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chrisponline

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Hi all,

Newcomer here so not sure if this is the right place to post but would appreciate any advice.

I own a magic trick blog and have been running it for about a year very passively. In that time it’s built up to around 100 views a day and 30 email subscribers with not many posts. I have affiliate links on the site but they haven’t made ANY sales this whole time.

The “learn magic tricks” niche appears quite big, magician youtubers have millions of followers and the stuff is all over Instagram.

Long story short- A few months back, I had a real magician create 2 instructional ebooks on magic tricks for beginners.

Looking at the average cost of magic tricks and ebooks on the largest sites, they can go for $30 plus.

My question is, does this seem like a niche worth pursuing? eBay, amazon and other affiliate links on the site produce no sales, yet the market seems big enough to warrant a try at selling my own ebooks.

Any help greatly appreciated!
 
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MitchM

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Hi all,

Newcomer here so not sure if this is the right place to post but would appreciate any advice.

I own a magic trick blog and have been running it for about a year very passively. In that time it’s built up to around 100 views a day and 30 email subscribers with not many posts. I have affiliate links on the site but they haven’t made ANY sales this whole time.

The “learn magic tricks” niche appears quite big, magician youtubers have millions of followers and the stuff is all over Instagram.

Long story short- A few months back, I had a real magician create 2 instructional ebooks on magic tricks for beginners.

Looking at the average cost of magic tricks and ebooks on the largest sites, they can go for $30 plus.

My question is, does this seem like a niche worth pursuing? eBay, amazon and other affiliate links on the site produce no sales, yet the market seems big enough to warrant a try at selling my own ebooks.

Any help greatly appreciated!
Are these other successful magicians using blogs? The medium seems like a strange place to host something that requires a lot of visual impact.

If you you're also a magician, perhaps going the YouTube and Instagram route may be a better option.

Also, just like with anything else, it's important that you figure out how to distinguish yourself instead of just hoping to take a piece of the pie.

Having a YouTube/IG where you demonstrate all of the tricks that people will learn if they buy an eBook/course from you sounds good to me. You need to stand out though, and because I'm not familiar with the space I'm not sure how you would do that.
 

Devampre

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I think it is worth it. You have already proven that you can get people to your blog and to sign up to your email list. Rinsing, repeating, revising and adding new strategies will allow you to get bigger and bigger.

I think the blog is good for a foundation. But, I'd recommend also getting on as many social media sites and connecting with other people in the magic space. I assume you kind of have a brand/theme to your blog so setting up the social media accounts won't take long.

I don't know what you talk about on your blog, but these talking points can likely be used on all platforms. The format and delivery is important, but the content is the gold. And delivering a similar message in writing, video, audio, images, etc is important for maximizing your reach.

Also, don't be afraid to go narrow and test things that may seem "off." Like maybe you decide that you want to focus on being the magician that teaches people how to master patter to enhance their overall effects (I'm just speculating, I don't know if that's a good idea or not.)

In the digital age, it is okay to reinvent yourself multiple times. Sure everything is recorded and people can see old posts/ideas you attempted. But, that's process. And process is a very messy and beautiful thing.
 

TCMorgan

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@chrisponline I'm a performing magician & frequent in touch with big names in the YT and IG magic scene. There are so many issues with the magic industry that blog+affiliate model would, in my opinion, be almost impossible.

A huge problem within the magic community is something referred to as "exposure churn." An effect gets released, and 8-12 months later (if not much faster) the method is easily Googled or found on Youtube. Because of this, products are limited run and sold as quickly as possible, then new effects are pushed. This causes an issue for a blog+affiliate model because if you're down the information line at all, you'll be behind on product releases and ride the tail end of the exposure churn.

An alternative to this would be creating a youtube, IG, or TikTok channel that grows and can reap the benefits of virality. You'll have a better shot at being successful with affiliate programs or selling your own material if you can draw fresh eyes to new, visual content quickly.

FWIW, no magician I know finds their new material on blogs. We see new stuff on retailers sites, YT, IG, or TT then dig up the source.

There's space to compete as a creator or retailer if you've got the drive to do so. "Magicians" are generally good people, but the top "magic business owners" are cutthroat and competitive.
 
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chrisponline

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Nov 4, 2019
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Are these other successful magicians using blogs? The medium seems like a strange place to host something that requires a lot of visual impact.

If you you're also a magician, perhaps going the YouTube and Instagram route may be a better option.

Also, just like with anything else, it's important that you figure out how to distinguish yourself instead of just hoping to take a piece of the pie.

Having a YouTube/IG where you demonstrate all of the tricks that people will learn if they buy an eBook/course from you sounds good to me. You need to stand out though, and because I'm not familiar with the space I'm not sure how you would do that.
Hi Mitch,
Thanks for the advice. You’re right it definitely makes more sense to use a visual medium. Kindof annoyed at myself that I didn’t start a YouTube channel sooner!
What do you think about sponsored posts or videos on other popular magic influencers as well?
 

MitchM

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Hi Mitch,
Thanks for the advice. You’re right it definitely makes more sense to use a visual medium. Kindof annoyed at myself that I didn’t start a YouTube channel sooner!
What do you think about sponsored posts or videos on other popular magic influencers as well?
Sounds good to me, especially if some of these other influencers can act as affiliates for your products.

Doing crossover content is a great way to build your channel and grow within the community. When you're small, you won't be able to bring much to the table in terms of audience - but if you bring great products that these channels can get a cut of - they may be receptive.
 

chrisponline

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Nov 4, 2019
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I think it is worth it. You have already proven that you can get people to your blog and to sign up to your email list. Rinsing, repeating, revising and adding new strategies will allow you to get bigger and bigger.

I think the blog is good for a foundation. But, I'd recommend also getting on as many social media sites and connecting with other people in the magic space. I assume you kind of have a brand/theme to your blog so setting up the social media accounts won't take long.

I don't know what you talk about on your blog, but these talking points can likely be used on all platforms. The format and delivery is important, but the content is the gold. And delivering a similar message in writing, video, audio, images, etc is important for maximizing your reach.

Also, don't be afraid to go narrow and test things that may seem "off." Like maybe you decide that you want to focus on being the magician that teaches people how to master patter to enhance their overall effects (I'm just speculating, I don't know if that's a good idea or not.)

In the digital age, it is okay to reinvent yourself multiple times. Sure everything is recorded and people can see old posts/ideas you attempted. But, that's process. And process is a very messy and beautiful thing.
Thankyou for this, much appreciated advice. I think I’ll give it a crack and see if it gets any traction. I like the idea of niching down- now to find the niche haha!
 
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chrisponline

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User Power
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Nov 4, 2019
10
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@chrisponline I'm a performing magician & frequent in touch with big names in the YT and IG magic scene. There are so many issues with the magic industry that blog+affiliate model would, in my opinion, be almost impossible.

A huge problem within the magic community is something referred to as "exposure churn." An effect gets released, and 8-12 months later (if not much faster) the method is easily Googled or found on Youtube. Because of this, products are limited run and sold as quickly as possible, then new effects are pushed. This causes an issue for a blog+affiliate model because if you're down the information line at all, you'll be behind on product releases and ride the tail end of the exposure churn.

An alternative to this would be creating a youtube, IG, or TikTok channel that grows and can reap the benefits of virality. You'll have a better shot at being successful with affiliate programs or selling your own material if you can draw fresh eyes to new, visual content quickly.

FWIW, no magician I know finds their new material on blogs. We see new stuff on retailers sites, YT, IG, or TT then dig up the source.

There's space to compete as a creator or retailer if you've got the drive to do so. "Magicians" are generally good people, but the top "magic business owners" are cutthroat and competitive.
Hi,
Great to hear from another magician. I’m hoping to target new beginners to magic but I see the problem with exposure churn. Have tried releasing my own tricks to professional magicians in the past and I definitely encountered this problem. Will keep you in the loop with how things go!
 

TCMorgan

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Hi,
Great to hear from another magician. I’m hoping to target new beginners to magic but I see the problem with exposure churn. Have tried releasing my own tricks to professional magicians in the past and I definitely encountered this problem. Will keep you in the loop with how things go!

Definitely keep us posted! As was mentioned above, if you can excel in a niche, you'll be fine.

Xavior Spade cornered the card niche.
Danny Goldsmith is crushing the coin niche.
My good friend Benjamin Mei is about to take off in the ring niche.
But the niche that's most notably missing?

The performance niche. If you could create compelling content around how to be an effective performer, you'd have a goldmine. Chris Ramsay has some content, and there are a few decent books, but no one (to my knowledge) that can consistently teach it. Might be worth considering!
 

chrisponline

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Nov 4, 2019
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Definitely keep us posted! As was mentioned above, if you can excel in a niche, you'll be fine.

Xavior Spade cornered the card niche.
Danny Goldsmith is crushing the coin niche.
My good friend Benjamin Mei is about to take off in the ring niche.
But the niche that's most notably missing?

The performance niche. If you could create compelling content around how to be an effective performer, you'd have a goldmine. Chris Ramsay has some content, and there are a few decent books, but no one (to my knowledge) that can consistently teach it. Might be worth considering!
I really appreciate your advice, Thankyou. Do you think it’s better to niche down for one type of magic performance specifically e.g stage or keep it general for all performance?
 
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TCMorgan

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I really appreciate your advice, Thankyou. Do you think it’s better to niche down for one type of magic performance specifically e.g stage or keep it general for all performance?

I would say teach whatever you're best at. I personally couldn't teach anyone a thing about stage magic, but I do 12 corporate events a year, so that's where I would start.

If you gain traction in your own niche teaching your style, you can network with other creators/performers and have them do guest segments on your channel teaching their style and vice versa. Great cross promotion opportunity!
 

Ing

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I m not a real magician, but a bit.
When I was young, I learned about 30 nice tricks. I did them here and now and people loved it.
But it was boring with a time. Until I began to make easy tricks to children. Children love to see a bottle cover go through your hand or a piece of wood through your head. And while some weeks i met them again they anywhen dicovered( or I let them discover) the trick.
Maybe you could make tricks for children or for parties or so. Not real serious! And not new every time.
Maybe the audience there is thankfull, too.
 

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