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I tried every top email marketing tool

(www.sitebuilderreport.com)
244 points steve-benjamins | 6 comments | 15 Nov 24 13:23 UTC | HN request time: 0.887s | source | bottom
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mtlynch ◴[16 Nov 24 18:26 UTC] No.42158079[source]▶
I appreciate that the author disclosed it, but the reason they went to all this effort is likely that they expect to make money as an affiliate for the platforms that they recommended.

Affiliate-driven reviews introduce a major bias into the author's opinion, as they have incentive to speak more positively about platforms that are likely to pay the most.

And email marketing platforms pay a lot in affiliate fees. Just scanning some of the recommendations, if someone signs up for MailerLite through this reviewer's link, they'll pay the reviewer 30% of that subscriber's fees forever.[0] I wouldn't be surprised if the reviewer's top pick is coincidentally the platform with the highest-paying affiliate program.

The thing that really woke me up to affiliate-influenced reviews was the 2017 article, "The War To Sell You A Mattress Is An Internet Nightmare."[1] The reporter figured out that top YouTube mattress reviewers just gave positive reviews to whichever company paid the most in affiliate fees, and when one company lowered their fees, the reviewers retroactively downranked them for contrived reasons.

[0] https://www.mailerlite.com/affiliate

[1] https://www.fastcompany.com/3065928/sleepopolis-casper-blogg...

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1. stefan_ ◴[17 Nov 24 00:44 UTC] No.42160954[source]▶
When all "The Best" sites have the affiliate blob, and "The Rest" doesn't, haha. My god is this a plague on the internet.
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2. steve-benjamins ◴[17 Nov 24 10:53 UTC] No.42163371[source]▶
Op here.

That’s not even true! Loops is in “the best” and if doesnt have an affiliate link.

All “the rest” have affiliate programs too… I was just lazy to sign up for them.

Not everything is a conspiracy. The reality in this case is more mundane.

replies(1): >>42164548 #
3. rammer ◴[17 Nov 24 14:35 UTC] No.42164381[source]▶
And you wouldn't know this incentive until it was through comments here.

The listicle tried to paint every other company making money as a scourge and the op as the only good guy trying to find the best deal for users when ophas the most corrupt incentives since those incentives are not even documented in a bloody helpdesk article somewhere.

replies(1): >>42164400 #
4. steve-benjamins ◴[17 Nov 24 14:38 UTC] No.42164400[source]▶
LOOK AT THE FIRST SENTENCE ON THE PAGE!!!
5. zo1 ◴[17 Nov 24 15:07 UTC] No.42164548[source]▶
Give it a rest. I have no idea how HN is allowing you to post these many "responses" to people's criticism of an article you posted without throttling you for spamming. 20% of all the comments on this article right now are yours and you're taking mostly very uncharitable interpretations of peoples' comments.
6. blackqueeriroh ◴[18 Nov 24 06:25 UTC] No.42170226[source]▶
One might take a moment to consider why the best sites run on affiliate revenue and the rest no longer exist or have been bought up by giant corporations.