ClickBank 101

A Crash Course for

Affiliates

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 Table of Content

1. Sign up in ClickBank ………………………………………………………03

2. How to Choose a ClickBank Product to Promote ……………..…..06

3. Should You Promote ClickBank Products without a Website? ...09

4. 9 Quick Tips for ClickBank Affiliates …………………………………..12

5. 10 Common Mistakes ClickBank Affiliates Make …………………...16

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 Sign up in ClickBank

Figuring out the nuts and bolts of ClickBank can be overwhelming to beginner
marketers who are new to the business. The truth is that ClickBank itself is
simple in concept… but making it work for you, is difficult and requires
consistent hard work and patience.
ClickBank is a platform for marketers to sell their products and it’s also an
opportunity for affiliates to promote these products and make a commission.
The more sales you make, the more commissions you’ll get.

 Signing up to be an affiliate
You can easily sign up for a ClickBank account here:
https://accounts.clickbank.com/master/create-account
For more details on account creation, go here:
https://support.clickbank.com/hc/en-us/articles/220376387
Do note that while most countries are allowed, ClickBank does have
restrictions on a few countries. You can always reach ClickBank support here
(https://www.clkbank.com/#!/) to check if your country is allowed. In most
cases, it will be on the approved country list.
You may log into ClickBank here:
https://accounts.clickbank.com/master/login.htm

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  Getting paid
Currently, there are 4 ways to get paid by ClickBank once you’ve accrued
some commissions:
 Check
 Wire transfer
 Direct deposit
 Payoneer
There is no option to get paid via PayPal. So, you’ll have to set your payment
preference after logging in. For more information, go here:
https://support.clickbank.com/hc/en-us/articles/360035054431

 Getting your affiliate link

Once you’re signed up, getting your affiliate link is pretty straightforward. Go
to the ClickBank marketplace (after signing in). Then click on the ‘Promote’ tab
of any product you wish to promote, and a hop link generator will pop up for
you to create your affiliate link with the click of a button. Easy peasy!
Do note that there is a difference between hops and sales. When you look at
your stats, you may have several hops because people are clicking on your
links. The hops reflect the activity of potential customers you’re sending.
They’re NOT sales.
You’ll see a dollar amount when you do get a sale. Many beginners get
confused by this.

 Understanding the stats

This is one area where tons of affiliates get confused. The ClickBank stats that
are displayed for each individual product are a little obtuse and not intuitive,
but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be fine. Let’s simplify them…
 Initial $/conversion: $XXX – This is the average commission you will
make if you sell one copy of the product. A single sale to be precise.
 Recurring $/rebill: $XXX – This is the amount you can earn if the
customer you refer pays for a recurring subscription product.
 Gravity – This score is a metric that reflects how many affiliates are
promoting and making sales of the product within the past 12 weeks.
These stats are more than enough for you to get started. Don’t overcomplicate
things.

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Generally, the stats are just an indicator of how much you’ll earn and if the
product is popular. Just like all stats, you should take these with a pinch of
salt and know that ultimately, how much you earn will depend on your efforts.
A good gravity reflects that the product converts, but it also means that you’re
facing a lot of competition from other affiliates. A high commission per sale is
great for boosting your income, BUT the product has to be suitable for your
niche.
So, the stats are a good way to get an idea of the product, but they’re just a
means to an end. Don’t obsess over them. Focus on your promotional efforts
instead.
The information in this article should more than suffice to get you started. If
you wish to learn more, you can spend some time in the ClickBank
knowledgebase: https://support.clickbank.com/hc/en-us
There are tons of articles there to help you. Do remember that trying to learn
too much can lead to information overload.
It’s best to get started and course-correct along the way. That’s the only way
to reach your goal of becoming a successful affiliate with ClickBank. Sign up
for an account today and start building assets to promote the products you
like.
“Learning is an active process. We learn by doing. Only knowledge that is
used sticks in your mind.” - Dale Carnegie

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 How to Choose a ClickBank Product to Promote

There are thousands of products in the ClickBank marketplace that you’ll be

able to promote and that means you’re spoiled for choice here… but with great
power comes great responsibility.
It’s very easy to pick a product that looks great but converts poorly. It’s also
easy to choose an unethical product that’s selling well but discontinued a
week later because it flouts the ClickBank platform’s terms and conditions.

1. The platform and vendors are NOT the same thing

You must understand the difference between the platform and the vendor. So
often, marketers tar both with the same brush – and expect ClickBank to
separate the wheat from the chaff and only keep the good products. This is a
Herculean task because of the sheer number of products on the platform.
ClickBank itself does an excellent job. It has never been late with a pay-out
and makes selling and promoting products a breeze. Their customer service is
great and the opportunities it provides online marketers has made millionaires
out of several of them.
So, the onus is on you to appreciate the platform, BUT be discerning with the
products you choose to promote. This will ensure that you make good sales
and the product you’re promoting has longevity.
So, what do you look out for?

2. A clean sales page and convincing copy

For starters, the product MUST have a good sales page. It shouldn’t look
outdated or like something from 1999. A clean page with visible order buttons
is crucial.
The sales copy must be on point. It should NOT be inundated with typos, crazy
colours and fonts, etc.
These days, many of the top ClickBank products use video sales letters to
hook the visitors. These excessively long videos may turn off many people, so
it’s best if there’s a link on the page where a visitor has the option to read a
text version of the sales page.

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 3. Is the product ethical?
It’s best to either buy the product or get a review copy of it to see if the
product delivers what it says on the tin. Hype and false claims will lead to
refunds and you’ll lose a chunk of your earnings. It’s best to stick to ethical
products that deliver results.

4. Leaks on the sales page

There should only be one course of action for a visitor when they land on a
sales page – to buy the product. That’s it.
Some ClickBank vendors have pop ups to get the emails of those who are
about to close the page without buying. In cases like these, you’ll want to find
out if the vendor still honours your affiliate cookie, or do they override it with
theirs and ‘steal’ the sale.
Occasionally, you may come across sales pages with links to the vendor’s
‘About Us’ page or to some other pages. These are all traffic leaks and will
cost you sales as curious visitors go on to other pages instead of just buying
the product. You’ll want to avoid promoting such products.

5. Look at the gravity

The ClickBank product stats will show you the gravity of the product which is
an indicator of roughly how many affiliates are making sales with the product.
A high gravity means that a lot of affiliates are making sales - which translates
to it being a high converting product you may wish to get into. That said, the
competition will be significantly higher too. So be aware of that.

6. Your commissions
Once again, the stats will show the ‘Initial $/conversion’, which is the amount
you make per sale. Ideally, you should pick products that convert well and
have higher payouts.
Check and see how many upsells/upgrades the product has and if there’s a
‘Recurring $/rebill’ stat. That will mean more income for you if people sign up
for the program and are paying monthly.

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 7. Is the product suitable for your niche?
The product you choose should be in alignment with the niche you’re in. Do
not promote an unrelated product just because the commissions are
attractive.
You might decide to build a blog specifically around a niche just to promote
one particular ClickBank product. That’s fine, but do see if there are alternative
products you’ll be able to promote just in case the one you’re focusing on
suddenly gets discontinued. It happens.

8. Does the vendor provide affiliates with tools?

Many of the top selling ClickBank products have an affiliates tools page where
you may be provided with email swipes, ad creatives, and other tools that will
help you in your promotions.

9. How’s their email support like?

It’s a good idea to email the vendor’s support desk with a question – any
question that’s related to the product. The goal here is to see how fast they
respond… or if they even respond at all.
This will be an indicator as to how fast the vendor answers customer support
questions. It’s always good to promote products that have great customer
support.
The 9 pointers in this article should serve as a checklist for you when
choosing a ClickBank product to promote. It’s easy to go wrong here because
you may be passionate about a particular niche or you may like the
appearance of the sales page – but that doesn’t necessarily mean the product
will sell well.
So be logical and cautious when deciding on what to promote. This will ensure
that you make sales and earn attractive commissions in the long run.

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 Should You Promote ClickBank Products without a
Website?

This question has been asked over and over by thousands of newbies over the
past 2 decades. Do you really need a website to be a successful ClickBank
affiliate?
Before answering this question, let’s see why beginners ask it?

 The reason why

It all boils down to one thing and one thing only – laziness and/or a lack of
knowledge. Period.
Any affiliate who thinks of promoting ClickBank products without a website of
his/her own is usually unaware of what’s at stake. They’re either inexperienced
and don’t really know how to build their own website… or they’re indolent and
wish to make quick money without the hassle.
The truth of the matter is that being a ClickBank affiliate is NOT something
beginners should start off with, if they’re unwilling to learn the ropes and do
the needful. Contrary to what the plethora of ‘make money online’ courses tell
you, being a ClickBank affiliate is NOT a walk in the park.
It's easy to sign up and become an affiliate and get your link… but the ease
ends there. Everything else is an uphill process.

 But can I make money without a website?

The answer is yes, you can. Creating videos and posting them on YouTube
with a direct link to the ClickBank product might get you the occasional sale or
two. The more videos you have, the more sales you’ll make – simply because
it’s a numbers game and your chances are higher.
If you’re on a very tight budget and you don’t wish to pay for a domain,
hosting and an autoresponder, using free traffic methods such as YouTube,
Facebook groups and Pinterest can get you sales.
Sometimes, you may wish to test the viability of a new product you’re trying to
promote. You’re not sure how well the sales page will convert.
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At times like these, you may choose to pay an Instagram influencer to do a
shout out on their page and use your direct affiliate link. If you make several
sales, you’ll know that the product converts and may decide to build a site.
The common denominator here is that without a website, you’ll always be
direct linking to the sales page of the product… and this raises a few
problems…

 You’re leaving money on the table

Sending visitors directly to the sales page will get you a couple of sales, but
you’ll be losing the opportunity to remarket to the visitors who decide not to
buy. The hard truth is that most of the visitors will not want to buy the product
you’re promoting.
They may not have enough information to make an informed decision. There
are trust issues and people generally need to see the same offer several times
before they’ll reach for their credit card.
When you have a website, you’ll be able to build a landing page. After that, it’s
just a matter of pointing all your links in your videos, etc. to this landing page
which will offer a freemium to tempt people to sign up.
Your gift should be congruent with the product you’re promoting. For example,
if you’re trying to sell a gardening book, your giveaway product might be a
short report on how to create compost. People interested in gardening will
gladly sign up to your list to get the freebie.

 Trust is crucial
Once they’re on your list, you can build trust by delivering value to them via
emails. This is imperative to succeeding with ClickBank. With a website, you
can build an audience of people interested in the niche.
Your blog posts, etc. will help to educate, entertain and help the people in the
niche. The goal is to always deliver value FIRST. Then when you’ve won them
over, you’ll be able to promote the ClickBank product and they’ll trust your
recommendation and buy from you.
No websites = no list + no value + no trust = LITTLE or NO SALES. Period.

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  Serves as a contingency plan
The products on ClickBank come and go. Products that are popular today may
suddenly be taken off the platform for flouting a rule or the vendor may
suddenly decide to take the product off the market.
With a website, you’ll be able to use the Pretty Links plugin to create URLs that
are not specific to a particular product. If the product is no longer for sale, you
can find an alternative and just change the Pretty Links link and all your URLs
will point to the new product.
You’ll understand the power of this once you have your own website.

 You have more options

A website will allow you to promote tangible products on Amazon, or you may
even decide to sell your own products. Your chances of making sales will
skyrocket when there are more options for readers.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Having a website will increase your
opportunities to boost your income.
To sum things up, you can promote ClickBank products without a website –
but you really shouldn’t. It may take you slightly longer to build a site and
incorporate the list building elements, etc.
However, once the site is done, you’ll dramatically increase your chances of
making sales and your ClickBank commissions will soar. Going the extra mile
will put you ahead of the competition and make you a serious player in this
business.

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 9 Quick Tips for ClickBank Affiliates

Anyone who has been studying online marketing for a month or two would
have heard about ClickBank. It’s one of the biggest ‘players’ in the scene and
tons of ‘make money online’ courses recommend affiliate marketing with
ClickBank as a solid way to generate an online income.
We’ve all seen ClickBank stats boldly displayed on sales pages (with the daily
green and gray bars are in the 4 to 5 figure range). The successful affiliates are
raking in the profits and the potential earnings one could make is enough to
whet the appetites of most online marketers.
And yet… most marketers struggle to make money with ClickBank. It’s almost
as if there’s some hidden code they can’t decipher. The truth of the matter is
that all successful ClickBank affiliates abide by a few principles.
Below you’ll find a list of quick tips in no particular order. Adopt them and
apply them assiduously and you’ll see success as a ClickBank affiliate in time
to come.

1. Start a blog
It may seem like you’re delaying your progress by setting up a blog rather than
direct linking to the product’s sales page. Do remember that a tiger crouches
before it leaps.
You building the blog is like crouching… before you leap to affiliate marketing
success.
This brings us to the next point…

2. Build a list
Once the skeleton of your blog is ready, use a page builder like Thrive
Architect or Optimize Press or Element or to create a landing page where
you’ll give away a freebie in exchange for an email address.
Point links from your social media properties (or anywhere else you have
content) to your landing page. Over time, you’ll build a list of people interested
in the topic. You MUST have an audience to market the ClickBank product to…
repeatedly.
You’d be surprised to know that most people require multiple exposures to the
same product before they whip out their credit card.
But before you can sell them…

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 3. You need to deliver value
Trying to sell before delivering trust is akin to putting the cart before the
horse. Most beginners fail at ClickBank affiliate marketing simply because this
is not a method for beginners who wish to rush the process.
You’ll need to post informational content on your blog and deliver value
FIRST. Like Zig Ziglar said, “You can have everything in life you want, if you
will just help other people get what they want.”
And what other people want is useful information that will help them. Your
blog will provide them with answers… but NOT ALL the answers. You don’t
want to give away the farm.
Give them enough to help them a little and then point them to the affiliate
product which will give them the complete solution and save them time and
effort (not having to research and read countless posts) in the process.
You should always be pre-selling the product without appearing salesy. The
best way to do this is to wrap the pre-selling with valuable content.

4. Your landing page must be congruent

Use similar colours and fonts in your landing page as you’d find on the sales
page of the product you’re promoting. Even the freebie you give away should
bear similar branding. So, when designing the ecover or product mock up,
bear this in mind.
The goal is congruence so that all your promotional efforts seem related to the
end-product you’re trying to sell.

5. Improve the conversions of your landing page

Keep split testing your landing page so that you have the highest possible
conversions possible. This is a never-ending process.
Once you’ve determined that your landing page is a winner, you can run paid
ads to it. While running ads, you should split test too. Always scale up ONLY
when you have proof that your landing page converts well. This will save you
money.

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 6. Have an email sequence
You should have a list of emails loaded into your auto responder so that one
goes out daily for the first 5 days… followed by one every two days or so.
In the first few emails, your goal will be to deliver value and identify with the
subscriber. It’s best to create a customer avatar so that you know how to write
in a way that agrees with what the reader is thinking.
You must speak their language and address their pressing needs without them
saying a word. By displaying empathy and ‘insider knowledge’, you’ll build
trust with your list and this will lead to more sales in future.

7. Traffic generation is a must-have skill

There’s no escaping this. To succeed as an affiliate, you must know how to
drive targeted traffic to your blog/landing page/offer.
Pick any one method of traffic generation that’s proven to work, and focus on
it. Pinterest, Facebook groups, Instagram, SEO, etc. are all valid and effective
traffic methods. You just need to get good at one.
As you get better, you’ll need to learn paid advertising too. Nothing allows you
to scale up your profits and get faster feedback than paid ads. These days,
social media platforms are making moves that limit organic reach just so that
people ‘pay to play’. Learning paid traffic is becoming more important than
ever before.

8. Choose the right product

Pick a product from the ClickBank marketplace that converts well, has
relatively attractive commissions (a recurring sale, if possible). Check if the
vendor provides affiliate tools to help you. That’s a good sign.
Look at the refund rate to make sure it’s low. Ask yourself if the product is
ethical. You may wish to ask for a review copy of the product or just buy it
yourself so that you can have a deeper understanding of what the product is
about.
Check if the vendor provides a discount link or a coupon. This can make your
promotions much more effective. If the vendor does not have one, you could
try asking for one. It doesn’t hurt to try… and if you don’t ask, the answer is
always no.

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 9. Track your links
This is obvious. Don’t promote blindly. Tracking your links will allow you to
know which of your marketing efforts are yielding fruit and which ones are
falling on stony ground.
By focusing only on what works, you’ll be able to streamline your efforts and
scale up more efficiently.
These 9 ‘quick’ tips are only quick when reading them in this article. Applying
them will take you time and it’s a lot of work. Nevertheless, this is what the
goal demands of you. Don’t decrease the goal. Increase the effort.
If you want the prize, you must pay the price and do the necessary work. Once
your foundation is in place and you gain momentum, your marketing efforts
will snowball and your affiliate commissions will soar – and it will be all worth
it.

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 10 Common Mistakes ClickBank Affiliates Make

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a new affiliate or an experienced one – sooner

or later you’ll make mistakes. The key is to learn from them. In this article,
you’ll discover several common mistakes beginner ClickBank affiliates make.
Steer clear of them and you’ll save time and energy in the process, and speed
up your learning curve. Like Sam Levenson said, “Learn from other people's
mistakes. Life is too short to make them all yourself.”

1. Direct linking to the sales page

This is the most common mistake of the lot. Beginner marketers are usually
hesitant to start a blog and build a list. It just seems like too much work. They
just want to create a few videos or make a couple of posts in Facebook groups
with their affiliate links which point directly to the sales page.
While they may garner a couple of sales from these half-hearted attempts,
they’ll be leaving a lot of money on the table. It’s always best to direct visitors
to a landing page to collect their email addresses first so that you can
remarket to them later.

2. Promoting unethical products

The ClickBank marketplace has thousands of products and occasionally,
unethical products do slip through and even become top sellers. Products
claiming to increase your height even when you’re an adult or info products
that promise to cure diabetes are just capitalizing on people’s desperation.
Sooner or later, people will realize that these products are scams and report
them to ClickBank and the product will be removed from the marketplace. If
you’re promoting such products, your income will dry up overnight.
It’s best to stick to proven and ethical products which will stand the test of
time.

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 3. Not thinking big
As strange as it sounds, promoting a product with a $10 commission requires
the same amount of work as promoting a product with a $500 commission.
Many beginners feel like it’ll be easier to make the lower priced sale, and that’s
true, but all you need is one sale from the higher ticket product and it’ll be
similar to getting 50 sales of the lower priced product.
So, think big and promote products that pay you hefty commissions. After all,
if your goal is to make an attractive income with ClickBank, it helps to promote
products that pay attractive commissions.

4. Not building a list

Pretty straightforward. Always have links pointing to a landing page on your
site where you’ll give away a freebie in exchange for the visitor’s email. This
will allow you to build a list where you can remarket the ClickBank product
you’re promoting.

5. Not pre-selling
The vendor’s job is to sell the product. Most of the top ClickBank vendors
spend most of their time split testing their sales pages and copy to constantly
improve their conversions. That’s what they do.
What you need to do is deliver value to your audience and casually mention
how using the product helped you. You should avoid being sales or hype the
product ridiculously. So many affiliates make this mistake and turn-off their
readers.
Your mention of the product should always seem like an afterthought. Let your
reader’s curiosity get them to the sales page – where the vendor sells to them.
Pre-sell the products by giving information that’s of value and gently slanting
your content to favour the product – without being obvious about it.

6. Not learning traffic generation

To succeed as a ClickBank affiliate, you must learn how to drive traffic to your
web properties. Thousands of newbies get stuck here because they just don’t
know how to go about it.

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The key is to just pick one method and focus on it. It could be paid ads or you
could go the organic route and use Pinterest or Facebook groups or other
methods. What matters here is that you keep at it until you see results.
There’s always a learning curve and it will take time to get
followers/subscribers. However, you’ll slowly and surely build a following and
that’s when your efforts will snowball and sales will start rolling in. Focus and
time are your best friends here.

7. Not doing sufficient research

You must have a thorough understanding of the product you’re promoting.
Either you get a review copy from the vendor or you purchase the product.
Then study the pros and cons of the product so that you can pre-sell it better
than most other affiliates who won’t go this extra mile.
A shallow understanding of the product will translate to shallow promotional
efforts which result in abysmal or no sales.

8. Not tracking your links

ClickBank provides you the option of tracking your links so that you know
which of your marketing efforts are yielding fruit. Use their tracking feature to
narrow down what’s working in your marketing.
Like the 80/20 rule states, most of your results will come from 20 percent of
your actions. Tracking your affiliate links will help you to identify which of your
methods is working best and you can focus and scale them to get more profit.

9. Picking the wrong product

All your efforts will be in vain if you pick the wrong product to promote. The
product should have a great sales page with high conversions. The copy
should be good, the sales page should look professional and there should be
no leaks where the vendor has pop ups, etc. and is trying to build a list at the
affiliates’ expense.
Look for products which have an affiliates’ tools page. This is a sign that the
vendor cares enough about his/her affiliates to want to make their promotions
easier. It’s also a sign that you’re looking at a better product.

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 10. Not branding yourself
You should brand yourself and your blog so that your readers and audience
look at you as an authority in your niche. While you may be an affiliate for a
product, that should not stop you from building your own brand.
Once you build trust and people like you, you’ll be able to promote several
other products and even sell your own products if you choose to in future.
Always remember the actor, Burt Lancaster’s quote – “Sell yourself first, if you
want to sell anything.”
These 10 mistakes can take a severe toll on your affiliate marketing, if you let
them. So, avoid making these mistakes and you’ll be ahead of most of the
competition who are inadvertently committing them and struggling to make
headway.

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