Gay Melting Pot
by Brandon Palmer
In the online adult industry, anything that seems exotic or taboo,
at least in some circles, tends to make for a good niche site. Interracial
gay porn is no exception, and the trend seems to be growing.
As with most niche markets, it's hard to say exactly why some fetishes
fizzle and others explode, but given the potential revenues, the interracial
appeal is a topic worth exploring.
If you're not already featuring interracial content, the most obvious
place to start is to identify the audience. "The target market for
gay interracial sites is primarily gay men who are attracted to men
of a different ethnicity than their own," says Quentin Boyer, Marketing
Director of TopBucks.com, which runs gayinterracialxxx.com. "To get
a little more specific, based on the data I have seen over the years,
these are predominantly white men, ages 25-44, who are attracted to
black and/or Latino men. The gay Asian niche really appears to appeal
to an entirely separate market."
Of course there are plenty of exceptions, but once you know the general
audience, it's easier to find out what's drawing them to the sites.
"I think one of the main draws to gay interracial content is that
it is hard to come by," says Boyer. "Good gay content isn't easy to
find, and quality interracial content is that much more difficult
to locate. While this presents a problem, namely finding good content
for your site and the expense of that content, the scarcity of the
content also presents an advantage," he says, "because it makes for
a less crowded market, meaning that there are fewer sites competing
within the niche."
A less crowded market also means that there is still room for growth,
but webmasters seem divided over the size of the interracial porn
market. Enrique Cruz, Owner of LaMancha Productions, which runs www.enriquecruz.com,
feels that it's still a relatively small niche. "However, I think
it has the potential to grow into a large niche," says Cruz. "There
is still a lot of racism, but as mainstream media opens up more to
interracial relationships, I think you will see more mixed sex in
porn."
Boyer, on the other hand, has a slightly different perspective. "I
think the interracial niche is pretty large as gay content niches
go," he says, "and it's right up there with bears, twinks or BDSM.
I think the niche is growing in part because men feel safer exploring
their sexuality in the online setting. Online, people don't have to
worry as much about the prejudices and stereotypes foisted upon them
by societal and cultural norms."
On that topic, Boyer and Cruz seem to agree. "It satisfies the need
for surfers to explore desires that one wouldn't necessarily explore
in real life," says Cruz, "because basically, we all tend to crave
something we can't have." Even when we can have it, whatever it is,
if we like it then we want more. So with our general audience defined,
the appeal of the niche explored, and the size of the market discussed,
it's time to talk about content.
"Our site, gayinterracialxxx.com, does include a lot of non-interracial
content as well," says Boyer, "but only as a sort of 'supplement'
to the interracial photo galleries and video feeds. We place the interracial
content front and center, so that users will find what they came for
quickly and easily. As with any other niche or area of interest,"
he continues, "I think that video is the biggest draw for online content.
Good photo content is still important, since there are still a lot
of users using slower dial-up connections, but the broadband market
has grown substantially, and with the increase in bandwidth on the
user end, the ability to deliver compelling video content has increased
as well."
More video, and better video, is what webmasters are preaching these
days, no matter what their product. "Although my site features mainly
black and Latin men in solo and sex scenes," says Cruz, "there are
exceptions where we feature some white models with black or Latin
men. As with any site," he explains, "original, well-shot content
with lots of video and high quality files is key. Constant updates
are also important. Stay away from the porn site template - a standard
warning page and five tour pages, and instead, give users lots of
previews of what is at the site and what is coming."
It's also important to remember not to scare away potential customers
with your content, which can be an issue for certain segments of the
interracial audience. "Not every guy that lands on your page is an
'out' gay man who is comfortable with his sexuality," says Boyer,
"and in my experience, a pretty significant portion of the men who
join the sites fall into the bi-curious category. For that portion
of the market, playing up the mystery of the interracial encounter,
or the exotic nature of the content, is a good strategy." Finding
just the right mix of up-front material to appeal to a wider segment
of the market can be a delicate balancing act, and each site will
see different results.
However you choose to position your content, keep in mind that consumers
are demanding quality and originality, now more than ever before.
"Go ahead and spend the money needed to get the good stuff," says
Boyer. "Just because gay interracial content is hard to find doesn't
mean that guys are going to buy just anything you put in front of
them. If you can afford it, spring for exclusive, or at least semi-exclusive
content. If exclusive content is not an economically feasible option,"
he insists, 'at least shop around to get your hands on high quality
non-exclusive content." Surfers get savvier every day, and if you
aren't delivering the goods, they will go elsewhere in a heartbeat.
Even with all this great input, there are no guarantees, as we all
know from experience. "There is no sure way to make money in any niche,"
says Cruz, "but the market is not saturated with this type of porn,
so that's a plus. You need to just get your product out there and
test the waters. Try different types of advertising, and see what
works and what doesn't."
We can at least stay informed, and provide our customers with content
we are proud of. "I would encourage all webmasters, gay and straight
alike, to get involved in the gay market," says Boyer. "By get involved,
I mean do more than slap together some galleries and funnel the traffic
along to a sponsor site. I mean research the market," he says, "and
look at what the successful well-established companies in the gay
arena have done. Really study the marketing in gay publications, adult
and non-adult alike. I'm no expert, but I have learned enough to know
that there is a lot more to learn, and I know that the income potential
of the gay market is substantial indeed."
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