I created my first product. How to make that first sale?

by Gec
35 replies
OK guys so clickbank just approved my product, I have it all set up and ready to go.

Perhaps it's not "the most optimal" sales page and website, but I have to start somewhere.

I wrote an eBook on the Health and Fitness topic (it's about how to have more energy throughout the day) which I sincerely believe it's valuable material. One of my friends read it and gave me some very good feedback on it :p (she's not the kind of person to lie just to make me feel good). I knew it was a good book, but having someone confirm it, well it's nice.

It's a short eBook that I'm selling through clickbank for $3.27, with 75% affiliate commission.

My question is: how do I go about making my first sale? How do I market my book?

I would prefer the marketing to be free, perhaps someone with a health and fitness list would send it to their list and use their clickbank affiliate link? (any volunteers btw? )

At this moment I'm not interested in building my own list - I'll get there too, but for now I just want to make one sale and that would make me start building momentum and proceed to the next steps... optimize, tweak, build a new version of the product, or a new product, build a list etc...

So how to make that first sale?

Thanks!
#created #created product #make #make first sale #product #sale
  • Profile picture of the author jamesrich1
    Seriously, $3.23? Raise the price. Send targeted paid traffic at your landing page. See what your page converts at. If you are not converting after 150 clicks you need to tweak what you are doing. How do you expect to make money when you are selling a e-book for pretty much nothing. Unless you have a funnel behind that you will not be able to scale your marketing through paid traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert M Gouge
    I would also suggest raising the price.

    After that, start building some traffic to your sales page.

    - Contribute on fitness forums with a signature.
    - Write a couple articles and try to post them on relevant directories and blogs.
    - Get a promotional video up on youtube about your product.
    - Start a fitness blog and have the posts drop links to your product page.
    - Purchase traffic from any number of sources.
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    • Profile picture of the author Michael Shook
      Unless your topic is extremely small and intently focused, I am not sure anyone is going to want to promote it for 3 bucks commission.

      And unless your site is very professional looking, you are at a reputation disadvantage at that price point.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Gec View Post

    It's a short eBook that I'm selling through clickbank for $3.27, with 75% affiliate commission.
    Originally Posted by Gec View Post

    At this moment I'm not interested in building my own list
    Then I don't understand the question, really. Or rather, I understand the question but I think you may be asking the wrong question. Sorry - absolutely no rudeness intended, but a marketer who isn't interested in building their own list has bigger problems than can be dealt with by asking what you're asking.

    Are you aware that with a sale price of $3.27, the affiliate commissions, even at 75%, are $1.52 per sale? :confused:

    (Please tell me this was a typo, and you meant to write $37, or something?).

    Originally Posted by Gec View Post

    for now I just want to make one sale and that would make me start building momentum and proceed to the next steps... optimize, tweak, build a new version of the product, or a new product, build a list etc...
    Building a list goes before those other things.

    In some cases, building a list is how you do those other things.
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  • Profile picture of the author linkdestiny
    There is tons of people who eat up that health and fitness stuff dude....easy market to get into! You have to spend money to make money though...
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    • Profile picture of the author Dragonfire Wealth
      Originally Posted by linkdestiny View Post

      There is tons of people who eat up that health and fitness stuff dude....easy market to get into! You have to spend money to make money though...
      Aha...snap...

      Anyway yeah to the OP...

      1. You need a higher price point
      2. Make sure your copy/sales page is top notch
      3. Build your list...come on it's easy just put an autoresponder opt-in after they purchase and have your confirmation (after they confirm their email) send them the link to the download page (100% automation)

      That's a list of BUYERS...don't pass that up!
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      • Profile picture of the author ausdeals
        Start a WSO, youve got a big market here eager to buy
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  • Profile picture of the author Gec
    Hey guys, thanks for the prompt feedback! BTW I take no offence , and there's no typo.

    It really is a short product (8-10 pages eBook that teaches some simple yet effective tricks) and if I charged more, I think people would go "wtf I paid $$ for this?? I'm getting a refund from this SOB".

    Now I understand that an experienced marketer would start building list, buying CPC and whatnot. And as I said I'll get there. But for now, if you started from scratch and your priority was to make just one sale (say, it was a contest or whatever), how would you go about it?

    Thanks!
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    • Profile picture of the author TeamBringIt
      Originally Posted by Gec View Post

      Hey guys, thanks for the prompt feedback! BTW I take no offence , and there's no typo.

      It really is a short product (8-10 pages eBook that teaches some simple yet effective tricks) and if I charged more, I think people would go "wtf I paid $$ for this?? I'm getting a refund from this SOB".

      Now I understand that an experienced marketer would start building list, buying CPC and whatnot. And as I said I'll get there. But for now, if you started from scratch and your priority was to make just one sale (say, it was a contest or whatever), how would you go about it?

      Thanks!
      Forget about selling such a report, instead give it away and build your list. After building your list maybe you can have an expansion on this report and make a 50-100 page ebook and sell that.

      No one will promote your product for such a low low commission.
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      • Profile picture of the author DYorn
        Originally Posted by TeamBringIt View Post

        Forget about selling such a report, instead give it away and build your list. After building your list maybe you can have an expansion on this report and make a 50-100 page ebook and sell that.

        No one will promote your product for such a low low commission.
        Couldn't have said it better.

        You either need to expand the book and raise the price to attract affiliates or use it as a freebie to get people to sign up for your list. Either way start building your list, building a list should be the first thing that you do not something you add later on.
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        • Profile picture of the author force5
          I will look into CPC (actually started looking already) - how much would say is a good price per click? I know it varies, but if you were to do CPC to build your list, would you say, e.g. $1 / click is a bargain? Or too expensive? How about $0.50? $0.25? $2? This would be in the "Health and Wellbeing" niche.
          At $3 a sale you dont have enough meat on the bone to be paying more than 5c or 10c a click and make a profit.

          Pay 20c a click so $20 for 100 clicks to your page
          Sell 5%
          5x3=$15

          So you need to sell 7% just to break even. Probably 8% to account for fees.

          Not saying it can't be done but with the testing and tweaking needed you will be in the hole. The price point is going to kill you in my opinion.

          Either put it on kindle and just market that via social media and maybe do a free day. Or use it to build a list, but selling a $3 product via ppc sounds like a no go to me.

          Of course the best way to find out who is right would be to test. Do it all and see what works (maybe do one at a time)

          Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author J50
    You need to take some of the risk and prove what you've created converts. You can't expect people just to spend their hard earned money and resources on somebody who hasn't even tested the marketability of their own product. So personally, that'd be my first point of call. Set up some PPC ads and maybe buy some solo ads and see how it performs. Most of your affiliates will be mailers anyway, so they're going to want to know how it performs with mail.
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  • Profile picture of the author Khemba
    Originally Posted by Gec View Post

    OK guys so clickbank just approved my product, I have it all set up and ready to go.

    Perhaps it's not "the most optimal" sales page and website, but I have to start somewhere.

    I wrote an eBook on the Health and Fitness topic (it's about how to have more energy throughout the day) which I sincerely believe it's valuable material. One of my friends read it and gave me some very good feedback on it :p (she's not the kind of person to lie just to make me feel good). I knew it was a good book, but having someone confirm it, well it's nice.

    It's a short eBook that I'm selling through clickbank for $3.27, with 75% affiliate commission.

    My question is: how do I go about making my first sale? How do I market my book?

    I would prefer the marketing to be free, perhaps someone with a health and fitness list would send it to their list and use their clickbank affiliate link? (any volunteers btw? )

    At this moment I'm not interested in building my own list - I'll get there too, but for now I just want to make one sale and that would make me start building momentum and proceed to the next steps... optimize, tweak, build a new version of the product, or a new product, build a list etc...

    So how to make that first sale?

    Thanks!
    I will be very honest with you - The old saying "If you fail to plan - You plan to Fail" applies here

    First, I think its important to congratulate you on developing a product, that's more than 95% of people online will ever have the B*&Lls to do!

    My advise is to use this product to build your list and then once you've built you list promote to it with email marketing and new products right here on the forum :rolleyes:

    If you still want to go with the clickbank strategy so early on in you marketing career - I would simply visit and add value to forums and include your links there for instant cash!
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  • Profile picture of the author Kal Sallam
    Put it on Kindle/eBay

    Set up a killer sales page
    and send tons of traffic to it you will get sales.

    Making Money Online = Traffic+ Conversion.
    Simple not easy but doable
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  • Profile picture of the author Gec
    Where would you buy PPC (I know Google, any other alternatives)? How about single ads?

    Thanks again!

    edit: I just did a quick search on "adwords alternatives" on this forum and to my surprise I didn't find a thread. Did I use the search box the wrong way?
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    • Profile picture of the author J50
      Originally Posted by Gec View Post

      Where would you buy PPC (I know Google, any other alternatives)? How about single ads?

      Thanks again!

      edit: I just did a quick search on "adwords alternatives" on this forum and to my surprise I didn't find a thread. Did I use the search box the wrong way?
      Facebook is one source I know is popular at the moment. Google Adwords has become extremely strict over recent years who or what can advertise through their advertising platform. I know while Facebook need to build cash flow, their rules are still pretty lax, so you should have the freedom to explore different ad copies, landers etc. Plus the fact it's one of the best sources of paid traffic online right now. I know there's other sources such as PPV (Pay Per View) you might want to do some research into.

      You're much better just exploring paid traffic in general. So just explore the forum and use the search function, it can be slightly confusing, just make sure you have all the variables set correctly before you click search.
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      • Profile picture of the author force5
        If it is 8 pages, then yes it is a free product really. At $3 (or less) commission on clickbank you arent going to get affiliates, why sell a book to make $3 when I can sell one to make $20.

        The one at the higher price will almost certainly have a better sales page (you said you were just starting so this is natural) so will make me more money.

        I agree with Kal Sallam , put it on Kindle..

        Good luck whatever you choose to do

        Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author Gec
    Thanks a lot for the suggestions. I will upload it to Kindle. I will also make a squeeze page and give it free to start building a list.

    I will look into CPC (actually started looking already) - how much would say is a good price per click? I know it varies, but if you were to do CPC to build your list, would you say, e.g. $1 / click is a bargain? Or too expensive? How about $0.50? $0.25? $2? This would be in the "Health and Wellbeing" niche.

    I also want to look into single ads. Where to find people willing to run single ads on their lists?
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  • Profile picture of the author asozenm
    first, raise the price.

    to get customers you might wanna contact a someone famous on twitter and pay him/her to share your websites name. this will bring you some good business as a start.
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  • Profile picture of the author Adrianeong
    Congratulations! You have made the first step. I suggest you to pay for solo ads .This method will increase your subscribers opt in and also sales if your lucky.

    Focus on building list first. Sales will come naturally.
    I think this might help you. Traffic – Strategies Used by Best Traffic Generating Websites | AdrianeOng.Com

    Tell me what do you think.
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  • Profile picture of the author paul nicholls
    if its only $3 it would be perfect as a OTO

    drive targeted health and fitness traffic to your squeeze page but i would def be capturing emails

    then promote your $3 as the OTO as i said

    i would perhaps sell it for $5 because your conversions will still be very high

    contact sites in google that are building lists and buy a solo ad from there lists

    otherwise use free traffic such as articles, article traffic still converts very well

    paul
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  • Profile picture of the author Tasleem Khan
    Raise the price to $5 - $7. then sign up to weight loss ? fitness fourms and use the product link in your signature. Write a few articles, google fitness blogs see what comes up then post on the blogs and contact the blog owners if you can and ask if you write an article for their blog - full of content, with the your product at end, with the onwers affiliate link so they get some money.

    I hope this helps
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  • Profile picture of the author ExpertSEOServices
    I think you can increase the price and add some more value. You could make it into a podcast or mp3 course just by reading it or outsourcing someone else to read it.

    On clickbank you should be able to get about $19 or more for it.

    You can start to build up affiliates to sell the product. One of the best ways to do this is google your niche.
    Find blogs where people have a list of existing followers
    Then you can contact them giving them a free copy of your book in exchange for promoting the product for 75% commissions.

    Hope this helps
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  • Profile picture of the author NewAge29
    Think outside the box. Inside the box gets the same results most other people get = MINIMAL!

    Raise the price. Then look for different types of JV partners to promote your ebook.

    Don't look for others selling products in the same niche like most others will tell you.

    Look for people with LISTS who don't use them. Show them how one email to their list can make them money. Then use your product through their list.
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  • Profile picture of the author KickAss Marketing
    The first thing that you may try to do is to find someone or some site to give POSITIVE reviews about your new product. This will give some level of credibility to your product thus might convince people to buy. This is because some products might not have enough trouble attracting potential buyers but have a big problem of actually getting the product bought because of trust issues. Of course, most reviews are not free but if you're have good convincing powers then might make a good friend that can provide the credibility for you. :-D

    Another way is to give away some sort of freebies. In this case, an e-book, you can give out very short but enticing and believable excerpts to the general public. Just as some say, "curiosity can kill you"; in a marketer's case, curiosity of others can make you money. :-D

    Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author Ricky Allen
    Do we get to see your website so we can help you with that?

    Ricky Allen
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  • Profile picture of the author acaforreal
    $3.23 is pretty too small on clickbank. many people will want to associate the price the the quality of the book. You have to raise the price if truly it is worth buying
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  • Profile picture of the author DWaters
    Something else you may want to consider with your book - produce a Kindle version for it and sell it on Amazon. Amazon has a self publishing program and it is easy to get approved.

    I recently did this with The Fitness Center Handbook which I wrote several years ago and recently made it into a Kindle book.

    There may be a conflict involving selling the same book on ClickBank and at Amazon so you may need to do some editing and produce a somewhat different version. One of Amazon's selling methods is for an exclusive Kindle book. I am not too sure about this so be sure to read the Terms od Service, as you should with anything.
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  • Profile picture of the author GorillazGoods
    $3.27?? First of all, I would HIGHLY suggest you raise that price. At that price, not only will you not make very much money per conversion, but almost no affiliates would want to promote anything that wouldn't generate them much money. If your product actually does happen to be a good product, be sure to consider the idea of "perceived value". Many people will assume that something so cheap with have a low value. For a Clickbank product, I would suggest moving that decimal a little to the right and make it lets say.....$32.70?

    At least then they would have a higher perceived value of your product, therefore making your offer seem more legitimate. It will also come with the benefit that you will make more money per conversion AND more affiliates will want to promote it for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author blillard
    NO ONE is going to bit at that price, you're going to have to raise the price on that. I mean PLR goes for more than that for quality info and I'm sure you put your all into it RIGHT? Give people a reason to promote and add a higher perception on the value for the users. Ever see some shoes from Payless that looked like Jordans but paid for the J's instead that cost $200 more?
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  • Profile picture of the author ClaireDavids
    Hi,
    I find your approach a bit unusual, I must say. I would have thought that most people would first try their hand at promoting affiliate products where they could hone their skills while selling someone else's product at little or no risk, before venturing to release a "profitable" product of their own.

    Maybe you should consider doing that... you gain valuable experience from promoting ClickBank and other affiliate products that are already known to be well-converting, and then you can apply that knowledge to your own products.

    Hope that helps! :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Rosado
    Totally support Claire's statement!

    Try to promote a product as an affiliate first. There is far less to lose.
    When I tapped into affiliate marketing I concentrated myself on free traffic sources. Try to add valuable content to forums and other public places. Later, when everything works quite well you can consider outsourcing the whole process to a virtual assistant. (there are also some gigs on fiverr.com, but thats a quite risky place, because so. can easily ruine your hard earned reputation when posting in public places).

    Search for free traffic methods in the WarriorForum, there are hundreds of tips and even free WSOs

    Wish you the best,

    Rob
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  • Profile picture of the author kimboslice
    This forum has lots of clickbank selling techniques Niche Choppers VIP Earners Club
    You may want to browse some of the threads.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kate Luella
    yeah it sounds great! But I agree with the others, this is probably a kindle book, 99c and maybe drive traffic to your blog/site where they could be directed to your $37 health training book/course which you will be able to get affiliates to sell for you! Have a think about a restructure... Good luck!
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