How to get accepted into a CPA network - step by step guide!

CPA Networks are effectively the middlemen in the process of CPA Marketing. On one side, they negotiate deals with advertisers like eHarmony and Netflix who are looking to buy leads. They also help these advertisers set up their CPA offers. On the other side, they manage all the affiliates in their network who are looking to make a commission by getting traffic to the CPA offers and getting leads for the advertisers. The CPA networks are thus facilitators. They essentially create a CPA offer marketplace for advertisers to find affiliates and affiliates to find advertisers.

CPA networks also take care of the tracking and cash flow between the advertisers and the affiliates. They track which affiliates are earning what commissions and they get money from the advertiser for these leads and then payout the money to the affiliates. The CPA Networks make a small cut of each transaction, and that’s how they make their money. So, if Netflix is willing to pay $20 per lead, the CPA network may pay the affiliate $19 per lead and keep $1. You may be asking yourself, “Can the affiliate just bypass the CPA network, work directly with the advertiser, and negotiate a better commission, such as the full $20 instead of the $19?” The answer is both yes and no. If you are a super affiliate pushing a lot of traffic and leads, then the advertiser may work a private deal with you. But, if you are new or don’t have the ability to push a lot of traffic, advertisers won’t work with individual affiliates. Unless you are doing at least 4 figures a day for one advertiser, you should take the traditional route and run through the CPA network.

Another important point to remember is that there are literally hundreds of CPA networks out there, but many of the smaller networks have far fewer offers and may be less reliable and more risky. It would really be a bummer to earn $5,000 in commissions and the network decides they don’t want to pay you or the network goes out of business before paying you. This doesn’t happen often, but it can happen. With the development of software platforms in recent years, it is extremely simple to set up a CPA Network, so many pop up all the time. Your best bet is to stick with the larger, more established networks we have provided at the end of this report. They have become large and successful because they do things the right and honest way.

Another interesting fact about many networks that many people aren’t aware of, is that the networks themselves are also affiliates. This “proprietary marketing” is when networks drive traffic to their own offers. They aren’t always just facilitating transactions; they are also generating them as well!

However, everything isn’t all rainbows and butterflies at CPA networks – there is a lot of risk and garbage that networks have to deal with on a regular basis, which is why they have an application process instead of just accepting everybody. As mentioned above, networks deal with the cash flowing from advertisers to affiliates. In the ideal scenario for the CPA Network, they will tell the advertisers how many leads their affiliates generated; they will then receive money for the leads from the advertiser and then pay out the commissions to the affiliates. There is zero risk for the CPA networks here because they are waiting to get money from the advertiser and once received, then they pay out the commission to the affiliates.

However, this isn’t always how it works, and networks can take on considerable risk at times because of the timing of cash flow. In many circumstances when there are affiliates generating sizable daily commissions, the affiliates don’t want to wait up to a month for the network to collect from the advertiser first. Remember, some affiliates are pushing $20,000 or more a day, so they want to get paid right away.

Imagine this scenario….one of the network’s super affiliates earns $5,000 a day in commissions from a particular insurance company CPA offer. Because the affiliate is pushing such large volume, the CPA network decides to wire commissions every day to this affiliate. But, perhaps the insurance company who is running the CPA offer only pays the CPA network every few weeks. In this example, the network is essentially paying the affiliate the $5,000 in commissions every day out of pocket with the expectation that the insurance company will reimburse them in a few weeks. So there is a time period where the network is giving out their own money and must then wait to be reimbursed by the advertiser. But what happens if the insurance company comes back to the CPA network in a few weeks and argues that the leads were terrible or even fraudulent and they aren’t paying for them. In this scenario, the CPA network just paid the affiliate $5,000 per day for a few weeks and isn’t getting reimbursed by the advertiser. So, there are many scenarios where CPA networks take on considerable risk.

Since there are many CPA marketers who scam and deceive people into filling out their CPA offers, the above scenario is very real and very much a concern for CPA networks, hence the reason they have an application process.


Affiliate Managers at CPA Networks

When you join a CPA network, you will be assigned an affiliate manager, who is sometimes referred to as an account manager. Affiliate managers represent a group of affiliates and they are your point of contact if you have any questions about the network or CPA offers at the network. Your affiliate manager is a great resource because they know all the details about the CPA offers on their network and they know which offers are converting well and which ones aren’t. They have access to a wide range of information and data from all the affiliate’s campaigns, and therefore it’s very important to get to know your affiliate manager and begin a good relationship with them right from day one.

What we normally suggest is to give your affiliate manager a call, text, or instant message as soon as you get accepted to the CPA network. Let them know you just joined their network and wanted to reach out to say hello and introduce yourself. This will get your relationship off to a good start.

I would also suggest communicating with them on a weekly basis to keep communication open and to keep your name in their memory. Remember, your affiliate manager can help you tremendously and if you have a good relationship they may divulge some pretty powerful information or let you promote ‘private’ CPA offers, which aren’t available to the general public. If they become comfortable with you, they can also be more lenient on the rules of the CPA offers.

Your affiliate manager is your ally and a phenomenal resource. Now, let’s move on to the actual application process so you can start applying to networks and getting access to CPA offers!


CPA Network Application Process: Part II

Applying and getting accepted into CPA networks is not difficult if you know the right steps to take – and that’s the goal of this guide. When I was a complete newbie, I knew very little about CPA marketing when I applied and I got accepted into something like 12 of 13 networks I applied to. And this is with substantially less knowledge about CPA then you learned in the NAME TAKEN OUT IM Boot Camp and without all the knowledge you are learning in this report, never mind everything you will learn on the rest of this site…but more about my experience later. The point is that you shouldn’t freak out about the application – it really is super simple!


The Application Process

This report is literally the longest and most comprehensive CPA network application resource I have ever seen. Even the $17 and $27 eBooks about applying to networks don’t go into this much detail! What I fear is that because this is long and details everything you need to know, that you will automatically assume the process is hard. Let me assure you, it’s not. I just want to give you the most information and most ammunition possible. Remember, our goal is to actually help you make some serious money online, not just go through the motions. And just to ease any fears you may have, I HAVE NEVER heard of anybody who couldn’t get into at least two CPA networks.

As we discussed in an earlier section, networks take on a lot of risk by accepting affiliates. Sometimes CPA Networks must pay commissions out of pocket before they receive money from the advertisers so they have financial exposure. If these commissions are “bad leads” such as those from scammers and fraudsters, then the network probably won’t get paid from the advertisers, which means they just forfeited all that money. This is why CPA networks have a screening and application process to try and weed out the fraudsters and scammers. There are dozens of scammers and fraudsters trying to get into these networks every day, so this is a very serious concern for the CPA networks. There is common misunderstanding that networks are trying to weed out “newbies” or newer marketers in the screening process. For some networks this may be true, but the vast majority of network care less about how experienced you are and care more about whether you will be doing anything sketchy as an affiliate — they are weeding out the fraudsters, not the newbies.
What are the networks looking for in the screening process? Well, they are generally looking for affiliates that will promote offers the right way and for affiliates that have a good base understanding of what CPA is.
Now there are certain countries and regions that are known for having rampant fraud, so affiliates from these locations will be scrutinized more in the application process. For example, if you are from Nigeria, it will be more difficult to apply, but it’s certainly not impossible. It just means you will need to demonstrate more proof you know what you are doing and will promote the offers the right way. If you are from the United States, the UK, Australia, or any developed nation, you won’t have anything to worry about here.

Again, I have never met ANYBODY who hasn’t been able to get into at least two CPA networks! Here is a brief rundown of how the application will work:

Step 1: Find a CPA Network You Wish To Join
Step 2: Go to Their Site and Find the Affiliate/Publisher Application
Step 3: Fill Out The Application
Step 4: Try Reaching Out To the Network (optional, but will help)
Step 5: Phone Screening (sometimes)
Step 6: Once Accepted, Take A Look At All The Possible Offers To Promote Step 7: Make Some Serious Money Promoting The Offers



Step 1: Finding a CPA Network to Join

At the end of this report, we have listed some of the best and most reputable CPA networks there are. Most of the larger networks we recommend have a wide range of CPA Offers so you really only need to belong to 1 or 2 of these networks to start off with. If you want to have even a wider variety of offers, you can certainly belong to more networks though.

If you are looking for a network that carries a specific offer, you can go to one of the CPA offer directories we have for you at the end of this report and find out which networks host the offer.


Step 2: Find Application on the Network

We have conveniently given you the links to the affiliate/publisher applications of a few of our favorite CPA networks at the end of this report. If you need to find the application of a network not listed, just go to the CPA Network’s home page and find the affiliate/publisher section and the Join Now or Apply Now directions should be right there.


Step 3: Fill Out the Affiliate/Publisher Applications

The applications of all networks are pretty similar and very simple to fill out. The following are the main pieces of information the networks generally ask for on their applications:

Personal Information: Name, address, email, etc
Tax ID Number: Social Security Number if you are getting checks made out to you. If you are running through a business and want a check made out to your business, you will put in your business EIN number, which is the Tax ID for businesses. If you do not have a Tax ID number, just put in zeros and explain you are from a different country when you reach out to them. Sometimes they have a separate application for affiliates from other countries.
Web Site: If you have a website, it may help to submit it. (discussed later) Experience: Your internet marketing experience
Your Plan: How you will be promoting the CPA offers (PPC, SEO, etc)


Step 4: Try Reaching Out to the Network

Networks look favorably at affiliates who show initiative…it shows they are willing to take action and shows you are probably not a scammer. Most scammers try and slide by the application process unnoticed. By calling the network, this will give them a good feeling you are legitimate. Many networks will reach out to you, but it’s a good practice to try reaching out to the network first. Some networks approve/disapprove applications without ever doing a phone screen, but we will go into that in the next step. You can sometimes find a contact phone number at the network’s web site you are applying to or you can try doing a Google search. If you can’t find a number (some networks don’t make it public), try finding an email address of somebody at the network. If you still can’t find a phone number, don’t worry, this step is an optional step.

When you call or reach out to the network, you should ask to speak with somebody regarding a recent application you submitted. You should call within 24 hours of submitting the application. When you speak to the appropriate person, just explain that you submitted your application and wanted to make sure they received it because you are looking to promote some of their offers. Then just tell them they can reach out to you if they have any questions about the application. In many cases, they will review your application right on the spot and either accept or deny you or ask you a few questions about how you plan to promote their offers. This is super simple stuff. And should take 2 minutes max.

Again, this step is optional, but you will get better results if you take the initiative to do it!


Step 5: Phone Screening

The phone screening is when the network will call you and ask you a few short questions to make sure you aren’t doing anything sketchy. Some networks just pick and choose who they decide to call and automatically accept or deny other applications. This is a measure they do to prevent fraudsters. The phone questions shouldn’t take more than 2 or 3 minutes to complete, so it’s certainly nothing to stress about. I will tell you the exact questions I was asked in the next section and tell you exactly how I answered them, and I got accepted into all but one network when I was just starting in CPA. Here are some common questions:

How long have you been promoting CPA offers?
How do you plan on promoting the offers?
Do you belong to any other networks? If so, which ones?
How much traffic do you anticipate generating?
How much do you spend daily/weekly/monthly?
How did you hear about our network?
What kind of offers do you like?
What niche of offers are you interested in?

CPA Network Application Process: Part III

In this section we will discuss a few other issues relating to CPA network acceptance. This will include various tips and tricks as well as one of the most common questions relating to CPA network acceptance…”should I submit a site or not?” If you still have any questions after reading this section, please head over to the forums and ask. We are more than happy to help resolve any lingering questions.


To Submit a Site or Not to Submit A Site

“Should I apply with a site?” This is one of the most common questions I get asked regarding CPA network acceptance. When I applied I didn’t submit a site at all. I told the network I was promoting on the search engines (PPC) and built landing pages around each offer I promoted. In the spot where it asked for my domain I put www.will-discuss-in-phone-interview.com or www.LandingPageisOfferSpecific.com so they knew I didn’t have a main site I would be promoting the CPA offer on, but rather I would build a landing page to promote each offer. The general purpose of the CPA networks wishing to see your domain is just to see if you know what you are doing. If it’s your first day in Internet marketing and you don’t even know what a domain is, then they probably don’t want you in their network. It’s more or less just to prove you can make a site and one more barrier to weed out the scammers.

The way I approached it is certainly a possible way around the site rule, but many people say submitting a real site of your own is better, and that’s probably true. Luckily, here at NAME TAKEN OUT we show you exactly how to build a WordPress web site and I promise it’s super easy so don’t worry. There are two types of sites that people generally use. You can either build a company web site like a marketing company site or you can build a sample landing page like one you would use as a pre-sell page for your CPA offer. Alternatively, you can pay to have somebody else create a quick site for you. The videos show you how to build a quick and beautiful site, but this is the basic process:
Get a domain and hosting
Install Wordpress
Install a free theme/skin (Skinpress.com o Free-wp-themes.com o Wpskins.com)
Create your own content or buy PLR rights to some content to use ï‚· Install privacy policy and contact form plugin

If you go to the Video Training section of NAME TAKEN OUT, you can follow along and we will show you exactly how to build a word press site step-by-step! Once you build one site the above process won’t take more than 20 minutes to do from start to finish.
Please note, if you submit somebody else’s web site in the application, it’s possible the CPA network may ask you to prove you own the domain. They sometimes look at the public Who Is records of web sites people submit and if it doesn’t show you as the owner, or if its listed as private, they can ask you to prove ownership by sending them proof of purchase or a receipt. I’m really not sure how often this happens though.

Please remember that the site you submit is more or less a dummy site intended to show the network that you know what you are doing and you have a basic understanding of how things work – which after reading this guide you should! This IS NOT the site that you must promote your CPA offers on. This is a common misunderstanding. You can promote CPA offers on any domain you wish once you are accepted.


Some Other Quick Tips…

Start With Second Tier Networks – Use As Leverage
This is something that can help tremendously in getting into the larger, more established networks. Most people go right to the top and start applying to the top few CPA networks. When they are asked what other CPA networks they have worked with, they say none and then get denied. If you start applying to the 2nd tier networks, it’s substantially easier to get accepted and there may be auto- approval so no phone screening. Once you get accepted to one or two of these networks, then you should approach the larger networks. Once you say you already belong to a few networks (even if they are smaller), you are much more likely to get accepted because it gives you instant credibility.

Email@Yoursite.com
If you registered a site, set up an email address at that domain. This is normally free. For example, if your domain is kenster.com, then set up your email as yourname@kenster.com. We go over this in the training videos that show how to set up hosting. This instantly shows you own the site and gives you credibility, as most scammers use free email addresses like Gmail or Hotmail. This is what I did when I applied and may be the reason I got instantly approved by many of the networks.

Confidence - Telephone Verification Process
The most important part of your telephone verification (if you have one) is to be confident and have a full plan to promote the CPA offers. Read through the training material here and come up with a few good strategies. If you show you have a plan of action, it will demonstrate you are serious about promoting their offers! One of the main purposes of the telephone verification process is because they know most scammers and fraudsters like to fly under the radar and not give away their phone numbers, so just the mere fact that they are speaking to you on the phone makes them a little more comfortable you will be promoting the offers the right way. Have a good plan of attack will seal the deal!

Honesty Goes a Long Way
Honesty is the best policy. Some people inflate a little bit when applying and in truth, the networks probably expect it. But, don’t go around boasting huge numbers or pretending you are a super affiliate unless you really are. They don’t mind having newer marketers in their network but they do mind having liars, so don’t say you will be spending $10,000 a day in advertising if you haven’t spent a dime yet! Use common sense.

Fraud Swap List
I don’t expect anybody here to be a fraudster or scammer, but just so you are all aware, network owners know each other and sometimes share information about scammers. If you scam one network, there is a chance you will make it on the “fraud swap list” so other networks know to look out for you. Just do things the right way. There is plenty of money to be made the ethical and honest way so there is no reason to start scamming people.

If You Get Denied
If you get denied, just move onto another network. There are literally hundreds of networks so don’t give up you don’t get in the first few. I have never heard of anybody who got denied to 20 in a row, but if for some strange reason it happens, just move on. My bet is that most of you will get accepted to at least one of the first few networks you apply to. CPA marketing can be incredibly lucrative for non-quitters, so don’t quit, just move onto the next network!

If International - Say Most Traffic is US Based
If you happen to be an international affiliate from outside a developing country, making the network aware that your traffic is US based can help a lot. So, put a note in the application or when you speak to the network, make sure to bring it up!

Company Name Works Better
If you started a company to do your Internet marketing, it’s probably better to register as a company as opposed to an individual. Of course this only works if you have a company.

CPA network list: http://www.affiliatepaying.com/

NOTE: if you still need help, send me a private message, I will see what can be done.

 

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If anyone still has questions, or needs private help, or free 1 on 1 coaching, let me know.

 

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