"Is This More Online Nonsense?"
Let me give you some examples:
About five years ago now, one of the very first affiliate programs I took part in was for a web hosting company.
BUT, even after signing up they wouldn't let me do any promotion without answering and passing an online quiz all about their services.
Perhaps this seems a little extreme and you may be thinking that this would actually reduce active affiliates. However, think about the psychology behind this:
Quizzes are fun, so it was interesting to take.
And like most people, I want to succeed at a quiz just for my own satisfaction. The same thought process probably explains why crosswords are so popular.
So I took this affiliate quiz again, and again, and again, until I'd finally got every question right.
And of course throughout this process I really got to learn a LOT about this company and their services, making me a much more effective affiliate.
And now of course I was MUCH more involved with this company. Much more than all the other affiliate programs that just asked me to fill in a form and instantly I was an affiliate of theirs without question.
Two minutes after signing up for 99% of those other companies, I'd already forgotten about them and never promoted their sites, products nor services.
BUT - that certainly wasn't the case with the hosting company in question that had made me jump through hoops just to join their program!
After the effort I'd voluntarily put in, I was much more determined to work with and be a successful affiliate for this company.
See how this works?
If you've got an affiliate program, this tactic could greatly increase how active your affiliates are, which could mean a ton more sales for you!
Here's Even More Proof That Quizzes BOOST Sales:
It's an old "copywriter's trick" to involve the reader as soon and as much as possible.
Why?
Because involvement means interaction, and that means much more focus is paid to the actual message which can then greatly help increase sales.
Going back a few years again -- one course I've signed up for through mail order... okay, the principles were used offline, but they apply just as much online since it's the same psychological sales tactics, just through a different medium:
Now, this wasn't a cheap course, costing me around $400. Before I could become a customer I had to fill in a questionnaire to see if I "qualified" for the course.
Of course I'm pretty sure everyone "qualified". It'll have to be a pretty daft business to actually turn away paying customers.
But -- using this tactic involved me ... it was interesting (even fun), and thinking about it -- without that quiz would I really have spent quite that amount of money with a company I'd never heard of before?
Probably not.
But that involvement certainly helped me read the sales message from start to finish again and again, as well as think about the offer a LOT.
Not only had that company then made a good profit from me, but they'd also made a customer who was very interested in buying from them again and again in the months and years that followed.