Anime Fandom Websites Monetization: $26K+ in a Couple of Years [Case Study]
The myths that anime “are just cartoons for children” or “content for geeks only” hardly need any dispelling in 2023.
But still.
According to TechJury, about 50% of Netflix users watched anime in 2021, while Anime Research reports the average age of an anime fan is 25 years. So, yes, the audience of this type of content is really huge (we are assured that most of you have friends who watch anime).
What about publishers that work with anime-related websites? Is that profitable and to what extent?
Today, we have a head-spinning case study of our partner who works with this type of content and succeeds. As always, read, learn, and get inspired! Ikuzo [japanese: let’s go]!
Monetizing anime-fan websites: background
- GEOs: PH, IN, USA
- Ad formats: Vignette Banner, Popunder, Push
- Vertical: Fandom Content
Our partner is the one who is really passionate about his project. As he told us, he has been fond of website creation and anime for a long time, so his work totally reflects what he really likes. See? This is how publishers’ careers can look like, so hope you are already inspired (but if you are not, just wait a bit until you see our partner’s stats).
He started with a small website devoted to anime in 2016 and in a year the visitors flow started growing exponentially. He says: “In 2022, I was already getting 1 million visitors daily!” And now take a look at his metrics of November-December:
The same year, as our partner shared, he experienced a temporary drop, but the website recovered pretty quickly.
Over these years, his project expanded, he created more anime-fan websites, and still he is doing pretty well. How well? The stats will tell:
Since the first day of his project, our partner earned more than $26K using Monetag and to the current moment, the number might have grown even more.
As for the monthly profits, they even appear to be that huge:
Regarding the niche specifics, such spikes might be explained by some ongoing popular series that attract significant fans’ attention, so they start searching for more information about their favorite anime.
New series of ongoing anime usually are released once a week – this is a tendency our partner has been considering.
Monetizing strategies efficient over years
Our partner told us, “there is a big difference between my 2017 and 2023, but all of this time I have been using Monetag for monetization.” He mentioned that he tested other platforms, but we were happy to know that Monetag brought the most desired results.
Our partner also adds:
“Monetag monetization made a huge difference: fewer ads, but they were well-paid. Also, my personal account manager always guides me and helps with any technical issues if they occur.”
From his words, here are the tricks that work really well for fan websites monetization:
- SEO
Since anime websites are content-based, SEO is a must here. Original reviews of series, episodes and/or characters, optimized links around the website, optimized pages that load fast, etc. – all of these will definitely ensure better performance.
- Influencers/YouTube vloggers
Also, our partner found an influencer with a thematic channel on YouTube. The influencer creates videos about top anime series and records reviews that catch on with the most relevant target audience. Asking this popular YouTuber to advertise our partner’s website was a really great idea that actually helped him to reach a million of visitors.
Popunder and Vignette Banner turned out to be very efficient monetization formats for our partner’s anime websites. As he claimed,
“these formats ensure high profits, since they are user-friendly and therefore I never lose traffic using them.”
For example, since Popunder appears under the page, it doesn’t interrupt users’ experience, which is absolutely crucial for content-based websites.
Instead of a conclusion
So, earning significant sums of money with something you are passionate about is more than possible if you are a publisher (especially if you are a Monetag’s publisher with a toolkit for efficient monetization we offer).
Make sure to do some thoughtful SEO, work with influencers, do smart ad optimization, and, like famous anime characters say: “Never give up following your dreams!” Happy monetizing!
