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A comprehensive affiliate marketing course struggling to stay relevant in 2025
We spent considerable time analyzing Savage Affiliates, Franklin Hatchett's flagship affiliate marketing course that promises to teach the complete blueprint for building an affiliate business. The course structure spans 12 comprehensive modules, starting with affiliate marketing fundamentals and progressing through niche selection, website building, SEO strategies, and both free and paid traffic methods.
What caught our attention immediately was the breadth of coverage. Franklin doesn't just focus on one affiliate network, he covers ClickBank strategies, Amazon Associates, and general affiliate marketing principles. The course includes over 100 video lessons walking students through everything from WordPress setup to Facebook ad campaigns.
But here's where things get interesting (and somewhat concerning). While digging deeper, we discovered the course was initially released in 2018, with its last major update happening in 2019. For a digital marketing course, that's practically ancient history. The landscape has shifted dramatically since then, particularly in paid advertising and social media algorithms.
The Super Plan adds what Franklin calls his "Done For You" affiliate funnel, compatible with ClickFunnels, plus specialized training on launch jacking and web hosting blueprints. Whether these additions justify the extra $100 depends entirely on your specific needs and technical comfort level.
Franklin Hatchett himself brings legitimate credentials as a 7-figure affiliate marketer, and his teaching style resonates with beginners who appreciate step-by-step demonstrations. However, we can't ignore that the course content increasingly feels like a time capsule from the pre-pandemic digital marketing era.
Beginner (No Prior Experience Needed)
Self-Paced (Work On Your Own Schedule)
Make Money
Our research revealed a notable divide in user sentiment. Earlier reviews from 2019-2021 show enthusiasm and success stories, but recent feedback has shifted decidedly negative, with users increasingly frustrated by outdated strategies and diminishing support.
"The course is praised for its comprehensive coverage of a wide variety of topics." - Industry Reviewer
"Franklin's courses will greatly improve your affiliate marketing game and increase your profits." - DotComDollar
"Savage Affiliates was probably a decent course back when dinosaurs roamed the earth." - Commission Academy
"I bought Savage Affiliates on July 10th and asked for a refund because it was not for me. They claim 30 days money back guarantee NO QUESTIONS ASKED, well I am still waiting and they just ignore me." - Trustpilot User (July 2023)
"Try to make money following this today and you'll struggle." - Recent Student
Reddit discussions paint a mixed picture. One r/Affiliatemarketing user noted, "Savage Affiliates is pretty good for the price. Covers a lot." But more recent threads question its relevance, with comments like "You can find most of this info for free if you dig around." Quora responses similarly range from endorsements of Franklin's expertise to warnings about the "passive income dream" being oversold.
While Savage Affiliates once provided solid value, the combination of outdated content, vanishing support, and refund fulfillment issues creates a concerning pattern. What was once a comprehensive course now feels like an abandoned product still collecting payments.
The sales page promises "The Ultimate Blueprint To Starting A Successful Affiliate Marketing Business" and suggests students can build passive income streams. However, with strategies frozen in 2019 and a 95% failure rate in affiliate marketing even with current methods, these claims feel increasingly hollow. The promise of turning students into "super affiliates" lacks any data on actual student success rates.
The course has maintained consistent pricing at $197/$297 since launch, with occasional fake scarcity promotions. No price adjustments despite the aging content, which seems exploitative given the diminished value.
The main upsell pushes the Super Plan for an extra $100. Within the course, Franklin promotes numerous affiliate tools, particularly ClickFunnels, where he likely earns substantial commissions. This creates a conflict where tool recommendations may be financially motivated rather than student-focused.
We searched extensively for recent, verifiable success stories specifically from Savage Affiliates. While Franklin's YouTube channel showcases some wins, these are primarily from his e-commerce courses or date back several years. The absence of current success stories is telling.
The marketing creates a disconnect between what's promised (current, effective training) and what's delivered (2019 strategies sold at 2024 prices). This misrepresentation, combined with pushing expensive tools through affiliate links, creates an ethically questionable situation.
Hosted on a basic membership site, likely using an off-the-shelf LMS. The interface is functional but dated, with no modern features like progress tracking, quizzes, or interactive elements expected in 2024.
Videos stream online only, no download option provided. Mobile viewing is possible but not optimized, making it difficult to learn on the go. No transcripts or supplementary materials provided for accessibility.
The platform works on mobile devices but isn't optimized for smaller screens. Video controls are clunky, and navigation requires excessive scrolling. Clearly designed for desktop-only use.
Basic internet connection for video streaming, standard web browser. No app available despite this being standard for modern courses.
The delivery platform feels as outdated as the content itself. For a course still actively sold at mid-ticket prices, the lack of modern learning features, mobile optimization, or accessibility options is disappointing. It functions, barely, but provides none of the learning experience enhancements students should expect in 2024.
We uncovered significant complaints centered around two main issues. First, the course content hasn't received meaningful updates since 2019, making strategies (particularly for paid advertising) increasingly ineffective. Second, and more troubling, multiple users report being unable to obtain refunds despite the advertised 30-day guarantee, with support requests going unanswered for months.
Despite advertising "30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked," we found numerous reports of users unable to get refunds. One Trustpilot reviewer stated they'd been waiting since July 2023 with no response. This gap between promise and practice is deeply concerning.
The sales page still promotes this as current training without acknowledging the dated nature of the material. Claims about building "passive income" and becoming a "super affiliate" feel disconnected from the reality of using 5-year-old strategies in today's market.
The private Facebook group, once touted as a benefit, appears largely inactive according to recent purchasers. Forum discussions increasingly recommend alternatives, citing Savage Affiliates as an example of courses that haven't evolved with the industry.
The combination of abandoned support, unfulfilled refund promises, and marketing outdated content as current training raises serious red flags. While not an outright scam, these practices border on deceptive.
At $197-297 for content frozen in 2019, the value proposition has evaporated. You're essentially paying modern prices for a history lesson in how affiliate marketing used to work. When factoring in the additional tools costs and the time wasted on outdated strategies, the true cost becomes much higher.
Savage Affiliates presents a troubling case study in what happens when course creators abandon their products while continuing to collect payments. What might have been a solid offering in 2019 has become a cautionary tale about the importance of ongoing updates in digital marketing education.
We can't call it a complete scam, Franklin Hatchett does have genuine expertise, and the course does contain real training materials. However, selling 5-year-old strategies at current prices without clear disclaimers about the dated nature crosses ethical lines.
The reported refund difficulties add another layer of concern. When a company actively markets a "no questions asked" guarantee but then ignores refund requests, it suggests deliberate deception rather than mere neglect.
For anyone considering affiliate marketing education, we strongly recommend looking elsewhere. The landscape has changed dramatically since 2019, and success requires current strategies, not historical artifacts. At this price point, numerous alternatives offer genuinely updated training with active support communities.
If you've already purchased and are within the refund window, document everything and persist with refund requests. For those still considering it, save your money for courses that respect students enough to maintain current content and honor their guarantees.
At $197-297 for content frozen in 2019, the value proposition has evaporated. You're essentially paying modern prices for a history lesson in how affiliate marketing used to work. When factoring in the additional tools costs and the time wasted on outdated strategies, the true cost becomes much higher.
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We spent considerable time analyzing Savage Affiliates, Franklin Hatchett's flagship affiliate marketing course that promises to teach the complete bl...
We spent considerable time analyzing Savage Affiliates, Franklin Hatchett's flagship affiliate marketing course that promises to teach the complete bl...
We spent considerable time analyzing Savage Affiliates, Franklin Hatchett's flagship affiliate marketing course that promises to teach the complete bl...
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