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Affiliate Programs - TrafficWriting CaseStudy

TrafficWriting is not one of the affiliate programs you can sign up to and sell products with, but I am going to use it as a case study of a typical 'how to be successful on the internet' affiliate program

Author: Matthew Jones

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It is still subject to the usual 'scam or not' criticism but some valuable lessons about creating successful affiliate programs can be learnt from it.

Trafficwriting has a typical opening page

- Promises are made,
- Carefully worded to make it just about on the honest side of the line,
- Short and to the point, only contains information the readers want to hear,
- Works with the readers dreams and fantasies,
- No ads, which would only fragment possible buyers
- Only Name and email address are asked for, so the potential buyer isn't scared away.

All of these are effective techniques that work well on the desperate affiliate marketer. But are the promises kept?

TrafficWriting - overview of introductory pages

I entered my e-mail address for you so you don't have to, and don't worry, it wasn't an address I use.

More classic affiliate marketing techniques can be immediately spotted upon entry:

Firstly, the title,

“If You’ve Ever Wondered How to Get Traffic To Your Website—Here is Your Answer”.

Much like the first page, this plays on the readers hopes and dreams, leading them to read on. The introductory paragraph then wipes away any reason the reader may have to close the window:

"It will take you about 5 minutes to read the next two pages and you will instantly grasp how you can put these concepts to work and generate hundreds of thousands or even millions of visitors to any site you choose."

This adds more weight to the title's promises. Big promises need to be made to keep buyers reading, but too bigger promises turn more experienced affiliate marketers away.

The next stage is a perfect example of the oldest trick in the book; getting down from your throne and introducing yourself to the reader.

"Hi, my name is.... I LOST $15,000 trying to get traffic and sales in the first month" (paraphrased).

This has the effect of making the big promises seem more realistic. The loosing of $15,000 somehow cancels out the outrageousness of promising millions of website visitors. It is also about sympathising with the reader. It is much like saying 'I know what you are going through, I've been there but I have found a solution".

This is clearly what the author of TrafficWriting had in mind, because the very next thing he says is:

"But I also have something better than empathy: I have a solution."

Softening the Introduction of the Product with an Analogy

This is the trick of getting the reader to agree with you before you have even introduced your product. Otherwise known as pre-selling.

In TrafficWriting a (fairly) clever analogy is used. The analogy involves imagining (dreaming) he was offering you a new Rolls Royce for just $500. He knows that you would think 'but there must be something wrong with it' (i.e. it must be a scam).

He suggests a weeklong test drive. Hopefully you can see where this is going.

"I am offering you the Rolls Royce of profit-building membership sites for the price of a 1972 Pinto."

This is the first time a cost has ("price") has been mention. Notice how it has been very subtly slipped in during a paragraph where the reader will be sitting there nodding and agreeing with the analogy. We are entering the vital final stages of making a sale. Some stats are thrown in:

"Over 20% of the people who have already joined paid a full year in advance they were so impressed. But you get in for free today."

This answers the next question the reader will be having, 'has anyone else tried this?'. It also makes them feel like they are getting special treatment. Although it is important to subtly slip in the pricing aspect it is just as important to be brief and to the point. By this stage the only trick left is making 'special offers':

"I normally charge over $97 per person for this type of meeting, but you and 39 others are going to be able to be a part of this group for an additional $20 each!"

This is the final stage and the fate of the sale depends on it. Which is why I am so totally baffled by the above statement. It is confusing. The first time I read it I thought it was a typo, or I wasn't reading straight. Was he saying I 'get to pay $20 more? On a third read through it must mean $20 instead of the $97. The "in addition" is there because it is in addition to the main product, which is some sort of enrolment where you learn how to be successful with affiliate programs.

Conclusion

Traffic Writing has great pre-selling but falls down at the confusing and unclear end. More should be said about exactly what the product is, will it be sent by e-mail? As to whether TrafficWriting is a 'scam or not' there is only one way to find out; pay for the mysterious product! I suspect it probably contains some fairly useful information but nothing you couldn't find for free on the net.

About Author

http://affiliatescamguide.com - A Guide to Affiliate Program Scams. Scam or Not? Want to know if something is a scam? Just ask! I will research it and post my conclusion within 48 hours!

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