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Craigslist + CPA = $$$ - Anyone else agree?

by WebsiteMarketer
8 replies
I've been playing around with "advertising" my website (which is centered around a specific CPA offer) in subtle, non-violation causing ways on Craigslist. I've found it to be extremely effective, a lot more so than I expected it to be.

Just this morning I made four quick posts to four random cities (each post says about the same thing but unique enough not to get caught), it took me all of 5 minutes to do and by tonight I have generated $35 (5 conversions) in pure profit. In fact the conversion rate for people who hit my website and clicked through to my CPA offer was over 10%.

I'm no rocket scientist but all signs point to this being very easily scalable (40 posts would turn into $350) given the sheer amount of unique daily traffic and so many different cities to post in. What do you think?

I'm very excited to see how far I can stretch the scalability of this model.

Has anyone else here exploited Craigslist in such a way to generate awesome profits?
#$$$ #agree #cpa #craigslist
  • Profile picture of the author ryanman
    Most times craigslist flags it real fast so I don't feel it's worth it anymore.
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    • Profile picture of the author WebsiteMarketer
      Originally Posted by ryanman View Post

      Most times craigslist flags it real fast so I don't feel it's worth it anymore.
      No, no it's not like that at all. If you know how to word it and your offer can actually benefit people who may be interested it rarely gets flagged.

      Since I started messing around with this I've posted like 15 times and only one got flagged and that was because I tried pushing the wording.
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    • Profile picture of the author Angela V. Edwards
      Originally Posted by ryanman View Post

      Most times craigslist flags it real fast so I don't feel it's worth it anymore.
      Yeah, that's been my experience too. My ads get flagged pretty much right away (anything that's not an actual tangible item seems to get tagged), so what's the use?
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      • Profile picture of the author Robert Oliver
        I was doing very well with this method until my AM for a network I was using called me and told me to take down my Craigslist ads. They are not allowed in Craigslist.

        I will just look for networks who do not block Craigslist as a traffic source.

        I was even using a redirect to help coverup my traffic source. I guess they have
        people out monitoring different traffic sources.

        Have a great 2009.

        Robert
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        • Profile picture of the author WebsiteMarketer
          Originally Posted by Robert Oliver View Post

          I was doing very well with this method until my AM for a network I was using called me and told me to take down my Craigslist ads. They are not allowed in Craigslist.

          I will just look for networks who do not block Craigslist as a traffic source.

          I was even using a redirect to help coverup my traffic source. I guess they have
          people out monitoring different traffic sources.

          Have a great 2009.

          Robert
          Yea, I guess that's one thing I'm still a little worried about by exploiting CL. I feel like you gotta be pretty unlucky to get caught when you are directing the CL traffic through your own website and then to the offer.

          I just plan on milking this for all it's worth for as long as I can.
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  • Profile picture of the author igrowyourbiz
    Craigslist works great for me for direct to consumer type promos, as well as list-building
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    • Profile picture of the author WebsiteMarketer
      Originally Posted by igrowyourbiz.com View Post

      Craigslist works great for me for direct to consumer type promos, as well as list-building
      List-building huh? I don't think I've heard of anyone using Craigslist for list-building, care to elaborate?
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      • Profile picture of the author igrowyourbiz
        Originally Posted by WebsiteMarketer View Post

        List-building huh? I don't think I've heard of anyone using Craigslist for list-building, care to elaborate?

        well first understand i have a different philosophy in general than most.

        1) I don't do affiliate marketing

        i come from the offline marketing world, Direct mail/response included in that. IM is simply MOM marketing from the olden days. So I believe that MULTISTEP and BACKEND is always the most profitable system to build.

        AM causes me to lose my customer (unless i put in a lot of extra effort). So, I PERSONALLY PREFER to create my own products (or private label)

        So I can get people to buy from me repeatedly.

        2) For clients that want to learn AM, I teach them how to do it through the same technique, and allowing AM to not be the main "product" and to be used as backend sales.


        To me the worst thing anyone can do is send a lead they worked hard for or paid a lot to get, directly to an affiliate sales page...in the hopes a cookie stays and when they buy later they get the credit.

        Instead of taking a craigslist ad and sending a person to a sales page, instead send them to a good, well-converting squeeze page.

        Makes it easy to do in multiple cities.

        And because its not a hard sale, people gladly sign-up...Works like a charm...everytime.

        2 posts per city in the top 50 city's costs me around $100 bucks

        I always make it back...whether in immediate sales or long term through the new list.
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