In this episode, Mark reviews listener feedback from episode 067's candid discussion about Forever Affiliate and the hard truth about making money online. The responses were overwhelmingly positive, and the conversation digs into whether people can actually make money online, why the failure rate is so high, and what causes that failure.
What You Will Learn in This Episode
- How listeners responded to Mark's honest take on affiliate marketing failure rates
- Why authenticity and transparency build deeper audience trust
- The launch of the Late Night Internet Marketing Minute short-format show
- Why most successful marketers only show their wins, not their losses
Episode Summary
Mark opens by admitting he was nervous about episode 067. He worried that being honest about failure rates in affiliate marketing would upset listeners or come across as negative. He did not give his audience enough credit.
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Crystal loved the real, unfiltered podcast. David appreciated the honesty. Long-time listener Kent, who had been following since 2008, said that kind of episode was exactly why Mark was the real deal. These responses confirmed that audiences value transparency over hype.
Mark also announces the Late Night Internet Marketing Minute, a short-format show lasting three to five minutes each week. He emphasizes this is an addition, not a replacement for the main show. The goal is to provide easily consumable content that keeps listeners engaged with their internet business throughout the week.
The episode reinforces a central theme: most successful internet marketers project an image that everything is easy. They give the impression that if you follow their formula, success is guaranteed. Mark's approach was deliberately different. He wanted to separate from the hype and keep it real about expectations in internet marketing.
What Has Changed Since This Episode
Mark recorded this in January 2014.
Authenticity became a dominant marketing trend. What Mark was doing in 2014 — being transparent about failure rates and honest about challenges — became mainstream marketing advice by 2020. Audiences now expect creators to share failures alongside successes. The “highlight reel” approach that Mark criticized has become widely recognized as inauthentic.
Short-format content exploded. Mark's Late Night Internet Marketing Minute was ahead of its time. By 2026, short-form audio (like Spotify clips), short video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels), and micro-podcasts have become standard content strategies for creators looking to maintain audience engagement between longer episodes.
The conversation about online course failure rates has matured. Research consistently shows that online course completion rates average between 5 and 15 percent across the industry. This data has become more widely known, and both course creators and consumers now approach these products with more realistic expectations.
Listen and Subscribe
Listen to Late Night Internet Marketing on Apple Podcasts or subscribe at latenightim.com/internet-marketing-podcast/. Have a question for Mark? Call the digital recorder at 214-444-8655 or leave a comment below.
Glad you are alive and moving toward well Mark. On the difference of an on-line and off-line business rate of success – I would venture to say that, for those that actually start, it is a fairly similar percentage – both quite low – but the level of risk for an off-line business is tremendously higher.
A dog lover can open up greatdogsupplies dot com, and, with passion and hardwork and considerable time invested – can make a nice income from the web site recommending products. But, imagine the investment needed to compete with Petsmart – that would be tremendous. The best way to minimize the offline risk is to start a blog or online presence about your offline business, and your niche expertise, which would offset price or other components found at the big box stores.
Hi Mark! I was so pleased to see a new podcast! I listened this morning and I heard my shout out!! Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. I got in the car tonight and see I have yet another episode to listen to – made my night!
So glad you’re feeling better. I look forward to a great IM year for 2014!
FYI – twitter handle is Crystal – Fine Art Mom 🙂
MaisiesMommyHeard the shout-out for you as well Crystal, nice! That is always fun! When he mentioned Chris, I got a little nervous, because I didn’t recall saying anything similar to what was mentioned, but that one wasn’t me this time. 😉
I am also glad Mark is feeling better, is back behind the mic and that lots of new episodes were released! Good things ahead for 2014.
Chris S. Hi Chris! Nice to see you here! We’re definitely in the Late Night IM fan club! 😉 Looking forward to lots of great info from Mark this year!
Hi Mark,
Thanks for the kind words about my comments, I don’t often get called insightful so i’ll take it!
Short term view versus long term view is an interesting point, if you are asking whether taking one internet course is going to realise your dreams then the answer is probably no.
If taking a few courses will increase your chance then the answer is probably yes.
My issue then is that course A will never ever say ‘Take this course and some others and you may succeed’ (unless they are also selling course B that is!!).
People though are desperate to find success and this can lead to ‘interesting’ situations. I had a call with a marketer this week who was looking for Beta testers for his new programme, There was an application process followed by an interview. They were after success stories to push their product once live so I was very interested. Well the call went well and I was asked if I would like to become part of the Beta test which obviously I was. ‘Great, so we just need $1,000 now to get you started’.
So they want me to pay them to try an untested course so I can help them charge $2,000 to others ‘should’ I be successful…….I thanked them for their time and finished the call.
But here’s the thing, they filled all their spots within 2 days, people willing to spend $1,000 on an untested programme, I’m sure it will be great and worthwhile but for us regular guys and girls this just isn’t possible. There is a huge disconnect between successful IM guys and girls and the majority of us, $1,000 might only be a ‘small amount to get you on the path to success’ to them but it is a months rent and shopping for my family to me, I can’t justify that.
I have enjoyed your balanced responses to this topic, my thinking is now maybe its time for a two tiered approach to IM, one for those looking to throw a bit of money at it and those who just cannot, maybe an interesting topic for a podcast?
As for having money to make money I think listening to recent episodes has shown that you can do it with little money but it will take a lot longer, meaning the chance of giving up goes up exponentially. Having a bit of cash to throw at it will ‘possibly’ increase your chances of success.
Where am I at? Not made a bean online as of yet, I’m a ‘broke marketer’ so everything goes slowly but I keep on fighting.
Thanks for the shout out, it’s the first time I’ve ever been mentioned anywhere, it was nice to be able to contribute. Here’s hoping for more of the same and you never know, maybe even some return on all my hard work!
Mark,
Back listening to your podcast again. Impressed that you were being honest about forever affiliate. I was very close to purchasing it when you first started promoting it. Very interested in seeing if you can make the program work. I think the hardest part for people when it comes to affiliate sites is to be patient. Been blogging for 2 years and I am still learning and gaining followers. It’s a process.