I know some CPA affiliates that are like online paparazzi, stalking all the news sources just waiting for a celebrity to crack, a disaster to happen or some hot news to break, so they can capitalize on traffic from the story and monetize it.

It’s a risky way to make money, because you have to jump quick, monetize it right, and some stories are going to be very short lived. So if you build a site it may get a quick hit of traffic, but could die out just as quickly. So this is not a strategy that newbies should even consider IMHO.

I don’t particularly like the idea of preying off someone else’s misfortune. I also question whether - if someone is searching for info about Britney’s custody battle and the page they land on is just trying to sell them ringtones - is that offering a good user experience? Would that strategy even convert well? Isn’t this what Jason Calacanis would consider as “polluting the web?”

OK, OK, off my high horse and onto the story! I hate to admint it, but I’ve been following the Spitzer Call Girl story with interest. Hasn’t everyone? So this related affiliate story just caught my eye and could be an example of an affiliate getting lucky by grabbing early news to capitalize on the traffic. Hopefully if she made that much money, the content she wrote and the eBay auctions she featured where at least somehow relevant.

NY Gov’s Call Girl Making Millions for Other People

Auction Site Owner hits Pay Dirt

“Lanie Anoling, an eBay affiliate that operates an affiliate website struck pay dirt with America’s most famous girl after posting a story and picture of her just minutes after the story broke. This web savvy single new mother makes her living off of creating websites that get top listing on the mega giant search engine Google. “I guess all the stars were aligned right” She goes on to say “Normally my sites get 20,000 to 25,000 hits per day. Google indexed me within minutes of posting the story, I was one of the first to have a Kristin story, video and pictures from Dupre’s Myspace page on the web, I got 1.5 million hits and a 100 fold increase in auction sales” the first 24 hours. I have made as much in one day as I have made in the past 8-9 months.”