#1:
You Need A Website
Number one on the list – you need at
least one actual website. This website
doesn’t have to be the be-all and end-all of websites. It just has to look professional. This lets the CPA
Network know you know what
you’re doing.
Remember that keyword research we
did? Well, a site based on one of those
strong keyword phrases will work very well for your “token” website. Even better, if you have an old website
kicking around that you’ve never done anything with – put it to work. (The
advantage with an “old” website? Your CPA reps will check it out and discover
it’s been “in business” a while.)
Set your new site up as a WordPress
blog (hosted on your own domain – never
use a “free” blog actually hosted on WordPress!) Load it with a minimum of 10 posts – I like
to use slightly more, because “10 posts” can be a giveaway sign of someone who
has just hurriedly created a blog for income purposes. And while CPA networks
know perfectly well this goes on, of course, you may notice your success rate
in getting accepted may be higher if you avoid the giveaway “10 post”
dummy-website standard.
Pick a
generic name for your site, because you may be working with this website a lot in the
future, and changing focus quite a few times while honing your campaigns. Sites with the words “how to” or “reviews”
combined with your key phrase work well.
For example: AudioReviews.com would
work better than RingtoneReviews.com, because “audio” is more general than
“ringtone”. You might start working with
ringtones and discover there’s a fabulous headset you’d rather promote; or a
highly-converting piece of recording software.
You can get away with switching campaigns on something called.
“AudioReviews.com” – but promoting a stereo system would not bring in the right
searchers and look rather strange on “RingtoneReviews.com”. (By the way, I didn’t check, but I’m 99.9%
sure that both of these names are already taken.)
When you set up your blog, do not populate it with any advertising
– even if you’ve picked a theme already loaded with ads. If this is the case and
ads appear on your new blog automatically, log in to your dashboard.
In your
Theme Editor, view the files containing any pre-populated, ads such as Google
Adsense, and copy paste the body of the original file into a text editor like
Notepad. Save it, to preserve the original .PHP file (or in case you delete the
wrong one!)
After you’ve done this, copy-select
the file text again, and delete the content of the file from within the editor
page display. (Do not delete the actual file!)
If you’re having a hard time finding
the correct file, look for one which has the word “publisher” or “pub” in it.
You will absolutely need two more
elements on your blog – a Privacy Policy and a Contact Form. Plug ins are your
easy, instant answer for both these items:
WordPress Contact
Form Plug-in - Use this if you don’t
have one from your own autoresponder.
Eric Giguere’s Privacy
Policy Plug In (This one is
specifically for Adsense, but it works.)
You
may also wish to check out the new FTC guidelines (due to be in force by
December 1, 2009) and if you feel it necessary, add a Disclosure page or section.
#2: You Need A Target Market
You’ve done your research, and picked
the best niche you can discover. This is another way to impress CPA reps.
Remember that list of popular CPA
products earlier in the report? That’s a good place to start.
But do try to find a good twist to
your niche – an area that tests well in your keyword research that has low
competition.
#3: You Need A Phone Number Where You Can Actually
Be Reached
Whenever you apply to a CPA network,
7 times out of 10 they will telephone and “interview” you in person.
This shouldn’t be the ordeal of the century.
It usually only takes a couple of minutes, and consists of you confirming a few
things. Looking at it from their point
of view, they just want to make sure that you know what you’re doing.
Do you? Well, you’re well on your way already, just
from having read this far!
There are standard questions they’ll
ask you. Answer cheerfully and firmly –
and whatever you do, don’t over-answer.
Respond exactly to their questions – then wait for the next one.
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Standard Questions CPA Network Reps May Ask
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CPA Question
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Your Answer
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“Which site will you be using to promote our products
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- give site you used on
your application form, and add that you’ll be developing niche websites,
based specifically around their offers
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“What PPC methods are you going to use?”
“Are you familiar with
PPC?”
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- The CPA Rep will
usually only ask you this if you’ve selected Pay Per Click as one of the
types of offers you’ll be promoting. However, he may ask it anyway. Just tell them, yes, you’re familiar with
PPC and you’ll simply use Google Adwords.
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“What are your plans for promoting this product?”
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- “I’ll be starting out
on my [name of your website] site, and adding targeted niche sites built around
and optimized for each of your products.
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Remember, their main purpose is to
confirm that you:
A.
Are a Real Person
B.
Are serious about promoting their product
C.
Know the basics of internet marketing
Beyond that, they’re not the
slightest bit interested in how you got your start, or why you aren’t any more
experienced than you are now.
# 4: You Need A Dedicated Email Address
This is not a big deal. Just set up an email account for the new
website you’ve set up – your web host will provide a certain number of email
accounts for your new domain – but whatever you do, avoid free email providers!
In fact, your biggest challenge in
your whole CPA venture is likely to be simply setting up your new email and
making it check able in Outlook Express (or whatever other mail client you’re
using.)
#5: You Need A List
Let’s face it – CPA Networks love
people who have big lists.
If you don’t
have one yet, don’t panic. You can still start out in CPA, and earn some
income. (The main thing is to just get started.)
The whole key to being accepted by
CPA Networks lies in how confident and businesslike you sound.
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