Why Promote Clickbank Instead of Shareasale or CJ?

18 replies
I've been looking for products to promote and one thing I couldn't help but notice is that the EPC's for clickbank are vastly lower. You see merchants bragging about 0,90 EPC while on share a sale you see EPCs like 193. Then I realized clickbank is actual earnings per click while SaS and CJ are earnings per 100 clicks. But they are still higher.

So my question is why go through all the trouble it takes to promote clickbank products (of which a good chunk are garbage) instead of just promoting SaS and CJ products? Also SaS and CJ tend to have actual quality products.
#clickbank #promote #shareasale
Avatar of Unregistered
  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    If you want to promote share-a-sale and CJ, then promote them. As long as it converts and the offer is good, and you're making good net money... then promote those affiliate programs and dont use Clickbank. Simple. Ride your own horse and dont let anyone try to tell you differently - especially if you know that something doesn't make sense with the way that other people tell you how you should run your business.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11354343].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Many affiliates, especially newish ones, are blinded by 50%-75% commission rates. I doubt many even know what EPC is. Add in the fact that there is basically zero barrier to entry, and very little oversight unless something threatens CB, and you have your answer.

    Too many Gordon Gecko fans.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11354419].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author radu
    Originally Posted by Notright View Post

    I've been looking for products to promote and one thing I couldn't help but notice is that the EPC's for clickbank are vastly lower. You see merchants bragging about 0,90 EPC while on share a sale you see EPCs like 193. Then I realized clickbank is actual earnings per click while SaS and CJ are earnings per 100 clicks. But they are still higher.

    So my question is why go through all the trouble it takes to promote clickbank products (of which a good chunk are garbage) instead of just promoting SaS and CJ products? Also SaS and CJ tend to have actual quality products.
    Well, CB is a well-known network that pay on time the affiliates which a very good reason to motivate anyone to promote CB products... Of course it depends on your niche..for example in the IM/IT niche there are other networks that promote stuff..
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11354468].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author wrcato2
    I like Clickbank because I can offer "cash prizes" in the form of a rebate instead of a created bonus. I don't have to bug the product creator because if the person refunds their order and tries to claim the PP cash, I see it in the back office.

    I think you can take a low EPC offer and still kill it by the way you present it to your prospects.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11354477].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author agmccall
    I promote products, not networks. if I find a product on clickbank then that is the network I use. If I find a product on amazon then that is the network I use. I have accounts at no less than 6 affiliate networks. So go with the network that has the products you want to promote

    al
    Signature

    "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Thomas Edison

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11354484].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author warezdon
      Originally Posted by agmccall View Post

      I promote products, not networks. if I find a product on clickbank then that is the network I use. If I find a product on amazon then that is the network I use. I have accounts at no less than 6 affiliate networks. So go with the network that has the products you want to promote

      al

      Perfect! That's the way it ought to be ... WE ARE NOT PROMOTING NETWORKS ... It is the product we are trying to promote and make a % of the sale :-)
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11355057].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Alphonso Jones
    You're reading the analytics correctly. You know what to do.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11355028].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jbsmith
    Really depends on your market, your traffic gen, your funnel and lead-gen - do a good job of matching and promoting your offer and it will convert (regardless of platform). Assuming they are on your list, you can do both - promote information via CB and tangible products via CJ or Sharesale

    J
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11355060].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author garry baker
    You should focus on finding products that resonate with your audience, then review them either after you buy them and use them or get a review copy...


    It should not matter the marketplace they come from...


    All the numbers you mentioned do not matter at the end of the day it is the relationship you build with your audience and how you help them via your product recommendations and when they buy thru your links...
    Signature
    Time is your most valuable resource ... do not waste it...
    https://30MinuteMarketing.net
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11356591].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Risktaker89
    The answer is in the products rather than the networks. All networks have garbage products - that's a fact.

    Good EPC's does not mean you will generate the same kind of EPC with your campaigns.

    There are good products in Clickbank too and just not too long ago, there were major launches which happened and gained a lot of traction.

    At the end of the day, research the product rather than the network.

    Just my 2 cents
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11356867].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Judey
    Though some clickbank offers have low epc, some of their offers do convert.

    There's still online marketers making millions of dollars with clickbank.

    Infact, I've a friend of mine who's making over $50K per month promoting weight loss products only and 75% are from clickbank network.

    So some of the clickbank offers still convert even though they've got low Epc.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11359898].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author dave_hermansen
    If there is a solid product that might resonate with your audience on CB that the other two networks don't have, why wouldn't you promote it? Obviously if it is on all three, you'd probably want to use the network with the better payout.
    Signature
    BizSellers.com - The #1 place to buy & sell websites!
    We help sellers get the MAXIMUM amount for their websites and all buyers know that these sites are 100% vetted.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11362309].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author savyeman
    You can promote products from either platforms. I would just make sure they are good products. And also you have a list to market the products too
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11369445].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author franamico
    Exactly, there are very few really good products left on Clickbank. Share a sale and CJ have lots of excellent products...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11369547].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    I'd not worry about the vendor and instead focus on the toolsmith aka entrepreneur, because the entrepreneur determines the sales, not the store.

    Example; I am an Amazon Affiliate. I fuss little over commission percentages, etc. But people buy from me because they trust the advice I offer on blogging. Since people buy, I make money, and more money, not worrying about commission structures and strategies but focused instead of sharing value and building bonds.
    Signature
    Ryan Biddulph helps you to be a successful blogger with his courses, manuals and blog at Blogging From Paradise
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11386249].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author flamingphoenix
    You just have to test the offering/ if you can do a split A/B landing page and see what makes the most money.
    Signature

    40 plus AMAZING SEO TOOLS , 1 LOW PRICE - SAVE $1000's >>>>> www.seogroupbuy.co.uk <<<<<<<

    For all your needs - click above for more information!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11386381].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Sid Hale
    Originally Posted by Notright View Post

    I've been looking for products to promote and one thing I couldn't help but notice is that the EPC's for clickbank are vastly lower. You see merchants bragging about 0,90 EPC while on share a sale you see EPCs like 193. Then I realized clickbank is actual earnings per click while SaS and CJ are earnings per 100 clicks. But they are still higher.
    So what????

    Obviously you don't understand that EPC is a totally meaningless metric.

    I'm not a big ClickBank fan (for a totally different set of reasons), but EPC is just as flawed a metric on their products, as it is in all of the affiliate networks.

    EPC is an aggregated figure. It includes the merchant's EPC, as well as the EPC from the super affiliate(s) and for all the newbies. While some networks "adjust" the EPC by trying to intelligently filter out some of the results... they don't typically publish the criteria for any such filtering, so you are left with little/no insight into what the figure represents.

    Besides the fact that the EPC is an average of results from x number of super affiliates and y number of results from green or average affiliates, you have no idea 1) how many super affiliates have sent traffic to the sales page, nor 2) how many newbies sent traffic to the sales page.

    You have no idea how many clicks were the result of paid advertising vs. free advertising, or how many clicks came from affiliate email marketing, or from an autoresponder series.

    You typically are given no indication of how many clicks were the result of high traffic sales campaigns (i.e. launch traffic, special promotions w/ discounted price, etc.)

    You don't know how many other affiliates have promoted the product, the quality of the traffic they sent to the sales page, whether they did any follow up mailings, nor when they advertised (by whatever method) the product.

    Is it a new product with a lot of appeal in the market? Is it an older product that has gained a high reputation in the market? Is it an older product that does not have a high reputation? Is it an older product that has been superceded by a newer product, with more/better features in the market?

    In other words, comparing EPC between 2 different products in the same affiliate network is of no value whatsoever. Comparing EPC between 2 products in multiple different networks is an even greater waste of your time.
    Signature

    Sid Hale
    Coming Soon... Rapid Action Profits (Pro)

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11386898].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author magdag4321
    If you wanna build a campaign that last for years, go shareasale and commission junction....on the other hand, most clickbank trash die out in months.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11386917].message }}
Avatar of Unregistered

Trending Topics