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Is Clickbank still profitable?

by ripsnorta2
70 replies
At one time Clickbank was quite a good way to make money. But, it's been a while since I did any IM with CB, and I was wondering if that was still the case.

I did read the other day a comment that things have changed with Clickbank and it's no longer a great way to make money. Is that true?
#clickbank #profitable
  • Profile picture of the author 2d0k
    It's still profitable until my inbox wouldn't be full with Clickbank product offers.
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  • Profile picture of the author dannyadams
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    • Profile picture of the author tpw
      Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

      It depends on what side of clickbank you are on. I never really thought affiliate marketing was a sustainable business model so if you are on that side, I'd say no, it's not profitable. If you are on the VENDOR side, then yes, it's a great way to make money.
      I respectfully disagree...

      On the vendor side, it can be profitable if the seller does one of two things:

      1. Builds an awesome product, with awesome converting sales copy; or

      2. One of their affiliates builds the awesome converting sales copy.

      On the affiliate side, it can be profitable, depending on what YOU are willing to put into it...

      Keep in mind that most sellers have poorly converting sales copy, so you should be willing to step up to the plate and pre-sell the offer to your readers...

      If you can, it does not matter how bad the seller's sales copy is, you can become his or her biggest affiliate seller...

      If you are unwilling or unable to pre-sell an offer for the seller, then you are stuck with the copy that the seller has created, and in some cases, that will be fine... In other cases, it will fall short...

      Whomever has the great sales copy, the next step for the affiliate seller is to push a load of traffic to the offer, because a certain percentage of people will buy the offer...

      In the end, if you fail as an affiliate marketer at ClickBank, then you will have failed to do what was required to be successful...

      Success does not fall out of the sky for anyone... You must work for it, and you must earn it....
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      • Profile picture of the author fort21
        hi Danny, Alexa and Steven,

        I read this thread with great interest and in does gave me wonderful insight of Clickbank, the marketers and the vendors from the discussion. Am I right to say that it takes both hands to clap. We need vendors and marketers in IM, and the role to choose is where one's forte lies. People who produce doog product might not necessary know how to market and vice versa.

        We do see Marketers who made a lots of money as well as Vendors whose product hit hit gravity in Clickbank. As a newbie, all the points make sense to me. It could be I am not a vendor or a marketer yet therefore I dont have my stand or I am still a greenhorn. cheers to all n peace.....
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      • Profile picture of the author dannyadams
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        • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
          Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

          Sadly, product quality doesn't matter to most vendors. It's all HYPE and WHO you JV with.



          Why would you do any of that when you can write your own copy for your own products and have thousands of others pushing it for you?



          And if you are able to "pre-sell" the offer, "pre-sell" your own product and have your affiliates do the same.



          The affiliate is PUSHING the traffic. The amount of sales the affiliate makes is directly related to how much traffic THE AFFILIATE can send.

          The vendor is WATCHING the traffic. The amount of sales the vendor makes is directly related to how much traffic ALL OF THE AFFILIATES can send.



          I'm 100% with you on this one. If you fail, it's your fault. The main problem with affiliate marketing is that sometimes that isn't true. I could "fail" because the vendor I chose put out a terrible product.

          If I create my own product and it is bad, It's my fault. The vendor controls his/her own destiny. The affiliate depends on the creator to make a great product.

          Hey Danny, let me ask you a question. How are these product creators
          supposed to get all these affiliates?

          Just curious to see how easy you think it is.
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          • Profile picture of the author dannyadams
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            • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
              Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

              This is a pretty deep question and really should be answered in the War Room, but I guess I'll put you on the right path. And just so you know...I'm not being sarcastic or mean...I'm actually trying to HELP you and everyone else here.


              Ask yourself this question..."What is ONE thing almost all Warrior Members have in common?" The answer is "about 90% of them have some sort of knowledge of what affiliate marketing is. Half of them currently generate some sort of income from it."

              Never forget that question/answer above.


              Now I want to create a product and recruit affiliates. How do I do that?

              You Pre-Launch the product in the WSO section and collect the emails of the buyers using WSO pro or a simple aweber opt in form on the download page.

              Remember, 90% of warriors have some connection to affiliate marketing...half are generating SOME income from it.

              You break your product up into 3 separate parts each teaching one "thing". For example, if I'm planning on launching a $97 CPA course on Clickbank thats 8 hours of video, I'm not going to WSO that entire thing at one time. I'm going to break it down into 3 separate courses and price them each at about $10 to $15.

              Then I'd launch them about 1 month apart as WSO's.

              After the 3 were pre-launched as WSO's, I'd get set to launch and use all of the buyers as my affiliates.


              After you do this two or three times, you'll begin to catch the eye of the bigger lists.


              Now go do it!


              I missed you "Just curious to see how easy you think it is." line. With a little common sense and some outside the box thinking, It's unbelievable how simple it is.
              Actually, that's not a bad plan in theory. But it doesn't always work in
              practice.

              How do I know?

              I did it.

              I got a handful of affiliates, but nothing to write home about. And the ones
              I did get, did very little.

              Truth is, recruiting an army of affiliates is a massive job. After over 7 years
              in this business, that is one thing I have learned.

              Can it be done?

              Sure it can. People do it all the time. Just look at the Clickbank marketplace
              for your proof. Oh, and don't even get me started on how those 500 plus
              gravities are generated overnight. I know exactly how it's done.

              I won't say it's unethical, but it's a very distorted picture for somebody
              who thinks that these products are REALLY that popular...not at first
              anyway. Then, when new affiliates see the artificially inflated gravities,
              they all flock to promote and the myth propagates itself.

              It's a great little system.

              For those who have the stomach for such deviousness.
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    • Profile picture of the author Bruce NewMedia
      Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

      It depends on what side of clickbank you are on. I never really thought affiliate marketing was a sustainable business model so if you are on that side, I'd say no, it's not profitable. If you are on the VENDOR side, then yes, it's a great way to make money.
      Danny, that you would say the above is puzzling?

      You just finished running a successful WSO, where you taught people how to be an AFFILIATE of a dating site....

      ...and if I recall, you said in one post on your wso you made most of your money from that site. So, why again, is it not profitable?
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      • Profile picture of the author dannyadams
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        • Profile picture of the author Bruce NewMedia
          Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

          A dating offer through clickbank? I give you full permission to post my entire WSO content on this thread for everyone to see if you can find where I talked about promoting PAID dating offers through Clickbank.

          Pushing FREE SIGN UPS is much different than PAID clickbank products. Nice try though.

          And yes, I do make most of my money from clickbank...AS A VENDOR.

          I never said it wasn't profitable. I said affiliate marketing is an unsustainable business model over the long term.
          Danny, sorry, but you're making a distinction without a difference.

          You're an AFFILIATE, whether its for CLKBANK or FRIENDFINDER or WHOEVER.
          Whats the difference? ??? pushing 'free' vs. 'paid' changes nothing.

          This is the answer you gave to a post made on that wso you ran:

          "@gcintermed - Nothing is wrong with the proof of income. I had to take it down because people were contacting FF and my affiliate ID was in there."

          "Don't want any heat from my main source of income."

          "No offense they've anyone but the fact is that some people can't stomach the fact that others are actually MAKING MONEY on the internet. They've been trying for years only to see a few clickbank conversions come in here and there from there PPC campaigns. The fact is that my proof of income is NOTHING in friendfinder. I'm a nobody to them. There are plenty of people in FF and other networks making 20 times what I make."

          So, YOUR MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME, according to you, is being an AFFILIATE on FRIENDFINDER. .....hey, there's nothing wrong with being a hypocrite, half the world is anyway...:-)
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          • Profile picture of the author imon32red
            Just my two cents...

            I tried affiliate marketing with Clickbank in 2008. I didn't do much with it, and made zero.

            I decided that I needed to diversify this spring. I spent about a week putting together a couple of campaigns. At the time I was landing a sale about every other week. I put it off for a about a month and then noticed that I had 2 sales the same day, or two days in a row. I don't remember which. Anyways, I made some changes and sales went up. Made more changes and waited a week and sales went up, did this two more times.

            So as of right now I am collecting a check from every week. It is not a ton of money, but I clear enough each month to more than pay my house payment.

            Clickbank works just fine for me.
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    • Profile picture of the author Earn1KPerDay
      Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

      It depends on what side of clickbank you are on. I never really thought affiliate marketing was a sustainable business model so if you are on that side, I'd say no, it's not profitable. If you are on the VENDOR side, then yes, it's a great way to make money.
      USE PLR and ReSale Product, Create your OWN product and Sell with CB.

      TO BE A Vendor!
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Seems like the question boils down to "is selling/marketing/promoting products created by other people a sustainable business model?"

        Ask the heirs of James Cash Penney (JC Penneys)...

        Ask the stockholders of Amazon.com...

        Ask the stockholders of Wal-Mart...

        The problem isn't in selling or promoting other people's products. As the examples above show, it is possible to build a massive, long term business doing so.

        The problem is that most affiliates see it as some sort of magic formula - post a few links, run a crappy article through an article spinner and spew it on the web, and sit back and order another pina colada on the beach.

        Bogus teachers teach would-be affiliates to chase the next shiny object - usually one they own or control - using unsustainable methods.

        A real, sustainable affiliate business follows the same core principles as a business built on creating products. The affiliate simply enters the stream at a later point and exits at an earlier one.

        As with Steve W., I believe in having chairs on both sides of the table.
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        • Profile picture of the author dannyadams
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          • Profile picture of the author dbarnum
            Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

            ...affiliate marketing can be PART of a business but having as the entire plan will never work.
            Getting into semantics here, looks like.

            Scratch absolutes like the above - - - "always" and "never" statements need deleted, and that will help with the mindset. I.E. there are exceptions to rules, hence making blanket statements like this above, as others are trying to point out above, is not correct.

            Bottom line: this IS working for some. Period. Call it an entire business; call it a part of business; call it an IM model; call it what you like. It IS working. Proof positive. Long term, short term, any term: it IS working. And there is a lot more to argue about elsewhere, like course quality. But time to work now :O
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            • Profile picture of the author dannyadams
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              • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
                Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

                Shoot me an email in 7 years and let me know where you're at. My guess is either out of business or you've moved over to the vendor side.

                That's not an insult, it's just something that's been proven throughout internet history.

                Do you think guys like Mike Filsaime are writing articles and doing keyword research for other peoples stuff? NO! Why? Because that's the affiliates job.
                First off, I guarantee you Mike Filsaime still writes articles. Not that he literally himself writes them, but rather he has people on his team that do. It's not because it's "The affiliate's job", but rather because it's a job that needs doing, vendor or affiliate, and you can either do it yourself or you can outsource it.

                What's interesting too is that there are people like PotPieGirl who openly admits that she has made a lot of money on her product, but to this day, still claims that around 50 percent of her Clickbank income still comes in as an affiliate, not as a vendor.

                It's just one business model. You have instant entry to any market you choose, you can build whatever kind of site you like, drive whatever traffic you want, then forget about it and move onto your next project. Not a bad business model if you ask me.

                Not to mention if you have a list, there is an unlimited possibility for all the products you could send out as an affiliate! If you had to take the time to make each and every product you could sell as an affiliate, as a vendor, your life would be a living hell.

                Just my two cents.
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                • Profile picture of the author dannyadams
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                  • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
                    Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

                    This is true. You'd work yourself to death trying to make all the products you could promote as an affiliate. That's why most vendors do 2 or so launches per year the right way...try to do a 100K per launch and that's pretty much it. Combine that with sales that will come in after the launch period, money made during prelaunch and backend sales, you have a million dollar business.
                    So if I stop creating products, I stop making money.

                    Sounds like 6 of one, half dozen of the other to me.
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                    • Profile picture of the author dannyadams
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                    • Profile picture of the author dbarnum
                      I think we're fighting a losing battle here with DannyAdams. He'll just have to meet us all in 7 years, host the party for this, of course, since his business will be better than that of each of us -- probably combined, sounds like, and toast his success. Of course we can each share in our own minor successes then, too, in comparison. Ahhh...Internet history

                      Go Warriors, to battle with our projects and not forum threads: here's to success for all of us, regardless of how we word our business, focus, affiliate marketing, etc. Let's go forth and conquer the World (Wide Web) - -shields up, swords out!
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                    • Profile picture of the author discrat
                      Sounds like the this Danny guy is 'cutting his nose off to spite his face ' !!
                      Wouldnt it behoove his Product Creation Business to believe and encourage Affiliate Marketers to actually have a sustainable long term business with Affiliate Marketing ??

                      BTW, I know of two individuals who have been highly successful used car salesmen for over 30 years. Both have put their children thru College with their Earnings.

                      Kind of dispels your mantra of people selling other people's merchandise and how unsustainable it is !!
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                • Profile picture of the author asant76
                  YES. Absolutely it's still profitable. At the end of the day, you can recoup your investment if you are smart about running your business. And yes, being a vendor is great, but you have to be able to convert. It's not as easy as it was before (affiliate), but the opportunities are out there if you sniff them out.

                  There is still plenty to go around. Keep at it. Start as an Affiliate then become a Vendor once you get enough data of the HOT products on CB.
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              • Profile picture of the author dbarnum
                Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

                Shoot me an email in 7 years and let me know where you're at. My guess is either out of business or you've moved over to the vendor side or some other form of IM.

                That's not an insult, it's just something that's been proven throughout internet history.

                Do you think guys like Mike Filsaime are writing articles and doing keyword research for other peoples stuff? NO! Why? Because that's the affiliates job.
                Not taken as an insult, thanks for checking that. And hey, hoping in 7 years we have better means of communications than email , but if not, sure, I'll shoot you an email if I'm still on the planet and remember this thread (doubtful though with thousands more posts piling up in that time )

                Internet history actually isn't too long, but hey, who knows - -- with all the info in this thread and others, who here won't be wealthy / wealthier?

                And yep, Mike F writes great articles. I know that you were just using an example, but I know many a guru who write his / her own copy, articles, ads, etc. Many.
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  • Profile picture of the author Wonderful Warrior
    If you find a product that you ABSOLUTELY believe in, then yes.

    I don't know if you know about cbengine.com

    It is a great site that shows all the "newest" products and the "movers and shakers", etc...

    there is a membership fee but is well worth it.

    You can test it out on a free trial basis without having to give cc or anything.

    And then, there are JV sites, so you can see what products will be launching in the next few months. You can start getting your domains ready now and your advertising structure in place.

    IMHO stay far far far away from any CB product that has a "free report"..... you will lose a ton of customers through that..

    Good Luck
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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      Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

      I never really thought affiliate marketing was a sustainable business model so if you are on that side, I'd say no, it's not profitable.
      And all the time you thought that, Danny, there were thousands (perhaps tens of thousands) of people making a living purely and exclusively through Clickbank affiliate marketing - and some of them making a 7-figure living. And that's still very much true now.

      So, with apologies for a contradictory tone, your belief is actually very far wide of reality.

      Originally Posted by Wonderful Warrior View Post

      IMHO stay far far far away from any CB product that has a "free report"..... you will lose a ton of customers through that..
      Yes, I certainly agree.

      There are one or two other types/groups of products to stay "far, far, far away from", too, IMO. People will differ slightly, in their attitudes to these. My own criteria for product-selection (as an affiliate), which have been very good to me(!), are here.
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      • Profile picture of the author ripsnorta2
        Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

        And all the time you thought that, Danny, there were thousands (perhaps tens of thousands) of people making a living purely and exclusively through Clickbank affiliate marketing - and some of them making a 7-figure living. And that's still very much true now.
        So... Upshot is that the Clickbank affliliate marketing is still worth going after?

        Thanks everybody for your replies.
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        • Profile picture of the author Wonderful Warrior
          Originally Posted by ripsnorta2 View Post

          So... Upshot is that the Clickbank affliliate marketing is still worth going after?

          Thanks everybody for your replies.
          We didn't say that...

          Just said at the moment it is still profitable
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      • Profile picture of the author dannyadams
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        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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          Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

          Just because people TEACH "how to make millions through affiliate marketing" doesn't mean they actually MAKE millions with affiliate marketing. Quite the contrary actually.
          We agree about that. Some of the ones writing some of the appallingly ill-informed teaching guides are people who find it easier to make money that way than as affiliates, I think.

          Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

          But if you are going to go out and pay for advertising, write articles, do videos, SEO, etc. etc. etc., and take all that risk, that's up to you...but it's an unsustainable business model.
          It's sustaining itself, and gradually increasing, very nicely for me and many others I know, thanks.

          Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

          You are depending on someone else's product and customer service to be EXCELLENT.
          As an affiliate, I can easily check that out first, and with all the assets I'm building up (authority websites) I can easily switch products and switch vendors if ever I need to, thanks.

          Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

          If a customer refunds, do you get your PPC money back?
          I don't use PPC.

          Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

          The goal of affiliate marketing products is to create affiliates. Most will never figure it out (hence your reply).
          My reply actually stemmed from how I've been making a living for the last couple of years, actually, Danny. :rolleyes:
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          • Profile picture of the author dannyadams
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            • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
              Danny, do I feel it is better to create your own products (which I do) than
              sell as an affiliate? Yes.

              Do I believe that you can still make good money from affiliate marketing, which
              I also do? Yes.

              To dismiss either model, IMO, is leaving money on the table.

              There is no reason why you can't do both...which I do.

              Affiliate marketing adds to my bottom line, so why would I abandon it?

              And...I do it at almost no cost at all.

              So, IMO, you have a very distorted view of affiliate marketing.

              But you know what? Who cares? It's YOUR view and has no impact on MY
              business whatsoever.

              So please feel free to think whatever you like.

              I'll just go on doing my own thing and making money.
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              • Profile picture of the author dannyadams
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                • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
                  Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

                  You missed my point entirely.

                  If you read my first post, what I said was that if you are doing JV partnerships with people and sending out emails to a list for promotion, that's a GREAT way to increase your income. I do that as well.

                  If you are going to put all your "eggs" into the affiliate marketing "basket" and expect to build a business from that alone, I've yet to see anyone do it for any length of time.

                  Affiliate marketing is a JOB...just like selling anything else for any other company.

                  Creating products and recruiting affiliates is a BUSINESS.

                  Most people here are looking to start a BUSINESS and are failing at it because they don't understand that.

                  No Danny, I didn't miss your point. Affiliate marketing is a job.

                  Guess what? So is product creation.

                  So is anything you do. It's work. It doesn't happen by itself.

                  But you know what? I have no time to argue with people like you anymore.

                  I have way more important things to do.

                  Enjoy your day.
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        • Profile picture of the author keys2prosper
          Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

          Just because people TEACH "how to make millions through affiliate marketing" doesn't mean they actually MAKE millions with affiliate marketing. Quite the contrary actually.

          Sure, if you have 500,000 on your list and you want to do a JV, affiliate marketing is wonderful.

          But if you are going to go out and pay for advertising, write articles, do videos, SEO, etc. etc. etc., and take all that risk, that's up to you...but it's an unsustainable business model.

          You are depending on someone else's product and customer service to be EXCELLENT. If it isn't it refunds...and who pays for that? If a customer refunds, do you get your PPC money back? Do you get the time you invested back? I don't think so.

          If you are a product CREATOR and the product sucks, it's YOUR FAULT. If you are a product CREATOR, all the ads are paid for/done by other people.

          Sure there are some people who still believe that the clickbankers actually DO what they teach, but those people are starting to realize how the internet actually works.


          The goal of affiliate marketing products is to create affiliates. Most will never figure it out (hence your reply). The ones that do, quickly realize that spending money to push a product you have no control over can never work long term.


          Since you are a war room member, you should read the post "Product Creator Vs. Affiliate Marketer" in the "my ideas" section. If you'd like to disagree with one of the most successful people in the IM industry (the creator of this forum), that's your call.

          Also, "Professional vs. Hype Masters" in the same section.
          Amen! You want to make money make a killer product! Converts well, makes the users happy and yes. Don't forget the upsells!
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  • Profile picture of the author Wonderful Warrior
    Alexa, I think you and I agree a lot. That's weird considering nobody ever agrees with me it seems
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    • Profile picture of the author fort21
      Originally Posted by Wonderful Warrior View Post

      Alexa, I think you and I agree a lot. That's weird considering nobody ever agrees with me it seems
      hi WW,

      I am new and i hope i interpret you correctly, the free product will get the visitor links and after few autoresponder follow up it become their clients???
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  • Profile picture of the author PaulSch
    One thing I have noticed over the past year or so is that the conversion rate has dropped.
    At one time I´d get a sale every 20- 30 views, now it´s over 100.
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    • Profile picture of the author Wonderful Warrior
      Originally Posted by PaulSch View Post

      One thing I have noticed over the past year or so is that the conversion rate has dropped.
      At one time I´d get a sale every 20- 30 views, now it´s over 100.
      People on the Internet expect to get things for free. So selling information products is very difficult.

      Instead of Clickbank I use Plimus where they sell software. Although software ends up having technical problems (downside), if it's good it will come out with upgrades and plugins which you can also profit from.
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  • Profile picture of the author rohnsmith
    if you are not satisfied with click bank there are so many other affiliate network you can also try ...but 50 % of then seems o be scam so do not pay any money for joining ....
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  • Profile picture of the author VIBGYORtel
    Few months ago I had received one mail from clickbank vendors to join clickbank and promote my services on your blog.. I had join and I got $340 on my account..its still work
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  • Profile picture of the author bluenetworx
    I make a large proportion of my income from Clickbank, however I must say that I am moving away from them these days as I find the quality is getting worse and there is so many great physical products to promote out there
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    Affiliate Marketing
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Brian
    Well, whether as an affiliate or as a vendor, if you outsource most of the work, it's a business, but if you do all the work, it's a job :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author Art Of War Marketing
    Click bank is till profitbale. you just have to do your due diligence by paying attention to the gravity rating and the commision split. Also conduct thoro market research before promoting any product. You should be able to determine if there is a real demand for the clickbank offer u r promoting. Finally, stay up to date on the latest traffic generation techniques to drive traffic to your click bank product
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  • Profile picture of the author chriscubos
    I hope Clickbank is still profitable. I know there are a lot of other sites out there similar to Clickbank which I am also planning to check out but I've heard a lot of good stories about people earning a decent amount of money from clickbank so I also decided to start from there. Plus a lot of IM also recommend to start with
    Clickbank. Is it because it's the easiest to use or is it just that popular?
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  • Profile picture of the author MKaren
    I think more patience is the to succeed in this kind of business,if many people are moving away to click bank then that's an opportunity for others who just started clickbank business...It also need strategy for this...
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  • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
    HELL YEAH it's still profitable!

    I got 120 dollars in my inbox this morning that says so!

    Thank you list!
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  • Profile picture of the author sirtom
    Originally Posted by ripsnorta2 View Post

    At one time Clickbank was quite a good way to make money. But, it's been a while since I did any IM with CB, and I was wondering if that was still the case.
    Of course it is.. Depends on the niche, your marketing, your experience, etc..

    But heck yeah it's still profitable. People say article marketing was on the decline, but that's definitely not the case from my experience.

    I suspect people not actually out there testing and tweaking and applying things will always stand aside and judge which methods and tactics don't work. (I'm in no way making that accusation about you tho, just in general.)
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  • Profile picture of the author mauricio.quito
    I agree with everyone that said Vendor's side is the way to go... That's where the moeny is..

    mauricio
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  • Profile picture of the author dk1
    Anyone care to explain Clickbank to a newbie?
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  • Profile picture of the author Gclunis
    Yes clickbank is still very profitable. It is my main source of affiliate products (besides cj). I also know of a few people (personally) that are making a killing with clickbank products.
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  • Profile picture of the author dannyadams
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Give it up. Apparently Dog himself comes to dannyadams for business advice...

      Besides, if you waste all your time promoting Clickbank products, when are you going to have time to buy his CPA WSO?

      Wait, do people pushing CPA offers have any control over, what was it, oh, yeah, the Price, Product and Service? If not, then you are pushing an unsustainable business model, at least by your reasoning...

      I'm done here...
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      • Profile picture of the author dannyadams
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        • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
          Danny, I have been listening to your pompous, arrogant, opinionated and
          ridiculous absolute claims long enough.

          You sir don't know what the $@^%$ you are talking about.

          And as John McCabe, who has more sense in his pinky than you do in your
          entire head, said...

          I'm done here.

          Carry on trying to argue with this know-it-all.
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          • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
            Banned
            Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

            Danny, I have been listening to your pompous, arrogant, opinionated and
            ridiculous absolute claims long enough.

            You sir don't know what the $@^%$ you are talking about.
            Thanks, Steven - I totally agree with you. I had dropped out of the thread after post # 14 on the previous page ... been out all afternoon expecting the thread would be finished and was amazed to see its length when I got home.

            Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

            And as John McCabe, who has more sense in his pinky than you do in your
            entire head, said...

            I'm done here.
            Very wise.

            Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

            Carry on trying to argue with this know-it-all.
            Not for me, thank you ...
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            • Profile picture of the author Hesaidblissfully
              Affiliate marketing is not a business model, period.

              Affiliate marketing (and marketing in general) is a means to promote a product or service. So saying affiliate marketing isn't a sustainable business model is like saying marketing isn't a sustainable business model. Well....it isn't. Because it's not a business model to begin with. It's a means of promoting a product or service.

              If you offer a freebie and build a subscriber list, the content in the list becomes your product, and affiliate marketing can be used to promote products and services in order to monetize that asset. Same thing if you have a big authority site or a blog. The site or the blog is your product, and affiliate marketing is one way you can promote other products and monetize it.

              Affiliate marketing can be a sustainable way of MONETIZING an existing asset, and it can obviously be very profitable. OTOH, selling your own product or service via affiliates can potentially be MORE profitable and allows you a greater degree of leverage, which is the reason why businesses use affiliates in the first place.
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  • Profile picture of the author turnej
    as with any other promotional tool it is only as powerful as the products for sale
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  • Profile picture of the author smallbusinessguy
    For me the business has gone down. I am now concentrating on providing services online instead of promoting other people's products
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  • Profile picture of the author seanicasia
    for me, I can't speak for all clickbank products, since I haven't bought all of them.

    But for the few I've seen, especially the ones that 'teach how to make money', over-promise, have way too many upsells but no real value, I feel that these are not real value-adding products.

    I guess what I'm trying to say is, it really depends if you can find a clickbank product that has real value.

    Just my 2 cents
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  • Profile picture of the author iSoftware
    @ danny...I agree with you 10000%

    Yes there are people making 7 figs as affiliates. But there's a big difference between MAKING MONEY & BUILDING ASSETS/CREATING WEALTH.

    If you have a list or some traffic domains and your are directing it towards affiliate offers, that's a very sustainable business model.

    But the fact is you own an intangible asset (a list) that can be sold. Most people doing traditional affiliate marketing don't have the kind of "business" they could sell. And what smart business person would create a business that no one would want to buy....they are basically doing arbitrage.

    I took me (sadly) years before I realized that the real money was in recruiting fantastic affiliates (more work and more risk though!!) than it was in being a traditional affiliate....
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by moneykws View Post

      Yes there are people making 7 figs as affiliates. But there's a big difference between MAKING MONEY & BUILDING ASSETS/CREATING WEALTH.
      Many affiliate marketers are building more reliable, more valuable assets than many vendors are.

      The assets some affiliates are building (authority niche sites) aren't even dependent on the continued existence, survival and marketability of any specific product(s). Affiliates with authority sites in a niche can change what they're promoting/selling without being tied to and dependent on the continued success of individual products. That flexibility is part of the underlying value of the asset built up.

      Originally Posted by moneykws View Post

      Most people doing traditional affiliate marketing don't have the kind of "business" they could sell.
      "Most" vendors don't, either.

      These unquantified, unproven, unprovable assertions really signify very little, don't they?
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      • Profile picture of the author dannyadams
        Banned
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        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
          Banned
          Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

          Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

          Many affiliate marketers are building more reliable, more valuable assets than many vendors are.
          What?
          Reading problem, Danny?

          I said "Many affiliate marketers are building more reliable, more valuable assets than many vendors are."

          However much you might dislike that, however much you might disagree with it, however much you might regret that I said it, and however much you might prefer to ridicule it than to attempt an intelligent reply, it remains a factual statement.

          Many affiliate marketers are building more reliable, more valuable assets than many vendors are.

          I am myself an example of that. My authority sites, as an affiliate, bring me in many thousands of dollars per month, and steadily growing. (And I get offers from people wanting to buy them as assets).

          That's way more than the average Clickbank vendor is earning. You know it, I know it and everyone reading this conversation knows it.

          So you may be fooling yourself, but you're certainly not fooling anyone else. Exactly as in a few other threads over the last couple of days, it seems.

          Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

          Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

          The assets some affiliates are building (authority niche sites) aren't even dependent on the continued existence, survival and marketability of any specific product(s). Affiliates with authority sites in a niche can change what they're promoting/selling without being tied to and dependent on the continued success of individual products. That flexibility is part of the underlying value of the asset built up.
          So your "authority" site Vs. some gurus product that did a million dollar launch...who sells for more?
          Clearly the guru who did a million dollar launch sells for more.

          And seriously, I think that in spite of some appearances to the contrary, you're actually intelligent enough to appreciate that a rare, exceptional counter-example doesn't detract in any way from the unquestionable validity of my point, which is simply that affiliates can build up assets too. Often assets which (unlike those of a vendor) are not dependent on the continued existence, survival and marketability of any specific product(s). Affiliates with authority sites in a niche can change what they're promoting/selling without being tied to and dependent on the continued success of individual products. That flexibility is part of the underlying value of the asset built up.

          And again, however much you might dislike that 'inconvenient' little fact and want to try to ridicule it, you can't change the fact that it is a fact.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alfred Shelver
    Danny I admire your courage that you can argue with some of the smartest, most knowledgeable and Honest helpful warriors on the forum. Means you really believe what you are saying or you like controversy.. I won't make the call.

    Surely dismissing advice from other successful people that are actually making money with a Affiliate marketing over a long term have built a business etc is counter productive.
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    • Profile picture of the author dannyadams
      Banned
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      • Profile picture of the author Alfred Shelver
        Surely being an affiliate is a SERVICE you are offering to the vendor for a FEE ... therefore as per your definition a business which naturally it is, and at a rate of 75% .... at 75% you have to ask who gets more benefit the vendor or the affiliate.



        Originally Posted by dannyadams View Post

        Dismissing basic common sense is pretty counter productive as well.

        A BUSINESS provides a PRODUCT or SERVICE to a customer for a FEE.

        Affiliates have none of that.
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  • Profile picture of the author sarahberra
    That really depends on the product you select. There are a lot of garbage click bank products out there. You need to find something that you know works. The acne info products are pretty good and I really like the mole removal product in addition to the organic gardening products. I don't like most of the money making products. Banner Ad blueprint is a joke. The vidoes are unprofessional. Mass Article Control is not a good product either. I tried this one also. I think I like Info Product Killer, but I am still in training and I am not sure what I think yet. It seems like a good product. I am just going through a steep learning curve. I get confused about certain SEO tactics.
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  • Profile picture of the author tryinhere
    If you are the affiliate and I create a terrible product, you promote it and half the people refund 30 days later, ITS NOT YOUR FAULT but you still have to pay up!

    The difference is CONTROL.
    @ dannyadams ? are you saying as an affiliate you have no control ? that seems a little far left as in offline sales / online sales / affiliates have complete control and they choose only those products they wish to promote.

    A good affiliate does not need any vendor nor will they chase them, i am also a little confused by your posts as it seems you downgrade affiliates as see them as you pawns in your online venture or some thing as to be used by you ?

    Or have i read this wrong and you appreciate and work with your affilates that choose to promote your products?
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  • Profile picture of the author Recession_Proof
    I think Clickbank is very profitable. I make at least 4 or 5 sales a day from it. The trick is to have at least 2 or 3 accounts.
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  • Profile picture of the author soulravager
    Well yes CB is still profitable but the conversion rates have gone down by ALOT.
    If you want to promote CB products I reccomend promoting rebill products becouse its kind of a constant cashflow
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  • Profile picture of the author clorets01
    I'm testing it right now. It hasn't been that great so far so I might switch to amazon, but I'll decide in a few weeks.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris30K
    CPA is way better than Clickbank to be honest....it's profitable, but not on the level I want
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  • Profile picture of the author mistermint
    10 cents worth:

    CB Gravity: Distorted facts because of JV's...Even well respected marketers are sending out crap offers as a favour to pals..

    As more and more new IM's find this forum then more and more CB make money products will crash out..you can see posts looking for reviews of most CB offers..

    You can sell anything if you have either, a) A big marketing budget or b) An authority site with big traffic numbers.

    PPC does work for CB products but, it can be very risky unless your an ace tester and track everything.

    PPV Is probably also difficult as your interupting folk.

    My own way with CB is to first buy the product and see if it has any value prior to thinking about selling it to anyone.You can make money with CB it's true but, you better make sure the stuff your selling is worth it or, you will lose the trust of your customers...

    Finally, I'm sure a lot of folk collect the product information, watch the videos and grab the freebies then, hit the refund button.

    Have said this before, there is so much free stuff around it has got harder to make good money with CB..just my opinion, sure a lot of folk are reading this thread smiling to themselves..

    I've seen a big increase in hops lately and amazon clicks but, few reaching for the credit card..

    Gordon.
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  • Profile picture of the author SeanTellsDotNet
    Greetings- thanks to all of you who make the WF such a great place to learn. I have had some success with Clickbank but recently ran into something I have not seen before.

    One of the products I am promoting added an option on the sales page: where a person can now print out an order form and mail a money-order directly to the vendor. There's no indication of the affiliate ID anywhere on the order form. This is clearly taking the affiliate for ride.

    Questions:
    Should I drop this vendor fast- conversions are very low?
    Is this okay to do as a Clickbank vendor- just bypass the affiliate outright?

    Thanks for any responses for the font of WF experience.

    -Sean
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by SeanTellsDotNet View Post

      One of the products I am promoting added an option on the sales page: where a person can now print out an order form and mail a money-order directly to the vendor. There's no indication of the affiliate ID anywhere on the order form. This is clearly taking the affiliate for ride.
      I hear you, there. I haven't heard of this "payment option" at Clickbank (and my guess, actually, would be that very few people would really do that anyway - unless the product is perhaps aimed at people without credit-cards, in the "sub-prime finance niche", for example ... I'm not asking, but it's a very unusual thing for a vendor to do). But there are many sales pages which give other payment options, including "PayPal without ClickBank" and these are obviously useless to affiliates. How these vendors expect to attract and retain affiliates (if they do) I can't imagine.

      Originally Posted by SeanTellsDotNet View Post

      Should I drop this vendor fast- conversions are very low?
      Well ... up to you, clearly ... I must admit that if I had a decent conversion-rate for the product and that were the only other way to pay, it might not put me off, because I can't see many people using it, with its worse protection and so on (no ClickBank guarantee and refund rights etc.), but maybe I'm wrong about all that? I'd certainly ask the vendor, as politely as I could manage (I'm not always good at that, but I try) what on Earth he thinks he's playing at.

      Seriously, you can always ask the vendor, you know? (It's an additional lifeline, to be used after "Ask the audience"). Maybe he'll even remove it if/when he realises (some of) his affiliates might walk out over it?

      Originally Posted by SeanTellsDotNet View Post

      Is this okay to do as a Clickbank vendor- just bypass the affiliate outright?
      Yes; it is.

      This is just a form of "leaky sales page", really, with the leak on the order page instead. There are many of them. :rolleyes:
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      • Profile picture of the author SeanTellsDotNet
        Thanks for the courtesy of a reply. I think I probably know this is "leaky," and just needed to see someone else walk that out. I appreciat it.
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  • Profile picture of the author molsted
    Originally Posted by ripsnorta2 View Post

    At one time Clickbank was quite a good way to make money. But, it's been a while since I did any IM with CB, and I was wondering if that was still the case.

    I did read the other day a comment that things have changed with Clickbank and it's no longer a great way to make money. Is that true?
    Is the earth still round?

    he he...

    seriously, CB products are just like any other products. Some are profitable- some are not.

    Like it's always been.
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  • Profile picture of the author MikePatton
    I make a modest $25-$50 a day from Clickbank... now I have to do it 10 times harder.
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    • Profile picture of the author affiliate_marketer
      Hi,

      I find that there is too much competition and too many affiliates are promoting the same products. You need to be really good to get ahead in this market. You are better off promoting a lesser known affiliate network or do CPA which I think is easier than Clickbank. However, the hottest trend now is providing online services to local business. Hope this helps.
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      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by affiliate_marketer View Post

        I find that there is too much competition and too many affiliates are promoting the same products.
        I think there's a lot of truth in this.

        But fortunately, there are some low-gravity gems which only few affiliates are promoting. And some of those products are best-sellers. It's very easy for people who don't quite understand how "gravity" works to guess wrongly that "low gravity" means a product doesn't sell well, or that its sales page doesn't convert well. It's by no means necessarily true. There's some relatively easy money among those Clickbank products for those willing to select wisely.
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