ClickBank Tips

Answering email is one of my least favorite tasks, simply due to the volume of messages I receive from those who want something for nothing.

I have no patience for that kind of mentality.

I’d rather spend my time helping people who genuinely want to do the work needed to succeed, not those expecting handouts.

So I was already a tad bit frustrated when I stumbled upon a message from a guy who questioned my integrity because I promote ClickBank.

His email read…

Hi Lisa,

Love your work, but was quite shocked to see that you promote a program like ClickBank. I have been an affiliate for at least 5 years and have sent thousands of visitors to them and have not received one single sale. I have concluded they are a scam and removed all my links.

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this. In fact, my YouTube videos on ClickBank often generate the same kinds of comments.

And quite coincidentally, as I was polishing up this post yesterday, I checked my Facebook page and Clarence Middleton posted this…

First of all, I’ve got to give props to Clarence for at least admitting he may have taken a sip of the Hater-ade.

But he’s not alone, and it’s not usually about hating. There’s this attitude that develops with some marketers who believe…

If I can’t make money with this program then it must be a scam.

If this sounds like something you’ve said, in reality, the real problem may be one or more of the following…

• Your marketing strategy needs adjusting
• Perhaps you are promoting products that don’t align with your reader’s needs
• You need to build more targeted traffic
• You haven’t established enough credibility to convert the sales

Now, I will say this. You have to be careful because ClickBank does have some less-than-stellar products in their marketplace. But it’s up to YOU to ensure that the products you promote meet a certain quality standard.

My ClickBank Strategy

I’ve done very well with ClickBank over the years, and for those who call it a scam, I’ve been a member since 2000 and have never had a problem getting my payments.

I don’t promote a lot of their products (no more than 2-4 per site), but I own the ones I do promote and make sure my readers know that.

For example, I’ve had pretty good success with referring Jim Edwards’ book, How to Write and Publish Your Own eBook in as Little as 7 Days.

Take note of my very simple strategy below…

I always make it clear that I actually purchased the book by giving specific details. Doing so will increase your conversions because it makes the review seem more believable and credible.

Knowing specific problems your audience struggles with helps too.

One reason I chose to add that last paragraph about not knowing enough to write a good book is because that’s exactly what my readers are constantly telling me via email and Jim’s book covers this issue very well.

The Concept is Actually Very Simple

As you can see, my strategy is not rocket science. And if you talk to anyone who succeeds with affiliate marketing, I bet they will tell you they do something very similar.

In fact, the affiliates who do the best promoting my two books (Niche Website Success and WP Starter Guide) often use a very similar approach.

Most of them write reviews that are very similar to what I did with Jim’s book above. They highlight specific, audience-relevant benefits they know will be valued.

When you have enough targeted traffic and find products that align with your visitors needs, affiliate marketing is actually not hard at all.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s not going to take work and time to promote your site and figure out how to convert your audience.

To Sum it Up

ClickBank is no more a scam than Amazon’s or Commission Junction’s affiliate program. It’s simply an affiliate network of digital goods. You choose the products you want to promote and if they convert, you earn a commission.

It’s as simple as that.

In 12 years, I’ve never seen any evidence of ClickBank being a scam, and it’s not fair to use that label just because something is not working for you.

By that logic, there are a lot of things I’ve encountered in my life that I could call a scam.