Naming the affiliate product in an email

Yeah, you can technically call it anything you like

However, I would recommend you not leave the "long ugly Aweber links"...

Instead create "hyperlinks" and link text to the url so it looks more cosmetically appealing.

Cheers,
Coby

Not naming the product would create curiosity and may boost your click through rate. But it can be a bit hard to write an email about A Product without actually naming The Product !

That does not sound very ethical and may upset some people on your list

Thanks both.

Yes, the hyperlinks seems a sensible idea. I've been using the old html version so far.

So what have other people found? Best just to name the product outright?

You need to have a system for communicating with your subscribers which makes them not want to do that, so that you don't have to worry about it.

I always name the products I'm recommending, and I'm proud do so, and I do so openly and repeatedly.

Given that what sells affiliate products promoted to your list is the fact that they respect and trust you, this isn't nearly as difficult to do as it sounds.

One way to do that is to explain to them very fully, clearly and repeatedly exactly how affiliate marketing works, reassuring them that they'll never pay more by buying any product through your affiliate link. (Some won't know that, if you don't tell them!).

This has some huge advantages.

It reassures people, it's honest, it makes them impressed by your openness and integrity, it enables you to discuss at length what sort of products you will, and won't, promote and recommend, and why (very easy to turn that one to your advantage!!), and it enables you (actually in many ways) to differentiate yourself from all the other marketers whose lists they have been on (or are on), and let's not pretend that yours is the only list they're on! Successful, long-term affiliate marketing is about becoming the person through whose link they choose to buy. The more information I give them about affiliate marketing and what I'm doing and how and why, the more of them want to buy. (I even tell them - slightly jokily - what I spend the money on).

I "explain openly about affiliate marketing" to them on my website (you have to have an affiliate disclosure anyway, by law, so why not turn it to your advantage? ), and again in the "free report" they get in exchange for their email addresses, and again in the first proper email of the autoresponder series, and again periodically. It really helps.

If you get this right, you'll never worry again about "whether they might ignore your link and look the product up in Google instead".

I would say, yes, name the product unless you want to market it as a mystery: See what secret tool boosted sales 350%.

If this is to your list for affiliate sales, you are relying on the fact they trust you and will follow your link.


If you are using it for solo ads or swaps, some people prefer generic swipes to have a broad appeal.


If you plan on promoting a product with your own different name, like your example- then I would first promote your technique with a few pre-sell emails before the affiliate offer.

So:

Email 1: Wow I can't believe the traffic
I've been trying this new way to get traffic I call the "rapid sink hole method" because...

Email 2: Blowing up with traffic!
I'm calling this thing the "rapid sink hole method" because... but I am not the first to use it....

Email 3: I am still getting results
This is insane- I have been doing this "rapid sink hole method" for only a week and already...

Email 4: (affiliate offer)
Hey I just found this product that really shows how to implement my "rapid sink hole method" - I wish I had found it months ago...

Email 4 - 29: Blah... blah...

Email 30: My first WSO!
I am about to launch my own WSO describing how I use "rapid sink hole method". This is not a new method, but I have been using if for a while and have added my own twists....


Mahlon

Thanks Alexa and Mahlon for your advice.

What you say makes a lot of sense Alexa, I'll take that route.