4 Key Affiliate Marketing Scams You MUST Watch Out For - Precious New Start
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4 Key Affiliate Marketing Scams You MUST Watch Out For

This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase something through one of my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

I bet you're tired of falling for the same old affiliate marketing scams, right?

How great would it be to know exactly what kind of scams to look out for?

In this post, I want to share with you some of the key Affiliate Marketing scams that you MUST watch out for.

Personally, I wish I had a guide like this when I was getting started...I would have saved myself a lot of time and money. 

So that's why I want to be able to share this with you.

Here's what you can expect to gain from this post:

Want Access To The Best Affiliate Tools? 

Enter Your Best Email To Download The "Super Affiliate Marketers Toolkit"  Today!

More...

1) Affiliate Marketing Training By "GURUS"

A lot of "gurus" claim they have the secret loophole to help you earn tons of money as an affiliate marketer, but many of these "gurus" are just out to get your money. 


You may end up getting an e-book full of fluff and lacking substance or a "course" with information found very easily for free online.

How To Avoid?

  • Do your research before you purchase any new programs/products online
  • Find reviews on Google and Youtube (e.g. "[Product Name] + Review")
  • Watch Youtube videos to see if you can get an inside look at the program/product you want to invest in
  • Choose a program that fits your needs
  • Purchase a program that has longevity and a well-known name. 

Try out Wealthy Affiliate - A complete step-by-step training platform that teaches you how to build a REAL online business based on your passion(s).

2) You're Not Selling A Real Product/Service

You already know that the main aim of Affiliate Marketing is to promote products and earn a commission when you make a sale.

So, when you join a new Affiliate Marketing program, look closely at what it is they are actually selling.

If they are promising overnight riches with no tangible product/service, then I would highly encourage you to stay away.

Additionally, many programs are designed like pyramid schemes where no one actually makes money, except the people right at the top, no matter how hard you work.

How To Avoid?

  • Join a program with a real tangible product/service
  • Be part of something you feel proud and confident to promote...a product you actually believe in. 


3) Offers That Claim Overnight Riches With Little/No Work


Affiliate Marketing gets a bad reputation due to the endless supply of "Get Rich Quick" schemes. 

Online "gurus" promise you thousands of dollars with little to no effort and in a really short space of time.

But you need to be very cautious and not fall for it!

beware of overhyped key affiliate marketing scams

One of the most key affiliate marketing scams is to make false promises of overnight riches, but a genuine program would not do this.

A real Affiliate Marketing program gives you the necessary training and/or tools to succeed, but the actual work comes from you, and not some push-button system. 

How To Avoid?

  • Don't fall for anyone that tries to tell you about a "simple done-for-you" system or a "secret loophole" with no experience - Real, honest Affiliate Marketing takes time, patience and hard work. There are no secrets to success.
  • You need a strategy that you can implement, which is why choosing the right Affiliate Marketing training platform is important. 

4) Affiliate Programs That Ask You To Pay Before You Can Join


Look...

Real, legitimate platforms with an Affiliate Marketing program are FREE to join.

There is absolutely no need to pay in order to promote a product/service as an affiliate. 

Perhaps you've been lucky enough not to have to come across a program like this, but when I was a member of Empower Network, back in 2014, I was required to pay a $19.95 monthly payment, just to be an affiliate...and at the time, I, unfortunately, did pay. 

Not too long after joining the program I realised that this is one of the key affiliate marketing scams to really stay away from! 

How To Avoid?

  • Stay far away from any program that asks you to pay to be an affiliate!

Is Affiliate Marketing A Scam?

Don't worry, there's still hope for Affiliate Marketing, and it isn't totally doomed because of these scams. 

Despite the bad, there is a lot of good in the industry, and you will always be able to find legitimate:

  • check
    Affiliate Programs - e.g. Amazon, GetResponse
  • check
    Affiliate Networks - e.g. JVZoo, Ratuken, ShareASale, Awin
  • check
    Affiliate Training Programs - e.g. Wealthy Affiliate, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing
  • check
    Affiliate Tools - e.g. Google Analytics/Search Console, Jaaxy, Pretty Links
  • check
    Like-minded individuals looking to be part of an honest community like you - e.g. Wealthy Affiliate community, Facebook Groups, Forums

Final Thoughts

Don't be discouraged by the key affiliate marketing scams listed here. When you're starting out it's hard to know what's legit and what isn't.

That's why I created this post to help you identify typical scams within Affiliate Marketing, in hopes that'll help you avoid being victim to one of these scams. 

So, here's what you should do next... Now that you can spot an Affiliate Marketing scam, get access to my Affiliate Marketers Toolkit. Here you'll find the best legitimate Affiliate Marketing networks to join, as well as some of the best tools and training to supercharge your Affiliate Marketing success!

Want Access To The Best Affiliate Tools? Enter Your Best Email To Download The "Super Affiliate Marketers Toolkit"

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Have you ever been involved in an Affiliate Marketing scam before?

What were your experiences?

Please join the discussion and share your comments below to help others who may be involved in one of these key affiliate marketing scams.

Stephanie
 

Blogger, Online Marketer and full-time music lover. Thank you for reading my posts! I share my experiences of making money online as well as providing useful tips and advice to those who are interested in starting an online business. I enjoy writing reviews and giving an insight into what has worked for me and what hasn't. If you like what I write here be sure to share my posts with others!

Click Here to Leave a Comment Below 9 comments
LaRena - June 11, 2018

Really great advice.

Reply
    Stephanie - June 12, 2018

    Hi LaRena, thanks for commenting!

    Reply
Joe Joson - June 4, 2018

Impressive ! Thanks for sharing all these information !

Joe

Reply
Aria Len - June 4, 2018

I’m ashamed to say I’ve fallen for so many scams in the past. I almost passed up on Wealthy Affiliate because I’ve been burned so many times.

I couldn’t agree with you more with all of these tips, especially the one about doing research first. It wasn’t until AFTER I’d wasted so much money that I started to do research and since then I’ve been able to avoid being scammed.

If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is!

Reply
    Stephanie - June 11, 2018

    Hi Aria, thanks for commenting. Sorry to hear you’ve also been involved in scams online. It’s such a shame when things like this happen, but I’m glad to hear you came across Wealthy Affiliate and you’re seeing positive results. All the best!

    Reply
Matts Mom - June 4, 2018

This is really great information. I don’t know how many times I have been scammed. I think being a single mom, and always desperately looking for a way to make to make money, is what does me in. I see and believe their claims. So I hope your post reaches many just like me, to keep them from getting scammed. Thanks for sharing!

Reply
    Stephanie - June 11, 2018

    Hi, thanks for joining the discussion and sharing your own experiences. Be sure to share this post so more and more people are aware of scams to avoid also. All the best in your online journey!

    Reply
Matthew - June 4, 2018

You really know your stuff when it comes to avoiding online scams and I have bookmarked this website for future reference so I will always keep up to date with the scams
Thanks

Reply
    Stephanie - June 11, 2018

    Hi Matthew, thanks for commenting and bookmarking the site, really appreciate it. All the best!

    Reply

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