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My Review Of Wealthy Affiliate
I get a lot of emails from a lot of REALLY great people. I love the questions that are asked – they really make me think! Ever since my disclosure that I am a member of Wealthy Affiliate, I am getting many emails with one common question – “Does Wealthy Affiliate Work?” So, today, let’s talk about my experience being a Wealthy Affiliate member, the pros and the cons of WA…. and most importantly, let’s answer the #1 question…. Does Wealthy Affiliate Work?
Wealthy Affiliate Review
Review Author: Jennifer Ledbetter
Review Date: December 1, 2011
(5.0 / 5)
Summary: After 3+ years of membership at Wealthy Affiliate, I can safely and honestly say that WA is THE best place to be to learn and exceed with internet marketing. Read my Complete Wealthy Affiliate Review
The Wealthy Affiliate Program – Why I Joined
I have to admit that I was a tad bit amused to hear people ask me why *I* would join Wealthy Affiliate. In my mind, I am no where near done learning yet – why WOULDN’T I want to join a private community that is designed especially and exclusively for those in affiliate marketing? While WA is a fantastic resource for beginners, those “like me” really like it there, too.
Here’s the thing – no matter what stage of growth your online business is currently at, you are never done learning. No more learning means no more growth. While I am content with my current income from my marketing online, I am certainly not done. Why would I limit myself?
On the flip side, I have worked extremely hard and I am content with my online earnings. To me, this means I now know things that can help others. Let me take that statement one dramatic step further… I now know things that can help others change their lives.
To me, that is an awesome responsibility. It is also an incredible blessing in my book.
My decision to join wealthy affiliate was based on those two things:
- 1. Will this decision help me further my own knowledge and business?
- 2. Will this decision help me continue to help others learn what I know?
My gut instinct was yes, both of those necessary criteria will be met. I stressed over the decision and then at our beach vacation I realized, “Heck, I could join for one month and then cancel if I find out I’m wrong!” So, I DID join…. and now, I can’t imagine NOT being a member of Wealthy Affiliate!
What IS Wealthy Affiliate?
I can answer that question with another question…
What ISN’T Wealthy Affiliate?
It is everything all wrapped up into one powerful private community. Think of something you need to begin a business in affiliate marketing…
Keyword tools?
Website Creators?
Free Hosting?
Content Writers?
Freelance Jobs?
Link Cloaker?
Training Programs?
Learning Centers?
Step By Step Tutorials?
Marketing Materials?
Research Tools?
Hot Clickbank Products?
Hot Trends?
Wealthy Affiliate has ALL of that… yes, all of that for one low monthly membership rate. It’s crazy! Everything you need to put all this affiliate marketing stuff together is right there. Even if you are so new that you don’t even know what affiliate marketing is…. you will learn from Step One when a member of WA.
But it gets better…
Recently, Kyle and Carson (Wealthy Affiliate owners/creators) released information on a million-dollar niche. They COMPLETELY dissected it and put it into their Million Dollar BluePrint – and GAVE it to all Wealthy Affiliate members! Tell me, have you ever had a millionaire affiliate marketer totally break down every little piece of market research and HAND it to you?
And THEN, they are right there to help you, answer questions, and guide you through it. Totally blew me away when they put that blueprint right there on everyones dashboard just free for the taking.
So, This Is Why You Joined WA?
Ready for this? None of these reasons alone are why I joined Wealthy Affiliate. I THOUGHT they would be reasons, but I was so very wrong. Kyle and Carson could take away all the tools, all the market research, all the free websites…all the jobs on the job board… and I would STILL be a member each and every month.
Why?
Folks, I LOVE that forum!
In my time online I have been active in MANY affiliate marketing forums. Did I say MANY? I am so impressed with the level of community, the level of knowledge and professionalism, and the flat out HONEST sharing of info and ideas in the WA forum! I would be a member of JUST the forum.
And that forum is a couple years old. You can sit there and read and read and learn SO much from the everyday conversations successful affiliate marketers have.
People don’t share information and help like that in free forums.
Getting Affiliate Marketing Help
I’ll tell you this, I wanted to learn how to add PPC to my affiliate marketing efforts. While I am formerly trained to use PPC advertising, I have yet to use it for my own campaigns. If you’ve been reading here at PotPieGirl.com for any length of time, you will know that I am a BIG fan of free marketing techniques and don’t believe anyone should PAY for traffic until they are making money successfully.
I am at that place where I add PPC to my tool box, or stop growing. There are a LOT of little tricks and tips to using it effectively and I knew that…and knew I would need help. REAL help. Not some guide or system, but hands on HELP.
So, I started a thread in the forum – “Teaching PotPieGirl PPC – Any Advice?”
Wow-Wow-Wow! I got some of the BEST help from some really successful PPC marketers. I have now dramatically increased my daily and monthly income from learning this skill first-hand from those that KNOW it.
Giving Affiliate Marketing Help
And guess what? *I* get to openly share and help in that forum, too. And people keep giving me gold for my help so I am actually MAKING money by being a WA member. (WA Gold is the free currency used with the community. It is transferable for real cash each month.)
The people in WA are simply phenomenal. I love reading all the success stories in the forum when people continually make their first sale, first $50 day…. first $200 day… and so on…and share HOW they did it.
Is Wealthy Affiliate a Scam?
Lord knows, I LOVE this question! No, Wealthy Affiliate is NOT a scam. WA is not a system nor is it a scheme or anything like that. It is more like a university… a learning environment. There is no scam about it, period.
It’s not an ebook or a single software tool… it’s not “just” a forum, either…. it is EVERYTHING and then some.
So – Does Wealthy Affiliate Work?
Here is the reality – we are not all the same. What *I* need to continue to be successful online may not be what YOU need. I know that learning = earning. The more I know, the more I earn… it’s been as “simple” as that.
I’ll be honest with you here when I say, “Yes, the money IS really nice”…. BUT…
I also know that the more I give back, the more successful I feel…and the more successful I truly am. Life is not about what you have, it’s about what you give. The more I learn, the more I HAVE to give.
If you don’t HAVE it, you can’t GIVE it.
Excuse my ramble here for a second it, but I think this current life example might explain ME a bit better.
My daughter, who is 17, pushed herself hard thru High School and managed to meet graduation criteria after this summer semester (yes, she volunteered to go to summer school AND is now a High School graduate a whole YEAR early! Talk about an amazing young woman!)
Well, guess what comes AFTER High School?
Yup…. college.
We have been in the process of college applications and financial necessities trying to get it all done so she can start after the first of the year.
Talk about exciting!
It hit me today as I am gathering all the info we need that I am STRESS-FREE. I KNOW the money side will work out. No, not magically, but by me. Because of the fact that I have busted my bottom to change not only MY life, but the options and life for my family, I KNOW that I have the skills to provide whatever she needs to obtain HER dreams.
It’s like I finally exhaled and let that over-whelming financial stress that has followed me for so many years slide away.
I want others to feel that relief. I want others to OWN that and KNOW that they have succeeded in opening a can of unlimited potential.
Do I now have that relief JUST because of Wealthy Affiliate? Uh, no… not hardly. While I DO wish I had found WA a LOT earlier, it is not “the secret” nor is it “the answer”.
The secret and the answer is the same for me as it is for YOU.
*I* am the secret and the answer to an ability to change my life just like YOU are the secret and the answer to changing YOUR life.
I am not afraid to invest in myself and that is why I took a chance and joined Wealthy Affiliate.
PotPieGirl, Does Wealthy Affiliate Work For YOU?
YES! Wealthy Affiliate really works for me. I work what I learn so that makes it a great place for me to hang out.
Will Wealthy Affiliate Work For YOU?
I can’t answer that. Only YOU can answer that…and there is only ONE way to find out. (No, “rock/paper/scissors” is NOT the way to make this decision!)
Try it. Spend $40 on one month…a full 30 days of unlimited access to the whole Wealthy Affiliate University. If it doesn’t work for you, you don’t continue. Yes, it’s that simple.
No one can make a decision about Wealthy Affiliate FOR you. It is YOUR business decision.
Personally, I would love to have ALL my PotPieGirl.com readers there with me at WA! However, I understand that it might not be the best decision for all of you.
Just, please, don’t be afraid to invest in YOU. This unlimited can of potential doesn’t turn into REALITY all by itself… it needs YOU.
If you want to give Wealthy Affiliate a try – GREAT! Click here and get the free guide and see what it’s all about. Make an educated decision.
When you join WA with me, let me know your screen name/forum name as they don’t tell me this and I won’t be able to find you without it.
As you might be able to guess, I am PotPieGirl on Wealthy Affiliate 😉
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Interesting article! I had stayed well clear of WA as I had seen it as just another one of those schemes that only made the creators rich whilst relying on the gullible and dumb to sign up to it and do their promotion for them.
This image of WA is not helped in anyway by the dozens of really poor lenses on squidoo promoting it and the number of junk blogs I have seen it mentioned on.
I may now have to rethink my impressions and look into it further. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Roos last blog post..Harry Potter – Prequel and The Tales of Beadle the Bard
Hi Jennifer – this post is directly straight at me since I just e-mailed you a couple days ago with questions which you answered here for me! Just like you, part of my vacation time (just back this week from Europe) was a time of soul-searching on the next step to take to persue some financial independence and peace of mind. In today’s economy especially, I think we each must take responsibility for ourselves and pull ourselves up to meet our best potential – we certainly know that no one else will do this for us! Success also means giving back – which you do so well and I hope that in months and years to come I can do the same thing. Thank you for all you do and may you continue to be blessed.
The reason for all the poor lenses and blogs promoting WA is that a lot of newbie marketers start their affiliate marketing journey at WA and from day 1 they are instructed on the importance of taking action. Many start with what they know, so they start by promoting WA. I did, and a few of those poor lenses and blogs are probably mine. This should not be a reflection on WA. Many of those newbies continue to learn and go on to make $1000s per month or more, as I now do. At WA you not only learn by reading, but you learn by doing and continuing to improve your marketing efforts.
I highly recommend WA! It is the most valuable online resource I have ever used.
Hey Jen,
Great post about WA. I was a member a while back and you are right on the mark with everything you have said.
My only problem was I spent TOO much time in the forum lol.
I quit for a while to actually put my knowledge into action, and to start making more money. Once I get to the point you are at, I will be back I’m sure.
Jackie
Great post PotPiegirl,
You’ve really broken things down to the crux of the matter which is that there is no secret push-button wealth creator out there.No matter what you choose to do to build your business you will have to work hard.Wealthy affiliate simply provides plenty of the tools and information required to do just that.Peace
I’m sitting on the fence right now trying to decide whether I need something like this. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it however. This post might actually be the encouragement I need. Thanks!
Hi Jennifer,
Just downloaded your One Week Marketing and a newbie member of WA. I put a call out for help in the forum and had a response from Neo. I am so looking forward to getting started but still have a lot to learn at the WA University first. I actually joined WA early this year and got so overwhelmed that I opted out for a little while. I am hoping that your ebook will put it all into perspective for me. At this time I see this as my last resort, but I don’t want to give up either.
Look for me, I am kim1503 in WA. It would be nice to say hello.
Regards
I had to chuckle at your rock paper scissors Jennifer =)
That is how I make all my decisions in life!
JK hehe
Wealthy Affiliate Uniwersity is a great place for any who want to make money on the internet. So Jenifer, you have absolutely right when you said for people that it is good.