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I started https://www.pubexchange.com https://www.pubexchange.com in 2013 and have been running it solo ever since. PubExchange is a platform that helps publish

I started https://www.pubexchange.com https://www.pubexchange.com in 2013 and have been running it solo ever since. PubExchange is a platform that helps publishers establish traffic exchanges with other sites (similar to a social network) so that they can promote one another via widgets, social, and in-article links. It's been profitable since 2014 and I work with over 600 sites, including HuffPo, Refinery29, and POPSUGAR.

neil_s 10y ago
Wow, that sounds like a modern version of Tony Hsieh's LinkExchange, from the 90s. Glad that the model is still working. How did you go about signing up such impressive publishers? Was it organic, or did you hustle to make it happen?
- eappleby 10y ago
  Thanks! The LinkExchange model is actually pretty different, but I hear that a lot. LinkExchange, and other webrings, automatically connected sites and had them all link to one another. The main benefit of those exchanges (particularly in the 90s) was the SEO lift (which is now frowned upon by Google). In the past 4-5 years, most major publishers have begun establishing direct partnerships with other sites, so that they can promote one another on social and through other direct links. The main benefit of that type of partnership is the traffic, but also the editorial control, and brand association. The challenge is that it is a very time consuming process to put those deals together, manage the partnerships, and track the traffic. I used to lead business development at Rolling Stone and Us Weekly, and MTV before that, so I am familiar with all that goes into it, and I created PubExchange to address that. It did require hustle to get the first sites to use the platform, but since the platform works like a social network, most sites that join now, hear about it through word of mouth.
udkl 10y ago
The tech wouldn't be the edge here. Contacts with these high flyer publishers would make or break the business.
- eappleby 10y ago
  I actually don't value contacts very highly, and almost never ask for intros or leverage previous relationships. For a one-person company, intros are a time-suck, since the recipient of the intro will tend to take calls or meetings even if they are not interested in the product, just out of courtesy. Instead, I attribute a lot of my growth to building a product that addressed a clear need, and then using Linkedin to pitch the right people. Now that a fair amount of sites use PubExchange, most sites that join come through referrals, but most of those are from people I did not personally know before launching the platform.
  - udkl 10y ago
    Awesome, thanks for replying. I would love to chat with you sometime to further understand how you worked on the service. If you are up for it on slack or skype or just email, let me know here or on the alias email listed on my profile. ------------------ Signature : I use http://www.hnreplies.com/ http://www.hnreplies.com/ to track replies to my HN comments. Do you ? reply

neil_s 10y ago

Wow, that sounds like a modern version of Tony Hsieh's LinkExchange, from the 90s. Glad that the model is still working. How did you go about signing up such impressive publishers? Was it organic, or did you hustle to make it happen?

eappleby 10y ago
Thanks! The LinkExchange model is actually pretty different, but I hear that a lot. LinkExchange, and other webrings, automatically connected sites and had them all link to one another. The main benefit of those exchanges (particularly in the 90s) was the SEO lift (which is now frowned upon by Google). In the past 4-5 years, most major publishers have begun establishing direct partnerships with other sites, so that they can promote one another on social and through other direct links. The main benefit of that type of partnership is the traffic, but also the editorial control, and brand association. The challenge is that it is a very time consuming process to put those deals together, manage the partnerships, and track the traffic. I used to lead business development at Rolling Stone and Us Weekly, and MTV before that, so I am familiar with all that goes into it, and I created PubExchange to address that. It did require hustle to get the first sites to use the platform, but since the platform works like a social network, most sites that join now, hear about it through word of mouth.

udkl 10y ago

The tech wouldn't be the edge here. Contacts with these high flyer publishers would make or break the business.

eappleby 10y ago
I actually don't value contacts very highly, and almost never ask for intros or leverage previous relationships. For a one-person company, intros are a time-suck, since the recipient of the intro will tend to take calls or meetings even if they are not interested in the product, just out of courtesy. Instead, I attribute a lot of my growth to building a product that addressed a clear need, and then using Linkedin to pitch the right people. Now that a fair amount of sites use PubExchange, most sites that join come through referrals, but most of those are from people I did not personally know before launching the platform.
- udkl 10y ago
  Awesome, thanks for replying. I would love to chat with you sometime to further understand how you worked on the service. If you are up for it on slack or skype or just email, let me know here or on the alias email listed on my profile. ------------------ Signature : I use http://www.hnreplies.com/ http://www.hnreplies.com/ to track replies to my HN comments. Do you ? reply