Pre-Start Questions for Experienced Affiliates

1) Yes - sign up with a few so that you have access to lots of different offers. Some Aff networks are better for different types of offers, e.g., Clickbank = eBooks; CJ = web services, lots of physical products; peerfly = CPA; and on and on...Decide what you want to do and it will help you figure out where to spend your time.

2) Depends on your strengths. Are you great at PPC? Are you a Facebook wiz? DO you know SEO? USe the traffic method, or combination of methods that you can make work.

3) Your offer should match your niche, should have a decent payout, and should be credible. Start by looking at the offer stats, bump that up against your own judgement, and test it. If it works, do more. If it doesn't move on.

4) This is very subjective. If a keyword gets 200 clicks, with no conversions, I move on. If 2 PPC ads get 75 clicks between them, I think it's enough to pick a winner and start a new split test. If a landing page gets 200 visitors with no conversions, something is probably wrong. 500 visitors with nothing and I think something is certainly wrong.

Everyone has different tolerances for testing. Some people can make judgements after a couple dozen clicks or visitors and feel comfortable doing so. Some people need to take a beating before moving on. (I tend to be the latter....)

Bottom line: Test it. If it works, do more of it. If it doesn't, stop.

Hope that helps...

Hello i am new in affiliate marketing and i am trying to promote offers through Google Adwords, i know google adwords not allow direct affiliate link but i am trying to promote offer through creating own landing page but still same error and account suspend.. any one know how i can promoter offer through adword..????

Bredfan had all the right stuff and advice. I would only add one thing for the #4.

If using PPC I would go upwards of 10-15x the offer amount before I switch up the offer. In PPV that gets scaled back to 2x the amount paid out.

1. Yes, definitely. I always tell people that it's better to be a big affiliate with 1 network than a small affiliate with 10 networks, because big affiliates have better support, payout bumps, faster payments, access to private offers, etc. However, in the beginning your goal should be to get profitable, nothing else. So the more options you have in terms of offers and verticals the better. So, yes, get accounts with multiple CPA networks.

2. I think Facebook is better for beginners, because using specific angles is much easier with interets than with demographics. Also, FB has more international traffic. Take a look on my 2 free FB guides and they will give you an idea on how to get started:

http://www.warriorforum.com/ad-netwo...ing-money.html

http://www.warriorforum.com/ad-netwo...ing-leads.html

3. Keep it simple. You will be using social PPC, so keep in mind that people don't go to FB to make important decisions like buying an expensive supplement or requesting an insurance quote. People go to FB to talk to their friends, watch videos, play games... to have fun. So, give them what they want. Start with dating and gaming offers and avoid anything that has a long or annoying process such as DOI or large downloads.

4. Test your angle/approach first. Split-test ads, try to get a high CTR and then pull the CPC down. If you do it successfully, just start split-testing offers and find one that performs well with your angle. If the entire campaign is already working well and all you need is an offer that gives you a decent EPC, then spend 3x or 4x the payout of the offer and make the decision. If it's not profitable, move on, test another offer.


Good luck with your campaigns!

W

Hey Dustin,

Wanted to throw in my 2 cents.

1.) Should I sign up with more than one affiliate network? If yes, what is the benefit?

First and foremost, go with only larger reputable networks. PeerFly is perfectly fine. In terms of joining more than 1, there's no downside. Different networks have different street payouts sometimes. Some networks also have the offer direct while some networks just broker it form other networks. You want to go with the network that has the offer you want direct from the advertiser because they can afford to pay more. Ask Luke Kling if that's the case with your offer.

2.) Which traffic source would you recommend between Facebook and POF?

POF hands down, no question. POF is the most affiliate friendly traffic source out there. The support (Ben and Shannon) will respond to you. Facebook is being run by a bunch of idiots and do not respond to inquiries. If you advertise on Facebook long enough (or immediately for some) you will probably experience the Facebook ban. Your account that you've built up is just gone, taken away by Facebook. It's heartbreaking. This will NOT happen with POF. With Facebook, the only route to go is international, which means you also have to deal with language translation, since North America inventory is dominated by brands. Lastly, Facebook will charge you for clicks that doesn't come up on your tracking software. It's referred to as "phantom clicks". This is well known to affiliates. The only downside to POF is it doesn't have the massive volume of FB. Trust me, I have my hands in both jars in a big way, and starting with POF is the way to go.

3.) How do you decide on what offer to promote?

Pick an offer that people have successfully run in the past so that you can learn from information as well as people out there. Go with an offer that fits an angle that you feel comfortable starting. Your first campaigns will probably lose money. There's no way around it. BUT, the key for you is to learn and to go at it day after day.

4.) When do you make the decision about when to switch offers if something is not profitable?

Give it a month of work. Unless you are simply missing the creativity to generate anything.

Hope that helps you.

-Tom

Hey Dustin, listen to Will as he knows his stuff! Important thing is testing and tracking your campaigns to find profitable ones. Good luck!