Adam’s Method Review – Is Adam Cherrington’s Affiliate Mentorship Worth It?

Adam Cherrington has one of the more unusual origin stories in affiliate marketing education. A background that includes prison time, rebuilding from zero, and eventually building a genuine media buying business managing over $40 million in ad campaigns.

His mentorship, Adam’s Method — sometimes called the Cherrington Experience — teaches a specific approach to affiliate marketing built around what he calls “ghost traffic” sources. Hidden buyer networks that most affiliates have never heard of, let alone tested.

At a reported price of around $29,000 for six months, this is not a casual purchase. Here’s what you actually need to know.

First — This Is Important…

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Key Takeaways

  • Adam’s Method is a six-month affiliate marketing mentorship by Adam Cherrington focused on “ghost traffic” sources — paid channels like solo ads, push notifications, and native ads that most affiliates overlook
  • The reported price is around $28,995 with no refund policy whatsoever
  • Adam is a real marketer with a documented media buying background and a verifiable business history, including some difficult personal chapters he discusses openly
  • Ghost traffic sources are real but come with significant fraud risk — fraud rates of 20% to 60% are documented on some of these networks, requiring active management
  • Reviews are mixed at 3.38/5 on the BBB, with complaints centring on hidden upsells, high ad costs, and some students being encouraged to take out loans
  • Verdict: A genuine specialist mentorship for advanced affiliate marketers. The $29,000 price point and no-refund policy make it a very high-risk entry for beginners

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What Is Adam’s Method?

Adam’s Method teaches what Cherrington calls “phantom affiliate marketing” — building affiliate income through paid traffic sources that the majority of marketers don’t use and therefore haven’t driven up in competition. These ghost traffic sources include push notification networks, solo ads, newsletter placements, and co-registration traffic.

The logic is straightforward: mainstream platforms like Facebook and Google are saturated and expensive. By going where most affiliates aren’t looking, you face less competition and sometimes lower costs per click.

The mentorship runs for six months and includes direct coaching from Adam or his team, access to his Protocol tool for identifying traffic sources, training on using AI for ad creative and copy generation, and a suite of additional tools covering landing page building, banner ad creation, tracking, and campaign management.

If you want to understand how affiliate marketing works as a foundation before evaluating specialist programmes like this, affiliate marketing for beginners covers the basics clearly.

Who Is Adam Cherrington?

Adam’s backstory is more documented than most people in this space are comfortable sharing. Born in Texas, he put himself through university, got into financial trouble, made serious mistakes including attempting to smuggle drugs, and served three years in prison. After release he rebuilt his life through pest control, community college, and eventually teaching himself web development during night shifts at FedEx.

He got into affiliate marketing through niche sites, built over 30 websites generating around $500,000 per year, and then had most of that wiped out by Google’s Penguin update in 2012. That setback pushed him into paid media buying. He spent $30 million on ads in his first three years and made back $10 million — not a great ratio, but an expensive education that produced deep expertise.

He now runs Cherrington Media, a 27-person ad agency managing over $40 million in campaigns. He no longer does affiliate marketing himself — his team operates that side of the business.

He’s a real person with a real, verifiable business history. That matters in a space full of invented personas.

The Ghost Traffic Concept

The core premise of Adam’s approach is that sources like push notification networks, solo ads, and native ad placements are underused by most affiliates. The competition is lower, the cost per click can be cheaper than mainstream platforms, and the channels are less affected by algorithm changes on Facebook or Google.

This is accurate as far as it goes. The complications are also real.

Fraud rates on some ghost traffic networks are documented at 20% to 60%. Bot traffic, invalid clicks, and low-quality placements require active IP blacklisting, placement-level exclusions, and ongoing data review to manage. The cheap cost per click doesn’t mean cheap cost per acquisition once fraud is factored out. Significant technical knowledge of tracking, attribution, and data analysis is required to make these sources work profitably.

This isn’t a reason to dismiss the approach — experienced affiliates have built profitable businesses using exactly these channels. But it should recalibrate expectations if you’re coming in as a beginner expecting the “ghost traffic” framing to mean easy or hidden money.

The Price and Risk Reality

The reported cost of $28,995 for six months puts Adam’s Method in the top tier of affiliate marketing education pricing. There is no refund policy. If the programme doesn’t produce results for you, the money is gone.

Several reviewers have flagged a specific concern: some students reported being encouraged to take out loans to fund both the mentorship fee and the ad spend required to implement it. For someone without existing affiliate income, taking on debt to fund an unguaranteed marketing education is a significant financial risk. This is worth understanding very clearly before committing.

The ad spend requirement beyond the course fee is also substantial. Ghost traffic sources require testing budgets to identify what works, and Adam’s methodology requires data at scale to optimise. Starting with $5,000 to $10,000 in ad budget is typical before meaningful optimisation is possible.

What Students Are Saying

On the BBB, Adam’s Method has a 3.38 out of 5 rating. Positive reviews highlight the uniqueness of the traffic sources, the quality of community access, and direct engagement during live coaching calls. One student documented making $3,000+ per day after implementing the methods, combining the programme’s frameworks with his own prior media buying experience.

Critical reviews centre on hidden upsells, higher-than-expected ongoing costs, the automated nature of some customer service interactions, and some older students noting that certain tools had become buggy or outdated.

The loan concern is the most serious one and worth repeating: going into debt to fund an unguaranteed affiliate marketing mentorship at nearly $30,000 is a risk calculation most beginners shouldn’t be making.

Is Adam’s Method a Scam?

No. Adam Cherrington is a real, verifiable marketer with a documented business history. The ghost traffic methodology is real and has produced results for people who implement it correctly. The tools provided are legitimate.

The concerns are about fit and risk rather than dishonesty. At this price point, with no refund policy and significant additional ad spend required, this is a high-stakes bet that suits experienced affiliates who already understand paid traffic fundamentals and have capital to test with. It is a poor fit for beginners without existing marketing experience or a financial buffer.

For a broader view of where affiliate marketing sits as a model and what realistic timelines look like, that guide covers it honestly. If you’re not yet at the experience level this programme assumes, my local lead generation guide covers a lower-risk alternative worth understanding first.

Final Verdict

Adam Cherrington is a credible, verifiable operator and the ghost traffic methodology is a genuine specialist approach to affiliate marketing. For experienced paid traffic affiliates looking for less competitive channels and willing to invest significantly in both the mentorship and ad spend, it’s worth investigating seriously.

For beginners looking for an accessible entry into online income, the price, the no-refund policy, and the ad spend requirements make this the wrong starting point.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Adam’s Method cost? Approximately $28,995 for six months of mentorship. There is no refund policy.

What are ghost traffic sources? Paid traffic channels — push notification networks, solo ads, native ads, co-registration — that most affiliates don’t use, resulting in lower competition and sometimes lower costs than Facebook or Google.

Is additional ad spend required? Yes. Implementing the methodology requires testing budgets beyond the course fee — typically $5,000 to $10,000 or more to gather meaningful data.

Who is the programme best suited for? Experienced affiliate marketers with existing paid traffic knowledge and capital to invest in testing. Not suitable for beginners without a financial buffer.

What do negative reviews say? Hidden upsells, high ongoing costs, some students reportedly encouraged to take loans, automated customer service, and some outdated tools.

Is Adam Cherrington a real person? Yes — with a fully documented and publicly shared background including his business history, prison record, and subsequent career building Cherrington Media.