CPA, cost per action, networks can be very profitable but you need to do some homework before you get started with CPA networks. In essence, CPA networks are all about lead generation. An advertiser pays a publisher for every lead that the publisher generates. You can make money on three different levels in CPA networking.
First, you can generate leads. This role is called CPA publisher, sometimes also affiliate. You simply drive traffic to a web page and get paid every time someone signs up, in other words you do lead generation. The main advantage compared with traditional affiliate marketing is that you get paid even without making a sale. You can get paid if a prospect signs up for an email list, fills out an online form or mail address. This means that the conversion rate is much higher than in traditional affiliate marketing, which requires a sale.
The next level is to be a CPA advertiser, sometimes called a marketer or seller. You have a product or service and you are prepared to pay for leads. This requires that you select a suitable CPA network. Generally you need to pay upfront, so you want to make sure that the network is financially solid and have a lot of publishers. As an advertiser, you take on a much higher financial risk than a publisher.
It is also possible to start your own CPA network, becoming a network owner. This is nothing for beginners but a successful network can be very profitable. Unfortunately, every dispute between advertisers and publishers becomes your responsibility and you need to be able to attract good advertisers and publishers to your network.
For most people, starting as publisher is the first step into CPA networks. While everyone can become a ClickBank affiliate, being accepted by CPA networks requires some preparations. Most CPA networks will accept you as a publisher even if you don’t have a website but you will have to answer some questions before you are accepted. As a publisher, you should sign up with more than one network. But read the guidelines for each network carefully. If you don’t follow the rules, you may find that your account has been terminated. Once accepted into a network, you focus on driving traffic to suitable offers and watch the money coming in. Well, sometimes the money will come in fast but you need to be able to drive traffic in order to make big money.