Do you believe everything you see?

Do you believe everything your read?

Internet marketers have sort of learned now that everyone is not stupid, but are buyers when the facts are straight!

Screen shots can be an excellent way to convince people to buy a money-making product, but there are some things you should consider before you do it. It’s not always the best choice to offer screen shots as proof.

One major thing to consider is the FTC. Any earnings claims you make must be backed up with verifiable proof. This means you should keep extremely accurate records about your earnings, and you should be prepared to offer this information to the FTC if you’re ever investigated.

Don’t automatically assume you’ll never be investigated. All it will take is a few buyers to complain that they didn’t make the same $50,000 in two months that you claimed you made and you really might be investigated. Always have proof to back up any claims you make.

The screen shots themselves aren’t enough, because the FTC knows those can be faked. You might have to provide affidavits, bank account records, and tax records. So make sure you really have all of your ducks in a row if you’re going to offer screen shots or claims about your earnings.

Also, never use screen shots from someone else’s account as proof of “the kind of money that can be made” with your technique. For one thing, it’s not right to steal images from other people. You might get into trouble for theft of their intellectual property.

Plus, you have no way to prove that their screen shot isn’t faked! That’s a big gamble to take, because if you happen to be investigated, you’ll have no way to back up your claims. You certainly can’t tell the FTC, “Oh, but I stole this image from the website of James T. Guru. Go ask him about it!”

If you do use them, make sure you black out any customer data, like their names, email addresses, or credit card numbers. They deserve privacy. And be sure to black out any sales that didn’t come directly from the technique you’re teaching.

A lot of marketers seem to forget this, and the FTC might find your tactics dishonest if you fail to show only the money you earned specifically from the technique you’re teaching. If you can back up your claims, and you have all of your banking records and tax documents in order, screen shots can be a great way to convince people to try your product.

When people see an account full of hundreds of payments, or they see a very large amount of money made in a relatively short period of time, they get eager. People who aren’t earning much money desperately want to change that. They get dollar signs in their eyes, and they want to know how you did it.

Screen shots can help convince people that you might really be telling the truth when you claim you know how to make $50,000 in two months, or you can get a website onto the first page of Google for a competitive term, or you can get 10,000 visitors to a brand new website in just 30 days. Screen shots help make it more real.

Just remember – always keep records. Make sure your screen shots can be validated and verified. And be very careful to show accurate information. You don’t want to give anyone any ammunition to use against you, especially the FTC.

Keeping accurate records and being very careful to show truthful information could be the difference between losing everything you own and staying out of trouble if you’re ever investigated.

Clickbank’s policy is now such that they have to verify a screen shot from them.

Don’t let Photoshop get you in trouble!