The Art of Redirects

   Your newsletter is going out and once again it's full of ugly Clickbank links. All your readers are painfully aware that you are promoting half a dozen affiliate programs in your ezine and they aren't impressed. That's where redirects come in.

   Redirecting is pretty much like it sounds, a little online detour so you can hide your links. If you send out text ezines with affiliate links, you probably should be using redirects. It just looks neater and makes it less obvious that you are earning from your recommendations. Redirecting also gives you another chance to presell.

   To set up a redirect, you just need to create a new page on your website with the express purpose of pointing to your affiliate. This page can list the benefits of the program or you could write a personal testimony. The idea here is to give the client more information about the product or service. The link should be concealed with HTML within the text.

   The redirect page doesn't have to actually SELL the product, remember that is the job of the affiliate. You just need to give the reader enough reasons to click on the link! So don't load your redirect page up with sales letters and promo copy, just some simple preselling is fine.

   Now, when you send out your text emails, you just include the name of your page. Instead of sending out a messy affiliate link like http://www.myproduct.com/?sking-art=199345, you can send a much neater looking link like this one: www.mysite.com/product 

   Your readers will be pleased with the results as well. For some reason, people tend to have an aversion to clicking on obvious affiliate links. They feel that they are being conned, you're only recommending the product because you get paid. Even though they realize you are still promoting the same old affiliate, they seem to prefer to click on redirect links. And who are we to argue with human nature?

   Super affiliates have been using this technique for years now. Just take a look at AssociatePrograms.com's old newsletters. Allan Gardyne has redirect links spread throughout the newsletter and they don't look ugly at all.

   So, why not follow in the footsteps of the famous and try redirect links in your next text email?