ClickBank 101 - A Crash Course for Beginners 

If you’ve just gotten started with online marketing, you’d often see the name ‘ClickBank’ being tossed around as one of the best ways to make money online.

This is true and several people have made six figure incomes on this platform and many others make a full-time income from it. Before you even get into the whole choosing the product to promote and traffic generation methods, it’s good to know the basics.

This article will act as a primer for ClickBank so that you don’t go in blind.

Let’s get started with some Frequently Asked Questions:

What is ClickBank?

For starters, it is NOT a bank. ClickBank is platform for vendors to sell products and for affiliates to promote these products. For years, one could only sell and/or promote digital items on ClickBank.

However, things have changed recently and you’re now allowed to sell physical products. This has opened up a lot more options to both vendors and affiliates alike.

How do I sign up with ClickBank

Signing up for ClickBank is easy. Just visit: https://accounts.clickbank.com/signup/ and fill in your details and sign up.

Do I need to pay for a ClickBank account?

You do not need to pay a cent. Signing up for ClickBank is free. You can do it yourself and don’t need to pay anyone to do it for you.

How much money can I make on ClickBank?

If you’re used to seeing cheesy info product sales pages, you’ll often see them make bold claims such as, “Discover How I Made $3,421.27 on ClickBank in 20 Minutes… in My Underwear – Without Any Skills!”

Take these bold claims with a bucket of salt. Most aren’t even remotely close to the truth.

How much money you make with ClickBank will depend on your online marketing knowledge, your skills, your budget, your strategy, how much you work and a teeny bit of luck. If you’re an expert, the sky is the limit and ClickBank has made millionaires out of people.

It does take work, patience and time. If you stick with it, you can definitely make a living from it.

Do I need PayPal account to make money with ClickBank?

No, you don’t. With PayPal’s recent shutdowns, more marketers are starting to look towards ClickBank as a way to earn and get paid.

How do I get paid after I make sales on ClickBank?

There are 4 methods of payment: -

- Direct deposit where the money gets deposited into your bank account directly

- A check that’s mailed to you

- Wire transfer, if you live in a country that doesn’t accept direct deposit

- Payoneer, which is an international money transfer service

You only need to choose one method… and ClickBank always pays on time.

Do note that you’ll need to set a payment threshold in your account. Once your earnings hit the threshold, you’ll receive the payout. There will be a $2.50 service fee too.

About 10% of your earnings will be held by ClickBank until the next payment. This is to cover returns, refunds, etc. No worries. You’ll get whatever you’re owed.

How does it all work for an affiliate on ClickBank?

The process itself is simple. You sign up for ClickBank and log in. Now you’ll need to visit the ClickBank Affiliate Marketplace.

Once you’re inside, you’ll see a list of categories with sub-categories leading to pages and pages of products that you can choose to promote. Study the metrics, pick a product that suits you and click on the ‘PROMOTE’ tab.

You can then get your hoplink URL. This is the link that you’ll use to promote that specific product. Each product will have its own URL. So, you’ll need to get a new one for every product you decide to promote.

Is ClickBank a scam?

No, it’s not. It’s a very reliable and trustworthy platform that has been around for decades.

How can I promote products with ClickBank?

There are so many methods that it’s mind boggling. You only need to choose one solid and proven method and focus on it.

This promoting of affiliate products falls under ‘traffic generation’ and is something that you’ll need to spend time studying and applying. Niche sites, paid traffic, video marketing and using social media such as Facebook groups, Pinterest, etc. for traffic generation are all highly effective ways to get eyeballs on the offers you’re promoting.

Once again, the key to success will be to focus on one method until it works for you. The successful marketer is often the beginner who started out with laser-like focus.

That should wrap up your ClickBank crash course. If you’re looking to make an income online, ClickBank is one of the best ways to go about it.

All you need to do is master the basics, learn how to generate traffic consistently, and apply yourself and stay focused until you see positive results.

4 Common ClickBank Affiliate Marketing Mistakes

One of Murphy’s Laws states that, “If there is a wrong way to do something, then someone will do it.”

While funny, it is true… and thousands of beginner ClickBank affiliates make several cardinal mistakes when trying to promote info products. Their efforts yield no fruit and after a while, they give up and assume that online marketing and ClickBank is a scam.

The truth of the matter is that many of these pitfalls can be easily avoided if you only knew what or where they were – and this article is going to tell you exactly what you need to know.

1. Choosing the wrong product

One of the biggest mistakes that affiliates make is choosing a product blindly just because it’s on the bestseller list. If you’re a beginner and you see a product in the ClickBank marketplace with a high gravity, that means it’s selling well and many affiliates are making bank with it.

Here’s what they don’t tell you – these affiliates are very experienced and the market is very competitive. Since you’re new, you’ll not have the skills to compete in such a saturated market… yet.

You’re better off digging through the listings looking for promising products that are not on the bestseller list. This advice may sound contrary to whatever you may have heard but rest assured that every best selling product started off with a low gravity before sales took off.

Look for a product that has an attractive sales page and persuasive sales copy. The sales page should intrigue you and make you feel like you want to buy it. Compare it with similar products on the bestseller list. Can the new one that you’re looking at hold its own against the competition? If yes, go for it.

2. Unethical products

This is especially prevalent in the health niche. There have been products about improving your vision, how to grow taller and other ridiculous claims that are all hype and don’t deliver on their promises.

When customers send in complaints after purchasing these digital piles of rubbish, ClickBank will remove these products from the marketplace. If you’ve built a website promoting these products, now all your links will be broken and sales will come to a standstill immediately.

So, you’re better off choosing reputable products that don’t make pie in the sky claims. Not only will they be around for a long time, but your tribe will thank you for recommending them.

Wait, what? A tribe???... Read on.

3. Not having a ‘tribe’

A tribe is basically a group of people who like, trust and follow you. You can build a tribe through a blog or with a video channel, Facebook group, etc.

The premise is always the same. You are viewed as an authority and people trust what you say. This can only happen if you share information that helps them solve their problems and achieve their goals.

Many newbies neglect to build a tribe. They blindly run advertisements, or make low-quality videos hoping to rank for a few search terms that may occasionally pick up a sale.

While this can happen, because even a blind pig stumbles upon an acorn every now and then… it is not a recommended long-term approach.

You’ll want to set up a blog or video channel or some group where people can congregate and consume the content that you’re putting out. The more content you offer, the more loyalty you’ll get and they’ll be more likely to buy what you recommend.

Digital products usually need more convincing than tangible products, especially in niches that are not in the ‘make money online niche’. So, build your tribe and convince them that the products are worth getting.

4. Not building a list

This is probably the biggest flaw of the lot. Most beginners are looking for easy solutions. They just want their affiliate hoplink to directly link to the offer. That helps them avoid the hassle of setting up an opt-in page (bridge page), a freebie, an autoresponder and so on.

“Gasp! So many moving parts! I just want to make moneyyyyy!!!”, the newbie exclaims.

And yet, everyone and their grandmother is saying that the money is in the list – and that’s because it is. Decisions, decisions.

While setting up an opt-in page with the autoresponder and free download are a few extra steps that require more effort come with the inevitable learning curve - it’s these steps that make all the difference.

A visitor who lands on your YouTube video may go from your link straight to the sales page of the offer you’re promoting, spend a minute on it and disappear off to Netflix. That will probably be the last you see of them.

Attention spans are extremely short these days. If the link pointed to an opt-in page, the visitor would have been tempted to leave his email for a free download.

Now you’d have captured his email and can market to him over and over via email. It doesn’t matter if he has flitted off to Netflix. You now have his email, you're in his inbox...

You know what they say – it takes several ‘contacts’ or exposures to the same offer before someone buys it. Being able to market to the same people repeatedly will improve your chances of making sales… and as your list of subscribers grows, your rate of success will improve exponentially.

To conclude, always remember to study the offer well before promoting it. Also make sure it’s an ethical offer. Then build a tribe… and create a list from that tribe.

Now that you have these 4 pointers down, it’ll just be a matter of time before you catch up with the big players and you’ll be able to promote the bestselling products and still compete effectively against the rest.

That’s a cool place to be.

What to Look for Before Promoting a ClickBank Product

The ClickBank marketplace has thousands of products and even more affiliates. Despite the attempts to sort the products by categories and through metrics, there’s no denying the fact that the sheer number of products on the platform makes it similar to the Wild West, with some unruly ‘characters’ running loose.

The beginner who is trying to separate the wheat from the chaff will need to have all his wits about him/her to figure out which are the products worth promoting, and which should be avoided like the plague.

Below you’ll find 10 questions you should ask yourself when trying to ascertain if you should promote a ClickBank product. Just asking these questions before deciding will help you make an informed decision.

1. What’s the commission rate?

Of course, it’s mostly about the money when promoting products! No sin in that. When choosing a product, ideally it should pay you at least 50% commission per sale. Most ClickBank products offer that and some go up to 75%.

The low cost of delivering the downloads allow the vendors to offer such high commission rates. So, pick a product that pays you what you’re worth. Your time is money, after all.

2. Are there rebills?

While not a deal breaker, a product that has rebills will allow you to earn more in the following months if the customer signs up for a subscription-based product. You’ll get a cut of the sales for as long as the customer is subscribed.

Not all products come with rebills. Some niches just do not allow for such an option. So, don’t discard a product just because it doesn’t have a rebill. Just make sure you look for similar products that have that option first.

3. Is the product legit?

A very important point to note. Just because a product has a fantastic gravity and is on the bestseller list does not mean that it will stay there forever. Several ClickBank products that have made bold claims and never delivered on the promises have been removed from the marketplace.

Several of them were in the health niche claiming to make you taller, restore your vision, cure your diabetes permanently and so on. These unsubstantiated, hyped-up products were removed permanently because ClickBank has a reputation to maintain.

And so do you. Promote legitimate products that actually help people and your links will make you sales for a long time instead of suddenly dying because the product has been shut down.

4. How attractive is the sales page?

Looks matter. People judge a book by its cover. That’s how it is. A professional and attractive sales page will help boost conversions. Check the product’s sales page and see if it’s good, has no spelling errors and other issues that may affect its credibility.

5. Does the sales copy reel you in?

A beauty contest has a question and answer segment to show that looks aren’t everything. Or at least that’s the idea.

This concept holds true here too. An attractive sales page is not enough. There must be substance. The sales copy on the sales page must be persuasive, tell the potential customer what the product is about, have genuine testimonials, etc.

Read through it all and see if you’re tempted to buy the product. It should resonate with your niche. Compare it with similar sales pages that other products have and see if it can compete.

If the sales page has a sales video, is it interesting? Is there an option to read the sales page instead of watching the video that never seems to end? – Not everyone likes to watch videos. All these are pointers to be aware of.

6. Are there leaks on the sales page?

There should be no external links or opt in forms on the sales page. You do not want the traffic you send to the sales page leaking out into irrelevant sites, etc. A vendor that has an opt-in form and builds a list at your expense is also a no-go.

Once the visitor lands on the sales page, they should only have 2 options – buy or leave. That’s it.

7. Does the product fit your niche?

If you have a niche site that’s about bodybuilding, promoting a yoga course that features a female instructor is just not going to cut it. The people in the niche will have a specific mindset and image.

Most of them will be into bulking and sculpting their bodies. Yoga will not be appealing. However, a guide about how to chat up women at the bar may appeal to them, because many of these guys build their body to attract women.

Understanding your niche is CRUCIAL… and finding a product that’s suitable for them is half the battle won.

8. Compete or walk the ‘less travelled’ path?

The products on the bestsellers list are all winning products that have been proven to convert. The downside is that there is intense competition here.

You could try to compete… or you could look deep in the listings pages and try to find hidden gems that are not popular yet because no one has taken a chance on them.

You’d be surprised to know that many products in the marketplace that show a low gravity now were actually bestsellers a few years ago. So, don’t put all your faith in gravity. You could make just as much money or even more from a new product.

9. How will you be promoting it?

How you choose to promote the product will matter to some degree. If you’re using Pinterest for traffic generation, you may wish to check and see if there are boards and pins associated with the niche the product is in.

There are some niches that just don’t do well on Pinterest. So, trying to promote a product from that niche will not do well for you.

The same applies to paid traffic. If you’re promoting a $27 product with a 75% commission and no rebills, you may find that you barely make much money because your advertising costs are so high. This product would be better off being promoted on a niche site.

10.  Are there affiliate tools?

The reputable vendors will provide email swipes, graphics, tools and information for affiliates. It’s in their best interest that you do well.

If you want a review copy, contact them and ask for one and mention how it will help in your promotions. The speed at which they reply you will also be an indicator of how good their customer support is. The faster, the better.

The product research and sifting process takes time and can be a hassle. Yet, it’s a very important process that you must go through in order to pick winning products, increase your sales and even discover a ‘diamond in the rough’ before anyone else stumbles upon it.

This is time well-spent.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” – Abraham Lincoln

Making Sense of the ClickBank Product Metrics

It’s easy for the beginner marketer to get overwhelmed by all the information that they need to absorb just to promote a ClickBank product.

Just when they think they’ve gotten the hang of understanding how the product needs to be promoted to get sales, they discover that each product has a bunch of confusing metrics that are displayed in the affiliate marketplace.

Initial $/sale, average %/sale, etc. are commonly used terms that seem like Greek to the newbie. The key to knowing if the product is worth promoting is the ability to make sense of the metrics.

In this article, we’ll look at the different abbreviated metrics and a simplified explanation will be given so that you can easily understand what it’s all about. If in doubt, you can always refer to the list below.

1. Initial $/sale – this is the price of the product and how much the customer pays.

2. Your commission rate when you click on the ‘PROMOTE’ button – If the vendor states 75%, that means you’ll get 75% of the initial sale. For example, if the product was $100, you’d get $75 for every sale you made through your hoplink.

3. Hoplink – it’s just ClickBank’s way of saying affiliate link.

4. Avg %/sale – This can seem confusing because it can be a little different from the stated commission rate. To make things clear, you need to know that your commission rate and the ‘avg %/sale’ are NOT the same thing.

Many of the ClickBank products have upsells that come with recurring payments. For example, if someone buys a weight loss eBook, they may get presented with the option to sign up for monthly meal plans that cost $27 a month.

Of course, you’d get commissions for these too. These are known as rebills and may either have the same commission rate or a differing one. This is why the avg %/sale varies a little. It includes BOTH the initial sale and the rebills.

5. Avg Rebill Total – This is the dollar value for the amount you will receive if someone buys the rebills.

For example, if they bought a $100 product weight loss course that you were promoting and you were getting 75% commission, you’d get $75 from that sale.

After that purchase, if they signed up for a $47 subscription to meal plans, you’d get $23.50 from the rebill. If they carried on the subscription for 3 months before quitting, you’d have made $70.50 from the 3 months. This is your ‘avg rebill total’.

Since subscriptions are all about retention rates, the average amount gives you an idea of roughly how much you can earn over the next few months through the rebills. The avg rebill total does NOT include the initial sale.

6. Avg %/rebill – This is the commission percentage for the rebills. It could be the same rate as the initial sale or it could be lower or higher. It all depends on the vendor.

The average amount is shown because the product may have several upsells. If the vendor has no rebill options, this number will be zero.

7. Grav – short for gravity, this is the number that most affiliates look at to determine if a product is profitable. The gravity is derived by using ClickBank’s formula to indicate how many affiliates made money promoting the product over the past 12 weeks.

So, if a product has a gravity of 36, you can roughly estimate that about 36 affiliates made sales promoting it over the past 12 weeks. The higher the gravity, the better converting the product is… and also a higher degree of competition.

For beginners starting out, it’s best to spend hours digging through the marketplace and finding newer products that not many are promoting.

As long as the product is good and has great copy, you could be the first promoting it and making lots of sales, especially if you already have a popular blog or video channel with a lot of visitors.

Gravity is not the be-all and end-all indicator of a product’s profitability.

8. Cat – short for category, this refers to which niche/category the offer falls into.

Currently, these are the metrics being displayed. They may change over time. So, if you see new terms and need help understanding them, you can always look at ClickBank’s help page.

That pretty much wraps up what ClickBank product metrics are.

If you’re a beginner, don’t fret too much about them. Focus on the initial sale and how much commission you make for a product.

Then pour your efforts into building a tribe and assets online that can promote the product. Once you see the initial sales coming in, you can start to see what the rebills are and how you can maximize profits and so on.

The key to succeeding is to take baby steps towards your goal and make measurable progress in reasonable time.

​That’s how all the top affiliates got to where they are.

5 Effective Ways to Promote ClickBank Products

Most beginners who get into affiliate marketing are often torn in different directions. When they stumble across ClickBank and see that the top affiliates are making six figures, they eagerly want to be a part of the ‘movement’ but are often at a loss as to where to start.

ClickBank for the most a digital marketplace… and on the surface, it seems very simple and straightforward. All you need to do is promote their products and you’ll make money when someone buys through your link.

Simple in concept, until you try it and discover that getting people to buy is not easy at all. There’s a lot of work that goes into it.

The key to succeeding with ClickBank is to build a group of followers who like you, trust you and are willing to buy from/through you. This is the ‘secret’ that no one wants to talk about.

Dropping your affiliate links here and there with no real plan will rarely get you sales. You might get the occasional sale, but that’s just a fluke. You need to focus on just ONE proven method and go deep with it till you see results.

In this article, you’ll discover 5 ways to promote ClickBank products. Choose one method and go all out with it. Once you start making good money, you can scale up and if you hit a ceiling, you may try the other methods and so on.

But make no mistake here – you must focus on just one in the beginning.

1. Niche sites

This is the most common method of promoting affiliate products. It’s used to promote everything from Amazon items to even marketers selling proprietary products through their own e-commerce store.

Having your own blog or niche site will allow you a lot of flexibility to not only build a tribe, but also promote a variety of products that can be both digital and physical.

Of course, you’ll need to know the mechanics of building a site using WordPress. You’ll need a working knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO) and so on.

As you can see, there are many moving parts and you’ll need to learn them all and execute well before you can see sales. All efforts will pay off if you do it right. The best authority sites are making six and even seven figures a month.

Start small and scale up.