If you’re interested in affiliate marketing and looking for a course to get started, you may have come across Pat Flynn’s 123 Affiliate Marketing. However, with so many scams and shady courses out there, it’s natural to wonder if it is the real deal.
Well, wonder no more! As someone who has taken the course, I’m here to give you the inside scoop and share my honest opinion.
First things first, I want to make it clear that I’m not affiliated with Pat Flynn in any way. I’m not getting paid to write this review, and I have nothing to gain by promoting the course.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into my experience with 123 Affiliate Marketing and see if it’s a scam or a legit course that can help you make money online.
And at the end of this review, I’ll also share with you the best alternative that has personally helped me make a full-time passive income online.
Table of Contents
- How does 123 Affiliate Marketing help you make money?
- Who is Patt Flynn?
- How is the training structured?
- Who is 123 Affiliate Marketing for?
- My Personal Experience with 123 Affiliate Marketing
- How much does 123 Affiliate Marketing cost?
- Refund Policy
- Praise for 123 Affiliate Marketing
- Criticism of 123 Affiliate Marketing
- Is 123 Affiliate Marketing a scam?
- Is there a better alternative to 123 Affiliate Marketing?
- More 123 Affiliate Marketing Alternatives
How does 123 Affiliate Marketing help you make money?
Are you looking to make money through affiliate marketing? Pat Flynn’s 123 Affiliate Marketing course could help you monetize your existing online audience.
It’s important to note that this course is not designed to help you build affiliate sites from scratch. Rather, it’s focused on helping you find the right products to promote and campaigns to support those promotions within an existing audience or one you are building towards.
Affiliate marketing is a business model where companies pay commissions to affiliates (i.e. you) for promoting their products. When a customer clicks on an affiliate’s link and makes a purchase, the affiliate earns a commission on the sale.
- Learn more about affiliate marketing
Who is Patt Flynn?
If you’re looking for an online marketing expert who’s got the skills to make bank, you need to know about Pat Flynn. This guy knows his stuff, and he’s built an online empire through his business, Smart Passive Income (SPI).
According to his income reports, Pat has made millions of dollars through affiliate marketing. That’s right, millions. This dude is the real deal.
Pat’s weekly podcast, which has over 400 episodes, covers a wide range of topics, from marketing on Amazon and Kindle to general business advice. And if you’re into watching videos, he’s got a YouTube channel with more than 402k subscribers where he shares tons of valuable content.
On his YouTube channel, Pat talks about how to make passive income, shares reviews of different courses, and gives updates on what he’s up to. It’s a great resource if you want to learn how to build your own online business.
Pat also offers a bunch of courses on his website, including Smart From Scratch. This course teaches you how to find the best niche for your affiliate business. And since Pat has already made millions from affiliate marketing, you can be sure that he knows what he’s talking about.
You can get a sense of his teaching style by watching the video below:
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
How is the training structured?
The 123 Affiliate Marketing program is divided into five easy-to-follow modules. Each module focuses on a crucial aspect of creating a prosperous affiliate marketing business.
Module 1
Right off the bat, you’ll get an overview of the entire course, including its content and some handy templates and other downloadable goodies.
Module 2
This module is packed with three lessons and videos that teach you the essentials of affiliate marketing. You’ll learn Affiliate Marketing 101, the right way to do things for long-term success, and how to use the 123 Affiliate Marketing course to get the most bang for your buck.
Learn more: How To Make Money With Affiliate Marketing: 4 Simple Steps
Module 3
Now it’s time to find the right products to sell. Module 3 will guide you through choosing the best products for your niche, focusing on those that solve a problem for your audience. You’ll also discover your “focus product,” which will shape your affiliate marketing content.
The module is filled with useful videos and materials on topics like affiliate links, finding links when they’re scarce, using links the right way, and getting to know the people behind the products and affiliate merchants. And finally, you’ll learn some crucial steps to take before promoting your affiliate product.
Module 4
Who doesn’t love the idea of advertising without lifting a finger? Module 4 teaches you how to promote your chosen products passively. You’ll learn how to add links to your content effectively and set up the most profitable page for your focus product.
Pat Flynn even shares his favorite techniques for getting people to buy on the home page, which most affiliate sites overlook. Lastly, this module shows you how to set up an email autoresponder sequence that’ll be your go-to strategy for passive advertising.
Module 5
In the final module, you’ll learn how to actively promote your business. You’ll discover what active advertising strategies are, how they can boost your affiliate marketing campaign, and the different tools you can use. Plus, you’ll get access to a demo video and step-by-step guide that demonstrates how these active strategies work.
Learn more: Affiliate Marketing Tips & Strategies to Earn More Money
Who is 123 Affiliate Marketing for?
This course is not for beginners who are starting from scratch. According to Pat, the course creator, it’s designed for people who already have an online presence.
So, if you’re hoping to learn how to make money with affiliate marketing without any prior experience, this course is not for you.
My Personal Experience with 123 Affiliate Marketing
When I first stumbled upon Pat Flynn’s 123 Affiliate Marketing course, I was already familiar with his reputation as a successful affiliate marketer and the creator of the Smart Passive Income blog. I knew that he had a wealth of experience and knowledge to share, so I decided to give his course a try.
I must admit, as someone who already had an online presence, I found the course to be beneficial in refining my affiliate marketing strategies. Pat’s approach of building trust with your audience and promoting the right products for them resonated with me.
I appreciated how the course emphasized the importance of establishing a good relationship with your target audience before diving into the money-making aspect of affiliate marketing.
The course, hosted on Teachable, is well-structured and easy to navigate. The video and audio quality is impressive, and Pat’s presentation style is engaging and informative.
However, I did find the sales page to be a bit misleading, as it oversimplified the course content and did not mention the lack of free traffic strategies, such as social media or organic SEO.
In the course, Pat focuses on three main steps: selecting the most profitable products, choosing the best affiliate marketing platform, and promoting affiliate products legally.
In addition, the course covers affiliate marketing best practices, using affiliate links, building trust with your audience, and creating healthy business relationships.
Overall, I felt that the course could have been more comprehensive, particularly in terms of traffic generation strategies. I was disappointed that Pat didn’t include the organic traffic methods that have contributed to his own success.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
How much does 123 Affiliate Marketing cost?
For lifetime access to the course, it will set you back $499. However, there’s another option to consider.
If you subscribe to the Smart Passive Income All-Access Pass, you’ll not only get access to 123 Affiliate Marketing, but also several other courses. The cost for this is $179 per quarter or $599 per year.
It’s important to note that in addition to the course fee, you’ll also need to budget for email marketing software if you want to make the most of the course.
Pat Flynn himself recommends ConvertKit, which is a popular email marketing platform.
Refund Policy
The refund policy page states that if you bought lifetime access to the course, you have 15 days to request a refund if you’re unhappy with it.
On the sales page, they mention that they offer a 15-day money-back guarantee on individual course purchases, but not on the All-Access Pass. This means that if you buy the course and find it’s not a good fit for you, you can get your money back within the first two weeks.
Personally, I think a 30-day guarantee would be better, but 15 days is better than nothing. And based on what I’ve seen, it seems like Pat Flynn and his team are pretty good about honoring their refund policy.
I haven’t come across any reports of people having issues getting their money back.
Praise for 123 Affiliate Marketing
1. Pat Flynn walks his talk
One of the most impressive things about Pat Flynn’s course is that he practices what he preaches. He’s built a successful affiliate marketing business himself, and he shares his strategies and techniques with you in a way that’s easy to understand and implement. Plus, he’s always available to answer questions and offer support, so you never feel like you’re going it alone.
2. No overhyped promises or shady marketing
Let’s face it: the internet is full of courses that promise to make you rich overnight with minimal effort. Thankfully, Pat Flynn’s 123 Affiliate Marketing course isn’t one of them. He’s upfront about the amount of work and dedication it takes to succeed in this industry, and he doesn’t make any outlandish claims or promises. You can trust that the information he provides is honest and valuable.
3. The training is concise
With so much information out there about affiliate marketing, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Pat Flynn’s course cuts through the noise and provides you with the essentials you need to know to get started.
The training is concise so you don’t waste any time on irrelevant or unnecessary topics. Plus, the videos and resources are easy to follow and understand, so you can learn at your own pace.
Criticism of 123 Affiliate Marketing
1. Lack of student success stories
While Pat Flynn’s 123 Affiliate Marketing course claims to help you generate passive income through affiliate marketing, there seems to be a lack of significant success stories from students who have taken the course. This could be a concern for those who are looking for proof that the course actually works.
2. Somewhat expensive
Another potential downside of the 123 Affiliate Marketing course is its price. It may be considered somewhat expensive for what it has to offer compared to other affiliate marketing courses on the market. If you’re on a tight budget, this might not be the best option for you.
3. No training on building an audience/ traffic generation
While the 123 Affiliate Marketing course provides in-depth training on how to become a successful affiliate marketer, it doesn’t offer any guidance on building an audience or generating traffic to your website. This could be a major drawback for beginners who don’t have a solid understanding of how to attract and engage with potential customers.
4. Core training is seldom updated
Another concern about the 123 Affiliate Marketing course is that the core training modules are rarely updated. Affiliate marketing is constantly evolving, and it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest strategies and techniques to remain competitive. Unfortunately, if you’re relying solely on this course for your education, you might not be getting the latest information.
5. No Mention of additional expenses
Finally, it’s worth noting that the 123 Affiliate Marketing course doesn’t mention any expenses beyond the initial price of the training. This could be problematic for those who don’t have a lot of money to invest in their business. It’s important to keep in mind that affiliate marketing often requires additional expenses, such as website hosting, domain registration, and advertising costs.
Is 123 Affiliate Marketing a scam?
After researching and taking the course myself, I can confidently say that it’s not a scam. However, there are some things to keep in mind before investing your time and money.
Firstly, it’s important to note that the course doesn’t seem to be geared towards beginners. The material is concise and lacks the depth needed for someone who is just starting in affiliate marketing.
Aspiring affiliate marketers need comprehensive material that covers every aspect of affiliate marketing, and unfortunately, this course falls short.
Another issue with the course is its length. The entire program is incredibly short, making the whole experience as underwhelming as it gets. For the price of the course, you would expect more content and more in-depth information.
Speaking of the price, that seems to be the main point of concern for most people, myself included. The course is relatively expensive, especially considering the lack of comprehensive material and short length.
Learn more: Make Money Online Scams: How to Avoid Them?
Is there a better alternative to 123 Affiliate Marketing?
If you’re interested in learning more about affiliate marketing and building a business from scratch, I highly recommend checking out Wealthy Affiliate. It’s a reputable platform that offers a free account, including a free website, and comprehensive training on SEO (which is a free traffic method). This means you can get started with affiliate marketing right away without spending a single penny.
But you’re probably wondering how much you can actually earn with Wealthy Affiliate, right? Well, let me tell you about a 21-year-old student who was able to earn $7,395 in just one week using free traffic methods. That’s more than $1k a day!
You can read our full review of Wealthy Affiliate here.
And if you want even more success stories, there are plenty of inspiring examples from other Wealthy Affiliate members over the past decade.
So, where do you sign up? Wealthy Affiliate has a simple pricing scheme with free and premium memberships available. As a starter member, you’ll have access to the community, live chat, over 500 training modules, 2 classrooms, networking, commenting, 1 free website, and access to the keyword tool. And the best part? You can enjoy all of these benefits without spending a penny.
So what are you waiting for? Register for a free account at Wealthy Affiliate and see for yourself just how easy and rewarding affiliate marketing can be!
More 123 Affiliate Marketing Alternatives
Here are the other affiliate marketing courses we have reviewed: