Last Updated on March 10, 2024 by Eric Cantu
In this Freelance Affiliate guide review I’m going to talk about Keala Kanae and his latest PDF (or, better put, “upsell tease”) called Freelance Marketing Secrets.. What are Keala Kanae’s “secrets” to success? Is this even close to legit?
Is Keala Kanae’s Freelance Affiliate Guide Review Worth It?
Keala Kanae’s affiliate guide “Freelance Marketing Secrets” is a 12-page e-book that covers some basics of affiliate marketing and his 3 secrets to success in freelance marketing. Ultimately, It serves as a teaser to buy his high ticket training filled with even more upsells.
Key Takeaways
- Keala Kanae’s pattern is to offer “done for you” systems. These types of systems DO NOT WORK, particularly for new affiliate marketers. There is no such thing as a “done for you” business!
- Keala Kanae’s courses, including AWOL Academy and Fullstaq Marketer, are known for having a pattern of upsells, where initial low-cost buy-ins lead to progressively more expensive training modules.
- It’s a major red flag when online business coaching offers unrealistic promises of revenue and pushes inexperienced marketers towards paid ads and PPC campaigns. Go into paid ads too early and it will quickly become a money pit.
- If you can stay away from the massive upsells and pressured sales calls, there is some decent foundational content in the low-buy-in starter courses offered by Keala Kanae which can be beneficial for learning the basics of affiliate marketing, the problem is that the rest of the training costs tens of thousands.
- There are much more affordable and equally effective training options available without having to slowly empty your bank account
Let’s dive into his Freelance Affiliate guide and review it to see if it (and the upsells tied to it) are worth your time. Is there some valuable training to be had in this ebook?
Training That Delivers!
• Turn your own niche website into revenue
• Step by step training, tools, & support
• Your own AI powered Business Hub
• Get me as your support coach!
• Free test drive to see if it’s a good fit!
What’s In Keala Kanae’s Freelance Marketing Secrets? Is Freelance Digital Marketing Legit?
Is this the right approach?: Now, I’m a HUGE proponent of affiliate marketing and freelance digital marketing. But it’s important to understand that there’s a straightforward way to go about building an affiliate marketing business and a very wrong way to go about it.
Guru clichés: I’m not a fan of how Keala Kanae consistently pushes what I feel are red flags like “done for you” systems and unrealistic promises of revenue along with using paid ads and PPC campaigns way too early.
What are Keala Kanae’s “Secrets” Discussed in Freelance Marketing Secrets?
Let’s talk about the secrets Keala discusses in Freelance Marketing Secrets and break down where I think there are flaws within those teachings.
Secret 1: Identify a problem people want to solve, typically related to health, wealth, or relationships. He mentions using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Facebook audiences, and other research methods to find your target audience. You want to choose something in high demand.
Issue: There’s nothing overtly wrong with going after the health, wealth, and relationship niches. However, the secret to choosing a niche isn’t just choosing something in high demand, it’s also vital that you have a genuine interest or passion for it. Never choose a niche based on commissions or what you think others want, choose something where you are instantly in your own target audience. It matters!
Secret 2: Find a product that solves the problem and offers decent commissions through platforms like ClickBank, DigiStore24, and JVZoo. These affiliate networks will typically have a whole range of products across a variety of niches. Find the product selling the most that solves the problem and grab its affiliate link.
Issue: Of course, you want to choose the best affiliate products in your niche, but again, this goes back to choosing a niche you have actual passion for. You should never go after a product based solely on its commission or its demand. When you start doing this you start seeing your audience purely as dollar signs. You need to be delivering real value to your audience if you want them to stay with you and have long term success.
Secret 3: Build a sales funnel around the product, consisting of paid ads, a squeeze page, and an offer page. Drive traffic to a landing page promoting the product, make a free offer to get your audience’s email, then place them in a daily email sequence where you continue to push the offer. Every time they buy through your affiliate link, you earn commissions.
Issue: This is the main flaw in all of Keala’s courses. It’s not that he’s teaching email marketing, which is totally legit. It’s the beginner mistake of jumping into paid ads with claims of a “done for system” and unrealistic revenue promises. This is the upsell his programs are set up for. Unfortunately, going into paid ads before you know what converts organically quickly becomes a money pit, especially in a niche you don’t have actual passion for where you’re choosing products based on commissions and not trying to deliver actual value to your audience.
This is the same pattern Keala has been using for years. He starts with a low buy-in or a free webinar. This leads into the beginnings of training where you learn just enough to stay interested. And then, like clockwork, come the a la carte training modules, each more expensive than the last, that you have to continue to buy to finish the training and his “done for you”, full proof system.
(Spoiler alert: It never is).
Keala Kanae’s Courses and History of Upsells
I’ve been doing detailed reviews of Keala Kanae’s courses for years now, from his beginnings with AWOL Academy, to Fullstaq Marketer, Digital Freelancer, and more. They all follow the same pattern. Here’s a quick recap of each.
AWOL Academy: High ticket affiliate marketing training with a la carte training modules and tons of upsells. AWOL became defunct in 2018.
Fullstaq Marketer: This is a full reboot of the defunct AWOL Academy. It follows the same low buy-in model starting at $99 that escalates quickly with massive upsells all the way up to $14,800. Take a detailed look at its courses, pricing, and more in my detailed Fullstaq Marketer review here.
Digital Freelancer: Another ad campaign similar to Freelancer Marketing Secrets that funnels you to Fullstaq Marketer. Once you sign up you’re bombarded with emails and promises of “done for you” systems. Check out my detailed Digital Freelancer review here.
Keala Kanae Business Launch Challenge: A weekend seminar leading up to, you guessed it, a massive upsell into his Fullstaq Marketer platform and the ultra expensive Fullstaq Elite package at $15k. Check out my Keala Kanae Business Launch Challenge review here.
Huge history of complaints: The number one complaint from those who have gone through Keala’s courses is the massive upsells and aggressive sales tactics. It’s the disappointment in realizing the training will cost tens of thousands of dollars to complete that draws all the angry comments from his customers who feel misled.
Want training that delivers? Check out my detailed review and full walkthrough of the affiliate marketing training platform I owe all my success to! The training is straightforward, affordable, and you can test drive it first to see if it’s a good fit. Click here to check out my full review!
Final Thoughts
As a free e-book, Keala shares some affiliate marketing basics that he uses as a lead-in to buying his extremely high ticket Fullstaq Marketer training courses. I’m not a fan of any systems that claim to be “done for you” and push to jump into paid ads so early.
What do you think? Have you been a part of AWOL Academy or Fullstaq Marketer? Were you left with an empty bank account and little to show for it? Let me know what you think in the comments section below! I look forward to hearing from you and I always respond.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I be wary of when considering Keala Kanae’s marketing courses?
Be cautious of the pattern of upsells and the reliance on paid ads as a beginner, which are common in Keala Kanae’s courses.
Can I trust the success stories promoted in Keala Kanae’s marketing materials?
While there may be success stories, it’s important to approach them with a critical eye and recognize that they may not represent the typical experience of all participants.
Is it necessary to spend thousands on affiliate marketing training to be successful?
Affiliate marketing training doesn’t have to cost you tens of thousands of dollars and empty your bank account. The training I owe all my success to is affordable, straightforward, and is free to try first to see if it’s a good fit. Check out my full review here.
How early should I start using paid ads in my affiliate marketing strategy?
It’s important to understand what converts organically first, then you can double down on what’s working. Solid SEO practices, keyword research, and other strategies can have your content ranking at the top of the search results pages. You have to build a solid foundation with content creation first, understanding your audience and their needs.
What red flags should I look out for in affiliate marketing training programs?
Red flags include excessive upselling, promises of guaranteed or unrealistic revenue, and strategies that push new marketers towards expensive paid advertising without a solid base.
Have there been any complaints about Keala Kanae’s training programs?
There is a common denominator of complaints about the high costs associated with Keala Kanae’s training and how what started off as inexpensive quickly grew to the order of thousands and even tens of thousands of dollars.
Mamabear says
I will be totally honest here, I am not a fan of this program or this persons tactics. I appreciate the honest review, but it always seems as if he is holding something back in his programs. It seems like he is only out for himself. I really like that you asked for people experiences with Full Staq, and that you wanted opinions.
Eric Cantu says
Agreed. Never been a fan of his upsells. Thanks for the comment!
Brian says
I signed up for a similar course a couple of months ago and after the first video I knew what I would be getting. I promptly requested my initial $44 back and went searching elsewhere. It is unfortunate but it is how most all of these sites operate and end up getting rich while you mostly accomplish nothing. I had not heard of this guy but I will stay far away! Thanks. Brian
Eric Cantu says
You’re welcome Brian! Do you happen to remember the name of that course you were trying out? I’m always looking for new platforms to review. Thanks for the comment!
Jasmine says
This was a great article, I’ve been following Keala Kanae and his ads and something just seemed off or sketch about him, know what I mean? Reading your review it all clicked. I didn’t realize this was his pattern, but you can’t deny the facts. Thanks for the article! Glad I found it when I did.
Eric Cantu says
You’re very welcome! Thanks for the comment!