ClickBank has released the latest issue of ‘ClickBank Communications’. The ‘Expert Article’ features “Creating Effective Content to Pitch Your Product'” by Chris McNeeney. [ClickBank Newsletter]


ClickBank has released the latest issue of ‘ClickBank Communications’.

ClickBank Communications

News of Note

ClickBank Case Studies

We recently launched an initiative to write case studies of some successful clients. Michael Webb and James Jones, both successful ClickBank publishers, were our first candidates.

The primary reasons for these case studies are (1) to explain ClickBank to the media and (2) to serve as examples for newcomers of what is possible using ClickBank.

Portions of both case studies are included below.

“Romancing the E-Tail” (Michael Webb)

If you need advice on matters of the heart, Michael Webb is your man…And, as it turns out, Webb is just as savvy about marketing and business as he is about Eros and Cupid. Webb’s specialty is online retail – or e-tail if you will. In fact, he’s built an entire career and a very lucrative business around it…

“Doing Business with ClickBank: ‘Like a day at the beach'” (James Jones)

For many e-tailers, trying to figure out how to get their products in the public eye can be one of the more daunting tasks of becoming a successful business in the digital retail market. Then there’s the whole issue of not getting ripped off by fraudulent credit cards and, for those that do come through, getting paid in a timely manner. James Jones, a former bank vice president, has been in the e-commerce game before people called it e-commerce…

To read both case studies in their entirety visit the Case Studies section of the Press Room on the ClickBank site.

We will post new case studies (including ones that focus on affiliates) soon.

Expert Article

Creating Effective Content to Pitch Your Product by Chris McNeeney

The thought of creating the content or pitch page for your web site may, at first, seem daunting but it is far easier than you think. All you need is an understanding of what your particular market responds to–and the rest will follow.

If you already have a product created, follow the guidelines below to write effective content to pitch your product. This content is often referred to as a “sales letter.”

Ideally, if you later expand your product offerings (or if you haven’t yet created your first product) you should construct your sales letter prior to your product. Just go ahead and create the perfect sales letter for your perfect product. It is well known that many successfully selling products are created AFTER the sales letter.

Where to Start

The first place is ClickBank. Go to the Marketplace and check out the top selling products within your niche. Read the sales letters (pitch pages) and notice the headlines and subheads being used. Do this for the top 10-20 products within your niche.

When reading these sales letters also make a note of the benefits being promoted. Remember a benefit is something that will directly affect the customer, for example lose 10lbs in 10 days, read 10x faster in a week, gain an extra 7 hours a week, etc. Make note of all of the benefits that are being pushed in the headlines, sub-heads, and within the sales copy.

Obtaining a clearer picture of what the market is currently responding to is pure gold. Just make sure that you just extract the basic benefits, do not swipe phrases or words wholesale.

Once you are familiar with what type of headlines, subheads, and benefits work in your particular market write your top benefits so that they convey the message you want. Create your own story.

Speak to Your Market

You should aim to appeal to the market you are promoting to and remember these potential customers are not experts, but rather they are ordinary, average people seeking information/help.

Remember, your advantage here is identifying with the customer, i.e. I used to be like you, now my “problem” is solved because “I simply did x,y,z.” Provide a solution to their problem.

Focus the majority of your sales copy on their emotional needs (“stop embarrassing snoring”). By all means use scientific proof, but make sure you identify with their immediate needs (“they need to stop snoring tonight otherwise their marriage is over”).

The majority of publishers are not “qualified experts” with extensive proof that their product works (for example testimonials, screenshots, endorsements, etc). And that’s fine – provided you position yourself in your sales letter as an “average guy who overcame the problem” and come across as believable.

Your USP

There is, and has always been, a lot of talk and hype about a product’s USP (Unique Selling Point) both on and offline. Although your USP is one of your greatest assets, do not be intimidated by this.

Your USP can be as simple as supplying your phone number on your web site, or your customer service, or your willingness to offer support. Your USP has to be something that you are able to offer over and above your competitor, so think about this carefully and detail its benefits in your sales letter. Once you have found something that separates you from your competition, push it hard. If customers are going to buy in this market, make sure they buy from you.

Writing Style

Always, always write in an informal, friendly manner – position and offer yourself as approachable on the subject.

Graphical Elements

Over the years I have found that design/layout, specifically the inclusion of graphical elements in sales copy has very little effect on my conversions.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Remember, practice makes perfect. Create your sales letter quickly; don’t take weeks or days to do it. Just create it in one day and tweak it as you go taking all the above into consideration.

Chris McNeeney is a successful ClickBank affiliate and publisher, and the author of Google Assassin.

Tech Corner

Instant Notifications – a ClickBank Service

In late February we plan to release an Instant Notification service that notifies you electronically of ClickBank transactions relevant to your account. Using HTML FORM POSTs, the feature sends transaction data (sales, rebills, refunds, order cancellations, and chargebacks) in a near real-time fashion.

This service is intended for use by experienced programmers. Clients without programming skills should refrain from implementing Instant Notifications without first enlisting the services of an experienced programmer.

We will release more details soon.

Improved Email Notifications

ClickBank email notifications inform our publishers of sales, rebills, refunds, order cancellations, and chargebacks. We have reformatted these emails to create more unified, user-friendly notifications. This includes all ClickBank automated notifications that go to both publishers and customers.

These new emails will be rolled out in mid to late February. We know some of our clients use software or auto-responders to “read” email notifications, so we have made samples available for download so you may adequately prepare.

Tools & Tips

This month’s tip is for beginner affiliates. Check future issues for tips aimed at publishers.

Setting Up a Properly Formatted Hoplink

ClickBank affiliates earn a commission for every sale they successfully promote. A ClickBank Hoplink must be used in order for ClickBank to successfully track the sale and give the proper affiliate credit.

A ClickBank Hoplink takes potential customers from your web site (or from an advertisement you run on a different site) to a publisher’s web site while automatically crediting you with the referral. If the customer then buys the publisher’s product you will receive a commission for the sale.

The proper format for a ClickBank Hoplink is (with no line breaks):

http://AFFILIATE.PUBLISHER.hop.clickbank.net

In order for this to work you must:

1. Replace AFFILIATE with your affiliate nickname
2. Replace PUBLISHER with the nickname of the publisher of the product you are promoting

When using Hoplinks on your own web site you must utilize HTML. Here is what the ClickBank Hoplink looks like in HTML (with no line breaks):

CLICK HERE

Important notes:

1. Replace AFFILIATE with your affiliate nickname
2. Replace PUBLISHER with the nickname of the publisher of the product you are promoting
3. Replace CLICK HERE with any promotional text or image you prefer
4. It’s important to make certain that the publisher’s web site either opens up completely in the current window or in a new window. To ensure the publisher’s site completely fills the current window regardless of whether you are using frames include target=”_top” in your HTML code. To open the publisher’s site in a new window (or tab) include target=”_blank” in your HTML code.

For example, an affiliate with the nickname JANE wants to promote an e-book written by a publisher with the nickname JOHN about dog training. In order to generate a Hoplink to promote this e-book JANE would put the following HTML code on her web site (no breaks):

How to Train Your Dog

If customers clicked on the link How to Train Your Dog and purchased the e-book from JOHN’s web site then JANE would get a commission on the sale.

An additional way to create your Hoplinks is to visit the ClickBank Marketplace. ClickBank will generate the code necessary for you to promote any of the products listed.

Simply find a product you want to promote and click on “create hoplink.” Upon clicking “create hoplink,” a window will open prompting you to enter in your ClickBank nickname. Enter your nickname and hit “Submit.” A properly formatted Hoplink will be created for you.

A common mistake new affiliates often make, is using the target URL in their promotions instead of a Hoplink. For example, the Hoplink from our example (http://JANE.JOHN.hop.clickbank.net) ultimately takes the customer to JOHN’s target URL with the affiliate nickname noted at the end (http://www.johnexamplesite.com/?hop=JANE).

Occasionally, new affiliates accidentally use the target URL (http://www.johnexamplesite.com/?hop=JANE) in their promotions instead of the Hoplink (http://JANE.JOHN.hop.clickbank.net). If you use the target URL in your promotions, instead of the Hoplink, the sale will not be tracked and you will not earn a commission.

Feedback Loop

What do you think about the ClickBank Newsletter? What would you like to see covered in future issues?

Email general feedback or story ideas to: commfeedback [AT] clickbank [DOT com

About Clickbank

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*IMNewswatch would like to thank ClickBank for granting permission to reprint the latest ClickBank Newsletter.

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