When it comes to making money as a blogger, affiliate marketing is the most common and practical way to do this. Bloggers all over are making anywhere from a couple hundred to 6 figures a month from affiliate marketing alone!
However, I’m not going to lie. Affiliate marketing can be frustrating when you don’t know the right steps to take.
Whether you have been blogging for a while now or are brand new, the struggle to start making money is there. Regardless of what you keep reading about all these successful bloggers posting their income reports making it look so easy….. don’t think for a second they weren’t sitting where you are right now, feeling lost and confused.
Trying to understand how to make money with a blog can be a bit discouraging at times, but trust me when I say, it is VERY possible with affiliate marketing.
I am here to let you know:
- The truth behind affiliate marketing
- How to make the MOST money with affiliate marketing
- A few mistakes you might be making with affiliate marketing
- Answer the most common questions people have when it comes to affiliate marketing.
PS. Here are a few more posts you might be interested in….
- How To Go Viral on Pinterest (Part 1)
- How To Go Viral on Pinterest (Part 2)
- 12 Steps To The Perfect Blog Post (FREE Printable)
*DISCLOSURE: This post also contains affiliate links, meaning if a purchase is made, I will receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. Thank you!
Real quick! Before we get started, have you started a blog yet?
If you have not started a blog yet, I’m here to help. I am currently offering a FREE 5 Day Start A Blog course.
This course will walk you through EVERYTHING you need to know to launch your blog successfully, how to avoid the most common mistakes new bloggers make and teach you how to start making money ASAP. (In just 5 days!)
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Alright, lets get started!
When it comes to making an affiliate sale make sure you know your audience and understand what they want.
Think about it. If you are selling a product that your audience has no interest in, chances are, you are not going to do very good. So the best thing to do before writing a post or trying to sell a product, is make sure your audience has interest in whatever it is.
There are a few ways you can figure this out, but the best option is to simply ask them!
Don’t be afraid to physically ASK your audience to tell you what they want or if they are interested in a product.
I do it all the time to my email subscribers and the feedback I get can be surprising. Sometimes what I assume people will be interested in is not always the case.
As a matter of fact, assuming is one of the biggest mistakes bloggers make. Never assume or speak for your audience! Just because YOU might think they want something does not necessarily mean they do.
However, if you don’t have a large enough audience or anyone to ask yet, try to be factual. Think about your niche – what kind of blogger are you and what blog posts have been successful?
Common Affiliate Marketing Questions:
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing it is selling someone else’s products for a commission. People/companies already have these products created and you are essentially the sales person.
How are bloggers making 6 figures with affiliate marketing but others struggle to make $100?
Depending on what you are selling can be a factor in your income. For example, Amazon Associates is a very popular affiliate program (personally, my favorite) but the downside is that the commission return is not that great. So why do I stick with Amazon? Because people trust amazon products and buy them. Sure, the commission is low but if you have a lot of traffic and a lot of people buying, it is worth it.
If you don’t have a lot of traffic, you will have a much harder time seeing substantial income from lower commission programs such as amazon and shopstylecollective. However, that does not mean I am discouraging you from using them because eventually the traffic will come. Instead, I am encouraging you to try selling bigger products.
The most $$$ I have found from affiliate marketing is selling digital products.
Digital products are things like eCourses or eBooks, that have been created by other bloggers who consider themselves an expert on a particular product.
Many bloggers out there create great products and a lot of them offer affiliate programs you can use if you love their product.
These affiliate programs almost always offer SIGNIFICANTLY higher commission than a basic affiliate programs. (We are talking getting 30%-60% per sale!!)
Those are the percentages that make you the big bucks.
FOR EXAMPLE:
If you purchase my Pinterest Marketing eBook for $129, you would have the opportunity to sell it on your website or blog and get 40% commission for every single sale that uses your personalized link.
That is $44 per sale! You would just have to get 4 people to buy it and you have made your money back AND gotten the knowledge.
So, in conclusion. When you hear of a blogger that is making over $2,500 a month from affiliate marketing, chances are he or she is selling digital products.
The only thing is, you have to buy the course first to join their affiliate program but when you think about it, it is almost always worth the investment because you are expanding your knowledge (never stop learning!!) and then you can get your money back from promoting it to others (never stop earning!!)
Want to join my Mastering Pinterest eBook waitlist?
Join before the end of the month to receive these exclusive offers:
- 30% off the initial purchase
- 40% commission per sale using your personalized link
- 30 day money back guarantee. If you can show that you followed the course as directed implementing the strategies on your own and it didn’t work for you, you will get your money back.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE EARLY ACCESS LIST AND GET 30% OFF IN JUNE 2020!
Other bloggers to check out that offer AMAZING courses and affiliate programs:
- Launch Your Blog Biz
- Pinterest Traffic Avalanche
- Six Figure Blogger (Ps. This is my FAVORITE!)
- Pro Blogger Bundle
What are the best digital products to sell?
As mentioned earlier, digital products are a great thing to sell to bring in a lot more income. The best ones to sell are bloggers that offer you anywhere from 30%-60% commission per sale you make.
I look at it like this; if I am looking to purchase a bloggers course or eBook but hesitant because it is a little more expensive than I would like, knowing I could make my money back (and more) by selling 4 or 5 is a game changer.
A few of my FAVORITE products are from popular bloggers Alex and Lauren from Create and Go.
These two are making millions from their blog and have created some of the BEST courses that tell you EXACTLY how they do it.
Even better? Their affiliate program offers 40% commission to ALL of their courses after you purchase ONE! Such a good deal!
Here are some of their courses you can sign up for below:
- Launch Your Blog Biz
- Pinterest Traffic Avalanche
- Six Figure Blogger (Ps. This is my FAVORITE!)
- Pro Blogger Bundle
With that being said, if even one of these courses jumps out at you, I HIGHLY recommend investing in it because one, you are getting information from some of the most successful bloggers out there and two, you’ll be able to join their affiliate program.
What are the best Affiliate programs to join?
There are so many affiliate programs out there for bloggers, it honestly can get a bit confusing! In my post top 3 affiliate programs to join I wrote about the pros and cons of the most popular and recommend programs.(Amazon, ShareASale and ShopStyleCo)
These programs have so many options and offer a ranging commission. Other popular ones I didn’t mention in my post are Awin, and CJ.
How do you earn commission?
You earn commission through affiliate link that someone clicks on. This link is tracked through a “cookie”. These cookies in the browser are generally linked 30-90 days. Make sure you look at the rules from the affiliate program you are using. The nice side is you don’t keep track of any of this. The affiliate company does for you!
What are the rules and why do I see people posting “disclosure”?
This is SO important!
The US government requires that you disclose every affiliate link (FTC in the US). This means, you are required to clearly let the reader know you are a partner to whatever product you are recommending and will be getting paid if they purchase something.
Key word up there is clearly let them know. Think: complete transparency.
Don’t try to hide the disclosure or make the font super small at the bottom of the page. I try to keep my disclosures at the top of my page and sometimes after the product to ensure that a reader will see it.
Each company has different rules for how you can promote, how and when you get paid, etc.
For example, you will see in my favorite monthly subscriptions post that some companies can be more specific than others when it comes to disclosing partnerships. For example the popular monthly subscription box FabFitFun requires you to put #FabFitFunAffiliate at the end of every post.
It is VERY important that you check with the brand you are working with to understand what their disclosure policy is and check back frequently to refresh your memory.
Do everything in your power to keep your blog legal — It is better to be safe than sorry.
What do you write when disclosing?
When I am announcing my disclosure for a generic company (such as amazon or shopstyle) I will typically say the following.
*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means, if a purchase is made I will receive a commission at no additional charge to you! Thank you, have a nice day.
This is clear and to the point. (However, check with the programs policies or company you are working with BEFORE to make sure everything is covered and legal.)
What are the advantages of Affiliate Marketing?
In addition to making uncapped income, affiliate marketing has a lot of advantages.
You don’t have to worry about updating strategies or products. Unless the product is sold out, you don’t have to worry about changing an eBook or updating information in a course. The work is all done from the provider, you just sell it.
It is a great way to diversify your income! If your own products stop selling, you will have another source of income coming in. They say the average millionaire has 7 different sources of income… so the more sources the better!
It allows you to make more money on more topics that relate to your page! If you are not an expert on something, but you have taken a course from an expert, you have the opportunity to sell that product. This gives you less risk of creating your own product, and you can rely on affiliate marketing.
Are their any disadvantages to Affiliate Marketing?
The #1 disadvantage of affiliate marketing is you don’t own the product. You have limited control over your sales and the selling process, therefore limited control over your money.
Another downside is you don’t have the control over sales pages, product margins.
Can be harder to build trust between your audience and someone else’s product because they don’t know who this person is.
Overall, affiliate marketing is a GREAT option for all bloggers to start bringing in money.
Joining affiliate marketing programs and selling products can be significantly less of a burden to your time and money. In my opinion, affiliate marketing is the safest approach for both beginners and advanced people to start making money.
If you found this article helpful, don’t forget to share it or leave a comment below. 🙂
Related Posts:
- How To Go Viral on Pinterest (Part 1)
- How To Go Viral on Pinterest (Part 2)
- 12 Steps To The Perfect Blog Post (FREE Printable)
