Ask a lot of people in the online writing business which affiliate programs they use, and you’ll hear a lot of them say “Clickbank.” It’s recommended in a lot of the online courses in affiliate marketing, and I used to promote a few products in the Clickbank line. But now? I don’t even touch it.
My philosophy about affiliate marketing is to always promote something of value. And while there are some valuable programs available through Clickbank, the vast majority of them look scammy, have little to offer, and are not reliable enough for me to attach my name to them. The last thing anyone who writes for cash online needs is to be “that person” who gets someone into a bad product or experience.
Beyond the questionable reputation of many Clickbank products, it’s just a time consuming interface to use. It’s clumsy, not very defined, and not the most intuitive program (i.e., Gravity? what?). In the time it takes for someone to search and hunt down a reputable, decent program on Clickbank, I can churn out at least two articles with nice keyword placement.
One of the most important things you can do with your online writing is to use your time wisely. That’s why I no longer use or promote Clickbank. I can find reputable, solid programs elsewhere that save me time and earn me money.
I agree with you totally on representing the wrong product or program; and you know, – if I don’t use the product or trust it myself, I would not list it out there for someone else! Great post.