I think the problem for many affiliate marketers is that they’re sold some course or ebook on it that sells it as an “easy passive income”.
The idea sounds pretty simple – get a winning product and put it in front of an audience that would find it interesting.
What gives it that extra bit of appeal is the (theoretically) zero initial investment you have to put into it.
Unfortunately, much like pretty much all promises of quick, easy, free money – it’s a little bit too good to be true (and it is).
That’s not to say that it’s a scam – there are many affiliate marketers who make a decent amount off it.
The successful ones make really serious cash from it.
The reason why many affiliate marketers never really get going is because they fail to understand one simple truth – people will only buy from you if you show authority.
You could put the greatest product ever in front of a willing buyer, and if they don’t trust you, you won’t make the sale.
This is why affiliate marketing really isn’t quick, easy or free.
You have to invest money in the courses you want to market – to show that you have put your own faith into the product.
You have to invest time to create authority for yourself in whatever niche your working; if you’re trying to market a fitness course, you need to show the results that you achieved yourself (how many lbs you dropped, how much weight you pump etc).
And you have to work hard and consistently to get results – especially if you’re not relying on an email list.
That makes affiliate marketing no different to any other business – you have to work hard, invest money and time and do it day in, day out even when the results aren’t there.
But once you do get to the promised land, the rewards are amazing, and it can become fairly passive if you do it right.
So yes, there are people making money through Clickbank – it’s the people who came there to work.
Hope that helps
Jon
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Human Action 
Great post! Especially the part about needing to establish yourself as an authority before you can start making sales. These days, you need more than a sales funnel to see significant results. A lot of people give up because they are not seeing immediate results, but building a brand in a niche can take a while before you see a full-time income from it.
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Thanks Kat! And yes people are sold “quick and easy” dreams and when that doesn’t work out they just figure it’s a scam and drop it.
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