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The Next Internet Millionaire and Joel Comm

I've been watching the online series, The Next Internet Millionaire, hosted by Internet revenue expert Joel Comm.

The series is similar in format to Donald Trump's series, The Apprentice. A group of moderately successful internet marketers compete through various individual and team challenges for the chance of winning a $25,000 dollar cash prize and the opportunity to be Joel's next Joint Venture partner (presumably a millionaire opportunity). Each episode the losing team ends up in the judgment room where one or more contestants is eliminated.

At the time of writing only episodes one through four were online so this is all that I've seen. In any case this post isn't so much a review of the show as an observation of Joel Comm and his marketing approach - as you'll soon read.

Joel runs a highly informative Youtube channel, which is what prompted me to watch his show. There is no doubt from Joel's videos that he clearly knows his stuff and provides no nonsense, down to earth advice for anyone looking to earn a decent income online.

That said, The Next Internet Millionaire is rather a lot like The Apprentice in that, as far as useful information goes, it offers sound bites of valuable ideas but never really explores them deeper. In fact, the useful part of the show, where a guest speaker explains the key theme for the team challenge seems little more than an opportunity for one of Joel's marketing mates to pitch their key marketing idea. However the viewer (i.e. us) is not party to the details of that message.

This is fairly understandable (I assume these experts usually charge for their knowledge and time) but it does reduce the shows usefulness to that of a game show and a platform for Joel and his mates to make their sales pitch. Kind of goes a little against the 'Content is king' message that Joel himself promotes.

Since discovering Joel his advice has played a big part in recent changes I've made to this site - which appear to be showing some early, positive results. Naturally I signed up to his mailing list. Unfortunately that has soured the relationship some what.

Whilst Joel knows his stuff and no doubt can run rings around me with his marketing abilities he does come from a really old school of internet marketing. The school of personal selling emails and web site landing pages explaining why you should sign up for whatever Joel's latest offer is. I hate that kind of marketing.

Daily emails, addressing me by name, with a sales message and perhaps a free offer thrown in, directing me to a bloated single page web site that scrolls forever with reason after reason explaining why this offer is so good. It's soooo... web 1.0.

I can't stand those landing pages. If I do take the time to look further I usually scroll straight to the bottom just to find out how much accepting the offer is going to cost. Nearly every time, if I could afford the offer I wouldn't need it.

Joel is proof that this technique works and can earn you a lot of money but I didn't sign up for a sales pitch I signed up for content. Even in the course of writing this article, exploring Joel's blog lead me to various landing pages with a sales pitch.

I really don't want a business in a box, web site templates or yet another report on how buying this latest product can increase my earnings. All I want is help and advice on how I can make what I do earn me an income that will pay my bills with a bit left over for savings.

I have all the skills already. What I need is help in finding out how all the pieces fit together. Joel says to make money from a web site you need to do something that you're passionate about. That's what I've done. Why then does he keep pushing all these other products at me?

Just give me some useful advice that directly relates to running an artist web site.

Comments

  1. This is similar to me entering a free poetry contest from an add I clicked on. I submitted one of my poems, which I am told has been picked for the semi-finals.It is copywrited too, so it is still your poem.

    It is a genuine competition, but it said in the email (with all links to click on) that you could have your poem published in a book that they put out regularly. It showed a picture of previous volumes, and you could purchase the book, but were under no obligation of course, but the temptation is there to see your poem in print in a book! (seems a bit like Poetry World in Queensland that I had my poem put into and bought the book!)

    The book, hard bound, but looks sort of like an atlas type cover, costs $49.95c, and for a further $25.00, no obligation again, you can write a short bio to say who you are or/and about your poem, what inspired it etc, to go on the opposite page! (now, why wouldn't you want that as well - a shame not to have that too!) I assume postage etc must be included, because it doesn't mention it.

    I am supposed to have been sent an 'Artist's Proof' in the post, according to the email, to give authorisation for the poem to be printed if I am buying the book and a form for me to purchase it by mail if I can't buy online, which I can't, but I haven't received anything by mail, and can't find a proper email address to tell them, as it comes back.

    I have managed to email the director or someone to do with the comp, but it was an auto email which it said not to answer, but I took something from the beginning so it was just his email address, and it hasn't come back, but no-one's replied yet, and it was about two days ago. I found a 'phone number, but it isn't a 1300 number, so as it is over east, it could be expensive, and it seems to be a Poetry library number with an address.

    The thing is, I also had a couple more emails from different people wanting me to join a poetry club for about $149 yearly subscription, and another one wanting me to take out further copywrites to ensure my poem etc, which was going to cost around $169, and now one to win an ipod if I put a link to my poem on a MySpace or blog or web site to get people or family to vote for my poem. Nothing to do with the competition, but I have ignored all these, but I am not sure how to do that anyway. I don't know if the comp people know that you receive these other emails.

    The point is.....all I wanted was to enter a poetry competition - right - I didn't want bombarding with all this other stuff! I am also willing to bet that everyone has been picked for the semi-finals, as I think it is just a way of poaching for poems to put in their book, as they say they have to charge for these things to get the money to publish things and I think it is for the competition costs too.

    The top prize is $10,000 and I think there is some other prizes but there are alot of medals, silver or bronze etc, and I bet I don't get any further than semi and end up with a damned medal! Gee whiz....big deal! I just wanted to enter the poetry comp for God's sake to try to win a prize - hopefully - the money! Ahhggg! Give me strength!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh boy! i could go on & on - about Joel - please remove him from your sites - what a phony! blah, blah - and the people on his show are all posures, no real talent, all talk & no action! All of those shows are - why Donald Trump made all of his money with other people's money - by conniving, bullying & taking advantage of people. As i always say - do what you love and success (in whatever form that you desire) will follow....

    ReplyDelete
  3. I disagree anonymous. I've found some of Joel's suggestions extremely useful. The problem I have is that I signed up to his mailing list to be notified of new posts to his blog but what I'm getting is sales pitch. I'm not a customer. I'm not his target market. I can't afford the majority of his products.

    ReplyDelete

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