Buy Me a Beer Plugin - Is It Worth It?

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Since the release of the “Buy Me a Beer” plugin, lots of bloggers have downloaded the plugin (unfortunately, I didn’t track the number of downloads). Overall, the plugin has been a huge hit and most people have loved the idea.

But there is one group of bloggers who isn’t happy with the plugin. Their complaint: this plugin is over-hyped and “Buy Me a Beer” donation links are just fads.

Is “Buy Me a Beer” Just a Fad?

While I do think that the novelty of it will wear off, and the plugin will lose some of its shine, I don’t think its a fad. And there are 3 very good reasons for that.

3 Reasons Why You Should Install The “Buy Me a Beer” plugin:

1. The Beer Plugin Makes Readers Loyal
Dr. Cialdini talks about the power of commitment in his excellent book “Influence”. He says that its easier to persuade people to commit to a big thing if you first get them to commit to a small but similar thing.

He tells us about a research that shows how people were persuaded to place a large “Drive Carefully” billboard on their lawns even when that billboard covered the view. When they were approached directly to install the billboard, most people answered No.

So then, the researchers switched gears. The people were approached and asked if they would be willing to put up a small 3*3 sticker that read “Be a Safe Driver”. Almost all the people agreed. Three weeks later, the researchers went back to these same people and now asked them to install the billboard on their lawns. Surprisingly, this time, 76% of them agreed to place the billboard!

Another experiment was held during a workshop.

• Workshop 1: At the end of the keynote presentation, the speaker asks the attendants if they would like to attend another more advanced workshop. 27% of the attendants signed up.

• Workshop 2: At the end of the presentation, the speaker asks the attendants to raise their hands if they liked the material presented. Almost all of the attendants raise their hands. The speaker than asks the same question: would the people who have raised their hands attend another more advanced workshop? 64% of the attendants signed up!

Asking your readers to buy you a beer is like asking them to raise their hands. The reader who donates $3 to you will keep on coming back to your blog again and again and will subscribe to your feed and comment on your posts. They will become more loyal to you and stick with you until and unless you screw up.

2. It Helps You Know What People Like
If a few of your readers are willing to pay you $3 or $5 for a blog post, you can be pretty sure that many others will pay $10-100 for a more comprehensive report or an e-course.

The beer plugin works as a signal - showing you which topics you should focus on more often.

3. The Plugin Generates More Money Than Adsense
I tested the plugin for one whole week before it was released to other bloggers. My test results: This blog attracted just a little over 5800 unique visitors. And 3 people out of those 5800 bought me a beer. Total money generated: $11 (Two people donated $3 while one donated $5). I made much less with Google Adsense during the same duration!

Even after the novelty wears off, I think Buy Me a Beer plugin will keep on generating $1 for every 1000 page views a blog receives on average. Which is more than what Google Adsense pays to most blogs.

Download the “Buy Me a Beer” WordPress plugin here.

(Note: For people that prefer non-alcoholic drinks, the plugin has a setting that replaces the beer mugs with coffee cups too.)

If you liked this post, buy me a beer. (Suggested: $3 a beer or $7.5 for a pitcher)

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Posted by Ankesh Kothari under Making Money on 31 May 2007

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