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Five Things You Should Know Before Becoming a ClickBank Affiliate by Cynthia Dixon

You've probably heard about a company called ClickBank and wondered, is it really that easy to make money online? I guess I would have to ask you what you consider easy. I could offer an answer of yes and no, but that wouldn't really help you would it? Before we address the issue of making money with ClickBank, first let's learn who and what ClickBank is.

ClickBank was founded in 1998 as an online retailer of 10,000 digital products. By digital I mean, e-books (electronic books) and⁄or software products that are delivered immediately upon purchase, and are downloaded onto your computer. Some sales are final upon completion or purchase, but there are also products that one could purchase that incurs a monthly fee. Which means, the affiliate Sales are made utilizing ClickBank's services every three seconds. ClickBank serves over 200 countries and is consistently ranked as one of the most highly trafficked sites on the web. With that being said, do you believe that you could earn money as an affiliate of ClickBank? Let's find out!

Promoting ClickBank products is an easy way to convert your online skills into cash.

To become an affiliate, simply sign up and provide all necessary information, such as your mailing address, banking information, and social security number. You then search the ClickBank marketplace for products to promote, input your hoplink (product link containing your affiliate number) into your marketing campaign and that's it. Sounds real simple huh? It is, but lets look a little deeper. There's always more information lurking behind the scenes.

First let's address the issue of giving out your social security number to ClickBank. You might be wondering why this is necessary. I believe he's called Uncle Sam. He needs to know every move you make, but more importantly, how much money you make. You are required to report your earnings to the IRS. So understand, it's not that ClickBank wants this information, they are required by the IRS to have it.

Now, let's briefly touch on the following subjects regarding ClickBank:

• How to find a CB product to promote
• CDR
• Payment Threshold
• Dormant accts
• Fees

How to find a CB product to promote:

What's hot? If you're someone who's always in the know, you shouldn't have a problem finding out what the latest hot item is. ClickBank has thousands of products, so it will be somewhat of a challenge to figure out which product to promote. As any good marketer of CB will tell you, make sure it's a product that you would use or that you have purchased. That doesn't mean that you have to buy every product that you promote, but if you are closer to the information, then you're better able to promote it.

For instance, if you're an avid gardener, you're better off promoting a product on gardening versus a product on how to end debt. You may want to seek out resources that will help you locate a niche product. This resource should also provide you with tools that help you market more efficiently.

CDR (Customer Distribution Requirement):

Let's say you earn $100 in commissions and of course you're sitting and waiting for your check to arrive. Well, before you get too happy, you should know that ClickBank will withhold payments for the following reasons: You must have acquired sales that were made with 5 or more different credit card numbers. You must also have sales made with two different payment methods (either Visa, MasterCard, or PayPal). PayPal purchases do not count toward the minimum 5 different credit card numbers. Once you have met the Customer Distribution Requirement, your account will begin issuing payments.

Payment Threshold:

The "Payment Threshold" is a predetermined amount of money that you must have in your account before CB will send you a check. You may select an amount from $10 to $100,000 as your Payment Threshold. The default setting is $100. CB holds your payment until your payable balance reaches your specified amount. Your payment threshold can be changed at any time.

Dormant Accounts:

Accounts with a positive balance but no earnings is considered dormant. If your account is dormant for an extended period of time it becomes subject to dormant account charges. The charges are as follows: $1 per pay period after 90 days of no earnings, $5 per pay period after 180 days of no earnings, and $15 per pay period after 365 days of no earnings.

Fees:

Until you read the fine print, you may not think that ClickBank has any fees. Well, think again. They're not huge fees, but they can still impact your commissions. Let's take a look at them. One fee is called a Return Allowance. This fee is withheld from each payment. It is a fraction of each payment that is made to you. The standard return allowance is 10%, but can be adjusted by ClickBank at any time. These funds are used to manage quailty issues such as when a product you promote results in delayed funds or revoked sales. This fee is credited back to your account after 12 weeks.

Another fee is called a processing charge. The processing charge is $2.50. This charge is deducted from each check payment that ClickBank issues per pay period. Keep in mind if you're set up to receive checks, that there are two pay periods per month. However, you can choose to receive payments weekly or bi-weekly. Direct Deposits of your commissions are done on a weekly or bi-weekly basis at no charge.

And let's not forget your payment threshold, If it's set to $10, you'll have $2.50 deducted from each check. If you're anticipating a large sale volume, you'll be having checks cut at a frequent rate. You may want to set your threshold to $50 and above. If you're going to be making a lot of sales, your best bet is to set your threhold higher and to receive payments via direct deposit.

There are other fees associated with ClickBank. Please see the Accounting Policy for more information. As you have read, there is a lot to be learned about ClickBank. Sometimes we're so eager to get started in earning money, that we don't read the fine print. Before joining any program in efforts to make money, be sure to read the terms and conditions. ClickBank is an awesome tool in which to earn a secondary if not primary income. Discover ClickBank today!


I hope that you've found ClickBank to be an avenue you'd like to explore. Honestly, you can earn good money just by promoting other people's products. If you'd like to learn how to be an effective marketer with ClickBank visit [Learn-Affiliate-Marketing.com parked domain] for more information including hints, tips, video tutorials, and guides to help you get started.

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