Changes to the Amazon Associates Agreement – Free Book Promotions
I received an email this morning linking to the changes in the Amazon Associates Agreement. I have never used free book promotions as a business model, but know many who have. I have been envious of that model, actually! It’s super smart. Promote free books every day through your affiliate link and get paid on the other things they buy as well.
That’s no longer going to fly, according to the new agreement:
March 1, 2013 version
The following is added at the end of the sub-section:“In addition, notwithstanding the advertising fee rates described on this page or anything to the contrary contained in this Operating Agreement, if we determine you are primarily promoting free Kindle eBooks (i.e., eBooks for which the customer purchase price is $0.00), YOU WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO EARN ANY ADVERTISING FEES DURING ANY MONTH IN WHICH YOU MEET THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS:
(a) 20,000 or more free Kindle eBooks are ordered and downloaded during Sessions attributed to your Special Links; and
(b) At least 80% of all Kindle eBooks ordered and downloaded during Sessions attributed to your Special Links are free Kindle eBooks.”
I am sad for those who’ve spent a lot of time building this business model up. I understand it from Amazon’s point of view. What are your thoughts?
Forever Affiliate Review Part 2 – How is it So Far?
I’ve gotten through the “theory” module in Forever Affiliate and am working my way through the phase 1 module. There are a lot of videos! This is good because it means the course is very in depth. I’d have to say that if you’re totally new to Internet Marketing, the theory module might be slightly overwhelming, but not to worry all because the actual “action taking” modules are so in depth.
I’ve also been taking a lot of notes as part of my bonus for those who choose to grab this through my link — this is to help me take action and I definitely think it will help you take action.
Phase 1 is all about ensuring what you choose will be profitable. Andrew has a fairly simple calculation he goes through to determine this with accuracy. He also details how you know whether you’ll be able to rank for that term. The way he explains it, you basically choose the income level you want to reach based on this.
It was inspiring to watch his process. I think I’m pretty good at picking profitable products to promote, but this takes things a step further. It’s how things work with the “new” Google, so I’m really glad to have this information.
I still have some videos to get through in phase 1, but I’m really enjoying it so far. Oh — I almost forgot. I love that he detailed a way to find Clickbank products I’ll be happy to promote. It’s a really good system, and I can’t wait to go through the remainder of phase 1 tonight.
Is it worth it? Absolutely. Andrew has done some solid testing and the fact that he has used the methods he’s sharing with us is clear in his videos.
Don’t like video? There are transcripts available under each video, which is great. My notes should make things even easier. If you’re serious about affiliate marketing, I highly suggest you grab this course before the upcoming price increase. I’m using this as part of my Squidoo strategy and the two will work beautifully together.
Exciting stuff to come in 2013 — join me here.
Then, contact me to get your bonus.
Forever Affiliate by Andrew Hansen Part 1
Earning $300-$3000 from each affiliate site?
I’ve been a fan of Andrew Hansen‘s products for years. It started with his Niche Marketing on Crack book that I used and did pretty well with. Then it grew to his Firepow product that allowed me to install sites very quickly. Now he has a new course. I bought the course as soon as it opened, fully expecting to love it …
And of course I am loving it so far. One of the best things Andrew does is present things in a way that is easy to understand. As soon as you log in, you are greeted with a welcome video from Andrew himself. In fact, much of the course (at least so far) has been direct from Andrew — him talking to the camera or doing screenshot videos.
I guess I should back up a little bit first. The idea for this course came about because so many people have been having trouble ranking niche sites over the past year or so, with all the Google updates. It’s so bad that many high earning affiliate marketers completely stopped building sites and moved on to other things.
That’s a sign for you and me to pack it in, right?
I did…but not really on purpose. I was annoyed my sites had sunk in the rankings so I either sold them off or let them expire. I didn’t have the heart to keep trying when so many around me were having trouble with them. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have had this attitude since I’d earned a nice income from niche mini sites in the past.
Andrew didn’t want to pack it in. Instead, he moved to the beach (sounds nice!) to do some distraction-free testing. He discovered some things that were fairly shocking — one of those things is that it’s not hard to rank and earn sites these days (click through to see the screenshots). We just have to approach it in a different way. In some cases, it takes less work. Good!
The screenshots on his Forever Affiliate sales letter are shocking in and of themselves — not because I don’t believe Andrew is a high earner but because the results he’s posted are ONLY from his testing in late 2012 or so. That is very recent … and those are some nice earnings in a short period of time.
He has proven that anyone can start from scratch and hope to achieve similar results. I’ll be reviewing the course as I continue to go through it — so far I’ve gotten to the first module and have already had some takeaway “ah-ha” moments … in fact, there is one tip in there I know could have earned me several thousand more dollars per month if I’d known about it years ago.
Take a look at Forever Affiliate, if only to become inspire by the screenshots and some of the tips he reveals right on the page.
BONUS
If you decide to go through my link, you’ll receive my personal notes from this course, free. That is a huge added value, especially if you prefer to learn via text rather than video. Just contact me and I’ll get you set up.
Making Money With Squidoo — Here is What I’m Using
are turning to Squidoo these days to test niches and
take advantage of the fact that Google tends to LOVE
Squidoo.
In some private forums, I’ve even heard some of the guys
who had their own high earning sites CRUSHED by Google, would
only do it all again on the Squidoo platform.
Because Squidoo has the power to bounce back whereas a little
old site by you or me might not.
It’s be very, very interesting to get on the inside to see
how many huge earning affiliate marketers are making
Squidoo their home.
You may have been following my own Squidoo goals — to create
100 lenses by March 1.
My lenses started earning very quickly — around 2 weeks in
– and earnings are growing steadily.
If you’ve yet to earn a penny online, this is what I
recommend, 100%.
If you have earned with your own sites in the past but
became frustrated with Google (like me — I got rid of and
sold off most of my affiliate sites when I didn’t want to fight
Squidoo makes it super simple to build and earn for FREE.
Now, I will say that you need a solid strategy to follow
through with.
I recommend a few resources on my blog, but some are a little
more expensive than some would like to use starting out.
I’ve been profiting with one method that is low in cost
(around the price of buying 2 domain names…which you
don’t need since you’ll be using Squidoo!) and it’s
really valuable.
Build lenses with this method, and there is no way you
won’t make sales … seriously.
This product is by Erica Stone who is absolutely fantastic
when it comes to Squidoo.
This method is super-solid at any time of the year.
Grab it today to get started earning with Squidoo
quite quickly (between 15-45 minutes these days). Part of the
reason I can do them so quickly is because I also use
Squidcrafter.
This is a Java program that very quickly creates beautiful, high
They are updating the software (possibly at a higher price)
to make it ideal for WordPress blogs as well. I’d grab it now
This thing saves me (literally) hours per day.
If you want to become serious about Squidoo, combine Erica’s
guide with Squidcrafter:
I use it on my Mac with the 2nd to newest Java – they are
making updates to comply with the recent Java update, FYI.
The bottom line?
Squidoo is a big, big part of my 2013 as I rebuild my
passive physical product income to where it was when I was
big into mini niche sites before the horrid Google updates.
Squidoo is a big, big part of many well known marketers’
plans because it just plain works.
I recommend you take a shortcut for earnings with Erica’s
method and Squidcrafter.
If you’re ready for the very best training there is (the
thing I’m basing almost my ENTIRE affiliate marketing
strategy on, in combination with Erica’s guide) grab
One Week Marketing — it’s 4 Squidoo and affiliate marketing
courses in one, plus a community, plus constant updates.
It is NOT the old guide you may have gotten years ago, it’s
new as of late 2012.
Hop on board with Squidoo, the easiest way to earn as an
affiliate these days. Head to my blog to “talk Squidoo” -
Jenn
P.S. Follow along with my Squidoo challenge updates and
join in the challenge, free!
P.P.S. If you’re short on cash and have to choose just one,
get Erica’s guide for an inexpensive head start.
BONUS: If you don’t start earning fast, email me and
I’ll help you until you do!
Squidoo Challenge Update #6
So sorry I’m behind on the updates 
First — what everyone wants to know — my lenses are making sales! It’s been since late January and it’s now mid-February. It was about 2 weeks to the first sale from these lenses (though that ‘first sale’ lens had only been up for a week or so). 4 lenses out of around 30 have made sales — for a total of 10 sales as of Febrary 15.
This shows me that this works — and it’s picking up steam.
If you are someone who has never made a sale online, stop what you’re doing and hop on board the Squidoo train.
I expect many more sales as I reach 100 lenses and the lenses settle in the search engines. New goal? I want 500 lenses spread across a few accounts — I’ll start to outsource to get this done within a few months. I want quality, helpful lenses, but I’m definitely using the “spaghetti” approach to go back and add to lenses as time goes on and I see which are emerging as winners.
My goal is to have 100 lenses up (at least) by March 1. Go here if you’d like to join me in that challenge.
Join the Facebook Group:
I’ve set up a Facebook group where we can share tips and information and inspire each other to create 100 lenses by March 1. This can be life changing for you! It’s totally free. Request to join the Facebook group, here
Here are my stats:
Number of Lenses
I have 2 Squidoo accounts (this is allowed)
I have 34 total active lenses.
I need to complete 66 lenses to reach my goal.
Lens Rankings
My best ranked lens is at around 16K (its best was around 12K)
The lenses are getting around 450 visits per week … but a portion of that is inner Squidoo traffic from Google+ groups and internal Squidoo — so that’s not buyer traffic. As the lenses age they will switch to more “real” traffic.
Google Rankings
I’m using the free http://rankcheckerace.com/ to keep track of my Google rankings.
I have several lenses on the first page for their keyword.
I have some lenses being super stubborn.
Squidtivity
Lots of likes and comments — I won’t update this section much from this point on because I’ve realized it’s easy to get likes and comments as long as you are active in the community.
Backlinking
I’ve continued on with the auto-pilot backlinking. PotPieGirl teaches us how to automate this in the new One Week Marketing – I have added a few easy steps as well.
Earnings
10 sales from Amazon from these lenses (not Squidoo Amazon — my own Amazon account)
My Thoughts
Picking up steam! We’re raring to go now 
Resources Used:
One Week Marketing – It’s not required, but I really do think you should grab this one if you’re following in the challenge. It’s a very thorough course and I know it works. I’m already getting amazing rankings and things are really taking off with this strategy.
Jaaxy – This saves a ton of time with keyword research — plus it’s not at all expensive (it’s a monthly fee). They give you 30 free searches, so you may as well check it out with no obligation.
http://rankcheckerace.com/ – Keep track of Google rankings – they send them to your email daily. This is free — they also keep track of your rankings over time!
Squidcrafter – this saves me oodles of time and I use it every single day to create awesome Amazon affiliate links on my lenses — this is a MUST for anyone serious about their Squidoo marketing.
Squid Pro Quo — I use this product in conjunction with One Week Marketing. This product is awesome for choosing buyer keywords you know you can rank for and make sales with. There is a certain “style” to these — this is another awesome shortcut to making fast sales with Squidoo. Love it.
Quick PLR Sale — Writing Non-Fiction for Kindle
Occasionally, I offer past products of mine for sale with private label rights. I do this for a couple of reasons.
1. People ask me to – they know I’m also a ghostwriter but sometimes don’t want to pay the much higher fee for original work — yet they want the quality I put out.
2. I want to make the most of my content – I don’t have a list of a gagillion people, and I don’t tend to enjoy the hyped up IM sale bandwagon. I do post offers there sometimes…but haven’t for a while. I’d rather the material be in the hands of those I know and trust — my readers, subscribers, and friends.
3. It’s fun — it’s really fun to see what people make of the content. I’m happy to provide easy, quick content I’ve personally been successful with for others to use. If I can save you time, I’m happy!
For a limited time, I’m offering private label rights to my product on how to write Non-Fiction for Kindle – this is great for those who have lists and audiences of writers, marketers, and others interested in learning how to publish on Kindle.
Grab your copy here, for less than $20: Easily Write Non-Fiction for Kindle
Oreo’s Epic Super Bowl ‘You Can Still Dunk in the Dark’ Ad
This ad totally rocks:
This was posted on Oreo’s Facebook page pretty much immediately after the lights went out at the Super Bowl and has gone viral. It shows some extremely quick thinking. It’s timely, effective, and leaves the viewer with a powerful image. I’m sure this one won some new Oreo fans. This kind of thinking is what we should aspire to as copywriters.
Squidoo Challenge Update #5
I’ve fallen a bit behind already in February — Grrr!! But I am determined to catch up. I have my system down pat now and it gets easier and easier to put the lenses up.
My goal is to have 100 lenses up (at least) by March 1. Go here if you’d like to join me in that challenge.
Join the Facebook Group:
I’ve set up a Facebook group where we can share tips and information and inspire each other to create 100 lenses by March 1. This can be life changing for you! It’s totally free. Request to join the Facebook group, here
Here are my stats:
Number of Lenses
I have 14 total active lenses.
I have 86 lenses to complete to reach my goal.
Lens Rankings
My best ranked lens is at around 22K
I have 11 lenses with ranks better than 100K.
I’d like to get them all lower than 20K
Google Rankings
I’m using the free http://rankcheckerace.com/ to keep track of my Google rankings.
I have 10 lenses ranking ‘at all’ on Google.
I have 4 lenses on the first page for their keyword. *already! Most in less than a week…*
I have 3 lenses on the second page for their keyword.
Squidtivity
Is that a word? I have had around 246 visitors to these lenses so far this week.
My most ‘well-liked’ lens has 25 likes. All of my active lenses have at least some likes, with the lowest number being 2.
I have some great comments — on all lenses now, I think … or at least, most of them.
Backlinking
I’ve continued on with the auto-pilot backlinking. PotPieGirl teaches us how to automate this in the new One Week Marketing – I have added a few easy steps as well.
Earnings
Nothing yet! It will happen
My Thoughts
Feeling like I’m gaining momentum with improved Google rankings. I am also really starting to appreciate why Squidoo works so well. Google likes activity and fresh updates, and Squidoo offers a few ways to make that happen (mainly comments, Google News feeds, etc.).
It’s Super Bowl Sunday, but I’m going to get some client work done and then move on to making more Squidoo lenses before the night gets away from me.
Resources Used:
One Week Marketing – It’s not required, but I really do think you should grab this one if you’re following in the challenge. It’s a very thorough course and I know it works. I’m already getting amazing rankings and things are really taking off with this strategy.
Jaaxy – This saves a ton of time with keyword research — plus it’s not at all expensive (it’s a monthly fee). They give you 30 free searches, so you may as well check it out with no obligation.
http://rankcheckerace.com/ – Keep track of Google rankings – they send them to your email daily. This is free — they also keep track of your rankings over time!
Excluded Items for Amazon Associates
Just a quick heads up, I was aware that some products were not eligible for earnings for Amazon Associates. I wasn’t aware of just how many products are on that list.
To see this list, go to your associates account and click on “help.” Then, click the “excluded products” link under Advertising Fees and Payments. You’ll be able to see the updated list there.
Some of the products on the list surprised me, so definitely check it out.
Join the 100 Lens Challenge!
Will you join in the challenge with me? It’s completely
free.
Leave a note here in the comments that you are joining in — then
request to join here on FB: 100 Lens Challenge Group
You’ll be in! I’ll share tips and strategies and we’ll
support each other to build 100 lenses by March 1.
There are many good things that can come from this! Affiliate
sales, traffic, networking opportunities, and awesome
opportunities to expand your affiliate marketing efforts -
whether you’re new or not.