Income School Project 24 Review (2023): Scam or Legit?

Are you looking for an Income School’s Project 24 review? If you want to make money online, you might have heard of Income School’s Project 24. But you may wonder if he is a scam.

As someone who is experienced with affiliate marketing, I’m in a good position to share with you everything I know about the program.

As a disclaimer, I’m not affiliated with Income School. It means I’m not paid to write this review. So you can be sure that my words are unbiased.

At the end of this article, I’ll also tell you the best alternative to Income School’s Project 24.

Income School’s Project 24 Review – Key Takeaways

• Course Name: Project 24
• Course Instructors: Ricky Kesler and Jim Harmer
• Price: $449 for the first year and $249 for all following years
• Pros: Comprehensive training; live sessions every week; regularly updated
• Cons: No refund; few success stories; recurring annual expense to keep access to the program
• Overall Rating: 3/5
• Verdict: Jim and Ricky are legit online marketers. However, the course is lacking in information on advanced SEO tactics. 

In this review of Income School’s Project 24, I’m going to cover the following:

What is Income School?

Two online entrepreneurs, Ricky Kesler and Jim Harmer founded Income School to provide comprehensive training for making money online.

Its courses cover everything from email marketing to content marketing, blogging to search engine optimization to affiliate marketing.

One of Income School’s training programs is Project 24. The course claims to teach you how to create authority or niche sites and generate passive income online.  

During the course, you will learn how to build two types of websites, which could help you launch an online business in as little as 24 months:

• A niche site
• An authority site

The program consists of 60 steps broken down into 123 lessons. You will learn the following in the lessons:

• Start an online business
• Choosing a niche for your online business
• Building a WordPress website
• Creating SEO content that ranks on the first page of search engine results
• Traffic generation tips and how to turn them into revenue
• Choosing affiliate programs and offers based on your niche

You’ll go from being a complete greenhorn to a full-time affiliate marketer and blogger after completing Income School’s program.

Learn more: Best Affiliate Marketing Courses

Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative

Who created Income School’s Project 24?

Project 24 was developed by Ricky Kesler and Jim Harmer at Income School.

In 2015, Jim and Ricky launched Income School after starting to build niche websites in 2010.

Jim was broke when he just started listening to a podcast about making money online. He decided to create his own photography niche site after becoming familiar with niche sites.

He gained widespread recognition after his website gained popularity and he published an ebook on photography.

As a result of his fame, he was named one of the top 40 photographers in the world.

Prior to partnering with Jim, Ricky worked for HP for several years. 

However, some have criticized Jim and Ricky’s advanced SEO knowledge, saying that most of their followers are beginners who don’t make money online.

How does Income School help you make money?

Income School is a website and YouTube channel that started back in 2015. They’re all about teaching people how to make money with blogs and YouTube channels. 

They’ve got this premium training program called Project 24 that’s packed with courses to help you start a successful blog or YouTube channel. 

If you’re into blogging, the P24 Blogging System will show you the ropes for picking a niche, setting up your site, creating content, and making money through ads and affiliate marketing. 

And if YouTube’s more your thing, the P24 YouTube System has got you covered on choosing a topic, making videos, growing your audience, and earning money in different ways.

Who is Project 24 for?

Project 24 is a solid training program for anyone looking to start a profitable blog or YouTube channel.

The program is designed to help people of all skill levels improve their skills as content creators and internet entrepreneurs, so they can provide for themselves and their families. 

Income School, the creators of Project 24, have a popular YouTube channel where you can see their teaching methods in action. 

Here’s a video of Ricky from Income School teaching SEO:

However, to make money with Project 24, you’ll need some technical know-how, such as the ability to acquire a domain name and set up hosting. 

On their sales page, Income School is upfront about the fact that creating a successful business takes skill, hard work, and time. They said

“We use the name “Project 24” to refer to the goal of some people to create a business in 24 months that replaces their day job, but this is a goal and not a promise or guarantee of this success.  Creating a successful business requires skill, hard work, and time.”

While P24 might be good for beginners, it might not be as useful for expert content creators, according to some students.

Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative

Does Income School have a good reputation?

According to some bloggers, Income school has a great reputation. A lot of them seem to have had positive experiences with Project 24. 

But here’s the thing: a lot of those reviews are from affiliates who make a commission by promoting the course. 

So, should you trust those reviews? Probably not. It’s not really a review when someone’s getting paid to sell it to you, right?

My advice? Look for reviews from people who aren’t affiliated with Income School. I checked out Trustpilot and I found that Income School only has two reviews with a 3.8/5 rating. 

And I couldn’t find any reviews for Project 24 specifically. 

That’s a bit strange for a course that’s supposed to have helped thousands of people with affiliate marketing.

You’d think there would be more positive reviews out there if the course is as great as they say it is.

Also, they have raised some eyebrows by critiquing paid keyword tools and active link building.

Their stances don’t sit well with me – I know that paid keyword tools and link building can greatly increase your chances of success.

Are Income School students getting results?

While Income School’s Project 24 claims that a lot of their students see results from the training, there is no verified evidence to show this.

There are only quotes and verdicts from their alleged members that you can see. It doesn’t even show screenshots of their revenue or traffic.

Is it really possible to verify the identities and results of the students below? We don’t even know what their websites are, so how can we determine whether or not their results are true?

Moreover, some of the students who joined Income School’s Project 24 already had an established website before joining. 

Therefore, their results might not be attributable to Income School’s Project 24. It means you won’t be able to get the same results if you are a complete newbie.

Although the Income School website shows how many P24 students earn over $1000/month and $4000/month, we can never be sure whether these numbers are accurate. See below:

The only thing they provide is numbers, not even screenshots of their income. 

Also, Income School’s Project 24 teaches you how to build an authority site and drive traffic through SEO, but their own website only gets around 4k visitors per month, which is pretty low compared to other SEO experts on the market.

Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative

How much does Project 24 cost?

Project 24 is a course that’ll set you back $449 for the first year and $249 for each year after that. 

All in all, if you stick with it for the full 24 months, it’ll cost you $698. 

But, there are a few extra expenses to keep in mind.

One thing to note is that in order to use the P24 Blogging System, you’ll need to buy a domain name and hosting, which is usually under $100 a year. But, if you’re planning on writing all your own content, that’s basically it.

Now, if you’re interested in using the P24 YouTube System, there’s a little more you’ll need to invest in. 

You can check out the “Starter Gear Setup” section on this page – they try to keep it affordable, but even if you’re just using your smartphone camera, you’re looking at an extra $400.

All in all, while Project 24 may seem like a good deal at first, there are a lot of hidden costs to keep in mind.

Any Income School Project 24 Discount?

I found no discounts or promo codes, despite my extensive search. And there is nowhere to enter a coupon code during the P24 checkout process.

Unfortunately, you will have to pay full price or leave empty-handed.

Refund Policy

Income School does not offer refunds. 

The exception only applies when a subscriber forgets to cancel their Project 24 subscription and it automatically renews. The customer can request a refund within 30 days of the debit.

How is the training structured?

Project 24 is a library of courses that’ll teach you how to use the power of content to make an income. 

They’ve got two main tracks:

• The Blogging Course
• The YouTube System

The courses are mostly video-based, but some have text notes too. 

The training is pretty well-structured, but it can be tough to find a specific lesson quickly since there’s no search function. 

Plus, the videos don’t have subtitles or closed captions, which could be an issue for non-native speakers or those with hearing difficulties.

When you sign up for Project 24, you’ll also get access to 

• a private community
• two member-only podcasts (one for blogging, one for YouTube)
• live masterminds sessions
• a premium WordPress theme
• a download center with helpful resources
• a tool to track your progress
• a book by Jim Harmer for free

Some students have complained about the community, but most find it valuable. Overall, Project 24 is a solid option for anyone looking to make money online through content creation.

Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative

What can you learn in the Project 24 course?

So Project 24 is a collection of courses focusing on helping you create awesome content and make money through digital marketing.

Below is an overview of the courses:

1. Blogging System (15 courses)

In this course, they teach you how to pick a profitable niche, create content for your niche site, and make money from it. They even share their Search Analysis method to help you come up with article ideas.

2. YouTube System (7 courses)

This one’s all about helping you grow your YouTube audience quickly and sustainably, whether you’re doing it alone or alongside a blog. 

You’ll learn how to create great content from the start, make your own information product, market and sell it, build authority for your site, and make money through affiliate marketing.

3. Marketing

In the Marketing section, you’ll learn how to promote your blog and YT channels through things like affiliate links, PPC ads, social media marketing, and SEO.

4. Monetization

The Monetization section has 5 courses that show you different ways to make money from your blogs and YouTube channels, like affiliate marketing, paid channel memberships, and Patreon accounts.

5. Other Courses

Other courses in Project 24 include 

• Monetize with Patreon
• 10-Day Info Products
• Answer Targets for Winning Snippets
• 60 Steps to a Successful Site (which is an updated version of Income School’s old blogging course)
• Video Editing with Final Cut Pro
• Monetize with Ads

And to keep you on track, they even give you a list of tasks to accomplish each month within your Project 24 dashboard.

Green Lights

Thinking of joining Income School’s Project 24? Here are some reasons why it might be a good idea:

1. It’s constantly updated

The digital world is always changing, and the team at Project 24 knows that. They’re always trying new things and figuring out what works and what doesn’t, so you know you’re getting the latest and greatest information.

2. They focus on niche sites

These days, it’s hard to stand out with a general blog in a big niche (like mom blogs, recipes, cars, photography, fashion, parenting, etc.). But with niche sites, you can really hone in on a specific audience and make your blog or website stand out.

3. Community support

P24 has a great community of affiliate marketers in their Members-Only forum. It’s a mix of beginners and experts, and there are lots of different topics to discuss.

4. Free theme

Setting up a WordPress niche site requires a “theme” (think of it like the framework of your site). Paid themes can be pricey, but when you join Project 24, you get access to their free theme, Acabado. I haven’t personally used it yet, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a great option. There’s even a whole forum category dedicated to it.”

Red Flags

1. The course is overcrowded with steps

You will find the course difficult to follow if you are new to online marketing. 

There is an overwhelming amount of content in the course. It teaches you 60 steps to just start making money from your website.

Many strategies include Youtube and Pinterest marketing, but you don’t know which one is best and which one you ought to follow.

Every method you were taught has been emphasized by Income School. 

But how can you write articles, take photos, make videos, and do all of the other things taught by Project 24 at the same time on your own? 

There are only 24 hours in a day. A good course should teach you to focus on a few essential steps to help you generate cash flow as quickly as possible. Otherwise, it will be difficult to move forward.

There’s a reason why they try to teach you hundreds of things all at once: they don’t know what works best.

2. The course is too expensive

It costs $449 to enroll in Income School’s Project 24 for the first year. After the first year ends, you will have to pay $249 each additional year if you wish to remain a member.

There is no monthly subscription for Project 24. You must pay the $449 fee upfront if you want to enrol in the course.

This is why I find the course too costly and risky for someone who is new to affiliate marketing. How can you tell if the course is effective? What if it doesn’t?

If you want to start an affiliate website, you must also pay for web hosting, keyword research tools, and other software or plugins needed to add functionality to your website.

So in total, you may have to invest $3K to $5K to build your affiliate marketing business at the beginning.

After all, Income School’s Project 24 is merely a course. It’s not an all-in-one platform that gives you everything you need to build an affiliate site from scratch.

It is not a good idea to invest in a course when you have yet to earn a penny. Paying $499 upfront when you aren’t sure if it will work is risky.

In contrast, Wealthy Affiliate is much cheaper. You will get comprehensive training, domain registration, web hosting, writing tools, etc with a low subscription fee (the first month is just $49!).

3. No refund

There is no free refund for Income School’s Project 24. You have to pay $449 upfront to get started. 

The risk is high in case you don’t like the course or don’t feel good about it. 

You won’t be able to get back your hard-earned money even if the course doesn’t live up to its promise.

Therefore, you might consider other affiliate marketing courses that are backed by a money back guarantee. 

For example, Wealthy Affiliate has a free membership plan, where you can get access to the first-level training and even build a free website.

If you like it and feel good to go further, you can then upgrade to the premium plan. 

So you don’t need to worry about making a bad investment.

4. SEO methods that are counter-intuitive and ineffective

Income School’s Project 24’s SEO techniques are more likely to hurt your affiliate business than to help it.

Jim Harmer and Ricky Kesler strongly oppose any techniques for backlinks and keyword SEO. 

They say that keywords and backlinks are ‘so 1995’. But Google’s algorithm actually favors low-competition keywords and backlinks!

High-quality backlinks are valuable for SEO because they represent a “vote of confidence” from one site to another.

Since 2016, I’ve been building countless websites and I’m aware that backlinks are what will raise your website much faster to the top.

Certainly, Google will punish link building that is done intentionally. For example, paying for links that pass PageRank is against Google Search’s policies and could harm a site’s ranking in search results. 

In another word, your website might be penalized by Google for buying backlinks.

However, it doesn’t mean that you should stop creating content or writing guest posts that generate backlinks for your website in a natural way.

Furthermore, if you target low-competition keywords, your websites are more likely to rank higher on Google. 

In fact, keywords and backlinks are the most important factors once a site is built.

For Ricky Kesler and Jim Harmer, successful blog ranking is largely dependent on two factors:

• Length of the post
• Quality of the research

It is true that pages with longer content ranked higher than short-form content. However, since everyone knows that, the big companies are using this technique by creating blog posts that can be up to 10,000 words!

If you work alone, how can you write so many words for every blog post? It is therefore wise to target keywords with low competition. 

For the point about the quality of the research, J&R say that your content must be authoritative, showing your expertise and trustworthiness, helping people solve their problems.

This would be a perfect assignment for your teacher if you are still in school. But now we are talking about Google ranking! 

Nowadays, there are a lot of authority sites. How can you compete with the big names, such as Healthline, when you sell niche health products? 

Although it is helpful to write blogs that reply to people’s questions, it is low-competition keywords that will help get you ranked.

5. Too much focus on photography which is unrelated to affiliate marketing

Project 24 spent 22 lessons on teaching you how to take photos that resonate with your audience.

That’s a joke to me. You won’t lose any Google ranking because of pictures. Why spend a lot of time taking pictures when you should concentrate on writing blog posts? 

Even if you’re starting an affiliate marketing business as a side business, you won’t have many hours in a day to create content.

There are a number of websites that offer beautiful stock images, such as Unsplash and Pexels. Remember that you are doing business, not creating art. Don’t waste your valuable time taking photos for every blog post.

The growth of your business will be slowed down if you follow the instructor’s passion for photography. 

If Ricky Kesler and Jim Harmer can earn a lot of money with photography, they won’t sell affiliate marketing courses.

Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative

Is Income School’s Project 24 a Scam or Legit?

Income School’s Project 24 is not a scam. The course does offer some value – if you buy it, you’ll definitely learn about affiliate marketing. 

But, the thing is, their SEO tactics can be a bit counterintuitive. For example, they don’t really encourage you to target low-competition keywords or create content for backlinks. 

Instead, they want you to focus on answering questions through research – it’s almost like doing a school assignment. 

And honestly, that can make creating an authority site pretty tough. And it probably explains why their own website only gets around 4k monthly visitors.

Now, here’s the thing. The teachers at Income School make most of their money by selling courses. So, how can their students expect to make a full-time income from SEO? I mean, it’s a bit of a stretch. 

That’s probably why you don’t see many positive reviews about Income School on third-party review sites like Trustpilot. 

You mostly just see success stories on their sales page, but I’m not entirely convinced those are genuine.

Just one last thing, if the course doesn’t fit you, don’t expect to get a refund. 

So, that’s my take on Income School’s Project 24 – it’s not a scam, but it’s not perfect either.

Should you join Project 24?

Given the above reasons, I don’t recommend Project 24. While it’s not a scam, it is not worth the price. 

It is claimed that many Project 24 students see results from the training, but this has not been verified.

Moreover, do you really need to pay so much to learn how to build an affiliate marketing business? No. There are other similar courses. Income School is clearly overcharging people.

In the following section, let me introduce you to an alternative to Income School’s Project 24, which allows you to get started for free.

Alternatives to Income School’s Project 24

1. Wealthy Affiliate

Wealthy Affiliate is the best alternative to Income School’s Project 24. 

It is an all-in-one platform for building your affiliate marketing business from scratch.

When you join Wealthy Affiliate, you can get access to the first-class web hosting service, keyword research tools, community support, comprehensive training, writing tools, and other software to help you build an online business step-by-step.

You can register a free account with Wealthy Affiliate, which enables you to get started with affiliate marketing right away without paying a penny.

If you like the platform, you can then upgrade to the premium membership to get access to everything on the platform. There are no upsells afterward.

A 21-year-old student from Wealthy Affiliate was able to earn $7,395 in just 1 week, which means he made more than $1k a day…all while applying what is taught inside Wealthy Affiliate.

To give you more examples, here are some of the other inspiring success stories of Wealthy Affiliate members.

Compared with Income School’s Project 24, Wealthy Affiliate has a much longer history, which has been established for 15 years and there are many success stories in the past decade.

Actually, Wealthy Affiliate has more than a million members so far, so you can see how popular this platform is.

2. Authority Site System

Online marketers Gael Breton and Mark Webster have developed a course called The Authority Site System. It covers everything from choosing a theme to building an audience to monetizing the site.

They are renowned for creating niche sites that can be profitably monetized through affiliate marketing. The main goals of this system are to create commercial content and build links through informative material.

With a one-time investment, you can access all future upgrades free of charge.

3. The Affiliate Lab

Affiliate marketing expert Matt Diggity teaches his craft in The Affiliate Lab. Everything you need to know to start, grow, and eventually resell a niche site is included in this course.

There are over 160 videos in the Affiliate Lab, encompassing more than 24 hours of content for anyone interested in affiliate marketing and SEO.

Members can also get access to some checklists, along with a private Facebook group.

4. Savage Affiliates

Savage Affiliates was developed by Franklin Hatchett, a recognized authority on using ClickFunnels and ClickBank to make money online.

Every aspect of affiliate marketing is covered in the course, and it is regularly updated to ensure your success. Franklin Hatchett also runs a top-rated channel on YouTube where you’ll find extensive, free training on other money making opportunities.

5. Spark By Clickbank

Justin Atlan and Robby Blanchard are both well-known in the world of internet marketing and together they have developed a course called Spark by ClickBank. This training is perfect for you if you want to learn how to make money online with ClickBank.

You’ll also learn how to develop products, sell them on ClickBank, and recruit hundreds of affiliates to promote your products for you to generate passive revenue. If you want to have more impact on the products you offer, consider this alternative to affiliate marketing.