA. In my opinion M4Rnow is the best one because it can give you good exposure for an affordable price. HooBoys can also be a powerful tool, a positive reference might make the difference in someone calling or going to the next guy.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

It wasn't my intention to come-off as 'above the rest' in responding to his question: I was only answering the proposed question.

 

Honestly, your initial response aggrivated me with its overtone of simply wanting to start a fight. This second post seemed quite a bit more thoughful (which i appreciate, thank you). All-in-all, if there's anything that i'm not, it's a elitist.

 

See, I hate everyone equally (just kidding)

 

Seriously though: I hope this settles things. It's a good topic and i'd like to see more escorts jump into the thread without feeling it's turning into an argument.

 

 

~BN