Yoonla Review – Another Scam or Legit “Make Money Online” Strategy?

If making money online was easy, everyone would be doing it. The truth is, the learning curve can be steep, and despite claims made by experts and gurus… no program is perfect. In this Yoonla review I’ll explain why they're not perfect… and also, the areas where they really shine.

In all honesty, I wanted to call Yoonla a game changer…

I mean… they give you free access to the same training many companies charge hundreds of dollars (or more) for. And, they’ve somehow managed to simplify the process as well, making it easier than ever for beginners to get started. But somewhere along the way, it seems the wheels may have fallen off. (update: the wheels may be back on… I'll explain further near the end of this review)

Disclaimer:
Please note, I am no longer an affiliate for Yoonla. In addition to my previous experience with Yoonla, this review has been researched with information and/or testimonials that are available online in the public domain. Any recommendations and/or conclusions are strictly opinions and may not to apply to, or agree with, all persons or situations. See full disclaimer for more info

What is Yoonla?

Yoonla is a free training system that teaches you the basics of CPA (cost per acquisition or cost per action) and affiliate marketing. Founded in September 2016 by Reno Van Boven, the Yoonla Foundation System uses a capture page and email marketing approach to making money online.

Van Boven’s previous endeavors include a similar program called Auto Affiliate X, which was a little rough around the edges. But here, with Yoonla… the system has been refined, with added substance, cleaner lines and a fresh coat of polish. His ten years of experience online here shows.

How Does Yoonla Work?

The first thing you might notice about Yoonla is that it’s 100% free to join, and that they don’t even ask you for a credit card.

What’s the catch? Well, there is no catch really… if all you take from Yoonla is the training.

To make money with Yoonla however, which I assume you’re interested in, you will need some basic online tools. These include a website domain and hosting, an email autoresponder and landing page software.

For this review, I wanted to give Yoonla a complete and fair assesment, so although I already had all of these tools… I set up new accounts and purchased another domain to test Yoonla as though I was just starting out.

This is when I began to sense something wasn't right. I'm going to talk about the things Yoonla does well first… but then I'll go a little deeper and share my experience. 

Throughout the training, Reno will show you how to set your online tools up and link them together, and when you’re done, you’ll have a fully automated sales funnel with the potential to earn money on autopilot.

All that he asks in return (but does not require) is that you sign-up for these tools using his affiliate links (which I did). If you’re not sure what affiliate links are, or what affiliate marketing is, it’s a way for you to earn money online simply by recommending products and services.

And the way Reno has set up Yoonla, some would argue, is exactly how affiliate marketing should be done.

Rather than spamming you with affiliate links like some online marketers do, Reno provides you with real value for free… and when you purchase the tools required using his affiliate links, he earns a commission at no extra cost to you.

I just want to clarify what I said above, because it’s important. These are relatively inexpensive tools you would have to purchase anyway (for this type of online marketing) and signing up with his (or anyone’s) affiliate link does not increase your cost.

And, as you go through Yoonla’s training, you will learn how to earn those commissions as well.

I’ll get more into specifics in a moment, but first I’ll answer what’s probably on most people’s minds.

Is Yoonla A Scam?

There are so many scams and junk programs out there… this question is certain to come up. Yoonla is definitely not a scam.

Having said that… if it were my program, I’d probably dial down the hype a little bit.

There are a few times when Reno talks about the “digital lifestyle” and becoming a six, and even a seven-figure entrepreneur. In my opinion, Yoonla on it’s own will not get there. It’ll get you started on the right path which is more than you can ask of a completely free program.

Taking it up to six or seven-figures is going to take a little more however. If you’re reading another Yoonla review, and someone calls it a scam… it’s probably because they were expecting more from Yoonla than it was designed to deliver. But that does not mean it’s a scam.  

You might also be wondering if affiliate marketing is a scam, but I can tell you it’s not. Affiliate marketing is not only legit, but it’s the most common method to make money online. Most of my online income comes from affiliate marketing.

Is It A Pyramid Scheme?

Yoonla is not a pyramid scheme, but it does share some similar qualities. There are no uplines or downlines, but, the primary objective (like any MLM) is to bring more people into the system.

This is one of Yoonla’s weak spots. Unlike a program such as Wealthy Affiliate for example, which is niche diverse, Yoonla is confined to the MMO (make-money-online) niche.

There are couple reasons this is not ideal. First, while there are billions of people online… there is a risk of saturation. Not in the sense that everyone joins, but rather… too many people begin crowding the most popular marketing platforms such as YouTube.

Which leads to the second problem. Every new person you bring in becomes your competition.

I wouldn’t let that scare you off though. The web is a big place, and a little creativity can go a long way. Also, the training you're getting with Yoonla for free can be applied toany niche.

You can start out making money by marketing Yoonla, and then later expand into other areas of interest, different products and so on.

So, although Yoonla shares some characteristics with MLM’s, this is not your classic pyramid scheme… or a pyramid at all for that matter.

Making Money With Yoonla

In addition to earning affiliate commissions, you can earn money through CPA marketing. CPA as mentioned earler stands for “cost per action” or “cost per acquisition”, and Yoonla uses this strategy to build it’s client base.

What that means for you, is that you can earn money when someone signs up for Yoonla’s free membership. Yes, you heard that right. Even if they don’t purchase a single thing, Yoonla will pay you when they sign up.

What Yoonla is actually paying for are leads, and depending on the quality of those leads they will pay you between $2 – $4 per sign-up.

The other way you make money is through affiliate commissions you earn on products and services such as the tools others will also need to build their businesses. 

Foundation Training

With over the shoulder style training, Reno will show you step-by-step how to set everything up. What you’re getting here are the nuts and bolts, which is referred to as the Yoonla Foundation System.

You won’t find much, if any of the psychology of marketing such as the purchasing cycle of a customer, or strategies to stay motivated. But that’s okay, this is free training remember.

Instead, Yoonla focuses on the mechanics of building and marketing a sales funnel, and here it’s broken down into 5 steps.

• Step 1 – Preparation
• Step 2 – Install Software
• Step 3 – Digital Set-Up
• Step 4 – Automation
• Step 5 – Traffic

In addition you can access several videos under the heading Affiliate Marketing 101.

Step 1 – Preparation

Getting started with step one, Reno will talk more about building a “digital lifestyle” and go over the tools you will need.

These include an email autoresponder as well as a website domain and hosting. Get Response is the autoresponder recommended, and it just happens that it’s the one I use as well, and agree with that recommendation.

However, I wanted to take advantage of Yoonla’s free custom set-up (more on that in a moment), so I opened a second account with Get Response. I also purchased a new domain and separate hosting even though I already own several domains, as well as hosting through another company.

My guess is that most people who join will take advantage of the free custom set-up and the only way I can honestly review this service is to try it out for myself.

Step 2 – Install Software

In this step you will download the Yoonla Foundation Software wizard, and then upload it to your hosting server, which will be Yahoo Aabaco Small Business if you go with Reno’s recommendation.

This may sound complicated, and there is some technical Judo you might struggle with… but the training videos are spot on and if you follow along should have no problems. I say “should” have no problems but I actually ran into a snag here… and I’m currently waiting to hear back from support.

Step 3 – Digital Set-Up

Here is where things get interesting. In this step you’ll be shown how to bring all of these tools together and to form a complete sales funnel to capture leads and sales.

This funnel also includes free giveaways (also called lead magnets), which is a fantastic bonus since this is often one of the biggest stumbling blocks new online marketers have.

Here you can offer potential subscribers marketing guides for Twitter, YouTube and Email. 

You can also use these guides yourself as a valuable resource.

As you set-up your website, complete with Sales and Thank You pages… Reno mentions SEO (search engine optimization) so your website will be indexed/ranked in Google and Bing.

However, since these are bare bones websites and the content (at this stage) is the same as every other Yoonla member, search engine optimization is not a strategy you should bank on.

There are some modifications you can make to the sales page to make it unique, changing dates and signatures, but for the most part it'll look like other member's. On the bright side… you simply install it and it’s ready to go.

Step 4 – Automation

When in comes to making money online, you’ve probably heard a lot of talk about passive income.

It’s true, the goal of every online marketer is to establish a stream (or multiple streams) of income that funnels money into your bank account… whether you work or not.

To be honest, it’s not quite that simple. But, there are many tasks online that you can automate so when you build something, you only do it once and then reap the benefits many times over.

That is what Reno will show you in this module as he talks about automating your sales funnel. Yoonla even provides pre-written email swipes (templates) you can use to launch your marketing campaign.  

Step 5 – Traffic

Remember near the beginning of this Yoonla review, when I said no program was perfect? Well in step five, Reno talks about traffic, and like most programs teaching online marketing, traffic is where they stumble.

Traffic can be broken down into two categories… free traffic and paid traffic.

As good as Yoonla is for a free training program, it’s not extensive enough to tackle free traffic strategies. If free traffic is what you’re after, my top recommend program teaches what I consider to be the best strategy (and the one I use) to obtain online traffic. On a side note… it's also free to join.

Yoonla however, focuses on a paid traffic source called Solo Ads. Solo Ads are a PPC (pay per click) method of email marketing. Since you don’t yet have an email list (leads), you pay someone else to send your email offer/Ad to their list. The cost typically ranges from .40 to .80 per click on average, depending on the quality of those leads.

I’m not a fan of Solo Ads, simply because so many sellers are out to rip people off. The only way you can know for certain you’re getting quality leads is to try them out (and get a good click to opt-in ratio).

Unfortunately, you can end up wasting a ton of money on useless (or even fake) leads… and in my experience, recommendations from people online are rarely any good.

That’s because anyone who spends money and discovers a quality source of leads will likely keep it a secret.

One… they'll keep it to themselves so the price per click isn’t driven up by competition, and two… so that those leads don’t get bombarded with offers from other people.

You will also be introduced to Lead Pages in this section. Lead Pages is a landing (or squeeze) page builder which is what you’ll use to send traffic to your free offers… which are provided by Yoonla.

Of all the tools you’ll need (autoresponder, website, etc.), Lead Pages is the most expensive, but it's an important one.

I use a different program called Thrive Architect, so I opted not to purchase Lead Pages. Thrive is less expensive, and you can purchase it with a one-time payment… but it's not as easy to use as Lead Pages. 

When you consider user friendliness, Lead Pages is a great choice for new online marketers and one of the best landing page builders in the industry.

The Cost Of Online Tools

When you add everything up, you're looking at roughly a $50/month investment for the tools. 

Get Response for their 1000 person list is $15/month.

Your domain and hosting will cost you about $20 to set up ($10.99 for your domain which is annual, and $9.99 for hosting which is monthly). You can also pay for the year upfront and save a few bucks. 

For the Lead Pages standard plan your cost is $25/month. 

Of course the goal is to earn your money back as quickly as possible so you're making money, not spending it.

Affiliate Marketing 101

In this training module there are 10 relatively short videos. If you have experience with affiliate marketing already, you will likely not get much from this section. But, if you’re new to online marketing, there is some good stuff here.      

One takeaway from this module is that you can promote additional products and services, outside of Yoonla.

Through the foundation training you are shown the mechanics of affiliate marketing, as well as being introduced to the tools you need. Alongside Yoonla, you can also use this exact strategy and the tools you’re already paying for to launch additional campaigns.

You can even use these skills to promote your personal business if you have one, and that’s why I say… even if it’s not perfect, Yoonla still has a lot to offer.

“When Will I Get My Yoonla Affiliate Link?” 

(update: the following account is my initial experience with Yoonla, and the reason I first said that the wheels may have come off. I chose to leave my account in this review as is, so that others who might have a similar experience won't worry as much if it seems they've been forgotten.

This update will make more sense once you read further below, but I did hear back from Yoonla, and my account was set up as promised and I did receive my affiliate link (email shown below). 

My Original Comments (prior to the review update)

If you visit Reno Van Boven's Facebook Page, people are asking questions like… “When will I get my Yoonla Affiliate Link?”

The problem is, no one in answering. 

As recent as October 2017, there is a post stating that Yoonla has reached 500,000 members. By November 9th there is a person asking when they'll get their affiliate link. 

I mentioned earlier that I took advantage of Yoonla's free custom set-up. This is supposed to take 24 – 48 hours (according to the website) at which point you will receive your VIP membership and affiliate link. 

I don't know if that person was ever given their affiliate link (and they were still within the 24 – 48 hour window), but it's discouraging that no one had responded to the question. And later in November as the screenshot shows, another person commented, making that observation,

“I see lots of questions here and no responses.”  he said, and goes on to mention that the help desk had be closed.

It's discouraging for me personally as well. I can relate to what that person is going through, because I'm also waiting for a response. I had some technical challenges and emailed support a couple days ago, and still… no one has gotten back to me. 

It's also been a couple days since submitting everything required (and paid for) to receive the free custom set-up… which has yet to be completed. Nor have I received an affiliate link. 

I can understand if they're busy or overwhelmed… no problem. But a simple response (from a real person) to say they're alive and looking into it, would go a long way. 

There's still hope though. As recent as a couple weeks ago, Reno did respond to one customer. (screenshot below) 

So where do things stand with Yoonla? It's possible the free training and CPA model is not working and as it is today, Yoonla may be difficult to sustain. (now that I've heard back from Yoonla, and everything is set up… I apologize to Reno and the Yoonla team as I may have jumped to conclusions with this statement)

There's been multiple mentions of a Phase 2 being put together, which could expand on the online traffic training. With the amount of free members (leads) I don't see why advanced instruction wouldn't be worth a reasonable subscription fee. 

So, the negative things I have to say about Yoonla are not to discourage you from joining, or to give an unfair critique… but rather a call to action so that these issues might be addressed. Yoonla has a lot to offer in my opinion, and I hope it comes back to life so I can join what hopefully becomes a thriving community. 

What I Like About Yoonla

• Of course, the best thing about Yoonla is that it’s free and you don’t need a credit card to join.
• I’ve gone through this type of training before (with other programs) and somehow Reno’s been able to simplify and condense it, so you can get through it in just a few hours… rather than a few days (like some others I’ve tried).
• This is one of the lowest pressure sales funnels I’ve seen. Once I joined, I expected my inbox to be flooded with offers. It hasn’t been. I also expected page after page of upsells, but there were none. In fact, Reno hasn’t tried to upsell me on anything. I can’t say if it’ll always be that way, but currently there are no high-pressure tactics being used.
• Clean and polished interface. Yoonla is easy to use and navigate.
• The affiliate marketing 101 module is helpful for applying what you learn here to other products and services so you’re not stuck only promoting Yoonla. This is a good faith effort by Reno that shows you he’s not only interested in making money, but in helping you become a successful online marketer as well.

What I Don’t Like

• As I mentioned already, the traffic training isn’t that great. If you’re new, there’s still plenty you can get from it… but once you get rolling with Yoonla you might find you need more advanced training in this area, in which case I’d recommend Wealthy Affiliate.
• In all honesty, I’m not a fan of “done-for-you” sales funnel systems. They tend to burn themselves out as more and more people crowd the web with the exact same thing. The big difference here is that Yoonla is 100% free (for the training). If Reno was charging big money as some “gurus” do just so you an turn around and market the same program to others… I would not recommend it. But that’s not the case here.
• This should be no surprise (if you've reading thus far), but the lack of support and community… at least upon joining, is one area I'm not too fond of. I belong to a few different online marketing communities… so it's not a big deal for me. But for someone just getting started, Yoonla feels a little empty and lonely which is a shame, because there is a lot of potential here.  

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of ways to make money online, and as we enter 2018 the industry is seeing some interesting changes.

What Yoonla is offering here for free was once (and still is) being taught by other programs that cost hundreds, and even thousands of dollars. Online marketing is clearly becoming more accessible. 

Yoonla is a great opportunity to sign-up for free training, get into the game, and even kick start your journey towards a digital lifestyle. It needs some work though, I must admit. But, I don't think you should let that get in the way of giving it try. 

You can try Yoonla for free here, and I hope my review was helpful. 

Let me know in the comments section below if you have any questions, or if you think there’s something I can add to make this Yoonla review better.

PS – The free training business model does work, if done properly. It's how I learned and started making my first commissions online. Click HERE for the free formula that I followed.