ClickBank presents a major revenue opportunity for bloggers and content creators. The platform connects you with businesses willing to give a cut of the profit. There is a real opportunity to make money here. However, beginners tend to stare at the dashboard and not sure how to get started. 

Rather than promising you a $100-$500 day of income, my ClickBank 101 guide will be realistic. I will help you with signing up, doing product research, and creating a working strategy to earn online with affiliate marketing. 

Affiliate Marketing and ClickBank 101 Basics

To talk about ClickBank, I should go through affiliate marketing first. With a clear understanding of that revenue method, you will have a better grasp on how the platform works. 

What is Affiliate Marketing

A middleman or an affiliate is involved with this marketing. They bring attention to a product among potential buyers. When a person completes a purchase thanks to an affiliate, the merchant or vendor gives the middleman a cut of their sales. While it sounds simple, the challenge for affiliates is in enticing a buyer to click their link. 

ClickBank 101 Simplified

ClickBank solves a genuine problem. Many merchants, service providers, and businesses are struggling to find suitable affiliates. Affiliates also have difficulty in finding products or services that match their niche. Discoverability is a problem that costs business owners and marketers money from lost opportunities. 

The platform solves this problem by being an all-in-one-hub for affiliates to earn online and for businesses to drive revenue. ClickBank makes it easy for content writers or bloggers to find affiliate link for their work. Apart from discoverability, the site handles all accounting tasks like credit card payments and taxes. A single ClickBank account removes the hassle of creating more than one account and payout requirements across several businesses. 

How The Platform Works

To fully understand my ClickBank101 guide, we go through the different mechanics of the platform: 

• Hoplink: This is your unique and trackable URL. The Hoplink sends your reader to a vendor’s landing page where they make purchases. Sales made through your URL are credited to your ClickBank account. 
• Gravity: Market listings have Gravity scores to show how many affiliates made a sale with their link. Bloggers can utilize this score to determine if its worth promoting them or not. 
• Average Conversion: The large monetary value in each listing is the average payout affiliates have made with the listing. ClickBank averages this with the total payout, rebills, and upsells made by affiliates. 
• Recurring Rebill Total: If the listing offers a subscription service, you will see this metric with the listing. Recurring rebill shows how many are still paying for this service. 

Understanding the basic mechanics of ClickBank brings you closer to earn online. 

Should Bloggers Use ClickBank?

I ensure my ClickBank 101 guide will be as transparent and authentic as possible. The platform does offer a way to earn actual money. However, there are reasons you will want to find other affiliate marketing programs. 

Pros

• Easy to Join: Unlike other affiliate programs, ClickBank is highly accessible to any content writer. You simply create an account, set your payments, find a vendor listing, and start promoting. 
• Large Commissions: A handful of vendors are willing to reward affiliates with up to 75% commission cut on sales. EZ Batter Conversion is one example of a seller offering this rates. 
• Reporting Tool: ClickBank records your sales and organizes them in a readable graph and category. You can see which Hoplink is performing well and where your traffic is coming from. 
• Global Market: Bloggers are not restricted by the geolocation of their niche or blogs. ClickBank has a large market of over 200 million across the globe. 
• Consistent Payment: Your revenue is paid weekly or bi-weekly. You can plan your finances effectively with this regular payment method. 

Cons

• Inactivity Payment: When you are not earning after 90 days, ClickBank will deduct $1 from your account. The deduction increases to $50 if you still have no earnings in 365 days. You are pressured to drive traffic with your content when you sign up with ClickBank. 
• Lack of Recognizable Brands: Do not expect to find product listings for Samsung, Apple, IBM, Verizon, or even Nike. A majority of the listings here are startups or highly niche companies. You will need to dig deeper into the ClickBank marketplace to find a suitable Hoplink for your niche. 
• Numerous Affiliates: Because anyone can sign up for a ClickBank account and start promoting links, competition in the platform is high. You will need to step up your content marketing efforts to stand out. 

Common Beginner Mistakes

Any blogger can jump into ClickBank and start making promotional content. Doing so can easily lead to burnout. For this part of my ClickBank 101, we go through the usual rookie mistakes and how to avoid them. 

Not Focusing On Your Niche

Finding your niche is always important. It lets you write blogs that you are passionate about and knowledgeable in. You can build authority and gain trust when working on articles you are familiar with. You can read more about the importance of a niche for bloggers in Leon’s article.

Unfortunately, beginners tend to look for what is selling in the marketplace instead of focusing on their niche. Writing an article on lawn treatment with zero knowledge of the equipment and products used to make a yard look nice spells trouble. It becomes difficult to build authority with your writing. If you forcefully insert it into an article about home office equipment or auto parts, you gradually lose your reader’s trust. 

Not Doing Research on a Product

Any products or services you promote in your article will reflect on your reputation. Naturally, writers in a wholesale niche do not want to include Hoplinks for gambling sites or CBD products. These products, while legitimate, go against the image they have created for their blog site. The same problem can happen if you promote a business without fully researching its offer. 

It pays to know where you are sending your readers. Read their landing page and go through their videos. Is the vendor’s offer something you would buy yourself, given the chance? 

Not Optimizing Your Blog

The most common mistake any new ClickBank user makes is not thinking about their blogging platform. New writers tend to make this more often, thinking their writing will do most of the work. Remember, it takes considerable effort to engage with your readers. Even more so in encouraging them to click your Hoplink. 

Visuals in your blog, along with H2/H3 headings, make it easy for your visitors to read the content. A great WordPress theme can also help in keeping your readers on your blog. Check our the Theme Matcher to find a custom WordPress theme that goes well with your niche. 

Expecting Fast Results

It takes a considerable time before you start to see your first profit. Even with the best SEO and blogging practices, your blog with a Hoplink needs a week or more to appear on Google’s search page. Your Hoplink will get clicks when your blog starts seeing visitors instead of impressions. 

Continue creating blogs for your Hoplink that focus on your niche. Utilise social media syndication to increase the visibility of your affiliate link. When you see a steady revenue stream, note where the traffic is coming from. Concentrate your effort on building content that encourages people to purchase products. 

Wrap Up: ClickBank 101 for Beginners

There is a reason ClickBank has been around since 1998. They offer real opportunities to earn online. Going over my ClickBank 101 guide shows how it easily connects content marketers and sellers on a single platform. 

However, it is a challenge to create a revenue stream. Ensure you know the products you are promoting and pick ones that match your niche to increase your revenue. It also pays to have a presentable blog to drive your click-through rate.

I have more article to jump start your online revenue that will also help you increase ClickBank traffic. Read my beginner’s guide to affiliate marketing next!