About a decade ago, when I was younger and had more hair, I started a website with a couple of friends called EFTM. We started with the idea of who we wanted to write for, but we didn’t really have a proper strategy for making money beyond the vague notion of “advertising”.

After a couple of years, I got a job and stepped away from EFTM, which is now a successful business in its own right.

But when I decided to start BTTR, I knew I needed to have a better idea of how I was going to make money, and also that I needed to be completely transparent about that to succeed.

Of course, the best laid plans of mice and men and all that. Google's algorithm shenanigans have thrown my original plan into disarray.

So there are a few ways that I make money here at BTTR:

1. Advertising
2. Affiliate links
3. Premium subscriptions
4. Donations
5. Services

I don't want to bore you with the finer details of my current business plan, but I do want to elaborate on some points to give you a better idea of how BTTR works.

My business model has actually shifted quite dramatically. When I launched, the primary driver was going to be affiliate revenue. But following the Helpful Content Update, I shifted focus to memberships. I do still use affiliate links across the site, but it's done in a more passive way.

Unlike some other sites driven by affiliate revenue, I will cover products based on my interest level rather than its likelihood to create an affiliate sale. Recommendations are based on my first-hand experience with a product, or in some cases, my in-depth research of a category.

I've also flip-flopped on Memberships. For the type of content I make, I don't think there's a massive market for a fully paywalled publication. I'm committed to giving my paid members more, but I don't want to build out BTTR as a paywalled business.

Which means that advertising is my primary revenue model. My approach here is to be as transparent as possible. Right now, I have Google Adwords across the site for non-paid members, but shortly I'll be moving to a more bespoke advertising offering that more closely resembles a weekly sponsorship package.

But the biggest driver will be sponsored content, which is content brands pay me to write. This content will always be clearly disclosed so you know it was paid for. I believe in transparency here – the only currency I really have is trust, so I'm not going to throw that away for a few bucks.

I'll point out that no product review or best guide will ever be published as sponsored content. These content types are always published editorially, so even if a brand has paid for other content, the reviews are independently written.

So why trust BTTR?

To be honest with you, the making money part of running a product review site has been much, much harder than I thought it would be. I've been writing as a journalist for over 20 years now, so I have a firm idea of where the line between editorial and revenue should be drawn.

BTTR was created to help service an Australian audience with clear, comprehensive information about the latest technology and appliances. I wanted to draw on my 20+ years of experience to create a site to showcase the latest tech and weigh up the best options in each category.

So while we may receive payment if you click a link, that doesn’t impact any of the editorial decisions I make on the site.

I review products honestly and transparently. All of the best guides have a clearly stated methodology of how we determined the products selected on the page. 

On every review, I clearly state where each product was supplied, whether it was purchased by the author or provided by the company that made it.

The aim with BTTR is to help make all your buying decisions better, and for that to happen, it requires trust. To develop that trust, I will always be as transparent as possible throughout the reviewing process.

If a brand has paid for content to be published on the site, it will be clearly marked at "Sponsored".

If you ever have any concerns about the integrity of the editorial, or simply feel we need to review a different product, please reach out via our contact page.