How To Promote Clickbank Products Without a Website with Email Marketing

You do not need a website to make real money with ClickBank. Most people assume that affiliate marketing requires a full-blown site with hosting, a domain, blog posts, and months of SEO before a single commission arrives. That assumption is costing them time they do not have. The method in this video skips the website entirely and goes straight to the channel that actually converts: email.

Alston lays out a clear, step-by-step system using ClickBank and ClickFunnels to build a working email funnel around a physical health offer. You pick the product, build a two-page funnel, set up an autoresponder sequence, send traffic from any free source, and start earning affiliate commissions without writing a single line of code or buying hosting. Here is everything you need to know to get the same system running today.

What You’ll Walk Out With

A clear explanation of why email marketing outperforms a website for affiliate offers
The exact criteria Alston uses to evaluate a ClickBank product before promoting it
A step-by-step walkthrough of setting up your ClickFunnels landing page and thank you page
How to create an email list, connect it to your funnel, and start capturing leads
How to build an autoresponder sequence that follows up with subscribers automatically
The content and traffic strategy that sends people into your funnel without paying for ads
Ready to figure out which niche and offer actually fit your background? finder.platformproof.com does the matching for you.

Why Email Marketing Beats Having a Website

Alston is direct about this: if he had to pick between a website and email marketing, he would pick email every single day of the week. The reason is straightforward. A website sits there waiting for traffic. Email goes directly to the people who already raised their hand and said they want to hear from you.

With email, you can make money while you are away from the computer. You can retarget subscribers with new products and services. You can follow up automatically for days, weeks, or months. Every email that goes out is another chance to convert someone who was not ready to buy yesterday but is ready today.

A website also costs money and takes time to build. It requires hosting, a domain, design decisions, and in most cases a content strategy that takes months to pay off in organic traffic. Email marketing tools like ClickFunnels let you build a fully functional funnel in a single afternoon using templates that require no coding. For someone who wants results before sinking months into infrastructure, email is the faster path.

There is also a compounding effect. Every subscriber you add to your list becomes a long-term asset. They go through your autoresponder. They get your follow-up emails. When you launch something new, you have an audience ready to hear about it. A website that loses its Google ranking loses everything. An email list stays with you.

What ClickBank Is and Why It Makes Sense for Beginners

ClickBank is an affiliate network that hosts hundreds if not thousands of digital and physical products across dozens of niches. As an affiliate, you sign up for free, browse the marketplace, pick a product you want to promote, and generate a unique link. When someone buys through your link, you earn a commission. No inventory. No customer service. No product development.

What makes ClickBank particularly useful is the centralized dashboard. If you are spreading affiliate links across Amazon, ShareASale, Commission Junction, and three other networks, you are logging into multiple places to track your numbers. ClickBank shows everything in one place: clicks, sales, refunds, earnings per click, and commission rates for every product you are promoting.

The four most popular niches on ClickBank are health, wealth, relationships, and technology. Alston focuses on the health niche in this walkthrough, specifically the exercise and fitness subcategory, because the buying intent is high and the products tend to have strong affiliate support pages with resources you can actually use.

How to Find the Right ClickBank Product to Promote

Log into ClickBank and head to the marketplace. On the left-hand side you will see a list of categories. Pick the niche that matches the audience you want to serve. For this walkthrough, that is exercise and fitness under the health category. Click into the subcategory and you will see a list of products sorted by popularity.

Do not just grab the first product you see. Alston runs through three specific checkpoints before he decides to promote anything.

Checkpoint 1: The Sales Page

Click on the product and look at the sales page. Ask yourself: would I be comfortable having my name attached to this? Does it look professional or does it look like a spam site from 2009? The quality of the sales page matters because when a customer clicks your affiliate link and lands on that page, they are making a judgment about you as much as they are about the product. If it looks scammy, they will leave. If they buy and the product does not deliver, they will not trust you again. You want repeat customers who come back because you pointed them toward something that actually worked.

Checkpoint 2: The Affiliate Page

Most ClickBank products have a separate affiliate page that gives you marketing materials. Alston looks at the affiliate page to gauge how serious the vendor is about long-term success. If they have provided banner ads, email swipes, images, and promotional copy, that is a signal that they have invested real time and thought into helping affiliates succeed. A vendor who throws up a product and disappears is not someone you want to be promoting. The product Alston settles on in this video, Lean Body Hacks, has a full kickboxing swipe file and affiliate resources available.

Checkpoint 3: The Numbers

Look at the average sale and the initial sale figures on the ClickBank marketplace listing. For Lean Body Hacks, the average sale is $28.62 and the initial sale is $28.16. The fact that those numbers are close together tells you that most buyers are not purchasing the upsell, which means the commission you can realistically expect per conversion is around $28. That is not a number to dismiss. If you are sending targeted traffic and converting even a small percentage into buyers, those commissions add up fast with a growing email list.

Generating Your Hoplink and Setting Up Tracking IDs

Once you have picked a product, click Promote. ClickBank will generate what is called a hoplink. This is your unique affiliate URL. Anyone who clicks it and buys the product is tracked back to you and you receive the commission.

Before you copy the hoplink, add a tracking ID. Alston uses tracking IDs like YouTube, Facebook, and forum to label where each link will be placed. This is not optional if you want to grow intelligently. When you look at your ClickBank dashboard a month from now, you will be able to see exactly which traffic source produced which sales. That tells you where to double down and where to stop wasting time. Without tracking IDs, all your traffic looks the same and you are flying blind.

Generate the hoplink and save it somewhere accessible. You are going to paste it into two places: the thank you page button and the body of your email autoresponder sequence.

Building Your Email Funnel in ClickFunnels

Alston uses ClickFunnels for the email marketing side of this system. His reason is simple: it is point-and-click, drag-and-drop, and does not require any coding knowledge. There are plenty of templates ready to use right out of the box. He notes that a free two-week trial is available, and that any solid email marketing service will work for this approach. ClickFunnels is just the one he finds easiest to set up quickly.

Inside ClickFunnels, click Add New, then Create New Funnel, then select Collect Emails. Give your funnel a name that matches your campaign so everything is easy to find later. Alston names his funnel “without website” and uses “ww” as the group tag. He makes everything the same abbreviated label so that when he is connecting pages, lists, and autoresponders, nothing gets confusing. Consistent naming is a small habit that saves a lot of time when you have multiple campaigns running.

The Landing Page

A landing page has one job: collect an email address. ClickFunnels gives you a library of templates. Pick one that is simple and clean. The key word Alston uses here is congruent. Your landing page needs to look like it belongs to the same world as the product’s sales page. Match the colors. Match the tone. If the Lean Body Hacks sales page uses blue, white, and black, your landing page should use those same colors. When a visitor clicks from your landing page through to the offer page, it should feel like a natural continuation, not a jarring jump to somewhere completely different.

Update the headline copy to align with the promise of the product you are promoting. For a fitness offer, something like “Enter your email to learn this one simple hack” directly mirrors the language on the sales page and sets the right expectation for what is coming next. Keep the form simple: first name and email address. Remove anything that creates friction.

The Thank You Page

After someone submits their email, they land on your thank you page. This page does two things. First, it confirms that their submission worked and sets a friendly tone. Second, it gives them the next action to take, which is clicking your affiliate link.

Alston suggests adding a short personal video on the thank you page. Something like: “Hey, this is Alston. Thank you so much for entering your email. I am excited to go on this journey with you. Click the link below to access the resource I mentioned.” That kind of direct, warm message builds trust immediately. It puts a face to the name. People buy from people they feel like they know.

The call-to-action button on the thank you page points directly to your hoplink. When someone clicks that button, ClickBank sees the referral and credits any resulting purchase to your account. Set the button’s action to “Go to website URL” and paste in your hoplink. That is all it takes.

Creating Your Email List and Connecting It to the Funnel

Inside ClickFunnels, go to the email list section and create a new list. Alston names it “ww” to match the funnel name. Once the list is created, go back into your landing page editor and connect it through the Integrations tab. Select your list from the dropdown. From this point forward, every person who enters their name and email on your landing page gets automatically added to that list.

This list is one of the most valuable things you are building. Every subscriber represents a person who showed enough interest to hand over their contact information. They want to know more. They are warm. They are far easier to convert than cold traffic. Treat that list with respect by delivering consistent value and relevant offers.

Not sure which ClickBank niche or offer fits your skills?

Answer a few quick questions at finder.platformproof.com and get a personalized recommendation based on what you already know and what you actually want to build.

Building Your Autoresponder Sequence

The autoresponder is where email marketing becomes passive income. Once you write the emails and set the schedule, the system runs without you. Every new subscriber goes through the same sequence automatically, whether they signed up yesterday or two years from now.

Inside ClickFunnels, go to Action Funnels and create a new one. Again, Alston names it “ww” to keep everything consistent. Add your first step and call it Day Zero. This is the email that goes out the same day someone signs up. Keep it short, warm, and direct. Something like: “Thank you for joining. Just in case you missed it on the thank you page, here is the link to get started.” Include your affiliate link. Some people close the thank you page before they click through. This email catches them.

Add a second step called Day One. This email goes out automatically the day after they sign up, regardless of when they joined your list. This is where you start adding value. Share a tip related to the niche. Tell a short story. Give them a reason to open your emails. Then include a call to action: click the link, take the next step, start losing weight, whatever the promise of your offer is.

Continue building the sequence. Each additional email either adds value, tells a relevant story, or pushes the subscriber a little closer to clicking the affiliate link. You can write these emails weeks or months in advance. Once they are in the system, they go out on schedule with no further effort from you.

The 5 to 12 Touch Rule and Why Follow-Up Converts

Alston brings up a principle that every serious affiliate marketer needs to understand: it typically takes between five and twelve points of contact before a prospect becomes a buyer. That number is not random. It reflects how long it takes for trust to build and for someone to feel confident enough in a recommendation to take action on it.

Think about your own buying behavior. You probably do not buy the first time you see something. You see an ad, you forget about it. You see it again, you think about it. You see it a third time, you start researching. By the fifth or sixth exposure, if the product still looks good and you trust the source, you buy. Your subscribers go through the same process.

An autoresponder sequence that runs ten or twelve emails gives every subscriber enough touchpoints to reach that buying decision. Without follow-up, you are leaving most of your potential revenue on the table. The people who did not buy on day one are not lost. They just need more time and more reasons to trust you.

The emails that work best are not hard pitches. They are value-first messages that happen to include an affiliate link. A tip about better workout form. A story about someone who used the method and saw results. A short guide to a related topic. The link is there. The subscriber will click it when they are ready. Your job is to keep showing up with something useful until that moment comes.

The Content Strategy That Sends Traffic Into Your Funnel

You need traffic to make this system work, and Alston’s approach to traffic is to use free content on platforms your audience already uses. YouTube, Facebook, forums like Quora, Instagram, and Twitter are all valid traffic sources. The content you create on those platforms points people toward your landing page, where they enter their email and join your list.

The most important part of content creation is keyword research. Do not guess what your audience wants to know. Go to the search bar on whatever platform you are targeting and start typing phrases related to your niche. For a fitness offer, type “how to lose weight” or “how to reduce belly fat” and watch what the autocomplete suggestions return. Those suggestions are real searches that real people are typing right now. Create content around those phrases and you are already aligned with what your target audience is looking for.

This is exactly how Alston’s videos get found. The person watching his video typed in words that matched his video title and description. You want the same thing happening with your content. Every piece of content you create is a doorway into your funnel. The more doors you build, the more traffic comes in, and the faster your email list grows.

Once you have a list, you can also use it to drive traffic back to your content. Send an email to your subscribers when you upload a new YouTube video. Link to your latest blog post. Every time a subscriber clicks through and watches or reads your content, that signals to the algorithm that your content is worth promoting. Email and content work together in both directions.

A Step-by-Step Action Plan to Get Started Today

Here is the complete sequence condensed into actionable steps you can follow in order:

Sign up for a free ClickBank account at clickbank.com if you do not already have one
Go to the marketplace, pick a niche, and find a product that passes the three checkpoints: a professional sales page, a well-stocked affiliate page, and a realistic average sale figure
Click Promote, add a tracking ID for the traffic source you plan to use first, and generate your hoplink
Sign up for ClickFunnels (or any email marketing service you prefer) and create a new Collect Emails funnel
Pick a landing page template and update it to match the colors and copy tone of the product’s sales page
Set up a thank you page with a personal video or message and place your hoplink on the call-to-action button
Create an email list inside your email marketing tool and connect it to the landing page through the Integrations settings
Build an Action Funnel with at least a Day Zero email and a Day One email, each including your affiliate link
Continue adding emails to your sequence aiming for 10 to 12 total touchpoints
Do keyword research on your target platform, create content around the top autocomplete suggestions, and link to your landing page in every piece of content you publish

Find Your X

The system works. The question is what niche and offer to build it around. Picking the wrong product wastes months. Picking one that does not match what you know or care about makes it nearly impossible to create content that connects with an audience. The Finder tool at finder.platformproof.com asks you a few targeted questions about your background, interests, and goals and returns a personalized match. Start there before you spend time building a funnel around a product that does not fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I really need ClickFunnels or can I use a free tool?

Alston says that any email marketing service will work for this method. ClickFunnels is what he prefers because of how easy the landing page builder is to use. Free alternatives like MailerLite or ConvertKit include landing page builders and autoresponder functionality. The core system is the same regardless of which tool you use. Pick the one you can get started with today and switch later if needed.

How do I drive traffic to my landing page without paying for ads?

Create free content on platforms where your target audience already spends time. YouTube videos, Quora answers, Facebook group posts, Pinterest pins, and Reddit threads are all valid options. Use keyword research via autocomplete to find the exact phrases your audience types, then create content around those phrases and include your landing page link. Organic traffic takes time but it compounds and does not require an advertising budget.

What commission rates can I expect from ClickBank health products?

It varies by product. The Lean Body Hacks example in this video offers an average sale of $28.62. Some ClickBank products offer commissions in the range of 50 to 75 percent of the sale price. Always look at the average sale figure on the marketplace listing rather than the commission percentage alone, since the actual dollar amount per conversion is what matters for planning.

How many emails should I write in my autoresponder sequence?

Alston references the 5 to 12 touch rule, meaning most buyers need between five and twelve points of contact before they decide to purchase. Aim for at least ten emails in your initial sequence. You can always add more later. Focus on delivering value in the majority of emails and include your affiliate link in each one so the path to purchase is always available.

Can I promote multiple ClickBank products to the same email list?

Yes. One of the biggest advantages of building an email list is the ability to promote multiple products to the same audience over time. Once someone is on your list, you can introduce new offers that are relevant to their interests. A fitness subscriber might be interested in a meal planning product, a workout equipment deal, or a mindset course. Keep the offers relevant to what they signed up for and they will keep opening your emails.

What makes a ClickBank product worth promoting versus one to avoid?

Three things: a sales page that looks professional and trustworthy, an affiliate page that shows the vendor has invested in supporting their promoters with real marketing materials, and a realistic average sale figure that reflects actual buying behavior. Avoid products with refund rates that seem suspiciously high, sales pages that make unrealistic claims, or vendors who offer no affiliate resources at all.

Why should my landing page match the colors and style of the offer’s sales page?

Consistency between your landing page and the sales page removes friction and builds trust. When a visitor clicks from your landing page to the offer and the visual style changes dramatically, it can trigger doubt or confusion. They wonder if they went somewhere they did not intend to go. Matching colors, fonts, and overall tone makes the transition feel like a natural next step rather than a hard left turn. Alston specifically points this out when choosing his landing page template and adjusting it to mirror the Lean Body Hacks page.

Is ClickBank free to join?

Yes. Creating a ClickBank account as an affiliate costs nothing. You sign up, browse the marketplace, generate hoplinks, and start promoting without paying a fee to the platform. ClickBank takes a small processing fee from each transaction, but that comes out of the vendor’s end, not yours. Your commissions are paid out on a schedule you can configure in your account settings.

Sources

Alston Godbolt, “How To Promote Clickbank Products Without a Website with Email Marketing,” YouTube
ClickBank Marketplace at clickbank.com
ClickFunnels at clickfunnels.com