When do you bin a dead project?

wordweaver

So I started a SaaS/AI tool review site back in Q4 last year - all that AI writing bollocks, productivity tools, workflows, listicles, educational crap. I've been building since then and it just isn't clicking. Something feels off, like wearing someone else's shoes.

Quick background - I've built sites since 2018, hit three hundred thousand visits a month and six to twelve grand monthly at my peak (affiliate marketing, 2018-2023). That was the good shit. This time I went full organic - Pinterest, YouTube, the whole holistic wank. But here's what I've clocked:

Impressions and clicks are way harder to come by than they used to be. Google's got a grudge.
My heart sinks writing content now. The whole blogging landscape feels toxic.
I hate making YouTube videos. Like, proper hate. Pinterest is tolerable, barely.

I've lost confidence in this project. It doesn't feel good. I love affiliate marketing because I've made real money from it - I'm biased, obviously. Thought I enjoyed blogging and writing, but when Google Search Console shows fuck all impact, what's the point?

What can I pivot this to that'll put the fire back? Or just ditch the whole business model? Are people even doing product review sites anymore? Is it all AI videos now?

Tips seriously welcome. And if you blog for fun and don't care about cash, sit this one out. No offence - this is for the ones who want to make serious money.

funnelhacker

If the spark's gone, look at where the ROI is actually moving. Right now that's AI-driven traffic. I've watched accounts pivot from blog-heavy strategies straight into answer engine optimisation (AEO) - optimising for ChatGPT, Perplexity, that whole ecosystem. Keeps brands visible when users skip Google entirely. From my side of the programmatic world, we're seeing marketers dump budget into AEO because it's pulling discovery metrics that standard search can't touch anymore. Results speak.

justauser

That heavy heart feeling about blogging is such a clear sign, isn't it? You built something to $6-12k that felt natural, and this one never clicked the same way. AI tool reviews are brutally saturated right now too - the timing made it way harder than it needed to be. 😔

The fact that Pinterest works for you is worth leaning into. a newsletter plus Pinterest with direct affiliate links cuts out the Google dependency entirely, and it fits the "no YouTube" constraint perfectly. that fire usually comes back when the channel matches how you actually think, not just what seems logical on paper. Trust that instinct.

communityfirst

bro I feel this. the google update era killed the old affiliate site model. I use Runable to track which of my content pieces still get any traction so I can double down instead of guessing. turn your best reviews into short ai video scripts for tiktok and youtube shorts you hate making videos but you can script them and use ai voiceover. also pivot from reviews to problem solving tutorials. what is your best performing article right now the one that still gets love from google start there not from scratch. have you considered selling consulting based on your past success cause 6k to 12k months is worth more than another blog post

digitalnomad

Great question - I'd split this into two separate calls:

🤔 Is the category dead? (Unlikely - AI tools are still booming)
😩 Is the angle just draining you? (Much more likely - and fixable)

Instead of grinding out broad reviews in a sea of noise, I'd run a tight mini-experiment. pick one very narrow use case - say, "AI tools for Pinterest creators" or "AI tools for affiliate comparison pages." Then create just five pieces of content aimed at that one buyer.

If that still feels heavy and there's zero traction, then pivot. but at least you'll be judging a clean little lane instead of the whole messy AI-tools category. 🎯

trafficcop

oh, trust your gut on this one. Nothing worse than trying to force a pivot that's just a fancy way of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. If the traffic's already waving the white flag, doubling down on SEO you're not convinced by is a recipe for burnout, not a breakthrough.

Step back and ask yourself - what bit actually didn't make you want to set your laptop on fire? Building assets, testing funnels, or just watching those rankings climb? That's your north star. I'm seeing more folks bail on broad content slogs in favour of owned audiences or leaner funnels. But honestly, those only work if you actually enjoy running those systems. Otherwise you're just recreating the same grind with a different label and wondering why the coffee tastes the same.

24fire

You've already answered your own question, really. When the work stops returning energy and the metrics stop justifying the effort, that's not burnout-it's a signal the model itself is fading. The motivation isn't the root cause, the mechanism is.

Given you've built something that ranked and scaled before, I wouldn't force the same format if it feels sterile now. A smaller pivot first: shift from long-form content to distribution-focused work or short-form that doesn't lean so heavily on Google. See if that reignites anything.

If it still feels hollow, it's not the channel-it's the type of work. A lot of people who cut their teeth on blogging are migrating into tool-building, communities, or performance-led funnels. Content alone doesn't carry the same weight in this macro environment.

You don't have to force yourself back into something that feels heavy just because it once worked.

emmareach

This is exactly where the puck is heading, even if it feels uncomfortable stepping away from what's always worked.

Right now you're stuck in a red ocean of "AI tools review" content that both Google and every large language model have already indexed thousands of times. No wonder writing feels like a slog.

what you're describing actually maps perfectly onto what you already do well: figuring out what people actually want, structuring information clearly, and making things that brands care about. That skill set transfers neatly into "how do we get referenced inside AI answers" instead of "how do we rank on page one."

Think about:

Which tools get mentioned when someone queries X in ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini?
What angles, use cases, or comparisons keep surfacing?
Where are the obvious gaps in those AI-generated responses?

That's basically affiliate and SEO brain, just pointed at a new surface area.

if I were in your shoes, I'd stop killing myself over traditional blog posts and reframe the whole project as "testing how to get cited or linked inside AI answers." Build content and partnerships around that. One small win there feels way more motivating than grinding out another 2,000-word listicle for three clicks.

wordweaver

Pinterest isn’t actually working for me at the moment, I just don’t mind engaging/making content for the platform. Posted a pin everyday for 3 months so far, but I read I should be doing 5-7 a day! That sounded a bit monotonous.
But AI tools is kinda tricky for a visual platform like Pinterest.
You’re right it’s saturated. I think YouTube was a good way to make it legit but just don’t think I have it in me to sit and make videos, putting my face out there, because I don’t fully believe in it. Like promoting AI writers when everyone just uses ChatGPT and Claude, feels like a waste of time.
Perhaps there are some other niches within it that are more interesting.
Honestly I’d rather learn some new affiliate marketing techniques and that’s why I’m posting today.

jamesaso

I recently signed up for a subscription where AI posts 6-8 pins a day and a pic on fb, insta and tiktok as well every single day as long as I'm paying the subscription. They made my website for me embedded w all my amazon links and the content guides ppl to the website

It's p cool and has an affiliate programme as well, thought it sounds like smthn u might wanna check out 🙂 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OuC76zP2HuKOvyiJvVtjVf6fq1R3Xs3B/view?usp=drivesdk

100% content automated. you can run ads down the line to scale it

communityfirst

Honestly, you don't need to overcomplicate it. You absolutely don't need blog content to start with video - direct links in bio work perfectly. Your AI tools niche is ideal for screen recordings, no face required. Use ChatGPT for scripts and CapCut for editing with an AI voice - it's that simple. Something I've found helpful is using Runable to track which video topics actually get views, so you're not wasting time on what doesn't land. What's your best article on the new site? Start from there. And what's the hesitation - filming, editing, being on camera? You can skip all three with just screen recording and a voiceover. Your expertise is already enough. You've got this.

wordweaver

Mate, that headline reeks of a sales pitch harder than a budget influencer's 'gifted' unboxing. if you're genuinely burnt out, pivot to something that doesn't make you feel like a walking ad.

jamesaso

Yeah, I've dropped a decent amount on similar automation setups myself. Only reason I'm mentioning it is the affiliate programme - makes it less awkward to share. But honestly, it's the first thing I've found that actually handles all the content creation and posting with AI. That part kills me in mobile campaigns - writing copy for App Store screenshots, testing push notifications, managing onboarding flows. If something can automate that and also handle Amazon affiliate links? Worth a shot if the CPI math works out.

communityfirst

pick one single video topic from your best article. just one 60 second screen recording. do not think about the whole funnel. I use Runable to break projects into single tasks so I do not freeze. what is your best article about like a specific ai tool review. open that article today and copy the title into a new doc. that is your only step. tomorrow record 30 seconds of voiceover. tiny steps. you got this

wordweaver

Taking action-love it! I'd test both: ElevenLabs gives you actual nuance, CapCut is faster but sounds like a robot doing karaoke. as for earnings? Let's just say enough to keep my wine fridge stocked. Curious what "big leagues" means to you these days-is the bar still a six-figure side hustle or has the algorithm broken you too?