ClickBank Review – Is ClickBank a Scam or Legit?

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

ClickBank Review – Digital Products Affiliate Network

There are a lot of positive ClickBank reviews out there only because most people try to lure you into makeing them their first product commissions. But do you really want to know which ClickBank review is accurate? ClickBank is currently held as the largest affiliate marketplace for digital products, having paid out over since 1998 – 2013 and has helped tens of thousands of people gain more financial control and freedom by turning their knowledge, passions, hobbies, and work experiences into an additional source of ongoing income. Since they started, ClickBank has received millions of praises and loyal fans. On the flipside, they’ve also been the face of controversy, with some people referring to it as a “scam”. In todays ClickBank review, I will cover as much as possible about how ClickBank Marketplace really works, and why it’s actually worth your time.

ClickBank Review: PROS of the ClickBank Marketplace

Generally, ClickBank is a great affiliate marketing program. Here’s some of it’s strongest advantages:

1. Anyone can register. You don’t have to have a website or track record to be accepted into the ClickBank Marketplace. Registration is really simple, and this is why a lot of beginners learn how to make money with ClickBank first. On the other hand, if your country is not in the registration list, you cannot get in.
2. You’re free to promote any merchant. Not like those other marketing networks where the merchant or affiliate network manager can reject your application to promote a particular offer, ClickBank merchants have no say in affiliate selection.
3. Tons of products to promote. You have more than 73,000 digital product to promote as an affiliate. Even if you assume that 50% of the products are worthless, that’s still a high percentage.
4. Supports recurring commissions. One of the few affiliate networks that support recurring payment / residual income programs and products, and as a result, can pay you recurring commissions.
5. Less promotional restrictions. Besides flat-out spamming, Clickbank does not impose much restrictions on how you can promote. You’re free to use email marketing, review websites, paid ad traffic and other methods not usually allowed by other top affiliate programs. You can even get away with bidding on the product name keywords on Google AdWords with Google Adsense.

ClickBank Review: CONS of the ClickBank Network

However, ClickBank also has some alarming disadvantages. Most affiliate never find out about them, so read these carefully about my ClickBank review:

1. Affiliates are allowed (and encouraged) to buy with their own affiliate link. This means that you’re losing a great deal of your commissions. ClickBank doesn’t really care about this, since their fees are based on the total sale amount. This is the one thing about ClickBank I hate the most, but it seems to work and no one seems to be complaining much.
2. Affiliates are charged a portion of fees. They are the only affiliate network I know of so far, that splits the fees between the vendor and the affiliate. This is perhaps another reason why they encourage affiliates to buy with their own affiliate link.
3. Insufficient affiliate promotional tools. ClickBank does not serve affiliate banners, or provide any useful conversion tracking tool other than TID conversion tracking. This is a major letdown, considering networks like SellHealth even allow you to use your own Google AdWords tracking code. Although ClickBank does have an ad builder, you’ll need to get other tools from third-party vendors like CBMall (ClickBank stores). Banner linking codes are provided by the merchants on their own websites.
4. Tons of “Get rich quick” products. Interestingly enough, most of the get-rich-quick products are about making money from ClickBank itself. Although ClickBank provides a 60-day money back guarantee, the sheer number of these products today can ruin ClickBank’s reputation in the long run.
5. Tons of inactive merchants. ClickBank does not track merchants sites for compliance once the initial approval process is completed. As a result, you may be promoting a ClickBank product that is no longer active without even realizing it. Since they don’t track which offer you’ve been accepted to, there’s no way for them to warn you when a merchant is removed.

Useful ClickBank Affiliate Resources

1. Affilorama – One of the best sites to learn about ClickBank and affiliate marketing. Tons of free tools, paid tools, and valuable resources
2. CBMall – Create a ClickBank affiliate storefront easily. One of the oldest third-party tools for ClickBank affiliates.
3. CBEngine – ClickBank product analysis membership site. Make up for the lack of tools and reporting by ClickBank themselves.
4. CB Affiliate Shield – Tracks your ClickBank hoplinks and alerts you when the merchant site is down or inaccessible. Very useful if you’re promoting via PPC or other paid advertising methods.
5. CB List Automator – ClickBank affiliate tool that allows you to offer bonuses to your buyers, and deliver them automatically. At the same time, you’ll also be building your list.
6. LinkTrackr – Shameless self promotion. But hey, it’s pretty useful to cloak your ClickBank hoplinks!

Useful ClickBank Merchant Resources

1. EasyClickMate – This is actually a tool designed for ClickBank merchants. It gives you better product management, more linking options, and a banner management system. It also helps you keep track of your ClickBank affiliates and communicate easily with them.
2. EasyClickGuard – Protect your digital products from illegal downloaders and refunders. Allows you to control your and track your product download links.

Interesting Blog Posts About ClickBank

1. Negative ClickBank Review – Five Reasons ClickBank STINKS For Affiliates! – Covers some one the Clickbank downfalls mentioned here, and more. Slightly older content.
2. Negative ClickBank Review – Why ClickBank is Tarnishing Its Own Image – A rant about ClickBank’s partnership with Mark Ostrofsky to promote a get-rick-quick product.
3. Positive ClickBank Review – ProBlogger Review of ClickBank – A similar but shorter review of ClickBank by Darren Rowse
4. Positive ClickBank Review – Why ClickBank is Great for Newbies – An extremely positive review of ClickBank, also explains the basics of how ClickBank works.
5. Promote ClickBank Products on FaceBook – Our article on how to use ClickBank’s new social media integration to promote affiliate products