Have I Gone Over to the Dark Side?
Have I Gone Over to the Dark Side?
Do you give people what they need, or what they want?
I've almost finished a total revamp of one of my oldest sites.
It's in the anti-aging niche, so one of my topic clusters and product promotions is diet as part of a healthy approach to life and longevity.
I've always promoted "diets" based on healthy but fat-loss eating habits, such as Mediterranean and Keto.
What They Need
In fact, I have a combination Keto and HIIT (high intensity interval training) book published on Amazon., which sells quite well in the New Year.
It torches excess fat away, but requires dedication and hard work.
But I'm revamping the site, so thought I'd have a look at dietary products available on ClickBank for promotion as an affiliate.
A search of the ClickBank marketplace for dietary products, sorted by Gravity, revealed that the top product had an impressive Gravity score of 387.81 (so affiliates are making money from it) and an impressive payout of $152.66 plus a small recurring rebill.
What They Want
What kind of product is it?
It's a supplement. Take the capsules and lose the weight.
It's clearly what people want. No matter how many times they're told that the "secret" to losing weight is diet and exercise, they want the simple solution of "just take these".
Isn't affiliate marketing about supplying your visitors with what they want?
Would I be going over to the dark side if I promoted this product as part of my lose your body fat solution?
What do you think?
Recent Comments
66
Well, mix it with the light side, Phil. Yes, people need to do certain things, but you are so right when you say they'd rather just take a pill and not devote any extra effort...so, you might as well get some winnings from giving them what they want. You, too, need to thrive, and sometimes the only way to do so is to give people what they want instead of what they need.
Just mix some of the good stuff in there too.
Hi Phil, you could look at this as "if I don't sell it someone else will..." as people do like magic pills!
I have been writing about nutrition for years, and nutritional information changes drastically periodically. It's whiplash, keeping up on the This and That studies and articles.
I think promoting the pill is fine, and a follow up is "how to keep it off" ...which naturally is diet and exercise, whatever version you promote.
As Edgar Cayce famously said, the exercise that works is the one that you do, lol.
Thanks, Dianne, some great thoughts there. I think I'm moving towards creating a substantial program involving diet, nutrition and exercise but using this product as the gateway into it. Which is essentially what you're recommending, I think.
Hi Phil.
I am a little ambivalent about the weight loss pills, which I have tried at some point in my own life and I did lose weight, However, it is also a good idea to offer them products that will ultimately not just be a quick fix but something that will be a lifestyle change.
With 30 websites, you could probably go either way. I can also understand that some of us need more than a half plate of salad to take off the pounds (TOPs). It also depends on your overall intention. I know that your highest intuition (your gut feelings) will kick in.
The Keto and HIIT sounds like a winner. They both will help with the calorie deficit piece.
Just a reminder, gut feelings are powerful.
Rachele
Thanks, Rachele. I'm coming round to maybe thinking of this as a gateway product into a substantial weight loss and fitness program.
Hi Phil.
I knew you would figure something out, as intelligent as you are. We all want to have a sustainable lifestyle at the end of the day. Sounds like a winner to me, my friend. You know what to do. Weight loss and fitness go hand in hand.
Rachele
Hi Phil
From a medical point of view I’m obligated to give people what they need, so I stay clear of that area of online marketing.
In my guitar niche I haven’t been able to find a Clickbank product that I can confidently recommend. I keep searching because of the potentially high payouts of digital products.
Frank 🎸
I would go for it, Phil and see how the response is. Obviously, it's selling so why not give it a try? Sometimes people need a little bit of an "easy" boost to jump start their weight loss efforts. So I would think it's worth a shot, especially since you're already providing them with all the other basics of good diet and exercise. Go for it! (I like the steampunk vibes).
Susan
Thanks for the advice, Susan. I really appreciate it. Yes, I'm getting a bit addicted to the steampunk representation.
Following advice from you and others, I'm thinking of creating a program of diet, exercise and nutrition and using this product as a gateway into it. What do you think?
I like that idea, Phil. That would tie it all nicely together. A balanced approach is always going to help one move towards weight loss goals. Go for it! 👍🏻
I'm thinking about the domain name and business plan now. Starting to feel enthusiastic about it.
Phil check out Alex Hormozi. He is a marketer who made his initial fortune selling people on plans to help them get in shape.
His marketing philosophy is to make an offer so tempting “you’d have to be stupid to say no”. Part of what he does is try to figure out what are the barriers to people accepting the offer and removing them
I've just read up on him. I may buy his book $100M Offers: How to Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No, as it sounds like a great philosophy. Thanks for the reference.
Absolutely...NOT.
Would you be going to the darkside?
Did I go there...to the darkside?
I was younger and I was in shape, I loved to exercise.
Sometimes I felt very tired.
I was reading about a capsule that promised people
that they would lose weight. I knew a lady who was
obese. She had a beautiful personality. Always had
a good sense of humor. She told me that she had a lot of
female friends who wanted to lose weight...and that "magic
pill" would be the solution. I loved the ingredients, so I told
her, hey let's become partners. We went to her friends' apartments
and a hundred percent of them purchased the product. They loved
the product and wanted to buy more. I was in shape but since I liked
the ingredients I decided to try these "magic capsules."
I experienced a very BIG surprise from day one. I felt so, so, so much
energy that I could exercise a lot more. I would put on music when I felt like dancing, and I didn't need to rest so much during the day. An additional benefit, I was younger and I could make my girlfriend at that time feel a lot happier. I was alert in Karate. Could kick harder. I could
run a longer distance. I would give my clients a list of exercises they could do. I would tell them to start with just 5 minutes, and as they started to enjoy exercising they could extend the time to 15 minutes.
I told them to eat what God has made, as close to nature as possible: No canned products, no artificial sweeteners, and on and on.
In marketing, it is known that most people are going to buy what they
WANT, not what they need.
So, Phil, you give them what they want and squeeze in what they need.
Let's go back to your question,
Would YOU be going over to the dark side if you promoted the product you discovered as part of YOUR lose your body fat solution?
What do you think?
I think that's a great set of advice, Ivan and I thank you for both the detailed response and for some of your personal story.
My takeaway is to consider using this as a gateway product to a program of diet and exercise to keep in shape.
I agree with you totally Phil, the supporting structure of YOUR SYSTEM to lose weight should be the program of diet and exercise to keep in shape.
People will buy what THEY want. So many have blind faith
that only the capsules will CHANGE their life. If they don't believe in diet and exercise, the capsules CAN BE the catalyst for their transformation into their new life. Some
people are really sad. They lost their vision, and no longer have their friends. This is not about the capsules, they are just a commodity that somehow represents some form of healing to some. Because they throw money at the problem emotionally they FEEL great. They have done their job, they have done something about it, and they are expecting that this purchase will bring them a new life, a new opportunity to live. What they need in their life is a radical transformation, but they don't know it. They need a human connection, and that connection is YOU.
You are their turning point, Phil.
The capsules are the catalyst for that change WHEN YOU provide them with the right type of bonuses that they can enjoy, and also with a program of diet and exercise that will introduce them to the potential of a new life.
The program will be the gateway to connect with people who are in pain. It is this interaction with other human beings that makes this connection so special. Not the capsules, not the program of diet and exercise. They are
only the means to understand and later admire and respect the person who is trying to bring joy into their lives. No more shattered dreams. You are unique. They believe in you,
and YOU are the connection to their solution, which goes much deeper than losing weight.
I enjoy you as a person. I enjoy your creativity, and your playing around with AI to show us beautiful art created by you and the AI. People will soon forget the art that was
produced by the AI, but they will remember you as the person who brought that art to make them happy or to make them think. The AI cannot replace the human connections and the human emotions. That is something that we should always remember.
I was following you before and as soon as I came back to Florida I opened the computer to see what new things you had in mind. I had to go to New York, to help my grandma, who was suffering from Alzheimer's. It was a very difficult situation. I tried to bring her to my house in Florida but she wanted to stay at her apartment in New York.
Now she is with God.
This week I'll be creating my new website at Wealthy Affiliate. I have never done a website before, so I expect to enjoy the process and open a new world of possibilities.
To you and the family at Wealthy Affiliate:
Enjoy your Christmas
Your thoughts have really got me considering the structure of this whole thing and I'm very grateful to you for taking the time to write it all down.
I'm sorry to hear about your grandma. Alzheimer's is a dreadful thing, but at least she's at peace now.
I wish you and yours a wonderful Christmas and New Year too.
It took me time to put those thoughts together, but I'm very happy that you liked it.
It's all about people,
It's all about connecting with them.
It's all about connecting with their joy.
It's all about connecting with their pain
It's all about helping them.
The rest is a means to an end
Thanks so much...in the middle of so much turmoil in this world, we'll make it a merry Christmas.
Ivan Sanchez
Sounds good Phil, after all people will choose for themselves - is it your problem to solve?
If you check out my later blogs My New Business ChatGPT Has Helped Me Write an 80-Page Lead Magnet you'll see the direction I've taken. Thanks for your thoughts.
Some will, some Won't, so What...Next!
Take advantage of the CB product to appease those who are looking for a quick fix, and continue to promote your diet and exercise regimens for those who know thats what they need to do!
Merry Christmas, Phil!
Rudy
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This is Darkest Section the Dark Side.
Everyone said that El Chapo was an excellent, kind, and giving person. Chapo is quoted as saying that if he wasn't doing it, someone meaner, nastier, and not so charitable would be profiting from the enterprise. So he figured why not me?
He amassed a fortune from providing what people wanted.
I wrote a post on this very same thing.
Niche Alchemy - Blogging isn’t about finding a pre-packaged niche and locking yourself in. It’s about embracing the evolution, the constant dialogue with your audience, and the data-driven tweaks that turn your blog into a living, breathing organism.
Just my two cents.
Some great thoughts there, Don. Thanks for sharing.
You got it, basically saying the same thing. Listen to your audience. Offer it and the alternative.
Neo, Do you want the Red Pill or the Blue Pill? The choice is yours.
Choose wisely.
I want to offer both.