Note: This article is about using Sparkloop to earn money by recommending other newsletters NOT on using it to grow your own list through free or paid recommendations from others. Most content on Sparkloop focuses solely on the list building side but this article focuses on the opportunity to earn money by joining and recommending paid newsletters and earning a commission for each subscriber that confirms. Visit Sparkloop's website if you want to learn more about using it to grow your list, but this article will not cover that part.
As the my first referrals started to shift from pending to confirmed, I stopped and asked myself, "why is no one talking about this!?!"
I had stumbled upon a way to accomplish the two primary goals of affiliate marketing: earn commissions while building my email list.
Oh, and this was done entirely with paid ads on Facebook that show no sign of slowing down.
I had found a way to liquidate my list building costs and turn the subscribers into profits immediately, even before I had sent them a single sales email. Here's how the model works.
The Newsletter Recommendations Funnel
I've always focused on building my own newsletter. This is a cardinal virtue of successful internet business.
It's important in fact, that almost every business wants a big fat list themselves.
The problem though is that very few people really know how to drive quality email opt-ins at a cost that doesn't put them in the red.
Anyone can build their email list for $10+ per subscriber, but it's hard to scale and not everyone, especially affiliate marketers, can liquidate that spend through conversions to paid offers.
So most businesses aim to build their email list with subscribers that cost them below $3 each or less.
Any business that can't justify that low cost is likely not going to be in business for very long.
But again, the problem is getting quality subscribers for less than $3 each is difficult.
Having a high converting offer or newsletter and running high converting list building campaigns are not mutually exclusive.
Some can do both, but most can only do one.
So the market creates two opposite people or businesses.
This presents a traditional affiliate marketing opportunity. Sparkloop realized this and created a marketplace that allows list owners to connect with list builders (who may or may not be list owners themsleves).
Let's dive into what the mechanics of this look like.
How Sparkloop Works
Sparkloop (recently purchased by and integrated into Kit) connects people to help grow their newsletters.
To join, you need a newsletter of your own, but that doesn't mean your goal on the platform needs to be to grow it. I am using it to get paid while growing other people's newsletters (at the same time that I grow my own).
You can use Sparkloop in several ways.
#1 Just as a newsletter looking to grow your list. Collaborate with other newsletters to promote each other for free, or create a paid newsletter that compensates quality subscribers.
#2 Just as a list builder helping build other creators' lists. This is what I am doing and what the crux of this article is about.
Here is what my referrals looked like for a week in August.
#3 A combination of both (most do this). You might as well, right?
#4 As a referral program for your existing subscribers. Incentivize your existing subscribers to share your newsletter for rewards.
How to Drive Referrals for Commissions
I am driving almost all of my commissions from my recommendations page.
This appears every time someone opts in to one of my Kit email forms.
I can also send people directly to the recommendations page or directly to specific newsletters.
Here is what mine looks like https://recommendations.page/weekly-5?email={{subscriber.email_address}}
You can click on it to see what it looks like, but here is a screenshot.
The direct partner link to a specific newsletter looks like this http://recommendations.page/weekly-5?ref_code=1f1752745e&email={{subscriber.email_address}}
It takes them directly to the opt-in for just that newsletter.
I can put these on blog posts (like this one), emails, or anywhere I want.
Sending them in emails does best.
Here's an example of one that drove about 120 referrals.
You can see that full broadcast here if you're interested.
Paid Ads to Sparkloop Referrals
This is the exciting part because anyone can do it, even if they don't have a large pre-existing email list.
Running paid ads to grow your email list and then offsetting the ad spend with Sparkloop referrals.
Here's one ad I am running this week, along with the earnings attributed to it.
Let's crunch the numbers.
Cost = $208.36
Earnings = $275
Net Profit = $66.64
Emails Gained (For My List) = 244 new emails
In one week, I just earned $66.64 and grew my list by 244 emails.
Instantly liquidating the cost of my ad spend is one of the best feelings in marketing.
Keep in mind that is just earnings on the front end. All the profit potential of a new email subscriber remains intact. I can still contact them myself and drive sales to other offers.
Important Things to Know about Sparkloop
Alright, if this all sounds too good to be true, let's jump back to reality a bit before you get started and end up surprised.
#1 Earnings Are NOT What You Expect
The earnings are great but don't be caught off guard when your referrals don't match your earnings. Many of the newsletters I promote offer really big payouts. TechEspresso, for instance, offers $8 per confirmed referral.
The key word there is confirmed.
If a newsletter pays out $8 per confirmed referral but you average a 10% confirmation rate, you are earning $0.80 per actual subscriber you send.
This is a little annoying since they do not have to remove these lesser quality subscribers from their email list, but that is ok, there is still money to be made here and that is what matters.
#2 Leads from the US, UK and CA Earn Much More
You can get email opt-ins for cheap, but most of the newsletters on Sparkloop are primarily US based. Leads that come from non-english speaking regions do not convert as well and may not pay out at all.
Most newsletters reject leads from regions with lower acquisition costs like Pakistan and India. Some are more loose with where they accept leads from, but most are limited in some way.
#3 Paid Lead Campaigns Likely Need to be Under $1/email to Be Profitable
If your goal is frontline profit, you will need to get your email acquisition costs down to below $1. I have found that even with many of the newsletters I promote paying $4+ per confirmed referral, I average about $1 per actual referral sent.
Most referrals you send will not be confirmed and will not pay out.
#4 Subscribers Need to Take Action to Count
Each newsletter has its own set of partner program conditions that turn a referral into a confirmed, payable one. Typically this means opening emails and clicking at list one link.
Some newsletters have more hoops to jump through than that.
Summary
Sparkloop is a fantastic way to earn extra money from the email subscribers you're already getting. While it's mostly known for helping people grow their own newsletters, it's also helping people like me earn money by promoting other newsletters.
If you can run ads that drive quality email opt-ins (usually from the US, Canada or the UK) you can likely offset your ad spend and earn money on top to actually get paid while growing your list.
Join Sparkloop
Click the link below to get started promoting newsletters or growing your own