ClickBank Review: [#1 Network For Affiliates to Make Bank?]

Welcome to my brutally honest review of ClickBank!

Whenever you ask around about the biggest network for an affiliate marketer to turn a buck with – guess which one pops up?…

YUP, good old ClickBank.

But just because it seems like a popular choice among affiliates, does it necessarily make it the best network – especially for newbs, huh?

THIS review reveals the answer + some cool strategies you can use to make some serious dosh with CB.

So continue reading…

At a Quick Glance


ClickBank Review
 
Name: ClickBank (CB).

Founders: Tim & Eileen Barber.

Website: clickbank.com.

Cost: Free.

My Score: 8/10.

PROS

  • Application is free, easy & comes with instant approval
  • 1,000s of products across numerous categories
  • Affiliate features, resources & support
  • Flexible payment options to choose from (+ a low $10 threshold)
  • Some products offer 70%+ commissions (+ recurring ones)
  • It’s a reputable & trustworthy network

CONS

  • Some categories contain hyped-up products & “get-rich-quick” junk
  • People from numerous countries are restricted from joining CB
  • Doesn’t include a PayPal payment option
  • I’ve heard on the grapevine that support can be slow. But don’t quote me on that because I’ve had no reason to test the waters yet lol.

Summary:

If you’re unfamiliar with ClickBank, it’s a network consisting of a wide range of products you can promote for some pretty beefy commissions.

While it may not be #1 in the cyber world, CB is one of the biggest and best networks you can join – especially from a newb standpoint.

Some affiliates are already making $50 – $100 daily – earning a tidy passive income.

Whereas the top dogs are absolutely nailing it – making $1,000s, even $10,000s per DAY!

But obviously, it’s not just gonna be a case of blasting your affiliate links all over the internet and watching the dollars roll in.

Because you’ll need to find and buy the right training course/system and invest heaps of effort + time for the “magic” to happen.

Final Verdict: Legit & Recommended.


But before we get into all the nuts n’ bolts…

If you want the tools, training & support for building a lucrative Biz as a CB affiliate – see my #1 rated affiliate marketing community.

 

What’s ClickBank All About, You Ask?


Established in 1998 (YUP, it’s an old-timer) – ClickBank is a network/marketplace comprising 1,000s of digital products spanning across a number of categories.

Where you can earn up to (and over) 70% commissions from promoting vendors products like courses, software, and ebooks, etc.

In fact, there’s even a sprinkling of “physical” products like nutritional shakes and supplements that you can promote.

While Amazon Associates may lead by miles – CB still offers a great product selection and pays out higher commission rates.

The other awesome thing about CB is that your application is approved on the spot just like DigiStore24 and even ClickBetter.

Whereas it’s a waiting game with Amazon while they comb through your application before making a decision to grant you access or not.

I digress.

Once you join CB, you simply browse its marketplace (category-by-category if you wish) to find stuff you wanna promote, and grab your affiliate links to make $.

While most vendors allow you to promote their stuff right off the bat, some tend to be a bit picky.

Because they require you to submit applications before meeting their approval. It keeps out all the riff-raff, I guess.

I’m not accusing you of being a dodgy affiliate, of course. 😛

But don’t be put off by that, since there are plenty more fish in the sea (from a vendor/product standpoint), as they say.

 

How ClickBank Works: A More In-Depth Look


Once you’ve done all the boring sign up stuff (which, BTW, is pretty easy to do) – your affiliate dashboard will look like THIS:
 
ClickBank Members Dashboard
 
Or at least the top of it anyway.

Here, you’ll be able to see your weekly and daily sales snapshots, as well as other stats in terms of transaction qualities.

Furthermore, there’s a ‘Reporting’ tab for in-depth insights into hits, earnings, impressions, and conversions, etc.
 
Affiliate Dashboard Reports
 
When it comes to the support side of things:

There’s the ‘Knowledge Base’ to browse and a ‘Resources’ section allowing you to submit/view support tickets.

But now for the succulent meat on the bone…

 

YUP, The Actual Marketplace (KA-CHING!)


Your first step is to choose a category followed by a sub-category that revolves round your niche.
 
ClickBank Marketplace Categories
 
The main reason being is that you should be passionate about (or at least, be interested in) the category that you wanna help folks in.

Because in my opinion, making money shouldn’t be about just “making money”.

There needs to be a meaningful purpose behind your affiliate marketing efforts, right?

Alternatively, you can use the search bar function to find any products that you have in mind.

But because there are so many products to sift through across all the categories, CB helps you to narrow things down using filters and attributes.

 

Let’s Start With The Filters


With the filters, you can find products based on popularity, average and initial sale % and $, average rebill total and %, and also gravity.
 
Affiliate Filter Stats
 
“WTF do these mean?”, you ask?

Let’s break them down:

Initial $/sale: This is the average dollar value (excluding rebills) paid to the affiliate.

Avg %/sale: The average commission percentage paid to the affiliate.

Avg Rebill Total: This is the average rebill value that applies to a product with recurring sales.

The absolute best ones to promote, in my experience. 😉

Avg %/rebill: This presents the average % of a sale that is paid in commissions to the affiliate for just rebills.

Gravity: This tells you how popular the product is in terms of how many affiliates have made sales during the last few months.

Obviously, the higher the number, the more likely you are gonna make some sales yourself.

But it also means you’re gonna be up against some stiff competition on Google, YouTube, social media, and other platforms.

So if you’re about to get started with affiliate marketing, it’s something to bear in mind beforehand.

 

Followed by The Attributes


These help you to really hone in on promoting the right products that are suited to your affiliate marketing needs.
 
Affiliate Product Attributes
 
First up, you can limit your search to just physical products and also ones with upsell flows.

Secondly, there’s the option to limit your search by languages like German, English, Spanish,French, Italian, and Portuguese.

Thirdly, you have the option of finding products with one-time or recurring sales, and also ones that have $1 trials.

Speaking of trials, see the Work At Home Secrets & Scams Workbook – it won’t just help you identify the red flags with fraudulent products…

But its author John Crestani (7-figure earner) shares some awesome strategies and tips that you can put into practice as a CB affiliate.

And finally, there are the following required product attributes to select from:

  • Must have an affiliate tools page
  • Must have a vendor spotlight page
  • Support for mobile traffic
  • Recently promoted
  • And vendor uses exclusive whitelists

But if you’re still none-the-wiser when it comes to the said filter and attribute metrics, you’re not the only one lol.

Joking aside, you’ll get the hang of them once you’ve fiddled with CB’s marketplace for a while.

 

But What About ClickBank’s Payment Options & All That Shizzle?


The great news is that CB offers a variation of payment options to suit almost every affiliate’s needs.

Because you can either be paid weekly or bi-weekly through either check or direct deposit in your bank account.

Furthermore, you can choose a minimum threshold of $10 all the way up to $1 million – reserved for the more serious affiliates, of course.

But I’m not gonna bore you to death with the full ins and outs of CB’s payment system.

Because you can read its accounting policy here.

However, the only downside (in my opinion) is that CB doesn’t offer a PayPal option, which I think many affiliates would prefer.

Because I just think PayPal’s more fun to use and also a lot safer, don’t you think?

But enough of my rambling, let’s get down to business…

 

3 Cool Ways to Crush it as a ClickBank Affiliate!


Now, the first method is one that I recently came across thanks to Franklin Hatchett – one of New Zealand’s finest affiliate marketers.

Where he tells you to build a free website on WordPress and runs through a bunch of free traffic strategies that you can implement.

But I’ll let Franklin take it from here with his ClickBank beginner’s guide to making money.

So whether you’re a broke student who doesn’t have two pennies to rub together.

Or you’re generally living on the breadline like most of the population…

Then Franklin’s training is right up your alley.

 

#2: Wealthy Affiliate (My #1 Newbie Pick!)


OK, if you do have some cash going spare…

Then Wealthy Affiliate is my #1 recommended solution.

Because it’s an “all-in-one” newbie-friendly platform that also saves time and hassle.
 
Wealthy Affiliate Marketing Forum
 
Since it comes with free WordPress blogs (that you’ll build via SiteRubix), the best web-hosting, tools, step-by-step training & 24/7 community support.

YUP, the Full Monty – where you’ll have the essentials for building a sustainable online Biz through blogging and SEO.

What I also love about Wealthy Affiliate is that it’s one of the most cost-effective affiliate marketing platforms in the industry.

Additionally, Ian Pribyl’s FIMP (+ FIMP’s companion) are other great alternatives for starting out in affiliate marketing on the cheap.

BUT like Franklin’s method, you will need to work your ass off to earn a life-changing income as a CB affiliate.

 

#3: Choose a ‘Done-For-You’ System


OK, so blogging may not be your “thing”, which is cool because it’s not everyone’s cup of rosy lee.

But if you do have a chunk of change ready to invest in a $1,000 ‘Done-For-You’ system (+ ad spend) – then join one of the following:

Ironically, these are listed on CB.

BUT are some of the best DFY systems you’ll come across in the affiliate marketing arena.

Because not only will you get training, resources, and pre-done high-converting campaigns (in various niches) to make life easier…

But these systems (combined with paid traffic) can get you results much faster with CB compared to $0 strategies.

However, it doesn’t mean you can kick your feet up while the commissions roll in.

Because you’ll still need to set up the said systems, tweak them where necessary, and learn the ropes of paid ads.

But it’s still damn sight better than trying to figure out all this “stuff” on your Tod, right?

 

Red Alert! A Word of Warning on ClickBank…


I don’t wanna scare the devil out of you.

But you might wanna tread carefully with some CB products – namely ones in its ‘E-business’ category.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some great products like the Overnight Millionaire System and My Online Startup, for example.

And then you’ve got the mediocre products like Affiliate Bots and Millionaire Society, to name a couple.

But it’s “get-rich-quick” trash like:

Basically, all the same “too good to be true” stuff that you’ll find listed on ClickBetter. UGH.

Because at the end of the day, it’s YOUR reputation that’s at stake.

If you’re gonna be peddling “pipe dream” rubbish – not only will your disgruntled customers hit up CB for refunds…

But it’s likely that you’ll lose the trust of your audience, which could land you in a sticky situation.

So it’s vital to research and/or even buy some products yourself before making recommendations.

 

Final Conclusion: Is ClickBank Really Worth it?


While ClickBank may have to settle for second place (behind Amazon Associates) and there’s also some shady stuff in its ‘E-business’ category…

It’s a network that I highly recommend for numerous reasons.

First of all, CB’s marketplace has a diverse range of products in different categories – there are literally thousands to promote!

Secondly, there’s an array of great affiliate features at your disposal + flexible payment options to choose from.

And thirdly, CB comes with guaranteed affiliate approval.

Which is music to newbies’ ears since some networks make them jump through hoops.

But before starting out in affiliate marketing and promoting CB products like a bull in a china shop…

It’s important that you vet products thoroughly (for YOUR sake) – no matter what the category.

Your buddy, Neil 😀

If you’ve got any questions or thoughts on ClickBank to share? Please hop on the conversation below…

2 Comments

  1. petergeorge June 16, 2020
    • Neil June 17, 2020

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