When yo’re trying to learn all about affiliate marketing, you can quickly and easily get overwhelmed by the myriad of information out there. You don’t know who to trust, which product is actually beneficial, and what step to take next!

There are several ways you can size up a product and tell whether or not it’s a good investment for you.

Look at the reputation of the product creator. Before you buy anything online, you want to know who’s selling it. Do they have a good reputation? Does their blog or forum participation show the kind of person you feel you could trust and learn from?

If your gut says no, then find someone else to learn from. The last thing you want to do is spend money on something you worry about as far as quality or ethics of what’s taught inside the course.

Does it cover everything in a step-by-step fashion? Some products are notorious for skipping out on certain steps. The product creator assumes you already know a bunch of information. If it has an over the shoulder or screenshot steps list, then it’s a good indication that it’s a viable product.

Does it go over the right kind of affiliate marketing you want to learn about? Some teach tangible affiliate marketing for Amazon affiliates. Some teach digital affiliate marketing. Some do a combination of the two. Find out before you buy.

What type of course is it? text, video, or both? Think about how you learn best. You might need to “see” a step being implemented in order to grasp it. Or, you might hate video and prefer text and screen shots. It’s a personal preference, but check to see what is being offered.

What level is it for  beginner or advanced? What level are you on? Make sure the two coincide. There are some Amazon courses that pick up where beginners’ guides leave off, teaching you advanced affiliate conversions, but leaving off the beginner steps like product research, site setup, etc.

Is the price something you can afford? Never invest in something that will take food off of the table or cause you to have anxiety if it doesn’t produce a fast enough return. You want to be able to enjoy the implementation process.

What are real reviewers saying about the product? There are fake reviews and there are real ones. A real review will come from someone who bought the product, implemented it, and is sharing detailed information and results. A phony review will hype what’s on the sales page and that’s it.