Q:  Why Promote Info Products?

A:  Many affiliate marketers promote info products because of higher profit margins.

Info products, which are downloadable e-books and software, tend to be easier and cheaper for merchants to produce.  A basic e-book plus promotion (sales page, autoresponder, Clickbank fee, etc.) may cost $2000-$3000 for a merchant.  If the merchant takes on the job by him or herself, the product will cost much less to produce.

Most of the costs are front-end costs.  This means that the merchant must cover the initial costs, but after that his or her subsequent costs will be fairly low.

Many affiliates like to promote info products for the following reasons:

1. Higher commission rates, often ranging up to 75%.
2. Higher actual cash payouts (as determined by the rates above), often beyond $40.
3. Easy delivery - downloadable.  Marketers like to promote products that promise instant gratification.

However, info products may often be returned, which means that both merchant and affiliate lose the sale.  Clickbank, for instance, has a generous 60 day return policy.  Some customers will honestly return defective or unsatisfactory products, while other less-than-honest customers will return even though they have no intention of keeping the product.