Making money giving away free stuff

[frankfortpost]

(copied from geek/talk, where I have zero responses to this post)

I was really impressed, and pumped at the idea, of being able to give away free stuff on my site, and get paid for it.

I have been a publisher with Maxbounty, but since I put their links up, I have ended up taking them down.

The reason, is because I find the ads to be very deceptive.

For instance. A friend of mine clicked on an ad for the Tickle IQ test. He completed the entire thing. At the end of it, it wanted a credit card number, so he clicked out.

Now, I can understand not getting the sale, but that publisher now has his information to spam him on, and I get nothing for my efforts of bringing them that person.

Now, there are programs, where they pay per lead, where I have had the exact same thing happen.

There was a "get $10" for comparing Pizza Hut vs Dominoes.

Many pop up windows pop up, and it is designed, to get the surfer off track, and basically steal that lead from you.

So, again, you have a situation where the surfer is not getting to do what was intended, without jumping through massive hoops, and me, the person who brought that company the business, gets a "click", but no "action" in my sales reports. (meaning, I get no money at all for this click through)

I'm not real pleased with these marketing tactics.

Even on programs that say "one field", I have had the same issues.

Are there any reputable companies out there, that literally, when you click on the link, you fill out the number of fields specified, without fancy pop ups and distractions, and the consumer gets what was offered without issues or trickery?

I just want to deal with reputable companies, who will let me test all of the links beforehand. I would also like a company, that will pay to have my computer cleaned, if the advertisments they offer kill my computer with spam.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Jon,

I can't speak from 1st hand experience as an affiliate because I don't run offers and I've never been on the consumer side of one of those either. However, my viewpoint is similar to yours.

Not only are offers like that bad for affiliates and bad for consumers but they tarnish the reputation of our industry as a whole.

Have you ever tried doing legit pay per lead like insurance or loans instead of bogus freebie offers? I know it's more competitive, but at least it's offering a legit service that people actually want???

 

[frankfortpost]

It will be that way, or no way.

The way I look at it comes from a purely business standpoint.

The manufacturer, offers a sample item. Businesses offer samples often, to increase visibility, survey the landscape, so on.

So why not offer us an affiliate program, where the user from my website, clicks on the link, they fill out 1 field, and they are done with it.

No popups, no fancy stuff, done. We get paid for bringing the company the new prospective customer, the new prospective customer gets a free product, and us, the affiliate, gets paid for being the broker between the two.

Now, this should be "101".

But, there may be factors I am not considering. Like the actual cost of a campaign, fraud, and so on.

So there certainly must be a reason, I would think, and my ears are open.

 

[Arun Lakhera]

Frankfort, I must say that you have logically linked free sample idea to affiliate marketing. You have the IQ to give birth to a new affiliate marketing program. Go ahead man??..

 

[frankfortpost]

Frankfort, I must say that you have logically linked free sample idea to affiliate marketing. You have the IQ to give birth to a new affiliate marketing program. Go ahead man??..

I certainly have the intelligence and ideas to make it work, but I do not have the financing, nor the web design capabilities to make it a reality.

Unless someone wants to work with me and make it happen, I will have to pass it on.

 

[frankfortpost]

I'm curious as to how this woman does it?

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