While we have recovered from the global financial crisis of 2008 and the markets have stabilized, the recession changed how we manage our money. According to a survey from Fidelity, American families are saving much more now than before, they are reducing debt, and they are building an emergency fund. But there is one thing Americans, and other people around the world, are opening their wallets for Weight loss products.
Image Source: Pixabay
A research report by Allied Market Research shows that the global weight loss and weight management market will reach $423 billion in 2020. While that’s an eye-opening number, it makes a lot of sense given that 20% of the U.S. population – or 60 million people – are on a diet at any given time.
What fuels the humongous weight loss market? The obesity epidemic, of course.
Globally, We’re Just Packing on the Pounds
Obesity is certainly a major problem everywhere. In the United States, more than one-third of U.S. adults are classified as obese. Another third of Americans are overweight, meaning 2 out of 3 Americans weigh in more than is considered healthy.
And the problem just keeps getting worse and worse. In the year 2000, obesity prevalence was lower than 30% across all US. Sixteen years later? Twenty-nine states have an obesity prevalence of 30% or more. Louisiana tops the ranks of US fattest state with 36% of its population being obese.
Obesity is obviously unhealthy, but the problem is so bad that you could now consider a Twinkie to be more deadly than a cigarette. Obesity is the no. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States, with smoking taking the second position. The medical costs of obesity also trump those of smoking. In 2008, the U.S. paid $147 billion to treat obese patients. By 2018, that’s expected to more than double to $344 billion, and it’s predicted it will eat up about 21% of health-care spending.
It’s not just the U.S., though, that is suffering the consequences of obesity. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that more than 2.5 million people die each year because of being overweight! WHO predicts that by 2018, there will be 2.3 billion overweight adults in the world, which is a 44% increase from just one decade before. The number of obese adults throughout the world will be 700 million, which is a whopping 75% increase in 10 years.
Changing Our World to Accommodate Obesity
Obesity isn’t just changing our healthcare system, it’s changing our way of life, from the cars we drive to our entertainment choices. If you’ve ever sat in an old ballpark, you know that the seats were made for people who were physically much smaller. Now, with Americans weighing more than ever before, businesses and organizations are remodeling to keep up with the more hefty population. For example, Reuters reports that:
- Many hospitals are reconfiguring bathrooms and replacing wall-mounted toilets with floor models to better support larger patients.
- The Federal Transit Administration is looking into testing buses to see if heavier riders impact the steering and braking.
- And obese people are even impacting the environment. Cars now burn nearly a billion gallons of gasoline more a year than if passengers weighed what they did 50 years ago.
Watching Your Wallet Fatten While People Aim to Get Skinny
While our waistlines are getting bigger and bigger, a great deal of effort is being applied to stop the obesity epidemic. People, especially women, strive to look slimmer, healthier, and sexier. Pharmaceutical companies invest big budgets on weight loss pills, like Arena Pharmaceuticals which on June 29th, 2012 had their Lorcaserin weight loss drug approved by the FDA—the first weight loss drug approval after 13 years. The US Government is funding weight loss projects, like Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign to end obesity in children. Big weight loss corporations such as Weight Watchers, Medifast and Nutrisystem are getting more and more profitable every year, making big bucks by selling diet food (including meal replacements) or digital products (such as advice, information, and support). For example, Nutrisystem’s revenue increased 30% in the first 2 quarters of 2017 compared to last year and the company’s stock price has doubled.
However, you don’t need to own a drug company or operate a retail chain or sell actual products like these centers do in order to make money. You don’t even have to spend four years back in school in order to become a dietitian. Instead, you can affiliate yourself with popular weight loss programs and fill a void in the market.
7 Tips to Promote Weight Loss Products Successfully as an Affiliate
Right now, millions of people search the web every day for weight-loss information, and often ask questions ranging from, “Which weight loss program worked for you?” to “Will I lose my hair on Medifast?” Questions range from general to specific and serious to silly. But to the person asking the question, it’s important, and they are ready and willing to spend money on weight loss when they are directed to a proven diet solution that gets great reviews.
To help them, you can create a website of weight loss information and resources. For example, you can:
1. List Out The Most Popular Weight Loss Programs And Explain How They Work
Did you know that most consumers find research very boring? They hate spending time trying to find how products work, and what product is best for them. This is why they are open to recommendations and endorsements. Consumers love to read product reviews. Over 90% of consumers now read online reviews before purchasing a product. What’s interesting, forty percent of consumers will reach a decision about a product after reading only 1 to 3 reviews. That means, if you publish in your website an honest, informative, and compelling review of a top weight loss program you are affiliated with (and you promote properly with SEO methods), you will see people clicking through your affiliate links and purchasing that product. This is exactly what I did with my first site in 2008, where I reviewed and endorsed some of the top weight loss programs.
2. Compare And Review Programs
People often want to know the differences between certain products. You can post a few articles comparing the top weight loss programs or diet products. Here is an example of a page that elaborates on Nutrisystem versus Medifast, two clinically studied meal replacement plans. Notice the details the author goes into as he lays out the differences in the cost, the food, how fast you lose weight with each program, etc.
3. Answer Questions About Each Program
Answering consumers’ questions about a product are perhaps one of the most effective ways to pre-sell them to a product. You can find what questions people ask by using AnswerThePublic.com—a free keyword tool that gives you a nice visual keyword arrangement.
Image Source: AnswerThePublic.com
Here are a few questions that people ask about Nutrisystem that I got right from this tool.
- Which is cheaper Nutrisystem or Medifast?
- Which Nutrisystem plan is best for me?
- Are Nutrisystem bars healthy?
- How does Nutrisystem work?
- Is Nutrisystem healthy?
- Nutrisystem versus Weight Watchers?
4. Help People Choose The Product That Is Best For Them Based On Their Goals And Individual Needs
One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to losing weight. Different products cater to different people. Weight Watchers, the granddaddy of all weight loss programs, has a plan for those who want to physically meet with other dieters (Weight Watchers Meetings), and a plan for those who want to lose weight alone online from the comfort of their home (Weight Watchers Online). Nutrisystem has different plans for women, men, diabetics, families, seniors, and teenagers. However, this abundance of choices may confuse people. Help them choose what is right for them. You can write an article explaining which plan will best work for them based on their goals and needs.
5. Provide Testimonials From People Who Have Tried The Product And Make Sure You Indicate How Much Weight They Lost
Testimonials are very important especially when they come from individuals that people can relate to. You can ask somebody to try the product you are promoting and write an article describing their experience with it. If they end up losing weight, make sure you ask them for their “before and after” photos so that you post them on your site. This is what Susan did when she wrote about her Nutrisystem results.
6. Offer Information On The Latest Clinical Studies About Programs, If Available
Not many products have been clinically studied, but most of them have been designed based on a scientific logic. Whether they aim at curbing appetite, increasing metabolism, or reducing caloric consumption, weight loss products have a reason to work. Make sure you communicate this reason with your audience. Why is the particular product effective? What does it do to your body to help you lose weight?
7. Discuss Safety And Potential Side Effects Of Each Product
If you are featuring a review of a weight loss product that has potential side effects (i.e a weight loss pill), mentioning the potential “dark” side of the product shows that you truly care about your readers’ health, and this makes your review more unbiased and trustworthy.
By endorsing and recommending certain weight loss products, once you send traffic to a website and generate a sale, you will be paid a commission for it. You’ll find that some commissions are more lucrative than others. For example, on Amazon.com, if you type “weight loss products” into the search engine, you’ll get more than 61,000 results. With a 5% commission on referred sales, Amazon is a proven way to generate a sustainable income.
But there are more profitable options as well. My advice is to affiliate with the large weight loss companies that have a track record of success. For example, Weight Watchers is the most profitable program out there and it pays you $10 per referral that results in a sale. Medifast offers doctor-approved meal replacements; it pays out a whopping 20% commission.
If you’re able to create a compelling site that offers informative content and reviews to readers, customers will flock to your site, earning you loads of commissions.
Remember, spending on weight loss is just going up, up, up. How will you get your slice of that?
