Pat Flynn is an architect, entrepreneur, author, and podcaster. He is best known for his work in online business and passive income strategies. He gained recognition through his blog and podcast called Smart Passive Income (SPI). He does coaching and mentorship through his podcast and various online courses. He interviews successful entrepreneurs and provides actionable advice on building online businesses. Pat authored several books on finding business ideas and building a loyal audience.
He also offers various online courses on entrepreneurship, podcasting, and affiliate marketing. This includes 1-2-3 Affiliate Marketing, Power Up Podcasting, and Smart from Scratch. Pat makes up to $170,000 a month if we base it on a 2022 interview with LADbible. His strategy includes promoting products through his podcasts and blogs. He also makes money from his online courses, books, and affiliate marketing.
Moreover, Pat Flynn has a positive reputation. He is transparent in sharing detailed income reports from his ventures. This includes affiliate sales and book royalties. Many defend his legitimacy, noting his diversified businesses. However, he faces some criticism, particularly on Amazon. His books titled Superfans and Will It Fly? were described by some readers as superficial or repetitive. Additionally, he holds a 3.8 trust score on Trustpilot.
In this review, we will discuss his affiliate marketing business, podcasts, and books. We will also cover Pat Flynn's Smart Passive Income or SPI Academy courses. You'll learn more of his strategies to make money online. We will also look at a low-cost, low-risk passive income business.
Pat Flynn Review: Pros and Cons
Pros
Pat Flynn is a reputable digital marketer and online business coach. He has a huge following on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
Individual courses come with a 15-day money-back guarantee.
He's transparent with his income and has consistently updated his report since 2008.
You can take the courses at your own pace.
His podcasts and social media channels are constantly updated.
Cons
There are so many Pat Flynn courses and it could be more overwhelming for beginners.
All-Access Pass does not offer a refund.
It's difficult to find his income report for 2020 until 2023 since it's not reflected on his web page.
Some commenters found his books difficult to finish or full of fluff. Some said he reused podcast materials and offered nothing new.
Price
Pat Flynn's SPI Academy courses and workshops cost from $49 to $499. The All-Access Pass quarterly billing costs $179 per quarter. The annual billing is $599.
Training
Pat Flynn's SPI Academy offers several courses. It involves video training, coaching calls, and other resources.
Group
Pat Flynn has a private messaging group from within his SPI platform.
Refund Policy
They offer a 15-day money-back guarantee for some courses. However, there is no refund for All-Access Pass.
Origin
Pat Flynn started as an affiliate marketer in 2008.
Reputation
Pat Flynn has a positive reputation. He is transparent in sharing detailed income reports from his ventures. However, he faces some criticism for sharing superficial advice. Also, he holds a 3.8 trust score on Trustpilot, reflecting a mostly favorable view.
Pat Flynn’s Power-Up Podcasting course was incredibly helpful, but the supportive community he’s built made an even bigger impact. The same positive experience continued with his 5 Days to Your Best Year Ever class. Pat excels at creating both great content and a strong, encouraging community. However, I can’t say the same for his other courses. I heard that some of it is just rehashed from his podcast. Also, I read that his affiliate marketing course is just the same as other courses available anywhere.
How Did Pat Flynn Build a Multi-Million Dollar Online Business?
Pat Flynn built a multi-million dollar online business by diversifying his income streams. He used strategic content creation, audience engagement, and focus on transparency and trust. He started by selling a successful LEED exam study guide. Then, he launched Smart Passive Income, where he shared his online business journey. Since then, Flynn expanded his reach and revenue.
The photo below shows the upward trend of Pat Flynn's monthly income from 2008 to 2014. It's an accompanying photo from the Forbes article by Laura Shin published in 2014.
Pat Flynn has 10 different income streams, including the following:
- Using YouTube ads
- Publishing 3 books
- Selling digital products
- Selling a physical product
- Offering paid membership with SPI Pro
- Coaching
- Offering cohort-based courses
- Affiliate marketing
- Monetizing podcast ad
- Acting as an adviser or consultant for other companies
What are Pat Flynn's 3 Guiding Principles?
Who is Pat Flynn?
Pat Flynn is a serial entrepreneur. He has built several successful online businesses. Pat is a course creator, affiliate marketer, podcaster, and author. His courses help people to create online businesses and earn passive income. He studied architecture at the University of California in Berkeley. Also, he graduated as a Magna Cum Laude in 2005. Pat is a family man. He’s married to April Flynn, and they have two children. The 40-year-old business coach was born in California, United States, on August 17, 1983. He worked as an architect from February 2007 until July 2008. This was before discovering that he could make money online.
In October 2008, Pat Flynn sold PDF copies of study guides for $19.99 each. The PDF study guide gave birth to a website called GreenExamAcademy.com. He uses the website to offer exam software. People would pay $65 to access practice tests or $275 yearly for unlimited access. Over time, Pat has earned $200,000 in commissions from that website alone.
Pat Flynn has created 10 courses since 2016. Most of these courses were launched in 2017. From these courses, his earnings amounted to over $4.4 million. According to an article on Medium, Pat Flynn’s net worth is about $250 million. However, some articles online also show his net worth is between $2 million and $3 million. A Forbes article by Laura Shin 2014 revealed that Pat Flynn had earned $2.7 million that year.
Pat Flynn makes money from YouTube ads and publishing books. He also sells digital and physical products and offers paid memberships to SPI Pro. Pat also earns through coaching, cohort-based courses, and affiliate marketing. He also has earnings from his podcast ad revenue and consultant jobs for other companies. He promotes products through his podcasts, blogs, and media channels.
What is Pat Flynn's Affiliate Marketing Business?
Pat Flynn’s affiliate marketing business is integrated into his other online ventures. This includes podcasting, physical products, coaching, courses, and webinars. Pat Flynn started affiliate marketing in 2008. Below is his monthly income report for October 2008 and November 2008 reports. Notice that the sales from affiliate marketing appeared in the November 2008 report.
Initially, he earned from his eBook sales, Google AdSense, and private advertising. If you click eHow.com, it will lead you to his Smart Passive Income site. Several years later, he’d be recognized as one of the top affiliate marketers. In 2017, Pat Flynn’s goal was to earn 50% of his earnings from affiliate marketing and 50% from selling his products. One brand that compensates Pat Flynn as an affiliate marketer is ConvertKit. It is a marketing platform founded by Nathan Barry. Pat also serves as an advisor for ConvertKit, Teachable, and SquadCast.
In his December 2007 Income Report, Pat listed 12 brands and companies. He earned affiliate commissions that totaled $105,619.13 earnings for November. The list includes:
- AWeber
- Best Year Ever by Michael Hyatt
- Bluehost
- ConvertKit
- Create Awesome Online Courses
- LeadPages
- Market Samurai
- SamCart
- Social Media Marketing World
- Teachable
- WP-Wishlist
- Bonjoro
What is Pat Flynn's Podcast?
Pat Flynn’s podcast is one of the top-selling business podcasts on iTunes. It has over 60 million downloads. You can access it from the Smart Passive Income website by clicking the tab labeled “Podcasts.” Here are four podcasts you can find on the Smart Passive Income page:
What are Pat Flynn's Books?
Superfans:
Pat Flynn narrates how you can turn the general audience into superfans in this book. Superfans was published by Get Smart Books on August 13, 2019. As of writing, it has over 717 ratings on Amazon. People think Superfans by Pat Flynn is a game-changer for those looking to build a solid fan base. However, critical reviews also rated the book 1-3 stars.
Will It Fly?
This book came out on March 21, 2016. SPI Publications published it. It promises to guide you on testing business ideas to help you save on resources and time. The book is tagged as a Wall Street Journal bestseller. It has 4.7 out of 5 stars. Yet, you’d find critical reviews of the book. Some said it’s not as good as his podcasts. Others find it a “mediocre synthesis” of existing or commonsensical ideas.
Let Go
Here, Pat Flynn shares his journey towards becoming a successful online marketer. The original book was published on October 4, 2016. The expanded edition was released on November 29, 2017. Some readers rated it 5 stars, but Pat Flynn fans and followers also said there’s “something missing” in the book. Some said that if you have read Pat’s blog, you’ll probably find no value in this book.
Pat Flynn Reviews
Pat Flynn's reviews are mainly positive. On Quora, you would find a thread titled "Is Pat Flynn a fraud? If he makes that much passive income, why would he tell everyone?". Most people answered that Pat Flynn is very transparent. Showing how much he earns from commissions, book sales, and others proves he is legit. Nigel Cook is an online accountability coach from Esquimalt, British Columbia, Canada. He said Pat has businesses and physical products besides his affiliate sales.
Pat Flynn can be very detailed with his income reports. Below is the last report he posted on his Income Reports Archive. It shows his earnings from his book, “Will It Fly?” The information includes the amount of royalties from Kindle. He also added units sold, audiobook sales, and paperback sales, among others.
However, Pat Flynn has a 3.8 trust score on Trustpilot, while his Smart Passive Income blog has no ratings yet. There are also negative comments about his books on Amazon. For Superfans, some commenters said the book was all fluff. They said Pat tried to upsell some brands or products in his book. Others said it was not for established creators looking to overcome difficult niches. For his book Will It Fly, Javier Romero said Pat only reused his podcast material and offered nothing new.
What is Pat Flynn's Smart Passive Income?
Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income is a blog that started in 2008. As it grew, SPI became a brand and an online platform supporting creators with resources. This includes blog posts, podcasts, and online courses. It shares how to build and grow online businesses that generate passive income.
Additionally, it has a diversified pathway curriculum for online entrepreneurs. These are for building a start-up, a personal brand, or a side hustle project. It covers topics like affiliate marketing and online business creation. Other topics include podcasting, digital product development, and entrepreneurship.
One of the most unique aspects of SPI is Flynn's transparency. He shares monthly income reports, where he details how he earns money online. He provides insights into his failures, helping others learn from his experiences.
What is SPI Pro?
SPI Pro is an exclusive community that Pat Flynn founded for online entrepreneurs. You’ll get access to the platform where like-minded business owners can collaborate. There’s a home page where you can find the latest posts from other members. They also have a section for trending posts, a member center, an announcements tab, and an events tab. Here’s a photo showing what it looks like.
SPI Pro has different pathways for beginners and established business owners. It costs $299 every quarter or $990 a year
What is the SPI Academy All-Access Pass?
SPI Academy All-Access Pass is your ticket to Pat Flynn’s complete collection. This includes tools, courses, and workshops. If you are an SPI Pro member, you automatically get the All-Access Pass.
If you only want to buy an individual course, it costs $499 for a one-time payment. The single course topic is best for those who want a more DIY approach. You’ll also get lifetime access to the curriculum and sessions with Pat. Additionally, you can meet other students through a course space.
The All-Access Pass has two billing options. The quarterly billing costs $179 per quarter. In comparison, annual billing is $599. With the All-Access Pass, you can access the entire course catalog. You can also join monthly workshops and get cohort-based accelerators. They will also match you with an accountability partner. They also offer supplemental tutorials for all their courses.
What are the Popular SPI Academy Courses?
1. The 1-2-3 Affiliate Marketing
The 1-2-3 Affiliate Marketing course is for those with an established online presence. This is regardless of their target audience size. The key requirement is to be on social media with an email list or some traffic. The 1-2-3 Affiliate Marketing course costs $499.
This course teaches strategies and tools to find great affiliate products. It also covers how to effectively share them with your network. In this course, Pat Flynn will help you build an affiliate marketing action plan. You’ll get lifetime access to the video lectures you can take at your own pace.
What Do You Get From 1-2-3 Affiliate Marketing?
2. Power-Up Podcasting
Power-Up Podcasting is a step-by-step guide to launching and growing a podcast. Pat Flynn is a popular podcaster and has made over 1,500 podcast episodes since 2010. He's also helped start the Tim Ferris Show. His videos in this course will show you examples of engaging content and how to create them. Power-Up Podcasting costs $499.
Power-Up Podcasting shows you how to create, launch, and grow engaging shows. It’ll guide you from beginning to launch. Part of the module is Podcast Monetization. You’ll learn how to advertise and find sponsors, including affiliate marketing.
What Do You Get With Power-Up Podcasting?
3. Smart From Scratch
Smart From Scratch is a 3-stage course for aspiring entrepreneurs. It helps you make money by ensuring your business ideas are viable. It covers how to conceptualize, refine, and test a business idea. Pat Flynn previously offered it to his selected students. Smart From Scratch costs $149.
What Do You Get With Smart From Scratch?
At least 21 video lessons
Weekly meeting with Pat Flynn
Replays to the last four calls
Access to SPI Academy community
Free course on website building
15-day money-back guarantee
What are the Other SPI Academy Courses?
This course will help you create classes to sell to others. Pat has developed at least 10 courses since 2016. Heroic Online Courses costs $499. Here, he will show you how to:
- Find a niche
- Develop your course material
- Make a sales page
- Strategize your launch
- Change your mindset
- Film your course
The BYOB or Build Your Own Brand is a 5-day challenge that Pat offers for free. It aims to help you define, strategize, and build a branded site. Each day, you’ll learn one module. It covers brand name selection up to content planning.
- Day 1 - Choosing a brand
- Day 2 - Setting up your website’s backend and learning SEO basic settings
- Day 3 - Building your homepage
- Day 4 - Promoting your brand
- Day 5 - Planning content
This course will help you start your online community. If you already have one, it will teach you how to improve. You’ll learn to choose a community business model based on your goals. Pat will also teach you ways to identify the ideal member and market your community. Community Business Blueprint costs $499.
The Email Marketing Magic guides you in identifying which emails create more engagement. You’ll learn to whom you should send it and when. This course comes with templates that you could use. Email Marketing Magic costs $499. It has at least 34 video lessons plus resources on ConvertKit.
- Module 1 - Foundations
- Module 2 - Optimization of Entry Points
- Module 3 Part I - How To Grow Your List
- Module 4 Part I - What To Send
- Module 5 Part I - Email Optimization
- Module 1 Part II - Tagging and Segmentation
- Module 2 Part II - Integrations
- Module 3 Part II - Automations
This workshop promises to teach you how to get traffic. It can be on your website, podcast, or social media channels. Traffic Booster is 90 minutes long and costs $49. In this workshop you’ll learn about:
- Your traffic type
- Content creation
- Collaborations
- Strategies that Pat Flynn uses
In this workshop, Pat Flynn will teach you ways to pitch to sponsors. He also shares how to create relevant ads and keep your momentum. Especially after finding your first sponsors. Podcast Advertising Made Easy costs $49. Here are some things you’ll learn in this workshop:
- Podcast monetization
- Finding sponsors
- Pitching to sponsors
- Advertising your products
- Working with an agency
This course helps podcasters who feel stuck on what to do next. Pat Flynn offers 18 video lessons. This helps you automate your podcast production process. It also includes how to market your show and increase profit. Amp'd Up Podcasting costs $499. Here are some things you'll learn from this course:
- Setting up a content calendar
- Using editing and publishing solutions
- Podcasting marketing audit
- Promoting your products
- Building podcast funnel
Learn video and audio podcasting in this workshop. Pat Flynn will teach you how to repurpose your podcast to create video content. This could help grow your followers. This workshop costs $49, and you’ll learn:
- Video Podcasting
- Different styles and formats
- Best practices in recording and publishing
- Video podcast promotion
This course details creating, promoting, and delivering engaging webinars. This strategy can help you grow your business. It comes in at least 39 video lessons. For Pat Flynn, making webinars and workshops is a great way to connect with your audience. This course costs $499, and here’s what you are going to learn:
- Different equipment and software
- Ways to promote webinars
- Preparing presentations
- Going on live webinars
This course will teach you how to create and optimize a YouTube channel. This is hosted by Pat Flynn and videographer Caleb Wojcik. The course costs $499. Here are some things you’ll learn from YouTube From Scratch:
- Choosing a niche
- Standing out from other creators targeting the same niche
- Decoding analytics to understand YouTube
- Discovering methods of monetization other than YouTube ads
Matt Gartland, Co-CEO of SPI Media, will introduce innovative pricing methods. The goal is to optimize your profits. Pricing for Profit workshop has 6 video lessons. Including the 12-minute bonus Pricing Tactics. The Pricing for Profit workshop is only available for those who buy the All-Access Pass. This costs $179 per quarter or $599 per year.
Learn about building a healthy mindset, habits, and principles for managing cash flow. This is another workshop created by Matt Gartland, who founded 3 digital agencies. The Cash Flow Fundamentals aims to guide you in making sound business decisions. Similar to the Pricing for Profit workshop, it is only with the All-Access Pass.
The Click and Convert workshop shares strategies to write an excellent copy. It helps you nail the essential elements for hooking and gaining your audience. It can be for a YouTube video or a blog post. Good People Digital founder Darrell Vesterfelt joins Pat Flynn as the instructor. Click and Convert costs $49.
Productivity with Purpose Workshop covers how to prioritize your tasks. It shares various tools and strategies you can use to improve productivity. This $49-workshop includes the following topics:
- Tone and goal-setting
- Prioritization
- Time management
- Productivity tools and hacks
- Hiring help
Is Affiliate Marketing Worth It in 2024?
Affiliate marketing is worth it in 2024 if you have established expertise in your niche. You need a solid number of followers as an influencer or content creator. In affiliate marketing, you earn commissions selling other people’s services or products. You can earn commissions through blogs, podcasts, email marketing, or your YouTube channel. But first, you need to find products valuable to your audience.
Building a community that will buy from you could take much time and effort. SEO expert Bill Widmer said the average time to make money as an affiliate marketer is 6 to 12 months. Pat Flynn even said that trust is the most significant factor to win in affiliate marketing.
A major downside of affiliate marketing is the lack of control over other people’s products. It could affect other people’s trust in you when the product does not meet the client’s expectations. This is why you must research which products are good before promoting them. The Forrester Report by Rakuten said that 81% of marketers in the US use affiliate marketing. This also shows that there remains an opportunity for affiliate marketing.
Related Article to Affiliate Marketing
Why is Local Lead Generation More Low-Cost and Low-Risk Business Than Affiliate Marketing?
Local lead generation is a more low-cost and low-risk passive income business than affiliate marketing. In local lead generation, you build a website that you rent out to a local business in your area. Then, you rank your site using Google’s free organic traffic. But, in affiliate marketing, you purchase the traffic. Otherwise, it will take you longer to get customers and earn commissions. You need to publish content multiple times a day to drive more traffic to your platforms. It is necessary because 36% of sites that publish many times daily get 1K to 15K monthly visitors. This is based on the 2023 HubSpot Blog’s Web Traffic & Analytics Report.
Local lead generation is also low-risk because you control your online business more. You own the website. It is your digital asset, and you get to select the renters. But in affiliate marketing, you don’t own the product. The product owner can decide anytime whether to continue offering it or pull it out of the market. Thus, there is a risk of not getting paid. You also have no control over its quality. Promoting defective products can also ruin your reputation. The competition in affiliate marketing also makes it harder for new entrants. It is difficult to keep up with dominant players.
The best thing about local lead generation is earning a predictable income. Unlike in affiliate marketing, you don’t need to sell products and rely on commissions. You also earn 100% of the profit. In affiliate marketing, you get only 5% to 30% in commission, as per Influencer Marketing Hub. So, if you are looking for a real passive income at work, try local lead generation.
