Do clickbank products sell anymore or should they be avoided?

27 replies
I was thinking about promoting some Clickbank products by means of making some free reports. I wasn't going to do things the slow way (article marketing, etc.). I have a small budget to do some niche advertising where I'm sure I could give away a few hundred free reports with a link embedded in the report.


My question is do these items still sell or would it be better to sell a physical product/book? Clickbank was always a tough sell for me because the items were way too expensive, under delivered and the refund rate was high.
#anymore #avoided #clickbank #product #sell
  • Profile picture of the author Trevor Carr
    Originally Posted by pheonix44 View Post

    I was thinking about promoting some Clickbank products by means of making some free reports. I wasn't going to do things the slow way (article marketing, etc.). I have a small budget to do some niche advertising where I'm sure I could give away a few hundred free reports with a link embedded in the report.


    My question is do these items still sell or would it be better to sell a physical product/book? Clickbank was always a tough sell for me because the items were way too expensive, under delivered and the refund rate was high.

    Have you looked at JVZoo?

    I like JVZoo, and it's growing in popularity rapidly.

    All the best


    Trevor
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  • Profile picture of the author Zoumhem
    Clickbank products are selling greaet. There is a lot of bullsh*t on Clickbank but there are also many products that are halpful and being used by costumers.
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    • Profile picture of the author AffiliateWaves
      Clickbank is still very popular for some IM products,You can also try JVZoo and Warriorplus
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      • Profile picture of the author Zodiax
        Before using ClickBank, consider this...

        You won't ever see your first, or even 2nd commission, because they will hold it until your third or fourth sale, for protection against affiliate fraud.

        They also take out monthly account maintenance fees if you sold anything, so you will most likely see $0 of your commissions if you do not continue to sell.
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        • Profile picture of the author Sid Hale
          Zodiax,

          I'm not a particularly big fan of ClickBank myself,

          Originally Posted by Zodiax View Post

          Before using ClickBank, consider this...

          You won't ever see your first, or even 2nd commission, because they will hold it until your third or fourth sale, for protection against affiliate fraud.

          They also take out monthly account maintenance fees if you sold anything, so you will most likely see $0 of your commissions if you do not continue to sell.
          but...
          if you aren't going to continue to sell, why bother in the first place?

          Account maintenance fees are only applied after an affiliate account goes dormant. If you aren't promoting, there is no real reason for ClickBank to hold any outstanding funds in a "savings account" for you.
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          • Profile picture of the author Zodiax
            Originally Posted by Sid Hale View Post

            Zodiax,

            I'm not a particularly big fan of ClickBank myself,



            but...
            if you aren't going to continue to sell, why bother in the first place?

            Account maintenance fees are only applied after an affiliate account goes dormant. If you aren't promoting, there is no real reason for ClickBank to hold any outstanding funds in a "savings account" for you.
            I know but at the time I was doing solo ads.

            You should know that good solo ad campaigns don't work forever, especially if you are using the same seller.

            Regardless, if I make a sale I should get compensated if I keep promoting or not. That is like saying my employer shouldn't pay me because he fired me.
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            • Profile picture of the author Sid Hale
              Originally Posted by Zodiax View Post

              I know but at the time I was doing solo ads.

              You should know that good solo ad campaigns don't work forever, especially if you are using the same seller.
              You have the freedom to choose what products you promote. You weren't promoting ClickBank. You were promoting their product(s). If a selected product isn't selling, then by all means - promote a different product! That's YOUR decision to make.

              Regardless, if I make a sale I should get compensated if I keep promoting or not. That is like saying my employer shouldn't pay me because he fired me.
              Not if your earnings are under the payment threshold...

              From the Clickbank Knowledgebase at: https://support.clickbank.com/entrie...rmant-Accounts

              "Accounts with a positive balance but no earnings for an extended period of time are considered dormant. Dormant accounts are subject to a charge of $1 per pay period after 90 days of no earnings, $5 per pay period after 180 days of no earnings, and $50 per pay period after 365 days of no earnings."

              Again, I am not a particular fan of ClickBank, but affiliate marketers need to understand that they are NOT employees and should conduct themselves as businessmen. That means reading any/all applicable Terms and Conditions, Contracts, etc. pertinent to the business relationships that they enter into (i.e. affiliate agreements).

              This applies whether you're promoting CB products, or products from the Warrior+ marketplace, or from JVZoo, individual vendors, or any other source.

              All too many affiliates see a new launch and then rush off to promote it. They don't know if the product is any good, if the merchant is a crook, or anything else. It's a race to get to the inboxes of their list - before some other affiliate gets there.

              We'll worry about the quality of the product, the site's TOS, the affiliate agreement, etc. later. Right now, let's just get that promo out!
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              • Profile picture of the author Zodiax
                Originally Posted by Sid Hale View Post

                You have the freedom to choose what products you promote. You weren't promoting ClickBank. You were promoting their product(s). If a selected product isn't selling, then by all means - promote a different product! That's YOUR decision to make.



                Not if your earnings are under the payment threshold...

                From the Clickbank Knowledgebase at: https://support.clickbank.com/entrie...rmant-Accounts

                "Accounts with a positive balance but no earnings for an extended period of time are considered dormant. Dormant accounts are subject to a charge of $1 per pay period after 90 days of no earnings, $5 per pay period after 180 days of no earnings, and $50 per pay period after 365 days of no earnings."

                Again, I am not a particular fan of ClickBank, but affiliate marketers need to understand that they are NOT employees and should conduct themselves as businessmen. That means reading any/all applicable Terms and Conditions, Contracts, etc. pertinent to the business relationships that they enter into (i.e. affiliate agreements).

                This applies whether you're promoting CB products, or products from the Warrior+ marketplace, or from JVZoo, individual vendors, or any other source.

                All too many affiliates see a new launch and then rush off to promote it. They don't know if the product is any good, if the merchant is a crook, or anything else. It's a race to get to the inboxes of their list - before some other affiliate gets there.

                We'll worry about the quality of the product, the site's TOS, the affiliate agreement, etc. later. Right now, let's just get that promo out!
                I see what you mean.

                You should know the feeling, especially when starting out and you send out a solo or another ad and wake up to a commission in your Clickbank account.

                I'm sure you didn't think to read the TOS at that moment...
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              • Profile picture of the author irawr
                Banned
                Originally Posted by Sid Hale View Post

                "Accounts with a positive balance but no earnings for an extended period of time are considered dormant. Dormant accounts are subject to a charge of $1 per pay period after 90 days of no earnings, $5 per pay period after 180 days of no earnings, and $50 per pay period after 365 days of no earnings."
                This is great information for other people, but to people who are concerned about this problem: not to be a jerk but if this happens to you then you're not doing your job, why would you get paid? It's not that hard to maintain the default minimum payment threshold of $100 and I believe you can set it as low as $10.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    CB get a big old thumbs-up from me.

    Will it work for you? I see no reason why not, providing:

    1. You optimize those articles for conversion.
    2. You target the right audience.
    3. You develop an efficient traffic system.

    Before I thrown down my - Tom sign-off and take-off, though, I'd just like to address and try to sharpen up your traffic plan. The beauty of the traffic approach you're going to use - traffic from eBooks - is the potential for passive income. If you'd like my opinion, look into that; generating a passive income from them. Trust me, it's a lot more fun and effective to setup a strong passive system for ebooks, letting you just concentrate on the writing and then, temporarily, the syndication, that it is fooling around with heaving traffic at them yourself.

    - Tom
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    • Profile picture of the author Rasika84
      Volume is key to Click bank... Not all products sell as much as some, thus where all the noise comes from. Do some research on "gravity" of a product and how to select what sells, and try to concentrate on them..

      I would advice to do your own funnel of capture pages to the ones which has higher competition. It works for me..

      Good luck..
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  • Profile picture of the author munir ahmed
    Hi
    i think its not the product you promote that sells, its you who people buy off.

    You see if you get someone to KNOW,LIKE and TRUST you then you will sell products whether its from CLICK-BANK or JVZOO.

    There should be a system i call it in place because like my self and many others making the same mistake just getting traffic to a squeeze page and directing them to the Affiliate link doesnt really work.

    Some just get traffic direct to the Affiliate link and these are the wrong way or shall i say less likly to sell much or hardly any to be precise.

    Best way is to build an email list by giving away something valuable for free,
    then give them more value through email for few days or even weeks.
    make them know you and like you from the value you give them then promote the product and watch the conversion rate will sky rocket for you.

    That is the best way i been thought by my mentor and it works perfectly well for me and if done correctly i guarantee this method will work for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author williamstraus
    I make a full time living on Clickbank & Amazon affiliate sales and am working on my first CB product.

    CB is a weird beast!

    But, it's got some golden products inside. With Clickbank I've found you have to build a list and write thoughtful reviews of the product to generate sales.

    Some CB products take no pre-selling, they just convert on cold traffic.

    Others if they fit your niche will require some effort on your part.

    I wouldn't think of CB as a way to make money, but think of your niche site and how you plan to build an auidence and then see if CB fits into that strategy.

    First strategy, then details.

    Good luck!
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    • Profile picture of the author Trevor Carr
      Originally Posted by williamstraus View Post

      I make a full time living on Clickbank & Amazon affiliate sales and am working on my first CB product.

      CB is a weird beast!

      But, it's got some golden products inside. With Clickbank I've found you have to build a list and write thoughtful reviews of the product to generate sales.

      Some CB products take no pre-selling, they just convert on cold traffic.

      Others if they fit your niche will require some effort on your part.

      I wouldn't think of CB as a way to make money, but think of your niche site and how you plan to build an auidence and then see if CB fits into that strategy.

      First strategy, then details.

      Good luck!
      William - a full time living as an affiliate and only just launching your first CB product?

      That is impressive stuff!

      I bet your incomes rocket when you combine your affiliate promotions with your launching your own products.

      Keep rocking it, buddy!

      All the best

      Trevor
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    • Profile picture of the author peterson1966
      Your reply is great. Please send me some ideas that work with CB products.

      Peterson
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  • Profile picture of the author Sid Hale
    I'm sure you didn't think to read the TOS at that moment...
    No... I read the TOS before I even joined the affiliate program.

    If, after 90 days, the affiliate program deducts $1 from my account, I know why. If I don't... I ask.

    That, of course, assumes that you've even logged in to become aware of the $1 charge.

    At the end of 6 months of dormancy (a period of no activity, and presumably no interest on the affiliate's part) the total deductions would have reached a total of $6.

    Assuming the affiliate still isn't concerned (or doesn't know because he/she hasn't even bothered to log into his account), the deduction goes up to $5/pay period ($10/month) for the next 6 months. After that year of dormancy, the affiliate has forfeited a grand total of $66

    If the affiliate is still unconcerned (at least not enough concern to get out there and sell something), it's time for someone to do something. ClickBank isn't "firing" the affiliate - he/she has already quit!
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    It doesn't matter if Clickbank or JVzoo has better products. The one that sells is the one that gets promoted and marketed the best. A product is a product. Seriously if you're concerned about the quality and price of a product on Clickbank.... create your own product. But the same problems will still be there if you don't know how to market it.
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  • Profile picture of the author tyronne78
    I agree with Randall. Clickbank is just a digital marketplace that helps affiliates find products to promote. Your focus should be on how you're going to market and sell that product you find on Clickbank.
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  • Profile picture of the author napoleonfirst
    Clickbank is great if you want to avoid the hassle of dealing with physical products. Google Adwords will give you traffic too.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    I gave up on CB some time ago because I could no longer trust their analytics. I like to send traffic that I know I will be credited with. I would be more concerned with the network. Good products to promote are easy to find.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Clickbank is a goldmine, but you really have to search to find the gold nuggets. I promote over 400 products in just about every category, and continue to earn a small fortune every month. IMO, it is among the greatest affiliate networks around.
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  • Profile picture of the author RosanneS
    The only thing I don't really like about CB products is how easy it is for the purchaser to get a refund. I understand there are many legit reasons why someone should get their refund, but as a marketer who is selling, I have promoted CB sites where I have lost close to half of my buyers to refunds grrrrr
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  • Profile picture of the author sansui
    Clickbank is pretty easy to get into,unlike other affiliate networks.
    They have some good products with high gravity.
    Lots of affiliates are making money with Clickbank,
    which means that their good products are selling.
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  • Profile picture of the author aznsparks
    They'll sell, but I personally think JVZoo is better. Clickbank took $40 from me way back when I first started, because I couldn't sell enough as a newbie.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jan Brzeski
    Yes they sell. You need to target people who are ready to buy.

    Cheers,
    Jan
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  • Profile picture of the author SmartTim
    My question is do these items still sell or would it be better to sell a physical product/book? Clickbank was always a tough sell for me because the items were way too expensive, under delivered and the refund rate was high.

    Of course they do sell, if not clickbank will be closed by now. There are tons of people still making money using Clickbank. I got friends who are making 2k-4k passively every month using Clickbank. Physical book requires more work which is not worth it. Nowadays people prefer to read ebooks thans physical books.

    You know that people don't like to keep books all around their house right.
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  • Profile picture of the author essmeier
    I still use Clickbank, partly because I can choose what to promote and get one with it, without having to request, and wait for, approval. 99% of the time, you can find a product, click "promote" and get your affiliate link right away.

    That doesn't happen with JVZoo or WarriorPlus, where you have to ask permission to promote and hope they grant it. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't, and sometimes they don't even bother to reply.

    Charlie
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