Text message answer provider AQA has launched a new mobile service that it claims will allow content publishers to make money by sending text messages.
In what could be seen as a reference to Twitter, UK-based AQA’s CEO, Colly Myers, describes the new venture as "web 2.0 with a business model".
He said the service allows anyone with interesting content to connect and keep in touch with their followers, making money from every text that’s received by subscribers.
The company started off by setting up AQA 63336 (Any Question Answered) five years ago.
This service answered questions texted to it – so far it has provided over 17 million answers to over 2 million customers.
With AQA2U content "publishers" create topics for people to subscribe to, market these topics to their followers, and then start writing content.
AQA2U sends their content out to subscribers using premium text, giving publishers the majority share of net revenue received.
Publishers are limited to no more than 14 texts a month or 3 a day, for which they receive 7-9p per message per subscriber.
Users pay a maximum of GBP £3.50 a month, plus a 98p initial fee.
Myers said that with no set-up costs, and with only 25 subscribers, a publisher can make GBP £275 per year.
With 250 subscribers, a publisher can make GBP £3,000 a year.
"AQA2U puts texts, alerts, updates and offers from anyone who’s got something to say, into the hands of followers who are passionate enough to part with a few pounds per month," he said.
"We already know people will pay for this, as we get many thousands of texts to AQA 63336 asking the same types of questions time and time again."
Myers said he was confident of rapid growth as even small publishers who get a few people to subscribe start making money, and all publishers have a vested interest to market their topics.
"We’ve got over 2 million customers with AQA 63336 in five years, so we’re confident of getting 2 million subscribers in the next five years with AQA2U – delivering 20 million texts per month from publishers."
We’d be interested to hear your feedback on this new service. Would you pay to receive content?
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