How I Went from Blocked Ads – to Braking Through – With Bridges.

My Journey with ClickBank and Other Affiliate Platforms.

When I first started with affiliate marketing, I took some courses, placed some ads. I thought I had the system cracked. I signed up for ClickBank, grabbed my link, and got ready to run ads. My mindset was simple: create a catchy ad, point it straight to the product’s sales page, make some sales, and watch the money start to roll in.

It looked like the perfect shortcut. No need for websites, no blogs, no complicated funnels. Just traffic → link → profit wright?   WRONG!

So, here’s the truth, this is how it really went. No one warned me that most advertising platforms hate direct affiliate links. Most of these platforms refuse to let you use them. Yes, I learned that the hard way.

In My Early Attempts — I Learned A Harsh Reality

When I first ran my ads straight from Facebook to a ClickBank sales page, I thought I was on to something. Instead, I got a flood of “rejected” and “violates policy” and “SPAM” Bamm! Wammm! Take that notifications.

It wasn’t just Facebook. I tested Pinterest, Google Ads, X, Snapchat, and even TikTok. Same story.

• To make matters worse, I realized this wasn’t just a ClickBank issue. Other platforms like:

•  JVZoo
• WarriorPlus
•  ShareASale
• Digistore24
• CJ Affiliate

gave me the same headaches. Direct linking to a seller’s page just doesn’t fly with ad networks.

Why? Try again, Why???  Because to them, affiliate links look spammy. They’re seen as low-quality, potentially misleading, and they don’t build trust with the end user, no matter how good the product is.

At first, I thought maybe it was just my ad copy or my images, the fact I did not really know how to set this kind of thing up. I tweaked the size, the shape, adjusted the layout, even tried different themes and pages, and resubmitted them. One after another nothing worked, still no luck. All my work felt wasted. I felt at times like I should just quit.

The frustration was real. I’d spend hours writing copy, searching through pictures, designing creatives, and setting up campaigns, and designing a follow-up system to help me make sales only to watch everything hit a brick wall, and STOP!

The First Time I Tried A “Fix” — It Didn’t Work

People I talked with in forums and groups and online told me: “Just use a link shortener!”

So, I tried Bitly, TinyURL, and a handful of others. On paper, it sounded brilliant. The short link hides the affiliate tracking code, and the ad platform can’t see what’s behind it.

Well, guess what?

 Ad platforms are smarter than that.

 Within days, I found out that most of my shortened links were being flagged anyway. Sometimes they would run for a few hours, maybe a day or two, but they eventually got hit. Not just some , But every one of them.

It felt like I was playing whack-a-mole with my ads. Another dead end.

The Breakthrough: Building a Bridge

After more than enough trial, error and frustration, I started to notice something in the strategies of many successful affiliates. They weren’t just dropping links that led to a product. They were building bridges.

Building bridges? So, what’s a bridge? Why is a bridge different?

A bridge is a middle step between your ad and the product page. Instead of sending traffic straight to an affiliate link, you send people to something you control first. From there, you guide them to the actual offer.

Some examples of bridges:

• A landing page with a button: simple, clean, and to the point.
• A blog post that explains a problem and introduces the product as a solution.
• An email capture page that gives away a freebie in exchange for an email address, then redirects to the product. Great for building your list.
• A personal website or funnel that warms people up before they hit the sales page.

Why Do Bridges Work?

Bridges give the link that these platforms want to see. A page that shows a personal touch, human interaction as to just AI. It opens the door for a free line for the platform to operate with and still lets you direct the prospective customer to the product.

Once I started using bridge pages, everything started changing. Here’s why:

1. Ad Approval: Ad networks are fine with you promoting your own page, as long as it follows their rules. By sending traffic to a blog, website, or landing page you control, you avoid most of the spam filters.
2. Warming Up the Audience: A bridge gives you the chance to tell your story, build trust, and show value before hitting people with a sales pitch. Cold traffic converts poorly — but warmed-up traffic is a different story.
3. Building an Asset: With direct linking, all your effort benefits the seller. With a bridge, you can collect emails, build brand awareness, and create something that keeps working for you long-term.
4. Higher Conversions: People like to buy from those they trust. A bridge creates that trust layer, which means the sales page works better.

Today Looking Back at the Journey

At first, I was upset, almost crushed that it wasn’t as easy as grabbing a link and posting an ad like I was shown , or like I thought it would be. It felt unfair that I was sold something only half true. But now, I’m thankful I went through those headaches, those lessons.

If I had gotten away with shortcuts, I would have never learned the value of owning the process. I would never have learned how to build pages on google and other platforms. I would never have made the change from struggling want a be, to where I am today.

 A bridge turned me from a frustrated “link dropper” into an actual growing marketer.

Now, whether I’m promoting a ClickBank offer or testing platforms like WarriorPlus, JVZoo, Digistore24, ShareASale, or CJ Affiliate, I always build a bridge first.

It’s no longer about just running ads. It’s about building systems. It is about being the guide on the tour I got people to join me on, As to just being a part of the tour.

Here Are Some Of The Key Things I Have Learned

• Direct linking doesn’t work — most ad platforms block or ban it.
• URL shorteners are not a solution — platforms can detect them and ban them.
• A bridge appears to be the answer — whether it’s a blog, landing page, funnel, or site.
• Bridges boost conversions because they warm up your audience, build trust, as well as weed out the tire kickers, the people you do not want to work with.
• Bridges help you own the asset (like an email list) of your own, instead of just driving traffic to someone else’s site and losing contact forever.

👉Let me stress, If you’re just starting out in affiliate marketing, save yourself the pain I went through. Take the time to learn how to build the bridge in the beginning. It might feel like extra work, and it is, but in the long run, it makes everything smoother, smarter, and way more profitable.

Thank you for your time:

RED…