Please stop doing this - it could harm product reputation

32 replies
Right I know marketers are just trying to get people to click on their sites but putting xproductx scam revealed or somthing similar just looks really bad IMO.

Fair enough if the product is a scam but most of the time it is in connection with legitimate and sometimes really great products and it's just misleading. I'm sure some folk will disagree but I know myself (before I started marketing) if I saw the word scam anywhere near the product I was researching and looking to buy, it would definitely put doubt in my mind to its credibility.

One of the main products I sell and have been selling for some time, is becoming increasingly littered with sites talking about how they will reveal the scam when in fact, when you go to the site, they are saying it's the best thing ever. But some people might not get as far as clicking on the site and finding out the dubiety and this product IS a very good product.

Do any vendors feel this way, I would love to know your opinion on the matter?

It just baffles me why people feel the need to do this, sorry.

Bethsuzi
#harm #product #reputation #stop
  • Profile picture of the author paulie888
    Actually, this is a time-tested tactic to get people to click on your site. It is attention-grabbing, and in many cases compels the browser to click through to find out whether what they're looking for is a scam or not.

    I suppose you could call this strategy somewhat devious, but apparently it results in better responses and a greater number of click-throughs. I haven't really seen any vendors take issue with this approach, and ultimately I think the majority of them don't really care as long as this tactic results in increased sales for them.

    Paul
    Signature
    >>> Features Jason Fladlien, John S. Rhodes, Justin Brooke, Sean I. Mitchell, Reed Floren and Brad Gosse! <<<
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3257484].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author bethsuzi
      Originally Posted by paulie888 View Post

      Actually, this is a time-tested tactic to get people to click on your site. It is attention-grabbing, and in many cases compels the browser to click through to find out whether what they're looking for is a scam or not.

      I suppose you could call this strategy somewhat devious, but apparently it results in better responses and a greater number of click-throughs. I haven't really seen any vendors take issue with this approach, and ultimately I think the majority of them don't really care as long as this tactic results in increased sales for them.

      Paul

      Hmmm. So it's still more important to get a few more clicks with the scam tactic than honest headlines, even after acknowledging that the tactic is devious?

      I'm sure the word scam gets people to notice, that's why they are doing it but when it is everywhere, I mean taking up half of the google page and some of the sponsored ads down the side, it begins to look very bad.
      Signature

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3257529].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author paulie888
        Originally Posted by bethsuzi View Post

        Hmmm. So it's still more important to get a few more clicks with the scam tactic than honest headlines, even after acknowledging that the tactic is devious?

        I'm sure the word scam gets people to notice, that's why they are doing it but when it is everywhere, I mean taking up half of the google page and some of the sponsored ads down the side, it begins to look very bad.
        I agree it can be quite depressing to see this, but I've seen this approach used by affiliates for at least several years now, so I'd gather that it probably still produces higher click-through rates, resulting in greater conversions ultimately?
        Signature
        >>> Features Jason Fladlien, John S. Rhodes, Justin Brooke, Sean I. Mitchell, Reed Floren and Brad Gosse! <<<
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3257540].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Robert Puddy
      Originally Posted by paulie888 View Post

      I haven't really seen any vendors take issue with this approach, and ultimately I think the majority of them don't really care as long as this tactic results in increased sales for them.

      Paul
      Actually you will find they dont like it at all, I know for instance that kind of review site actually cost Mike Filsaime a TV slot on a news channel becuase they thought the scam part was real.

      It took him months to reschedule the interview
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3257956].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Black Hat Cat
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Robert Puddy View Post

        Actually you will find they dont like it at all, I know for instance that kind of review site actually cost Mike Filsaime a TV slot on a news channel becuase they thought the scam part was real.

        It took him months to reschedule the interview
        Pfffffffft.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3330594].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Kevin Riley
    Originally Posted by bethsuzi View Post

    Right I know marketers are just trying to get people to click on their sites but putting xproductx scam revealed or somthing similar just looks really bad IMO.
    I think you'll find that in most cases it is affiliates who are using this tactic, not the product owner.
    Signature
    Kevin Riley, long-time Warrior living in Osaka, Japan

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3257500].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author bethsuzi
      Originally Posted by Kevin Riley View Post

      I think you'll find that in most cases it is affiliates who are using this tactic, not the product owner.
      I think you misunderstood me. I was, in fact, directing this at affiliates and wondered what the vendors thought about their hard work being used in the same sentence as the word scam.

      Beth
      Signature

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3257511].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author paulie888
        Originally Posted by bethsuzi View Post

        I think you misunderstood me. I was, in fact, directing this at affiliates and wondered what the vendors thought about their hard work being used in the same sentence as the word scam.

        Beth
        As I've mentioned above, the product vendors (especially on Clickbank) don't really care as long as it results in increased sales for them. The affiliates use this sort of title/domain to get people to click through, and apparently it's quite effective in accomplishing this, because you still see this tactic being employed to this day (many affiliates have been doing this for at least several years now).

        Paul
        Signature
        >>> Features Jason Fladlien, John S. Rhodes, Justin Brooke, Sean I. Mitchell, Reed Floren and Brad Gosse! <<<
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3257527].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author bethsuzi
          Originally Posted by paulie888 View Post

          As I've mentioned above, the product vendors (especially on Clickbank) don't really care as long as it results in increased sales for them.

          Paul
          Thanks for your input Paul, but I'm really looking to find out what vendors think. Not what affiliates think vendors think, no offence.

          If you look at Frank's post, you will see that not all vendors are particularly happy with this tactic!

          Beth
          Signature

          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3257639].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author Defunct
            Originally Posted by bethsuzi View Post

            Thanks for your input Paul, but I'm really looking to find out what vendors think. Not what affiliates think vendors think, no offence.

            If you look at Frank's post, you will see that not all vendors are particularly happy with this tactic!

            Beth
            Yeh, I think in the end the vendors can shut it down, same with AdWords and people using your name/products in the ad copy.

            If they don't then maybe they want it that way.

            Definitely one of those lame/annoying tactics.
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3257658].message }}
            • Profile picture of the author Steve Daley
              Agree, very lame & annoying. Makes you wonder if the title is misleading, most likely so is the review. Others may disagree. I've never used it myself so can't compare it's effectiveness against not using it.
              {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3257673].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author PatriciaJ
    Maybe nothing else has worked for them and they have found that a lot of people do searches for product information with scam included in the search phrase just in case it's a scam and they are taking advantage. They are what I call desperate marketers.

    The same applies to those who use review in the title of something they are affiliated to when at best they are overviews taken from sales pages and more than likely they've never owned the product. Sometimes it's hard finding honest reviews amongst the crud.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3257502].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author profitsforall
    I definitely remember reading an ebook a few years back that recommended using this tactic as a way to get people to click through.

    People are worried about being ripped off - so they click the link to see in what way it's a scam, and your sales page then tells them that it's not.

    Just because everyone is doing it doesn't mean it works - this tactic could have been oversaturated in some markets, but without testing you couldn't say with any certainty whether it's more effective.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3257570].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Frank Ayres
    i followed this teaching a while ago and promoted some clickbank products with the Scam headlines, and i was contacted by Clickbank and told that the product owner had complained and if i didnt stop they would ban me, so i did stop and have never used the scam headlines again
    Signature

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3257600].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author bethsuzi
      Originally Posted by Frank Ayres View Post

      i followed this teaching a while ago and promoted some clickbank products with the Scam headlines, and i was contacted by Clickbank and told that the product owner had complained and if i didnt stop they would ban me, so i did stop and have never used the scam headlines again

      Very interesting, thank you for sharing that.

      I know this has been going on for many years, but it seems to have infiltrated almost every product there is (on Clickbank)!

      Beth
      Signature

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3257626].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Originally Posted by bethsuzi View Post

    Right I know marketers are just trying to get people to click on their sites but putting xproductx scam revealed or somthing similar just looks really bad IMO.

    Fair enough if the product is a scam but most of the time it is in connection with legitimate and sometimes really great products and it's just misleading. I'm sure some folk will disagree but I know myself (before I started marketing) if I saw the word scam anywhere near the product I was researching and looking to buy, it would definitely put doubt in my mind to its credibility.

    One of the main products I sell and have been selling for some time, is becoming increasingly littered with sites talking about how they will reveal the scam when in fact, when you go to the site, they are saying it's the best thing ever. But some people might not get as far as clicking on the site and finding out the dubiety and this product IS a very good product.

    Do any vendors feel this way, I would love to know your opinion on the matter?

    It just baffles me why people feel the need to do this, sorry.

    Bethsuzi
    It's a well known fact that people may NOT read the whole article, and may not even read past the title. Frankly, I NEVER liked the idea.

    Steve
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3258104].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author eapen john
      Lot of affiliates are using that technique to grab attention and get traffic. I feel it's a bad thing to do.

      But in Clickbank I read that promoting their products with such misleading titles is a violation of their terms and conditions.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3258206].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author bethsuzi
        I just want to update this thread to reiterate to all newbie marketers (and not so new), please don't be tempted to use the word scam in connection with the product you are promoting.

        I have now found a yahoo answers on the product I am promoting (I dont know how I missed it before) asking if it is a scam, obviously due to all the scam promotion tactics that fill google and were never clicked on to find out they were actually promoting it. The answers to the yahoo question say that it must be a scam etc etc and because it has been resolved, there is nothing I can do and it comes up on #2 for the product keyword along with all the other scam alerts.

        So thanks to the niave marketers who have used this tactic and irresponsible so-called gurus who didn't have the sense to anticipate that this might happen, that taught this tactic, this product's reputation has been completely ruined even though it was one of the best (IMO) health products on Clickbank.

        Please, just don't do it!!!
        Signature

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3330318].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Alex Copeland
          This harks back to the days when Rich Jerk and all that came out, it was listed as one of the main ways to grab attention and it just stuck.

          I agree that it is very misleading, and IMHO it doesn't stick out any more anyway as there are too many similar headlines out there. Ironically the ones that tend to stick out now are the headings that DON'T mention scam, trick, fake etc.

          Sorry to hear it is affecting the product you are promoting, the only thing I can suggest is putting more of the good points out there to swamp posts such as that one.
          Signature

          Unleash Your Awesome - Pocket Ace Promotion

          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3330367].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    You can always cripple those affiliate accounts and not let them promote your product thru those methods.

    I am not sure about ClickBank, but I am pretty sure you can disable any affiliate who breaks your TOS.

    Add it to your TOS, and make people sign off on the new TOS within 30 days. Then cripple those who continue to do it.
    Signature
    Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
    Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3330343].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author bethsuzi
      Originally Posted by tpw View Post

      You can always cripple those affiliate accounts and not let them promote your product thru those methods.

      I am not sure about ClickBank, but I am pretty sure you can disable any affiliate who breaks your TOS.

      Add it to your TOS, and make people sign off on the new TOS within 30 days. Then cripple those who continue to do it.
      Thanks for your reply but it's not actually my product, I am just an affiliate who has been promoting this product for years as I beieve it is so good. But I could contact the vendor about it. I am sure they must be annoyed about this anyway. All the scam tactics are relatively new for this product so perhaps they will be doing something about it soon - here's hoping.

      Thanks
      Signature

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3330373].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author samstephens
    I can see the theory behind it, especially if you're redirecting the client to a review website, but in a lot of cases these days all it does is redirect the customer to the vendors website.

    So someone clicks on the link to see if Product X is a scam or not, and they just end up on Product X's website thinking, hey hang on, is this a scam or not?!

    I can't see that being good for conversion rates. You're much better off having less clicks, and better conversion rates. Your advertising will also cost less, this way.

    But let's also have a think about the psychology of selling - customers are generally wary of buying things off the internet already (it's not as bad as it used to be, but there's still a lot of mistrust). Now if you put the word "scam" in someones mind, linking it to a particular product, even if you then say, "It's not a scam! Suprise!", then you've still created that doubt, and that doubt will continue to linger.

    Click-throughs are almost superfluous - in advertising, the real number that counts is conversion rates.

    More clicks isn't nessessarily a better thing...

    cheers
    Sam
    Signature
    DLGuard v5 - The Warrior Edition
    Full integration with JVZoo, DigiResults, and WSO Pro for secure WSO's and WSO memberships.

    www.dlguard.com
    Serving the Warrior Forum since 2004
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3330432].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author markowe
    Yep, really lame and just plain unethical. And no, not all vendors are happy with it (not just on CB), I have signed up for many an affiliate program with terms that expressly forbid the use of words like 'scam' in association with their product, and rightly so if they care about more than just quick sales.
    Signature

    Who says you can't earn money as an eBay affiliate any more? My stats say otherwise

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3330491].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author SamuelJon
    Here is a little tip for everyone that uses the SCAM technique to make money and get traffic. I know a person who had a lawsuit filed against them by a well known Video Tutorial Company. You have probably seen this person on TV.

    It was settled out of court for $20,000.00.

    The reason they got in trouble is for using an exclamation mark after the word "Scam". Most people will use a question mark after the word scam so they are not stating something.

    I stay away from this battle because that what it usually turns into. Usually this technique is used to attract search engine traffic and get the customer through your affiliate link or a cookie in the persons browser, or it is used to steal away traffic to other websites and send the traffic to other similar offers.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3330510].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author hikemojo
    By using the word scam they are instilling one of our primal instincts "fear" its been going on as long as products have been marketed. Is definitely isn't ethical but the internet is unfortunately an unregulated place and very hard to police.

    As far as clicks are concerned cant see how successful it can be. It seems to just be a tool for damaging the competition.

    Creating a false fear and then attaching it to somebodies work really annoys me just hope somebody does it to their project one day. a very black hat method in my view.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3330612].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Kom
    Talk About "SCAM"

    This My opinion,
    All Of products as EBOOK all of them Scam ( specialy make money fast ). but now is depending what you need, sometime you feel that is scam,and sometime is works for some reason,

    Vendor" they dont care as long as get click and sale, after that products slow dow, they will make new move creating another products,That is it.

    But that is business, all about money, specialy internet,

    Even they offer you refund, sometime you will not get that promise.

    Note: we fell that scam when they not work like what they said

    Scam is tradition of internet marketing.

    Don't get me wrong Some of product is work if you follow the step and add your tactic for it. All about money.

    Thank
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3330631].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Markus Mar
    If you are really unfortable with this tactic,
    you might consider putting up a note of warning
    to all of your affiliates, restricting them from
    using thist tactic, or else they will forfeit their
    commissions.

    Most affiliates will stop using this tactic to
    promote a product upon seeing the warning,
    but then again, they might stop promoting
    your products altogether.

    The choice really is yours.
    Signature

    "Meeting beautiful women is easy IF you know the right way to do it!"

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3330707].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by tpw View Post

      You can always cripple those affiliate accounts and not let them promote your product thru those methods.

      I am not sure about ClickBank, but I am pretty sure you can disable any affiliate who breaks your TOS.

      Add it to your TOS, and make people sign off on the new TOS within 30 days. Then cripple those who continue to do it.
      I'm going on memory here, but didn't John Reese have to do something like this for one of his product launches a couple of years ago?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3331106].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author wtatlas
        I'm not so sure that it's a tactic that works as well as it did. Most folks I know would never click on any site that says "Is Product XX A Scam?" or something similar.

        It's just too silly for words.
        Signature

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3331254].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author DawnMarie
          It's a fact, a negative spin is an attention grabber. Look at the evening news: If the story is about how 90% of high school students stay in school and graduate, the teaser to get you to watch the news will be, "Crisis in Education: Why 1 in 10 high school students will never make it to their graduation day."

          Whatever you're selling - the evening news, a click to a website, etc., nearly always sells better if the spin is negative. It's human nature - people slow down to see a car crash.

          I understand what you're saying and I wish we could change it, but I don't see it happening any time soon.
          Signature
          Powerhouse EMAILS, Lead Magnets and Salesletters Custom Written to Seduce Your Subscribers into Loving You, Trusting You and Buying from You Just $75 TODAY ONLY
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3331321].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author bethsuzi
            Originally Posted by dawnday View Post

            It's a fact, a negative spin is an attention grabber. Look at the evening news: If the story is about how 90% of high school students stay in school and graduate, the teaser to get you to watch the news will be, "Crisis in Education: Why 1 in 10 high school students will never make it to their graduation day."

            Whatever you're selling - the evening news, a click to a website, etc., nearly always sells better if the spin is negative. It's human nature - people slow down to see a car crash.

            I understand what you're saying and I wish we could change it, but I don't see it happening any time soon.
            The thing is, selling a newspaper with provocative or even negative wording is a lot different from trying to get potential buyers to buy the product which has the negative word in relation to it.

            People are interested in news, good or bad but when they are looking to buy a product, they want to see positive words only, anything else places that seed of doubt. I only promote products I think (and know cos I bought them) are worthy so it riles me when I see the scam or other eye-catching negative words connected to the product.

            Beth
            Signature

            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3331544].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author interestingindeed
    Review... Scam... Bonus... Those are the default keywords appended to any product name by affiliates promoting the product. They do it because it works.
    Originally Posted by bethsuzi View Post

    Right I know marketers are just trying to get people to click on their sites but putting xproductx scam revealed or somthing similar just looks really bad IMO.

    Fair enough if the product is a scam but most of the time it is in connection with legitimate and sometimes really great products and it's just misleading. I'm sure some folk will disagree but I know myself (before I started marketing) if I saw the word scam anywhere near the product I was researching and looking to buy, it would definitely put doubt in my mind to its credibility.

    One of the main products I sell and have been selling for some time, is becoming increasingly littered with sites talking about how they will reveal the scam when in fact, when you go to the site, they are saying it's the best thing ever. But some people might not get as far as clicking on the site and finding out the dubiety and this product IS a very good product.

    Do any vendors feel this way, I would love to know your opinion on the matter?

    It just baffles me why people feel the need to do this, sorry.

    Bethsuzi
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3331348].message }}

Trending Topics