Proxy email blasts are a particularly popular form of paid advertising for webmasters. An email is sent out with a number of proxies listed (anywhere between 1 and 10 sites) to users who have signed up to a newsletter. Proxy webmasters pay for their proxy to be included in the newsletter, with the price depending on the number of subscribers. These services are frequently reviewed on various forums, and the results vary. It is certainly possible to gain more revenue than your expenditure. It’s best to trial these on a one by one basis – don’t sign up for a month of mailings until you’re sure that it offers good value.
Of course, there is no point in repeatedly promoting one proxy on the same newsletter as the proxy will soon be blocked and users will look elsewhere. If you have a large network of proxies and you’re happy with the results of a trial run then negotiate a discount for a bulk purchase. Look at the frequency of the newsletter too. A weekly newsletter has a higher value than a daily one. Users will simply look at the last newsletter received for their fresh proxies, so the less frequent the newsletter is, the more exposure you’ll get. Remember to check that the newsletter is reputable – you don’t want to be paying for someone to spam uninterested users with your site.
There are several variations on the email blasts. These include Google groups, Facebook groups and twitter postings. You pay for your proxy to be listed on a group, or posted to members of a group etc. You can post to some groups for free, and this can be a valuable promotion strategy. However, the biggest groups are moderated, and the administrators make all the posts. So if you want your proxy to appear there, you’ll have to pay. These services are essentially the same as a newsletter – people have signed up as they are interested in receiving an up to date list of working proxies. In some instances you will find that lists are emailed to users as well as posted on a group or suchlike. Make sure that you know exactly what you’re paying for.