Everyone knows that the spring and fall seasons are lucrative in the custom writing niche. The question about the summer off-season remains open. It is generally accepted that all students have a rest in the summer, and webmasters can only hope for great term papers. Let’s dispel the existing myths by comparing season and off-season analytics and determine what is more tempting — working with the custom writing niche or relaxing?
Seasonality and main GEOs
As you know, the season in the custom writing niche looks like this: the high season takes place in spring and autumn, with peaks in demand in April and November. The off-season covers 2-3 weeks of winter and 10-12 weeks of summer. There are two main semesters of study: the first semester lasts from August / September to December, the second one — from January/February to May/June. The start of the student’s academic year usually coincides with the start of the high season in the niche. Main semesters last up to 20 weeks of study each.
Top 3 most profitable GEOs in summer:
- 1. USA — 66.71%
- 2. UK — 4.39%
- 3. Canada — 4.38%
It is worth considering that ⅔ of profits in the niche are brought by the USA. To understand a niche, it is necessary to take into account mainly the features of the education system in the United States and the types of academic papers that are in demand there.
Academic year in the USA
The US education system differs from the CIS countries since it can be divided not only into 2 but 3 or even 4 semesters. The school year in the United States starts in August and September and lasts until May-June. Typically, a training course lasts for 9 months.
Universities that have the opportunity to study for 4 semesters usually go for the fourth semester during summertime, if desired. The opportunity to take an additional semester helps students to pass the subjects faster and start an internship in specialized companies on their third or fourth course. Not all subjects are taught in the summer, but secondary subjects can usually be taken.
In summer, studies usually take place 2-3 times more intensively than usual ones. During the summer semester, you can meet students who want to close loans faster, get an additional certificate, correct unsatisfactory grades, or tighten up academic gaps. In some universities, there is a tempting opportunity to get a bachelor’s degree in 3 years with the help of summer semesters, instead of the standard 4 years of study.
An additional advantage for webmasters is that such students get tired after a year of continuous studies. In summer, the atmosphere is more relaxed, many people are resting around, the temptation to order a few homework tasks on secondary subjects increases. Not all affiliates are aware of this fact, which reduces competition among webmasters and explains students’ summer demand and its absence in certain universities.
Benefits for affiliates
By knowing the structure of the academic year at specific universities, periods of an acute need for academic assistance can be identified. In addition to semesters, the academic year can consist of trimesters, quarters, or blocks. Summer classes are held in almost all universities and everyone can attend them.
Knowing the academic schedule of a particular university allows you to:
- – Understand when students have sessions and whether they are studying in the summer, and therefore monetize the audience of each university during periods with the highest demand;
- – Get more accurate data for the target and the most profitable periods for launching your campaigns;
- – Understand if your chosen university is suitable for summer work with its students.
Examples of universities where students study in the summer:
- – Oregon State University;
- – Princeton University;
- – University of Chicago;
- – California Institute of Technology.
Additional data on the target audience
The global situation with the pandemic is gradually leveling off. The spring season this year was shorter, but it did not affect the expected number of orders. Below you can find analytics for the spring and summer seasons to simplify your forecasts.
Here’s a monthly report of publishers’ orders dynamics for the last year:
Summer is a unique opportunity to test approaches, prepare for the new peak of the season and gain profit knowing the specifics of the off-season. Due to the growth of the average check, the amount of profit in summer falls by only 35%. The summer off-season starts from mid-June and lasts until September. During this period, webmasters manage to make money on expensive types of work and prepare for the start of the new autumn season.
The average bill in the custom writing niche is about $100. During the off-season (summer), the average check grows due to more expensive and voluminous types of work. In the summer of 2020, the average check for sales increased by 23% compared to the spring of 2020. The average check for repeat orders increased by 7%, which increased the passive earnings of publishers. In the summer of 2021, we also expect a traditional increase in the average check.
Differences between types of papers for June-August 2020 and March-May 2020:
Demand for large jobs increases in summer. A webmaster can make several hundred dollars from just one sale.
Spring vs Summer
The spring season this year started at the end of February, which is a little later than usual, and the peak season arrived on schedule in April. Below you can compare additional parameters for orders in the spring season with the summer off-season.
Data on the number of orders, profit, average check and an academic degree from March to May 2020:
Data on the number of orders, profits, average check and a degree from June to August 2020:
Based on these data, an increase in the average check for Master’s degree students should be expected in the summer of 2021. If during the season more orders come from college students, then in summer it is better to focus on masters and bachelors.
The difference in approaches during summer for newbies and adepts
There exist two opinions. Some insist that off-season is the perfect time to prepare for the next season and test creative materials, while others argue that in the off-season, campaigns need to be adjusted to keep earning. We agree with both opinions.
Based on the internal data of the affiliate program, we recommend deciding according to your traffic source and budget. It is easier to raise a large amount of profit during a season. In the off-season, you need to focus on large orders with long deadlines or homework that students will hand over in the summer.
If you are a newbie, it is best to start exploring the niche at the beginning of the high season or the end of the off-season. This way, you will have time to test your approach on small volumes and choose the most converting one. Next, when you have a deeper understanding of the niche, you can start working in the off-season.
If you’re familiar with the custom writing niche, then summer is a good opportunity to make money while everyone else is resting. You will be able to attract new customers earlier than competitors. As you know, in the custom writing niche, about 50% of customers return for a second purchase within 30 days. After the low season, the high season usually arrives, and clients you gained begin to work as much as possible without your participation. That is, your work in the off-season will bear fruit also during the season and will increase your profits without your active involvement.
Conclusion
The demand for academic written papers will never subside. Seasonality does not look so scary while knowing the basic subtleties of student behavior. Summer is a great opportunity to get around the competition and increase your passive income during the hot season.
More and more webmasters are starting to work in the custom writing niche and continue entering the off-season. The opinion that written works are ordered only during the academic year turned out to be erroneous. The number of orders is decreasing, but those who know where to look for them continue to earn. Therefore, do not waste time and join Edu-Money.
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