One of the changes taking place in the product launch marketplace I’ve observed over the last few years has been the growth of the use of affiliate bonuses for product launches. As a customer, they often make a difference over whether I buy a new product, and which affiliate I purchase it from. As a seller, they make a big difference to the number of people who buy through my affiliate link instead of a competitor, and so can impact on my financial bottom line.
Indeed, many people who are launching products now strongly suggest their affiliates provide bonuses to people who buy through their link. And, many affiliates respond. I’ve seen bonus packages for high ticket items where the value of the bonus far eclipses the material provided in the main package – and which could easily allow that affiliate to make a high value launch of their own.
But, bonuses aren’t just limited to high ticket items. Some affiliates provide bonuses for products that sell for just a few dollars. Personally, I tend to stay away from bonuses in those cases. For me, the effort required, and the potential loss of a product launch of my own, far outweighs any value to be had from additional sales. It can also create an expectation that you will provide affiliate bonuses with your customers (who then only buy from you when you do offer a bonus).
The Sweet Spot
For me, as someone who promotes very few high value (hundreds of dollars) products, the sweet spot to provide a bonus is for items that sell for between $10 and $50. It is at that those price points that I can convince myself that a bonus is worthwhile.
The other option is when there’s an additional financial incentive which goes beyond the norm to promote the product. I have seen marketers who pay out just when a bonus is provided. Presumably, this is to increase conversion rates, although that pay out opportunity isn’t as visible as it once was. There are also prizes in JV competitions from smaller marketers that can make this worthwhile for me, as well as higher percentages of affiliate commissions being offered on the front end and any upsell packages. In any case, the product has to be one that I feel is high quality, otherwise I will never touch it to promote.
In fact, most bonuses are almost completely worthless. I see the same PLR products, often years out of date, being offered over and over again. One marketer I know, who promotes products in the offline marketing space, seemingly just has a stack of around 20 bonuses of this type, of which he selects a different subset to support every product launch.
I’ve also seen other product creators who release an excellent product and make sales. A few months later, they give away that product as an affiliate bonus. To me, all that does is devalue the original product and provide a slap in the face for everyone who initially purchased it
Some product creators are going further to help their affiliates with their bonuses. They’re providing a set of prepared products, or even a ready-made download page. Again, these bonuses don’t tend to be very worthwhile (although the odd marketer still surprises with some exclusive products). I stay away from them, with the rare exception of when they do offer value, or when every other marketer is giving them away and it seems like my customers are receiving far less when they don’t get them.
What Works For Me?
I’ve tested out several different types of affiliate bonuses over the past year to see what works for me.
Generally, the best bonus is one that ties in closely to the front end product. That means that I have to have time to plan something in advance. It should also be something exclusive – I’m not into devaluing my own products and rarely just give away some PLR, unless it’s very exclusive.
Previously, I’ve been through a product and provided my own commentary on the techniques and the little tweaks that I’d make to make that product more effective. For a last minute bonus, I’ve also given away a staged case study, where I put into practice whatever the product tells me and report on my results. Both of these provide largely the same value, but the staged cases study represents more work.
One disadvantage of those approaches is that it creates valuable information, but one that is very hard to re-purpose as it is dependent on the original product.
An alternative is to provide an original product on a subject relating to the original product. I have my own techniques to produce useful products quickly, whether based on heavily modified PLR, my own experiences, or relying on external writers.
Other people go further, providing access to personal tuition, webinar training or Facebook groups, and those are all worth consideration.
The way I deliver the end result is also worth a final note. Generally, I set up a download page for my new product. Since I have templates for everything, this is quick and easy. The download page will have links to other products, which can sometimes provide me with additional sales. The download page also means that I’m ready to sell the product that I initially used as a bonus. This is a big time saver, and because I only provide high value products as bonuses, I have no hesitation in selling them when the time is right.
What Works For You?
Do you look at affiliate bonuses before you purchase a new product? Are you an affiliate, and, if so, do you rely on bonuses to make sales?
Just reply in the comment box below and let me know what works for you.