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# One neglected media business model: snake oil
- URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2017/05/infowars-snake-oil-selling/
- Published: 2017-05-10T12:34:06.000Z
- Updated: 2017-05-24T11:47:57.000Z
- Author: Adam Tinworth
- Tags: alt right media, business models

You may have heard of Infowars – it’s widely regarded to be a Trump-supporting purveyor of fake news, [another hub of the alt-right](https://www.vice.com/en%5Fuk/article/how-infowars-became-the-opposite-of-everything-it-set-out-to-be?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). And it’s making money hand over fist. How?

By [selling *dietary supplements*](http://nymag.com/selectall/2017/05/how-does-alex-jones-make-money.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):

> A representative from PowerReviews, which manages Infowars’ review system, told me that between 3 percent and 8 percent of purchasers generally review their products. Assuming that 5 percent of Jones’s customers review each product they’ve purchased, the total sales would be more than 500,000 units sold over two years. At an average price of $30, this would represent $15,000,000 in sales over the same two-year period. If we assume more generously that reviews represent closer to 3 percent of the total number of purchasers, the number balloons to nearly $25,000,000\. That’s a lot of money — especially when you consider that a devoted audience like Jones’s is likely filled with repeat customers who may not review each individual purchase.

Much as I love a good indirect business model, I can’t see this being high on my recommendation list for clients…