Please stop/ban, "Is this a scam?"

I think I answered this by giving advice to the product creators - they have every right to tell their affiliates not to use this technique - but it should be a condition of the affiliate agreement.

John, I read the post you linked. I found parts I agree with, and parts where we differed...

I don't think those titles induce anything. They play to the normal fear that is already there, whether it's an internet marketing product or a new car.

Advertisers were using headlines like that long before the Internet was commercialized, promoting everything from potions and lotions to financial advice.

Catching the attention of a reader/surfer by addressing a belief already present is a legitimate tactic. Robert Collier called it "joining the conversation already taking place in the reader's mind."

Where I do agree with you is here:

Invoking a well-known name simply for attention is deceptive. It does just the opposite for many people - they click through looking to answer the question in the ad and find something totally different - and the scam meter starts buzzing.

On a side note, you may want to edit that post to note that Mr. Reese is indeed an honorable businessman. Otherwise, you're simply adding to the research fodder.

If I ran an ad with "Is John Reel a Scammer?", and the landing page was a review of a John Reel product, I see no problem. [Disclaimer for future researchers: I used John's name simply because he was the original poster.]

If I used the same headline, and tried to get readers to 'turn the corner' by saying "no, but my product is better and here's why...", still no problem.

Another side note: Anyone aspiring to 'guruhood' might consider trademarking their name. That way, anyone wishing to use that name in an ad would need a license to do so.

I "get" what he is saying. But I have also witnessed first hand how powerful negative ads about a product you are promoting can actually be.

Perhaps an example of how this works wonders in pushing people to do better.

I had a product I was promoting, we'll just call it xyz. My ad says, "problem with xyz, read this before you buy." So, my customer goes to see what is the problem with xyz. Turns out xyz is just fine, but if you add abc to it - which I am the only one offering abc - then xyz works two times faster. Xyz works, but the problem is it works too slowly. Add my special abc to the mix and you have a real winner. Now, in order to get abc to go with your xyz you need to sign up for my list.

Is xyz a scam? this could be an ad, and the result on my page would say, why gosh no, xyz is not a scam but if you don't get abc to go with it then you are scamming yourself.

Now, the creator of xyz if he is smart will say, hey, how come this affiliate is making so many sales? what are they doing? So the creator digs into how I am selling his product, and decides to make an even BETTER version which he can now sell and in return I as the affiliate will need to find other bonuses or creative ways to sell for him.

No ones reputation is tarnished. Better products are created.

If you have a good solid product to begin with and are not trying to pull a scam then there is nothing to fear with this advertising technique.

I care about the field I'm in and I'm looking for the holes in the products I'm creating.

I'm not ignoring anything, just presenting an valid argument (I believe) on why I disagree and don't see anyone's reputation being harmed - except for those that really are a scam.

And for me personally, the negative advertising works. I look for the problems with things before I buy them. If most of the ads are positive, and there is one negative ad sitting there I'm going to click it.

Which affiliate do you want to be? The one getting all the clicks to your site or the one wondering why your ads aren't getting clicks?

Now, whether your sales page and offers convert to sign-ups that is a whole other problem.

I'm tired of these arguments. Here's what I replied on the blog:

It REALLY depends on what lies on the other side of that link.

If I had an ad that said:

Is John Reel a Scammer?
Don't buy GTT2 until you
read my extensive review...

And then on the page I go on about how I've been burned before by internet marketers, and GTT2 sounded too good to be true, and then I tried it, and I liked it, and recommend it.

It's just a sales tactic that brings them in, and gets them engaged.

That's NIGHT AND DAY different from someone who had a similar ad, accused you of actually being a scammer, and then recommends a DIFFERENT product.

The truth is, the best affiliate sales letters are the ones that GET INTO THE HEAD of the prospect.

Who is the prospect for an IM product?

Most of them have information overload, and are tired of scammy crappy products. They've been burned before and it is a REAL CONCERN that they will be again.

That's why these ads are effective.

I don't think you should lump the first type with the second type.

Joe

The QUESTION "Is X a Scam?" is not a method of marketing I am comfortable with, but it is better than some of the things I see out there.

The "Product X is a scam" "Product Y Scam" "Guru A scammed me" "Guru B is a Scam" type advertisements just irritate me in the extreme.

"The Truth about C" doesn't convey the same kind of negative implications as "Scam"

Not only do these play on the natural fear of being taken advantage of, but they also induce concerns among those who are not internet marketers. There are many people who see the ads, never click them, and just assume from how often they see a product or person's name associated with 'Scam" "Fraud" etc. This produces a negative impression of the person or product, and frankly hurts that product or persons reputation.

I've actually had people ask me how I can associate with 'person A' or 'product Y' with all the scam/fraud issues they've seen. Only to find out that they are basing this entirely on the ad headlines and never seeing the site at the other end of those links.

What's really bad is when I find people who think I must be a bad person/scammer because I am in some way affiliated with the name they's seen listed as a scam/fraud so many times. Guilt by association with a product, service or provider; whom had wrongfully been presumed a scam or fraud by non internet marketers who saw ads like these.