- Affiliate Networks
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Growing your business online doesn’t have to be complicated. At ClickBank, we offer trusted ecommerce tools, a global affiliate marketplace, and industry-leading support and education – everything you need to build with confidence.
- https://www.clickbank.com/
ClickBank is a platform for sellers to add their products. Then, affiliate marketers can choose from those products what they want to promote on their websites or social accounts. Customers can buy directly from the platform as well, so you don’t have to have an outside website to sell your stuff.
Price: Free for affiliates, $49.95 for sellers, prices depend on the products for customers.
Discounts Available: Discounts vary between sellers.
Lifetime Plan: not applicable.
ClickBank Pros:
- Free for affiliate marketers
- Some high-paying products
- Serves multiple parties
ClickBank Cons:
- Refunds can be hard to get
- High level of competition
- Some poor-quality products
Before you give up your dream of running an online business, check out our ClickBank review. It’s one of the oldest tools to help sellers and affiliate marketers earn money online.
No matter your goals for your business, ClickBank might be able to help. You can join and add your products to reach more affiliates and customers. On the other hand, a new affiliate marketer can find a few products to start promoting.
Either way, you might see more success than relying on other tools and programs. Read on to learn if ClickBank is for you.
Overview of ClickBank
If you want to make money with affiliate marketing, ClickBank is a great option. Sellers can add their products or services to the network. Then, affiliates can promote those offers and get more sales.
What Is ClickBank?
ClickBank is an affiliate marketing platform that works with both affiliates and sellers. They have a global marketplace that helps sellers grow their businesses. Affiliate marketers can use the platform to choose products to promote.
ClickBank History
Tim and Eileen Barber founded ClickBank in 1998. They wanted to find a way to make money online in the early days of the internet. Since there weren’t many options then, they created their own opportunity and have helped others earn an income online.
The Barbers focused on providing excellent customer services to help grow their business. Over time, they’ve added new product offerings. That has helped them attract about 12 million customers from almost 200 countries.
Pros and Cons of ClickBank
Before you use ClickBank, consider the pros and cons of the platform. Then, you can determine if it’s worth it for you.
Pros of ClickBank
- Large customer base
- Serves affiliates and sellers
- Easy to set up
- Free for affiliates
Cons of ClickBank
- Not all products are good
- Faces some competition
- Not the best user interface
How Much Does ClickBank Cost?
Another thing you should consider as part of a ClickBank review is the cost. Especially since there are competing platforms, you need to know if you can save money with other tools.
Fortunately, affiliates don’t have to pay anything to use ClickBank. However, sellers will pay $49.95 when the platform approves a seller’s first product. ClickBank also takes 7.5% of the sale price plus an additional $1.
Is ClickBank Worth the Cost?
ClickBank is definitely worth it for affiliates who don’t have to pay to use the platform. While you do need to meet a $10 threshold to receive payment, that doesn’t have to be too difficult. You can choose higher-paying products to promote so that it takes one or two sales to make $10.
For sellers, ClickBank is also worth the cost. You will need to pay to activate your account. However, the platform doesn’t charge a monthly fee like some other platforms. So if you don’t sell many products in one month, you don’t have to worry about paying a bill.
Why ClickBank Is Worth The Cost
ClickBank can help you make money online without the costs of a website or a more expensive eCommerce platform. If you join as an affiliate, you just need somewhere to promote the products and share your links.
Meanwhile, sellers can join and rely primarily on ClickBank to host their products. As a seller, you only have to pay when you make money after the initial fee, of course.
The Problem ClickBank Solves
The founders of ClickBank wanted to make it easier to earn money online. They were able to do this both for sellers and affiliate marketers. You can create an account and start your online business today to help earn money from anywhere.
Why Would Somebody Want to Use ClickBank?
You might want to use ClickBank to find products you can promote with affiliate marketing. While there are other programs, ClickBank lets you access products from multiple sellers. You don’t have to join and manage a ton of affiliate programs separately.
If you sell products, you don’t have to worry about setting up and managing affiliates. Instead, you create your products and add them to ClickBank. Then, affiliates can find your offers and help promote them.
Who Is ClickBank Best For?
ClickBank is best for anyone who wants to start or grow an online income stream. Whether you want to create and sell products or promote others’ offers, you can use the platform.
Why ClickBank Is Best for Online Business Owners
ClickBank is best for online business owners because of its tools and support. The platform vets products before approving them, especially when it comes to FDA and FTC compliance. You’ll also get dedicated support when you have questions.
If you join as a seller, you’ll get the same customer support. The platform integrates with payment tools, such as PayPal. Of course, they’ll take care of managing affiliates so that you can focus on other areas of your business.
Who Should NOT Use ClickBank?
You should not use ClickBank if you’re new to affiliate marketing and selling. The platform will charge dormant accounts, so you can’t abandon your account for very long. If you don’t meet the payout threshold, they’ll take money after a few months of no activity.
Why New Affiliates Should Not Use ClickBank
New affiliates may have a hard time reaching the $10 payout threshold consistently. However, you could make some money that sits in your account. After a few months, ClickBank will take money from your balance until it reaches $0 or you become more active again.
What to Think About Before Buying ClickBank
Before you start using ClickBank, you should consider a few things. For some people, the platform works well, but it’s not for everyone.
First, consider that sellers set the commission rates, which is great for them. However, that can hurt affiliates who may feel like they have to settle for lower-paying commissions.
That problem leads to the next point, which is the potential for high competition. A lot of affiliates will try to promote the few products with higher commissions, making it harder for you to get sales.
The platform can also make it easy for affiliates to promote products they don’t know well. So they could promote products that aren’t of the best quality, which could lead to refunds and other problems.
ClickBank does vet products to ensure FDA and FTC compliance. However, users have alleged that the platform seems to approve almost any product that doesn’t need to comply with FDA or FTC guidelines.
Finally, as mentioned, ClickBank charges dormancy fees. After a few months with no sales, you’ll pay $1 per pay period. In six months, that increases to $5. If you go a year with no sales, you’d have to pay $50 per pay period until your account hits $0 or you get another sale.
Features and Benefits of ClickBank
If you’re looking to give ClickBank a try, consider the following features. These things can help you make the most of the tool as a seller or affiliate.
Data Tracking
ClickBank helps track data so that you can grow your business efficiently. As a seller, you can see conversion rates, retention, fraud, lifetime value (LTV), and other numbers.
If you join as an affiliate, you can also see the conversion rates. Then, you can learn which products are performing the best for you. ClickBank also offers device-level tracking for more insights into your business.
Having that data can help you decide what to sell or promote. You can also know what products deserve more of your time to help increase your earnings.
Easy Payments
Sellers can integrate payment platforms like PayPal with their ClickBank account. You won’t have to worry about processing caps or other limitations. That makes it easy to scale your business.
On the affiliate side, ClickBank offers reliable payments. You can choose a payout threshold between $10 and $1 million, with $100 as the default. As long as you make that in a month, you’ll receive your earnings quickly.
The platform can pay you through a check or direct deposit. Payoneer and wire transfers are also options. If you’re a seller, you can even choose to receive payment through PayPal.
Training Materials
A benefit specifically for affiliates is training through the Spark program. Unfortunately, you do need to pay to take the course, but there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee. It’s also pretty affordable, and you might make your money back in your first month.
If you don’t want to pay to learn, ClickBank has a free program for beginners. That way, you can learn the basics to start getting commissions.
You can also go through the help center and read ClickBank guides to learn more. The platform even has resources for sellers, such as a launch checklist.
Affiliate Management
Sellers can take advantage of the affiliate side to help manage affiliates. If you sell on your own site, you’d have to set up an affiliate program and manage it yourself. However, ClickBank helps attract affiliates and pays them for you.
The platform has about 100,000 affiliates who can promote your offers. While you might not get that many affiliates, you could get more than you would with your own website. You also don’t have to worry about paying affiliates each month.
ClickBank will take the money from your earnings and give it to the affiliate. You’ll still receive the portion that you earned from the sale.
Compliance Management
Another benefit for sellers is that ClickBank has a team of compliance experts. The experts review your products to make sure they comply with FTC or FDA regulations. ClickBank can also help monitor fraudulent activity and help prevent it.
As an affiliate, the compliance experts help limit the products you can promote. That way, you don’t have to vet the products yourself or risk promoting something illegal. You can focus on ways to promote the products as an affiliate to make more money.
ClickBank Customer Service
If you decide to use ClickBank, you may eventually need to contact customer service. Maybe you don’t receive a payment when you think you should. Or perhaps you can’t access your account to check your sales.
You could even have questions about how to use the platform. As a new seller, you might struggle to upload a product. A new affiliate might not know where to go to get an affiliate link to copy and paste.
Here’s what you should know about ClickBank customer service in case something happens.
Does ClickBank Offer Customer Service?
ClickBank offers customer service to affiliates and sellers. They want to make sure you succeed in starting or growing your online business. The company also wants to help customers if they ever experience an issue.
According to outside sources, the focus on customer support helped ClickBank become what it is today. And the customer support division can help you as a seller or affiliate. You don’t have to handle customer questions or complaints yourself.
Of course, you can also get answers to your own questions about the tool. That way, you can make even more money online.
What Types of Customer Service Does ClickBank Offer?
ClickBank offers customer services for affiliates and sellers as well as for people who buy products through ClickBank. Customers can contact the platform by phone.
If you’re in the US, the phone number is 1-800-390-6035. Meanwhile, the phone number for international customers is 1-208-345-4245.
For help with refunds, you can use clkbank.com. The website offers a live chat with a representative, or you can look up your order number to start a support ticket.
As an affiliate or seller, you can contact ClickBank’s Client Success Team. The team offers chat support on weekdays from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm US Eastern Time. Keep in mind, the chat isn’t available on holidays.
When the chat team is on, you can start a chat from your sales account. If you can’t access your account or don’t have one, you can email support(at)clickbank(dot)com. You can also use the email for assistance when the chat team isn’t working.
Finally, customers, affiliates, and sellers can start a support ticket. You can use it to get help on anything from general questions to legal questions to shipping problems.
Why Should You Trust Us?
When reading a ClickBank review, you may wonder if it’s believable. We looked at what other users have had to say, and we considered the information on the ClickBank website.
That way, we could give a review that covers the features and benefits. However, we could also share some of the less positive details about the platform.
What ClickBank Users are Saying
Another thing to consider is what ClickBank users have to say about the tool. Consider the following testimonials to learn if ClickBank is right for you.
No Refund
One customer claimed they purchased a product with a 60-day return policy. However, when they tried to request a refund, ClickBank wouldn’t give it to them. They claimed they sent the product back after 35 days only to hear they were outside of the return window.
Charged Multiple Times
Another customer said they bought something through an online ad. ClickBank allegedly charged the customer eight times for the product they purchased. The customer had to contact their bank to remove the charges.
Easy to Start
While customers have had issues, affiliates have said it’s easy to start using ClickBank. You don’t have to wait for a program to approve you as an affiliate. All you have to do is grab your link and add it to your website or social media accounts.
ClickBank Alternatives
While ClickBank has some good features, it’s not the only affiliate network out there. Whether you’re an affiliate marketer or want to sell your own products, consider a few other options.
Then, you’ll have more information to decide if ClickBank is right for you. And if it’s not, you can choose from one of the following affiliate marketing platforms.
Amazon Associates
Amazon Associates is probably one of the largest affiliate marketing programs. You can join for free and promote almost anything that Amazon sells. You can use SiteStripe to easily create affiliate links that are just text or that include an image.
How Does Amazon Associates Differ From ClickBank?
Amazon Associates differs from ClickBank in that it gives you credit for any sale you make. So if you link to a water bottle but someone buys a computer, you’ll get the credit for that computer sale.
Who Is Amazon Associates Best For?
Amazon Associates is best for anyone who promotes products that are on Amazon. It’s also great for people with different websites and social media accounts. You can create IDs for your individual sites to track which ones are getting sales.
ShareASale
ShareASale is another popular affiliate marketing platform that helps sellers and affiliates. You can join and add your products to the network or find products to promote. It partners with Etsy, Groupon, and other programs.
How Does ShareASale Differ From ClickBank?
ShareASale and ClickBank work very similarly, but ShareASale is much larger. It’s also much more popular among customers in the US and Canada. However, ClickBank is more common for customers in Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
Who Is ShareASale Best For?
ShareASale is best for content creators who want to promote various products. It’s also useful for agencies looking to manage affiliate programs for clients.
JVZoo
JVZoo is another ClickBank alternative with a very similar structure. Affiliates can join, and sellers can add their products to the network. It’s free for both groups, and sellers only have to pay when someone buys their product.
How Does JVZoo Differ From ClickBank?
JVZoo handles refunds automatically if someone doesn’t like your product. That means customers may have a better experience than they would using ClickBank. So you could keep more of your customers to help grow your business.
Who Is JVZoo Best For?
JVZoo is best for sellers who want more control over their affiliate program. The platform lets you open your program to all affiliates, or you can make it invite-only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before you start using ClickBank or an alternative, consider a few common questions. Here’s what you may be wondering about the platform.
Can you get scammed on ClickBank?
You can get scammed on ClickBank, especially as a customer. Affiliates could also get scammed if they promote a product without vetting it themselves. While ClickBank vets products, it never hurts to do your own research.
How do I succeed on ClickBank?
Sellers can succeed on ClickBank by selling good quality products and offering fair commission rates to affiliates. Affiliates can succeed on the platform by researching and choosing the right products to promote to their audience.
Is ClickBank safe and secure?
ClickBank is safe and secure to use. The website features a padlock which means it has a secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate to encrypt your data. That means you should be able to safely give your personal information when using the platform.
Wrapping Up
ClickBank has helped many people make money online as sellers or affiliate marketers. If you’ve struggled to do either of those things, a platform such as ClickBank might help.
Joining is easy, and there are tons of sellers and affiliates already on there. You don’t have to struggle to find affiliates for your product or to find affiliate products to share.
Affiliates can use the platform for free, and sellers only pay an activation fee and a small fee for each transaction. That helps you keep your costs down.
If you want to give ClickBank a try, click here to sign up and get started.
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META: Do you want to make more money online? Click on our ClickBank review to learn if it’s the right platform to help you reach your business goals.