Looking for a program to promote? Found a product but not sure if it is any good? Discuss anything on programs and affiliate networks here.

How do you get accepted into Affiliate Networks?

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affilady
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17 Oct 09 6:21 pm

How do you get accepted into Affiliate Networks?

I applied to become an affiliate for one of Commission Junction's affiliate programs five days ago and got instantly rejected.

I emailed the publisher immediately, hoping that they should at least take the time to check out the website I had created around their products but have not heard from them.

Should I give up on this publisher and apply to another program? If so, is there some big secret I should know about in order to get accepted as an affiliate? My website is useless without links to actual products.

Thanks for your help.

Viviane
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Last edited by michellerana on 21 Oct 09 7:30 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: changed title to describe the post better
 

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markling
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18 Oct 09 9:33 pm

 There are lots of CPA networks you can apply to join such as Neverblue.com or AzoogleAds.com so I wouldnt worry too much if one network doesnt accept your application. Just stay away from small-time networks that may have difficulty paying your commissions - particularly important when youve spent money on PPC to get the leads.

CPA networks generally avoid newbies because they dont generally get the volume of leads they want - you have to assure them you can get plenty of traffic. If you dont have a busy site or a big email list, perhaps go down the path of saying you use AdWords to get all your traffic and you spend a lot on that to get the lead targets theyre hoping for.

Mark
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wollowra
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18 Oct 09 10:41 pm

 Hi Viviane,
Give them a call and ask why.
Then show them your site.
You need to say you have over 5000 visitors a month.
Also, they love to hear you are advertising on adwords.

Regards
Troy
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jpastorizo
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19 Oct 09 5:23 pm

 I agree with Troy that CPA networks love to hear affiliates using adwords. That was the path I took since I have a little experience there and was enough to know what I am talking about. And I showed them my review site (http://www.strictreviews.com). The only purpose of this site was to get me approved through CPA networks. I got approved in a lot (7 networks) but have not been able to take advantage of them due to clickbank focus. LOL


Regards,
Renato
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PremiumMember
affilady
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21 Oct 09 4:39 pm

 All three of you are making very good points which I will certainly keep in mind. However, I now realize that I was not very clear in my post.

As you suggest, Mark, I based my website on a review of four Clickbank dog training courses. Like Renato, I expected the reviews to have some positive influence on the merchants' decisions.

I then decided to add physical products related to dog training and wrote web pages based on specific products carried by Petco. Since Petco will not reply to my email, I have found other merchants that carry some of these products, though not all of them.

I am concerned that these merchants will also reject my application and wonder how to address this dilemma: How can a prospective affiliate be expected to write a website around specific products, only to have the merchant reject the affiliate's application? How can merchants expect prospective affiliates to do article marketing, adwords campaigns, etc., without any links on their sites?

Would it make more sense to start with Amazon, though they only carry some of these products, and upgrade to a better paying merchant later on?

Thank you all for your replies.

Viviane
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"Writing is a dog’s life, but the only life worth living." – Flaubert
 
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jpastorizo
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21 Oct 09 5:29 pm

 Viviane,

You should have a sample affiliate site just for the purpose of getting approved by merchants as their affiliate. Like the sample site (http://www.strictreviews.com) I told you about. I already had that in place before I applied to be an affiliate for someone else's product. So when they call me up to verify information about myself and my experience marketing online I can tell them I use adwords and I talk about QS, landing pages etc. And then I tell them about a sample affiliate site that I have (http://www.strictreviews.com) .

To be honest the 7 CPA networks that have approved my application approved me almost an hour after the affiliate manager spoke with me. Just like "Perceived value", you have to be able to relay to them that you can be a valuable affiliate because you know what you are doing. They are really interested on "What's in it for them".

When you have a simple site to show just for the purpose of getting approved on different networks then it gives you a higher chance of getting approved. This way you don't build a review site or even an authority site that promotes a merchants' product wherein the merchant has not approved you yet. It will be a big waste of your time to build a site to promote a product only to have the merchant deny your application.



Regards,
Renato
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affilady
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21 Oct 09 6:11 pm

 Renato,

I did supply my website, http://www.DogTrainingStar.com , which has reviews on it specific to dog training. Are you suggesting I should have a separate site for the physical products?

Viviane

P.S. Just had a look at your review site - just love it, and it has given me ideas for future review sites. Thanks, Renato!
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jpastorizo
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21 Oct 09 6:44 pm

 Viviane,

No need for a separate site for physical products. It's just that the sites created using XSitePro is limited in its look and feel. The site sample I showed you is not used for any promotion. It was set up to get me approved in the networks. So if try to check any backlinks there's almost none. If there are any they are most probabaly from my account profiles like here in Affilorama where I put the link or maybe in Linkedin etc. The site was outsourced to my freelancer in India. I am actually getting rid of the site. The site is posted in Flippa.com for auction. LOL



Regards,
Renato
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Last edited by michellerana on 21 Oct 09 7:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 

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mack45
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01 Dec 09 3:39 am

 Hi I just had the same problem and did get a letter back from one who said they did not approve of free sites.Then a lot of them did not like the idea of a go daddy built site or a new site. One suggestion I had from another forum was to buy a used site with traffic from godaddys sale site and redo it for your self. This sounds hard but some are quite cheap.
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wrightsites
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01 Dec 09 4:55 am

 Hi. I had this problem once re instant rejections. It seems many of the CJ advertisers reject non-US websites out of hand, and also may reject on other grounds. I found the best way was to email the company directly, tell them the problem, ask them to review my site and then tell CJ that they will accept me. This worked in every case!
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jmpruitt
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02 Dec 09 5:52 pm

 I haven't had much luck with CJ personally. I use Clickbank mainly. A lot of CJ merchants will not accept you unless you can prove that you are already running a profitable website.

Focus on one thing and make it successful. That success will open doors that would otherwise be closed to you. Stick with digital products. I know that niche has a lot that are very profitable. Once you get it successful with the digital products, then look to expand to physical products later.
Just my opinion and what has worked for me.
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affilady
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03 Dec 09 3:48 am

 Wrightsites:

Sorry for the late response: computer issues!

Thank you for a most informative reply. Just one question: am I correct in assuming that I should wait for a response from the merchant before emailing CJ, or do I simply email CJ explaining that the merchant in question is presently reviewing my site and that I expect to be accepted as an affiliate?

James:

I have just started having some success with a few physical product sites over the last two weeks, after making a few changes to my sites. I focused on Amazon and will branch out to other merchants once I have established a good base there.

You are right, digital products can be much more profitable, and I am now working on some CB products which should do well. It's just that I like offering 'the whole picture', e.g. an ebook on how to do something, supported by physical products related to the subject.

By the way, has Clickbank made changes to its affiliate links, or is my computer acting up? My affiliate ID is no longer showing in my affiliate links...

Thank you both for all your help!

Viviane
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"Writing is a dog’s life, but the only life worth living." – Flaubert
 
wrightsites
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04 Dec 09 12:51 pm

 Hi Viviane:

Wait for the merchant - they should contact CJ if they accept your site and add you to their program. So after they do so, next time you log in to CJ, that program should be already added to your account. But be patient - it usually takes a while! :)

Cheers,

John
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PremiumMember
affilady
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04 Dec 09 6:43 pm

 Hi John:

It is so much easier dealing with such issues when the process is clear in your mind. That's what you have done for me, so thank you.

Viviane
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"Writing is a dog’s life, but the only life worth living." – Flaubert
 
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se7en66
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12 Dec 09 12:15 am

 The best way to get accepted to CPA networks is to fill in their online application.State that you are a search (ppc) marketeer.In the website field "yourname.com" and have a one page site with your name,tel, contact details and some blurb advertising your ppc seo services.
Then TELEPHONE them tell them you drive quality traffic to Clickbank products via adwords,adcenter and YSM and you are looking foreward to using their network in future campaigns.Research the ppc lingo maybe drop into the conversation; adwords,adcenter.YSM,content,tracking 202 pro and tell whoever your speaking to your AIM (aol instant messanger id).
Affiliate managers tend to use AIM.

Hope this helps.
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PremiumMember
se7en66
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12 Dec 09 12:28 am

 While talking to the network on the phone if they ask you for an example website to see say no way can I reveal my very profitable niches.

If you are outside the USA make sure you put your phone number with the correct international dialing codes as they will not look them up.That is why if TELEPHONE them is the best way in.
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