Methods: the shapes that make money, and where each fits best
A method is a discovery surface, a free feed, and a paid rail. Each one below is copied from an operator we measured; the score says where the same shape pays most per minute of attention.
The measured shapes
| shape | discovery | feed | paid rail | what we do instead of them | owner min / wk | evidence | proved by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| youtube-evergreen → telegram → whop-premium | youtube-evergreen | telegram | whop-premium | measure-the-claim | 30 | 1 | Data Trader: 913K/56 videos idle, TG 73K, $94×332 |
| youtube-evergreen → telegram → affiliate | youtube-evergreen | telegram | affiliate | measure-the-claim | 30 | 0.9 | Data Trader discovery + Polarity rail |
| x-daily → discord → whop-premium | x-daily | discord | whop-premium | measure-the-claim | 600 | 0.9 | Six Trader: 40 posts/day → 116×$15 |
| x-daily → telegram → affiliate | x-daily | telegram | affiliate | measure-the-claim | 300 | 0.9 | Polarity: 45.7K, prop-firm affiliate |
| seo-pages → substack → data-index | seo-pages | substack | data-index | rank-the-operators | 20 | 0.9 | Whop Trends product pages; every operator googles itself |
| youtube-evergreen → substack → substack-paid | youtube-evergreen | substack | substack-paid | track-the-industry | 45 | 0.8 | Bear Cave $300k/yr; Data Trader discovery |
| youtube-evergreen → substack → data-index | youtube-evergreen | substack | data-index | rank-the-operators | 45 | 0.7 | Whop Trends $29/mo; Social Blade |
| x-daily → substack → substack-paid | x-daily | substack | substack-paid | track-the-industry | 300 | 0.6 | Marcos Milla, FranVezz (self-reported) |
| seo-pages → telegram → affiliate | seo-pages | telegram | affiliate | verify-the-method | 20 | 0.6 | freelancerjoy shape (21 verified methods) |
| podcast → substack → sponsorship | podcast | substack | sponsorship | track-the-industry | 90 | 0.6 | Moontower: 26k subs, $995/ad |
| tiktok-shorts → telegram → whop-premium | tiktok-shorts | telegram | whop-premium | measure-the-claim | 400 | 0.5 | Whop #1 community 21k members (unmeasured surface) |
Top 40 category × shape concepts
| category | family | discovery → feed → rail | category MRR | % over $1k | score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Ticket Sales | reselling | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $629,730 | 52.1% | 4.07 |
| Coaching Business Coaching | money-online | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $343,520 | 75.5% | 3.898 |
| Diy Crafts | other | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $301,330 | 70.8% | 3.055 |
| High Ticket Sales | reselling | youtube-evergreen → telegram → whop-premium | $629,730 | 52.1% | 3.015 |
| Coaching Business Coaching | money-online | youtube-evergreen → telegram → whop-premium | $343,520 | 75.5% | 2.887 |
| Retail Arbitrage | reselling | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $882,260 | 35.5% | 2.843 |
| High Ticket Sales | reselling | youtube-evergreen → telegram → affiliate | $629,730 | 52.1% | 2.713 |
| High Ticket Sales | reselling | seo-pages → telegram → affiliate | $629,730 | 52.1% | 2.713 |
| Coaching Business Coaching | money-online | youtube-evergreen → telegram → affiliate | $343,520 | 75.5% | 2.598 |
| Coaching Business Coaching | money-online | seo-pages → telegram → affiliate | $343,520 | 75.5% | 2.598 |
| Dropshipping | reselling | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $2,230,000 | 28.7% | 2.454 |
| Music Theory | other | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $150,830 | 55.7% | 2.271 |
| Diy Crafts | other | youtube-evergreen → telegram → whop-premium | $301,330 | 70.8% | 2.263 |
| Agency Building | money-online | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $652,810 | 41% | 2.223 |
| Retail Arbitrage | reselling | youtube-evergreen → telegram → whop-premium | $882,260 | 35.5% | 2.106 |
| Business English | money-online | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $94,920 | 45.2% | 2.098 |
| Diy Crafts | other | youtube-evergreen → telegram → affiliate | $301,330 | 70.8% | 2.037 |
| Diy Crafts | other | seo-pages → telegram → affiliate | $301,330 | 70.8% | 2.037 |
| Amazon FBA | reselling | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $586,970 | 25% | 1.943 |
| Retail Arbitrage | reselling | youtube-evergreen → telegram → affiliate | $882,260 | 35.5% | 1.895 |
| Retail Arbitrage | reselling | seo-pages → telegram → affiliate | $882,260 | 35.5% | 1.895 |
| Futures Trading | trading | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $1,200,000 | 39.3% | 1.857 |
| Options Alerts | trading | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $3,280,000 | 36.4% | 1.843 |
| Dropshipping | reselling | youtube-evergreen → telegram → whop-premium | $2,230,000 | 28.7% | 1.818 |
| Clipping Education | creator | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $56,910 | 25.7% | 1.773 |
| Athletic Performance | fitness | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $227,160 | 46.3% | 1.747 |
| Music Theory | other | youtube-evergreen → telegram → whop-premium | $150,830 | 55.7% | 1.683 |
| Agency Building | money-online | youtube-evergreen → telegram → whop-premium | $652,810 | 41% | 1.647 |
| Dropshipping | reselling | youtube-evergreen → telegram → affiliate | $2,230,000 | 28.7% | 1.636 |
| Dropshipping | reselling | seo-pages → telegram → affiliate | $2,230,000 | 28.7% | 1.636 |
| High Ticket Sales | reselling | youtube-evergreen → substack → substack-paid | $629,730 | 52.1% | 1.608 |
| Email Marketing | money-online | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $85,530 | 34.9% | 1.605 |
| Business English | money-online | youtube-evergreen → telegram → whop-premium | $94,920 | 45.2% | 1.554 |
| Influencer Education | betting | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $252,470 | 36.9% | 1.549 |
| Futures Signals | trading | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $1,390,000 | 32.4% | 1.547 |
| Options Trading | trading | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $717,750 | 33.9% | 1.543 |
| Coaching Business Coaching | money-online | youtube-evergreen → substack → substack-paid | $343,520 | 75.5% | 1.54 |
| Options Alerts Group | trading | seo-pages → substack → data-index | $416,940 | 34.9% | 1.524 |
| Music Theory | other | youtube-evergreen → telegram → affiliate | $150,830 | 55.7% | 1.514 |
| Music Theory | other | seo-pages → telegram → affiliate | $150,830 | 55.7% | 1.514 |
Score = ln(category MRR) × success rate × shape evidence × data availability × (1 − ½ regulated) ÷ owner minutes. Evidence counts named operators with a number on a third-party page.
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