Pulling off a successful Joint Venture can be the very next best thing to having your own highly-targeted eZine list. Of course for it to be free, you’ve got to offer your JV partner
some sort of commission, like the full size of your cut or better, for them to send out an Ad to their coveted list.
This is sometimes called “OPL” (Other People’s Lists) or “OPT” (Other People’s Traffic.) In fact, this is the most common form of JV structure, a simple commission split in return for a list “Solo Ad” or a recommendation.
There really is no set definition for the term Joint Venture, it simply means that two or more marketers form a temporary collaboration to benefit them both. Creativity can mold modern JVs into almost any shape or appearance.
Still, there are a few very well-known strategies for JVs. I already mentioned the most popular one, list sharing, above. The simplest action that could be called a JV is simply a swapping of links between two websites.
Other JV types could involve putting together your products as a package to sell, and any profits and/or Opt-ins generated could be shared between the two.However, probably the greatest JV strategy that has put a lot of super-affiliates in the limelight is a Review-Affiliate-Testimonial JV, also known as a “RAT.”
RATs are great for up-and-coming marketers to get their foot in the affiliate door while building up their name, brand, &/or face recognition. It also offers them the benefit of securing a one-way link back to their main website.
To find a RAT opportunity, all one needs to find is a JV Launch where a marketer is working up to a product launch, drumming up affiliate interest and talking to JVs. If he or she is still working on the Ad Copy for the Sales page, they’ll very likely need Testimonials from others in the field, just like you. (Assuming you have your own industry-related website to link to.)
At this point, the Marketer will send you a ‘tester’ copy for review, assuming that you’ll quickly get back to him or her with a glowing testimonial, including your headshot, quote, and URL to link back to in the testimonial.
Number one ‘Super’ Affiliate Ewen Chia has probably done the most RATs of any online marketer, as evidenced by his face appearing on such a large number of sales pages across the web. He seems to be doing pretty well, (he’s arguably the world’s most successful & sought-after super-affiliate) so I suspect that there is quite a lot to be gained by “RATTing.”
It is also important to note that you’ll likely have some competition while approaching the marketer for a RAT, so in such situations, he or she will either want to treat you all as equal affiliates, or just go with the one or two affiliates who have the biggest list.
So, where do you find Joint Venture partners? Well, there’s a whole bunch of products dedicated to that problem, but there are also some free website forums just for this purpose. Try these sites to get your feet wet, and from inside them you can easily find the rest:
JV Notify Pro, one of the better free communities: http://www.jvnotifypro.com