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How deeply do you (or should you) scrutinize a product before you market it?

by mauii
7 replies
So I’ve been researching topics/products to market as an affiliate, and this question has been burning in the back of my mind the entire time. We’ve all been around enough to know that not everything is always as advertized. The problem can range from boldly exaggerated claims, to things that flat out do not work as promised. In my opinion, if you market something that is absolute snake oil, than ethically speaking you are no better than the creator.
With health products being one of the most popular (and profitable) categories, this is especially concerning as people may be trying to treat legitimate medical issues.

So my question is, what do you do to make sure you are endorsing a genuine product? I imagine for many people (not pointing to anyone here), the answer is “absolutely nothing”…but personally I am not okay with this. Have you ever gone as far as to order the product and test it before hand? This is probably the most thorough way to go about it, however that could be prohibitively time consuming/expensive, or outright impossible (e.g. the product is a wart treatment, but I’ve never had warts in my life). Unsolicited reviews on a site like amazon are another good option, but not every product is on amazon, and reviews elsewhere may be non-existent.


Are there any affiliate networks that actually vet products before accepting them?
#deeply #market #product #scrutinize
  • Profile picture of the author dana67
    I think due diligence is always required. I always want to market something that is honest and people can make money with, get a good product, etc. My opinion anyways.
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  • Profile picture of the author feeosh
    I'm with you on this one. It's something that I've also questioned. What I do is google reviews (a lot of times they come through this forum), then I go through them to find ones that are true reviews, not just affiliate sites, and go from there.
    Trouble is, like you say, not all products are reviewed.
    I'll be reading this thread with interest.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Pagulayan
    I always buy or see the product before I promote it.

    Also you might want to try to contact the sellers at and ask for a copy or a review copy at least and tell them that you're promoting it to your list but you need to make sure of the quality.

    Some ask for the URL of my squeeze page and some asks for a screenshot of my AR account.

    However, you'd be surpised that most of them are willing to give you one even without proof that you have a list.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lucian Lada
    Originally Posted by mauii View Post

    In my opinion, if you market something that is absolute snake oil, than ethically speaking you are no better than the creator.
    Noo... people here are calling this "increasing ROI."

    Originally Posted by mauii View Post

    So my question is, what do you do to make sure you are endorsing a genuine product? I imagine for many people (not pointing to anyone here), the answer is “absolutely nothing”
    Most people don't even read the entire sales pages of the products they promote, let alone take a look at the product itself. Go figure.

    Originally Posted by mauii View Post

    Have you ever gone as far as to order the product and test it before hand?
    To me, this isn't going "as far as" ... it's the "beginning point", really (after assessing the sales page, of course). You cannot possibly know what the product is like if you haven't tested it. Of course, I'm referring mainly to ClickBank products. (Physhical products are different).

    The thing is, most people, both affiliates and vendors, don't understand is that their product is like a recommendation letter. If it's good, customers will buy more of their stuff (though, as explained here, most can't understand that this is possible) and/or tell other people how good your product is and effectively do some marketing for you which means you'll sell even more products.

    If it's bad, it all stops there. Actually, it can go backwards, as unhappy customers can ask for refunds.

    But, considering the average marketer isn't brilliant to start with, stumbles on all the wrong advice because the dumbest marketers are also the loudest, then it's no wonder this happens all the time.

    Originally Posted by mauii View Post

    This is probably the most thorough way to go about it, however that could be prohibitively time consuming/expensive,
    It's just part of the game, really. If you cut corners, you'll cut your check size, too.
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  • Profile picture of the author UnleashedGrowth
    Check out Pat Flynn's blog. He makes a ton of money through affiliate marketing. He's also very ethical about it all.

    Here are some of his articles specifically about affiliate marketing:

    Here is Pat's actual guide to all his articles he's written about affiliate marketing. He goes into detail on what to promote and how to do it ethically.


    Here's a copy of his disclaimer That shows his general attitude, and transparency towards affiliate promotions.

    If you don't feel like clicking through basically 2 rules.
    1. Only recommend products you personally use.
    2. Only recommend those products, don't directly tell anyone to buy them.

    Was that helpful?
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    So my question is, what do you do to make sure you are endorsing a genuine product?
    #1 I find out as much as possible about the creator.
    #2 I request a review copy or demo access to the members area, etc.
    #3 I never go within mentioning distance of the "health" market (shivers) did it just get sketchy in here?

    I've been around enough that I know who the legit players are and I mostly concentrate on people I know and trust, which eliminates the need for #1 & #2 above.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    I have a policy.

    Let's say I'm promoting a hosting product. I'll research the best hosting providers and select 3 of them to purchase and use. When the best of the bunch comes to light, that's the one I promote. You'll sleep better at night.
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