Tech Product Review Site
The shortcut: Forget "tech reviews." Pick one boring sub-category — USB-C hubs, low-profile mechanical keyboards, ESP32 sensors — and own the long-tail search for it. The Verge can't out-rank a solo writer who's published 80 deep posts on one shelf.
Industry: Software & Tech | Investment level: Micro — $300-$1,000 | Time to launch: 6-12 months to first $1K month (this is content-first, not client-first)
Best for: Someone who already buys, breaks, and opinions on gear in one narrow category — and can write a 1,500-word comparison post without pulling teeth. You're a fit if you can publish 8-12 posts a month for 6 months before seeing real revenue. What you'll likely make: $0-$200 month 3, $300-$900 month 6, $1,500-$3,500 month 12. Math is in Section 4.
Market Opportunity
Most people who try this fail because they pick "tech" — laptops, phones, headphones, the stuff every site already covers. Wirecutter has 200 staff. You will not out-rank them on "best wireless earbuds 2026." The opening is the niches those sites won't touch: "best USB-C hub for M4 Mac mini with dual 4K," "quietest 65% mechanical keyboard for office," "ESP32 air quality sensors for HomeAssistant." Long-tail queries with 200-2,000 monthly searches each. Boring. Specific. Buyer-intent. Nobody covers them at depth.
Affiliate revenue is the model. Amazon Associates pays roughly 1-4% on most consumer electronics categories Amazon Associates rate card — thin, but the volume across hundreds of long-tail posts adds up. A post you wrote in March can still pay rent in October next year if it ranks. That's the real difference from a service business — your hours stop, your income doesn't.
The trap people miss: this is a 6-month minimum runway business. If you need $2K/month in 90 days, do something else. The first 50 posts mostly earn nothing while Google figures out your site exists. People who quit at month 4 lose to people who keep publishing through month 7.
Start with this idea — free signup, no card required.
