Once you have established a platform for promoting products and developed a brand, it’s time to start promoting products as a ClickBank Affiliate. Here are a few steps to get your started.
Promote Products You’re Passionate About
An important aspect of achieving success as a ClickBank Affiliate is only promoting products you care about. Using this as a general rule of thumb will make sure that you bring authentic energy to your promotions, which will translate into credibility.
Try it Out
Before you promote a product, it is a good idea to try it out first. You can buy the product, or you can reach out and ask the vendor for a review copy. Once you have the product, you can really invest in using it and documenting the results. This will provide good information for future content and will help you answer any questions potential customers might have.
Promote Through Your Platform
While there are a multitude of ways to promote products through third parties, we encourage affiliates to promote through an established platform. We have found that using a platform such as a blog Is more successful in the long run. For more information about developing your platform, click HERE to check out a suggestions article.
Here’s a list of methods to promote products through your platform:
- Banner Ads
Promoting articles through banner ads is the least effective means of promotion. They provide an easy, low cost means of featuring a product on your platform, but, because people have grown accustomed to advertisements on the internet, they are often ignored.
If you want to use banner ads to promote products, they are best used when they are paired with other methods of promotion. To create a banner ad, you can ask for the creative brand element from the vendor, or—with the vendor’s permission—you can create your own.
- In-content Referrals
In-content referrals are brief mentions of a product in content that it is not specifically about that product. An in-content referral is not a full-length review—it’s just a brief mention of the product relevant to the content. This kind of promotion is good in “how to” articles, guides, or, depending on how your brand functions, content regarding personal experiences.
It is important to remember that the FTC requires that people promotion products disclaim their status as an affiliate. There are a couple of ways to provide that disclaimer, from boiler plate text you can find via an internet search, to plugins you can add to your page. Some affiliates prefer being upfront about their promotions and let potential customers know that they are an affiliate in their promotional content. - Full-Length Reviews
A full-length review of a product is content dedicated to highlighting your experience with that particular product. The key to a successful full-length review is authenticity. If you only highlight the good things about a product, potential customers will become suspicious and your credibility will diminish.
Bring up specific things you noticed about the product. Talk about who this product might be right for, but also mention who it might be wrong for. For example, if this product is geared towards beginners, let your readers know that experts might not find it helpful. Share your results honestly and connect to your audience in a way that is sincere.
- Bonuses
Bonuses are a promotional tool that add more value to your recommendation. A bonus is an offer that an affiliate makes through their platform. For example, you can offer a bonus for buyers who choose to buy the recommended product in a specific time frame. Offers like this can build trust between you and customers and let you really specialize the product experience.
Some examples of good bonuses are tip sheets, blueprints, guides, and additional in-depth content.
- Recommended Resources Page
A “Recommended Resource” page is essentially a glossary of resources that you recommended. It’s a good place for your readers to come and find out what other products are endorsed by your brand.
- Promotions to Your List
Sending promotional material to your email list is the most reliable and profitable method of affiliate promotion. Even though email is old fashioned, it still works to connect customers to products. You emails don’t have to be fancy. In fact, plain text emails work the best. Use language similar to copy found on the PitchPage and write to your customers from a genuine place.
Respect Your Audience
The number one rule when it comes to promotion products as a ClickBank Affiliate is to approach your audience with respect. When you treat potential customers like real people with goals, fears, hopes, and dreams, you will build trust with them and they will see you less as someone trying to sell them something and more as someone who is credible and wants the best for them.
Choose Your Traffic Sources
You can generate traffic in two different ways: through paid marketing and free, off your own platform. Paid marketing, like pay per click advertising (PPC) and banner ads can be effective, but also expensive. Free marketing, like promoting through your platform is cost effective, but can take time to gain traction. Depending on your affiliate goals, pick the right mixture of traffic that is right for you.
