This is a guest post made by Jonathan Volk. Jonathan is a 20-something affiliate marketer that makes hundreds of thousands of dollars each month online. Feel free to check out his blog at www.jonathanvolk.com.
Time and time again I am asked by newbies and struggling affiliates this question: “Is the only thing worth promoting a rebill (also known as a free trial) offer?”
Rebill / free trial offers are offers that generally convert well and pay a very high amount (Upwards of $40 per free trial signup). This happens because they offer a free trial to the user (usually plus shipping costs) and then after 14 days the user is automatically enrolled into a subscription (monthly) program.
A couple examples are Work from home offers, Diet (Acai, Colon, etc) offers, Skin care offers, and just about anything that can be used up or sold as a membership.
These offers have been around for a while but recently have been picking up a huge amount of steam and attention; they have picked up so much steam, most people don’t recognize affiliate marketing without rebill offers now-a-days.
First, let me debunk this myth. You don’t need to promote a rebill offer to make good money. In fact, right now I’m not actively promoting ANY rebill offer and will have hit close to $200,000 in commissions just for HALF of the month of July, 2009 (Estimated 400k in commissions for July).
Next, are rebill offers ok to promote? A lot of people seem to think that there is some sort of ethical issue with promoting a rebill offer.
I’m doing a poll on twitter (“POLL: Are Rebill / Free Trial offers ethical? http://bit.ly/MBMwd – PLEASE RT with @JonathanVolk in it.”) to see what everyone thinks about them.
Personally, I have no issues with the idea of rebills. Free trial offers have been around for years and I think when done ethically, it can be a great way to promote offers.
Recently, there have been a bunch of offers that have come out that have grown too quick for their own good and thus have caused issues. Issues like not being able to cancel because the lines are always busy, etc. When these issues arise, the government starts to step in and it gives the entire idea of a rebill offer a black eye.
That being said, I have no issue with the free trial / rebill model as long as the company is ethical, allow for cancellation, etc. Ultimately, the choice is your own – whether you will or won’t promote the offers. (Take a minute to vote now! – http://bit.ly/MBMwd)
Lastly, How does Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing, And other big advertising agencies feel about rebill offers?
First, check out my most recent guest post on Zac Johnson’s blog entitled, “Help, My Adwords Account was Banned!” Google adwords recently had big ban on people promoting rebill offers. It was not as much the rebill model as it was the way that the rebill offers were being promoted, thankfully.
You actually can promote the rebill offers on Google but you have to be compliant with the way Google will allow you to promote them. This means, no bridge pages, no fake blogs, etc.
Yahoo
At the moment, Yahoo does not seem to mind the rebill offers as much as google. You still see them a lot more than you do in Google and they certainly won’t ban your account. At worst, Yahoo will simply delete the campaign from your account and send you a fairly mean letter asking you to not upload it again or face a ban. (Shouldn’t Google act in this way too? haha)
Others…
Most other ad networks have not seemed to mind with the exception of Microsoft Adcenter. Adcenter has also been known to ban accounts for promoting rebill offers in non-complaint ways but will allow you to promote them when they are complaint with their set of requirements.
Other Offers You Can Make Money With
So, if you don’t want to promote rebill / free trial offers in affiliate networks, what are some offers you CAN promote?!
Consistent performers have always been: offers that offer a solution to a common problem, offers that are free, offers that deal with dating / meeting others, education, refinancing, insurance, and mobile just to name a few.
Affiliate marketing has existed for many years without the rebill offers and will continue to go on with or without them.
For more information on affiliate marketing and making money online, visit my blog, JonathanVolk.com
[…] The Only Thing Worth Promoting Is Rebill Offers […]
Why not! It’s rightful.I think that rebill offers are ok,but only in cases when people easily can cancel it; without some kind of obligation!
I think the reason wy people are suspicious is that there have been plenty of offers in the past (sure there are some about) that pretty much rip the customer off after the trial period is over.
For instance, customer pays postage only on a “free” trial bottle of Acai pills, and days later their credit card gets banged for $80. Making the cancellation process last longer than the trial period is not uncommon either.
I am challenging Jonathan to show us proof of earnings. Sorry to say but I am impressed how Shoe swallow all the bull on Jonathan’s website!
Hehe ^ read above comment.
Do rebills usually pay you through the duration of the subscription (per month the user stays subscribed)? or is it a one time thing? Obviously this depends on the product, but how common is it?
Ive met Jonathon in person a couple times and also been told by affiliate managers that he is one of their networks best affiliates.
So I vouch for him.
Lol I’ve seen many people make a mistake on the “Reply” button, You hit it for the wrong post…And this is your site Shoemeister, haha..
Put a small little arrow pointing up next to the reply, that way people will know the above is what they are commenting on…
Seems that Google has done everything to get rid of natural search for rebill offers also. Any keywords related to a free trial of a rebill product now shows ezinearticles and youtube videos.
[…] The Only Thing Worth Promoting Is Rebill Offers […]
Interesting post. Good Read. As Jonathan indicated you need to do it the right way. One thing he didn’t touch on is doing it the best way not only for google, but for there customers. It doesn’t do the business any good if they are pissed off at the company a month later after the purchase.
I like the way this company handles their trial. http://www.mineralhygienics.com
Personally I’m not to fond of free trails which then cost money if you don’t play. Worst version is if something is free and then after a couple of months decides to cost money. And to get away from it, you need to actively cancel your account.
rebills are all fine and dandy.. I just use yahoo/msn to promote them and use Google for other offers.. it’s been working for me 🙂
[…] http://www.shoemoney.com/2009/07/16/the-only-thing-worth-promoting-is-rebill-offers/ […]
I agree with the comment below me. I’ve heard too many stories about google banning accounts recently. I’m glad I don’t do any of these.
I don’t have any real problem with rebill offers. It is not my responsible to be a good consumer for other people.
If you sign up for something you better understand what it’s terms are accept any reoccurring charges.
However I do agree that the program itself needs to be run ethically and accept cancellations as honestly as it does sign ups.
I think rebills are ok, so long as the terms aren’t buried deep in fine print. The customer needs to know what to expect. Also merchants need to provide prompt customer service so people can cancel or get questions answered after making purchase.
That’s the thing, rebill offers are totally fine as long as the terms and cancellation agreements are spelled out for the consumer to see.
I get tired of consumers blaming marketers all the time. Whatever happened to buyers responsibility?
Another great article Jon, and thanks for the mention!
Thanks! 🙂
I don’t promote rebills but do think the gov’t goes after these from the wrong angle. Putting the terms above the fold isn’t the problem. The problem in all the complaint forums are people not being able to cancel and sometimes not receiving their product.
The part I don’t like about the rebills are all the blatantly fraudulent advertising going on by our affiliate community. Unfortunately, my efforts get lumped in with these guys next time a 20/20 expose comes on.
Yea, Sadly, those who decide to make a short term buck and defraud visitors through shady promotion methods sort of ruin it for the lot of us. But it’s all about learning to evolve.
Such fraud advertisements are not only to be seen in rebills but are there everywhere. Just check out the make money online niche and the products associated with them, you will find another thousand such fraud advertisements.
I don’t think its a matter of re-bills being ethical.
I am hearing that in the shadows the US government is planning to crack down on affiliates who promote these offers.
Especially when doing so from a “review” blog stand point.
Rebills/free trials are fine, how you promote them is another angle. I’m assuing 70%-80% of consumers will NOT read the terms and therefore it’ll technically be their fault.
The only thing I’d like Jonathan to do, if possible, is emphasize on what the compliance terms of marketing rebills/trials on Google/MSN are? For example… can you not use certain terms (as in FREE) or what’s the case?
BTW… ClickBank marketers, some of CB’s products are rebill as well so be careful as to what products from CB you push on Google/MSN!
Great feedback Dustin. Possibly in another post, I can explain more about the compliance terms.
Good call on the clickbank products as well!
This will be a very informative post. The compliance terms for promoting such offers are always a point of discussion. But the wisdom and knowledge lies with only a few like Jonathan. So if you could share it, it would be a bonus for us readers.
That would be cool, keep me posted on whenever you do a write up on the topic. BTW, I read your blog on a daily basis so I’ll keep an eye out for it should you post it on your blog.
Have a great weekend none-the-less.
Those Acai Berry free trials made a bad name for free trials…I heard of many times where the people couldn’t cancel it and were basically fucked out of their money…I don’t like this so I canned the Acai free trials…
Yea, Acai did give rebills a black eye for a bit… This was intentional by a few dirty companies, but unintentional by most.
Some of these companies were getting up to 10-20k orders in a single DAY!
Being able to handle that call volume forced them to hire hundreds of workers. I know one advertiser who at one point had 800 call reps!
IMO, most of these companies are setup as a scam to begin with. Otherwise, they could have just easily allowed cancellation via email, or by logging in to a memeber’s area. Not to mention the fact that they signed up folks onto other paid subscriptions that the poor unsuspecting souls have no idea about.
So instead of paying 800 phone raps, why not save that simply allowing cancellation via email or website.
Beats me.
These are still businesses…
Cancellation by email will kill downselling which saves you a ton of money and keep these free trial offers profitable.
It’s all about numbers.
okay okay.. how many more people are going to claim they are making 200k to 400k per month w/out providing evidence??? it used to be easy to make that kind of money 3 to 5 years ago before yahoo and google policy changes.. i would like to see some proof to backup this post.. i call bullshit.
Lemme axe you this. Why does it matter? Its good advice why would it matter how much someone makes.
You guys focus on that wayyyy to much.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=jonathan+volk
annnnnnnnnnnnnd……..cut! LOL
I like the third result though 😀
I know right! Hahaha… That thread is like 500 days old now and still kills the rankings.
Oh well, it works out in the end if you read the thread. Hahaha.. ^_^
It is surprising how much people are bothered about how much somebody is making online.
What is to be remembered is that they did it with sheer efforts and focus. They might tell you all the tactics and yet you will not be able to make even 5% of what they do because you are not that focussed.
Also if you are getting some good advice free of cost, then why bother to look for evidences.
cool tips
Where can I find such (the best) rebill affiliate programs?
Affiliate networks.
Rebilling affiliate programs are available with all the affiliate companies including Clickbank. Just filter your search with recurring billing and you will find quite a few good offers.
The programs that make the most cash are
the ones that REBILL the customers every month. While paid-per-lead may sound enticing on a short term, long term results end up being far more successful with a rebilling program.
Great input Jon. I kept myself from these types of offers too long. Your post gave a bit more confidence to me in that respect!
it’s a great post and what you say is true but i am finding it hard to pass the compliance part when i am doing direct linking, apparently for lack of compliance with FTC guidlines. I have been using offers from major networks and I keep getting hit on Google, Facebook,Myspace,Quigo to name a few.
The starnge thing is, there are many affiliates advertising these offers on these networks who are doing this with fake mom blogs, fake celebrity endorsements landing pages etc’. How are they managing to overcome the QA departments of those networks. Could you provide somekind of php code that helps cloaking redirecting?
Direct linking to free trial offers is a hard sell.
You have to presell with a LP in most cases. Just an FYI.
I’ve been thinking of getting into this area for a while now,
Just makes me want to go that 1 step further and do it now 🙂 and stop thinking about it.
Nice post.
Enjoying the guest posters shoe,
nice reading.
Stevie.
If they don’t bury the deal in small print, I think it’s fine.
someone has to take a risk to earn more. that is the simplest explanation for free trials or rebills. however, in the end, most of these risk allowed entrepreneurs to be known and to earn more profit after free trials.
check this site to know more about rebill and other business stuffs.
http://www.internetbusinesspath.com
[…] The Only Thing Worth Promoting Is Rebill Offers […]
ethical part i can understand, but what about the legal aspect? if i promote such a product that says free to try and then start the paid subscription from next month… can it affect me legally?
I do not think this affects us legally in any way. I have been promoting it and am doing fairly good and have not encountered any problems till now.
I guess Jeremy/Jonathan would be the best people to clarify this though.
ok, lets hope jeremy replies, or any legal guy who knows more chips in with his thoughts,
I personally believe it to be ethical. I do realize that a majority of the time, consumers usually see a product/servie state “FREE†and assume its just that, FREE. No future obligations or anything.
[…] Read more here: The Only Thing Worth Promoting Is Rebill Offers – ShoeMoney® […]
Yep, rebills are the best. But usually people quit after 2-3 months :/
Its easier said then done. Promoting rebill offers is not the easiest thing to do, mainly because todays internet consumer is smart.
Rebill is effective for a product promotions. It boosts the product’s exposure. But of course it is very important to make sure that people who are using the free trial can get the money worth when they buys the not-free ones.
Yea, rebill are best but people quit after some time usually lol
http://www.tips-tricks-tweaks-tech.blogspot.com
Good points. It’s tough to compare (and be happy with) ROI numbers when comparing ethical practices vs. non. There’s no doubt that flogs and fake success stories and testimonials will almost always convert better. I agree with you that most, if not all review sites are the same generic crap information, thrown together by unknowing affiliates.
More than anything else, this post was written to provide more angles to promote rebill offers while the flog concept is under the microscope. In your latest post on a rebill offer being featured in men’s health magazine, it covers the same problems we are seeing with flogs. No terms, disclaimer or legitimate information real customers would want.
Right now, it’s not about quality for the companies pushing these offers and selling the adspace. ESPN doesn’t seem to care about weight loss, crap quiz survey and biz opp offers flooded all over their site, they just see the bottom line. There is just way too much ad money being spent, and money being earned. No questions are being asked… and it’s the customer getting the bad end of the deal.
My issue with rebilling is that often it is nigh-impossible to stop these charges going off against your credit card. The model is sound, but the execution is what inevitably leaves a sour taste!
$400,000…nice! I think you need to plan for about 90 days subscription max as most people are onto the next thing by then.
can’t even put to words how tired I am of reading paid reviews that are passed off as “hey, i tried this and liked itâ€
Credibility is a big thing for me, and once it’s lost it’s gone forever. I’ve seen so many A list bloggers posting anything they are paid a buck to post lately that I basically ignore any recommendations they do any more.. For those of you out there that still do unbiased, honest reviews kudos to you
Recurring billing products are easy to locate in the Click Bank Market Place .Just look for products that contain a value in the “future$” statistic.The affiliate earns for each and every rebilling whenver the customer make the payment . ( This is a broad lay out of Click bank Recurring Billing.
Free trials are great things, especially for newbie users, who are unsure, whether they should take the product or not. I agree that the ethical things must work well, i.e. cancellations.
Rebills are easy money but you have to remember that you get lead deductions when people cancel and / or charge back their credit card.
So you might think you earned 20k one month and the next you only made 10k / 15k.
[…] they think they are ethical? I wrote a whole post on Shoemoney about rebill offers. Quite a few people responded, and that was great to […]
[…] they think they are ethical? I wrote a whole post on Shoemoney about rebill offers. Quite a few people responded, and that was great to […]
i think free trial helps newbies to make some quick bucks, so its very useful!
Yahoo! is banning rebills across it’s entire network on Friday.
No PPC, No Media Buys, nothing.
[…] And, The only thing worth promoting is Rebill Offers […]
[…] And, The only thing worth promoting is Rebill Offers […]
I don’t think I have seen a single re-bill offer that does not scam its users (by preventing them from cancelling, making additional charges as ‘donation’ or ‘charity’ and in short charging everyone who orders a free trial). NOT A SINGLE ONE yet.
The only successful way to beat them is to cancel yuur CC and close your account. I would like to know if I am wrong.
* Am talking about CPA offers here, not IM offers like those offered by gurus like Russell, Mike, Tellman etc.
I think is Free trials are great things for start and especially for newbie users
What do you think
[…] The Only Thing Worth Promoting Is Rebill Offers (shoemoney.com) […]
i think free trials are great, but as long as they dont charge you for no reason. sometimes they say its a free trial, and when you call to cancel, they still charge you, and they claim they have no record of you canceling. thats why i am always very skeptical of free trials and never ever give out my cc info.
I’m glad the rebill PRODUCTS are dying.. its a shady illegal tactic to charge someones CC without them knowing. On the other hand rebilling for SERVICES is much more legit and I’m cool with that.