The Complete Guide to Affiliate Marketing: For Beginners

What you need to know about affiliate marketing

We would like to say that when we started doing affiliate marketing, we didn’t understand anything. We had very little knowledge of how to make money online.

We started doing affiliate marketing when we were at university. We started by promoting dating products, because it was easy for us, and the payouts, in principle, were not bad. We've found that this niche has a large and varied selection of products that are easy to promote and use.

During this time, enough knowledge about affiliate marketing has been accumulated. We have created several niche blogs and are still successfully promoting many affiliate products. The main thing is to analyze the market, work hard, and be patient before starting to receive passive income.

In this article, we will share our many years of experience to facilitate your entry into affiliate marketing.

Can You Make Money With Affiliate Marketing?

One of the most frequent questions that we hear and see in the comments from newbies is whether it is possible to make money with affiliate marketing.

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There are many lucrative niches to choose from, and you can get started with little expense. There is one nuance to consider. Affiliate marketing is not a get rich quick fix.

It takes a lot of time, patience, trial and error before creating an effective strategy.

What do you need to get started?

One of the good things about affiliate marketing is that anyone can do it. This is an affordable way to start making money online.

The biggest investment required to get started as a partner is time.

If you're really starting from scratch, you need to spend ample time doing competitor analysis, audience building, and content creation.

Do you need experience in marketing?

Another common myth of potential affiliates is a lack of basic knowledge of affiliate marketing. There is no need to focus on this, knowledge comes during work.

When you start doing affiliate marketing, you will find that this article will be your assistant, we are sure of it.

Don't be discouraged if you don't know anything about marketing. Affiliate marketing is a very accessible form of marketing and you don't need to hire super specialists to understand how it works.

If you strive for development, you are on the right track.

Our experience

If you are starting a digital marketing business, you are bound to make a mistake. Everything can not be avoided. It is important that you learn from your own mistakes and keep moving forward.

We want to share some of the most important lessons you need to know before becoming a partner.

1. Be patient

We have already written about this above and will say it again. Affiliate marketing is a long run, a marathon, not a sprint. This may not appeal to those who think affiliate marketing is a quick way to make money.

The simple fact is that it takes time to rank on Google and other search engines, as well as time to build subscribers, and time to build the trust of your audience.

All of these factors are essential for successful affiliate marketing. You need to be patient and calm if you want to be successful in the long run.

2. Keep learning and improving your craft

Now we are seeing one big mistake of novice partners - the inability to be relevant. Partners think they have knowledge that will help them start earning, but this is not so, there is always something to learn.

When promoting a certain product, you should be aware of its changes or updates. Moreover, it is necessary to closely monitor the changes in the target audience.

These are just a few factors that you need to be aware of. The lesson here is to take responsibility for growing and adapting your affiliate marketing strategy to different external changes.

3. Treat Affiliate Marketing Like A Real Business

Affiliate marketing is a pretty easy way to generate passive income online, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be taken seriously. In fact, not understanding the rules can lead to serious legal problems.

That's right, in fact, you can be prosecuted if you break certain rules. One of the common mistakes is using an image without permission or misrepresenting the product you are promoting.

You also need to add the disclosure as well as the disclaimer.

Even things as simple as adding legal information reduce the risk of any wrongdoing.

4. Find a mentor

Our main advice is to find and contact a mentor, a person who will move you forward. Also, using educational online resources can really take your business to the next level.

Affiliate Marketing Basics

When you start working as a partner, you are likely to come across a few unfamiliar terms. Before we dive into this article, we would like to dwell on a few general terms.

Advertiser. In the context of affiliate marketing, the advertiser is the creator of the product. This is a brand or company that you will work with as a partner to promote their products. They will pay you a commission every time your link is used for a sale.

Publisher. This term refers to affiliate marketing. You are the publisher who creates content and links to affiliate products in various marketing channels.

Consumer. This is your target audience. You must strategize around the consumer and create content that meets their needs.

How partners are paid

When choosing an affiliate program, it is important to keep in mind how payment works. There are several payment methods you may come across, so let's take a look at each one so you can understand how it works.

PPS ( Pay Per Sale )

Payment for the sale. This model is quite simple and is often used in affiliate programs. Pay per sale means that the advertiser pays the publisher (that is, you) a commission for every sale made using your affiliate link.

The amount you receive from each sale will vary depending on the type of product you are promoting.

PPL (Pay Per Lead)

Pay per lead is similar to pay per sale, but with a different purpose. PPL pays partners every time they convince them to perform an action, for example, as a subscription to a newsletter, i.e. PPL - payment for the contact details of a potential buyer.

PPV (Pay Per View)

Authors of blogs, webmasters receive money for the number of displays of advertising materials. Usually counted as Cost Per Mile (CPM). In this case, the number of clicks or purchases is not counted.

PPC ( Pay Per Click )

Pay per click. This is probably the simplest model on this list. The advertiser pays for the click made by the user when they go to their site. Yes, that's all it takes for this model. If your affiliate link is associated with increased traffic to the advertiser, you get paid.

Rev Share (revenue share)

The Rev Share Re model is very similar to PPS, but you definitely get a certain percentage of the sale, for the entire duration of the customer's activity. For example, an affiliate program can guarantee 10% of every repeat sale made using your affiliate link for the entire customer lifetime (LTV).

How to start affiliate marketing in 5 steps

The first thing you need to do as a partner is to develop your strategy. It sounds complicated, but it's easier than it sounds. Here's how to get started with a few steps:

1. Choose a niche ; Once you identify a potential niche, you should narrow it down even further if it is already saturated enough. Micro-niche identification is an effective way to gain niche authority and quality leads.

2. Select a platform; Each platform has different requirements and algorithms, so it is important to determine what you want to spend your energy on. And don't be afraid to choose more than one platform.

3. Study the market ; Understanding the market is key to successfully selling a product and will help you narrow down your strategy and advertising platform. Knowing the market will help you understand how to create content to reach your target audience.

4. Select the type of content ; Now that you know your target audience, decide what kind of content you want to create. Product or service reviews, tutorials and how-tos, which will you choose?

Will it be articles, YouTube videos, or social media posts? Think about what type of content will most impact your target audience.

5. Promote your affiliate links ; Finally, you need to promote affiliate links. Focus on content that works to promote affiliate products. Obviously, product reviews are a great type of content. You can also create comparisons and guides to make your affiliate product stand out from other products.

Types of affiliate marketing

So now that you know some of the basics, let's talk about the types of affiliate marketing that you can get involved with. Each of these options has its own unique benefits, so we'd suggest picking the ones that interest you the most.

It's also a good idea to combine several of these platforms to reach a wider audience.

1. Create a blog ; The reason blogging is a great tool is because it allows you to use SEO (Search Engine Optimization). There are many factors that influence an article's search rankings, some of them being keywords, actual blog authority, number of backlinks, and more. Many new partners are afraid to start a blog.

2. Create a YouTube channel ; YouTube is another great platform for marketer partners. Video content really gives you the opportunity to showcase a product. In many cases, it is easier to make affiliate link sales using video content because users can see with their own eyes the benefits of certain products or services. You need to feel comfortable in front of the camera, we think that after a few workouts you will gain confidence.

3. Use social media ; If you use Instagram or TikTok, you've probably come across affiliate posts already. These are messages marked with the hashtag #advertising, #promo or something similar. Social media users are promoting affiliate products through posts if they honestly tell the audience that it is an affiliate link. The only catch is that you can only place your affiliate link in the bio field, and this slightly limits the interaction with the link.

4. Use email marketing ; Email is the most underrated channel for affiliate marketing. You need to integrate it with another platform, ideally a blog, to convert leads into buyers.

5. Launch a podcast ; The promo code you might hear from the host of the podcast is the equivalent of an affiliate link. Affiliate marketing is great for new podcasters looking to monetize a podcast because it's so much easier than finding sponsors.

How to use affiliate links

Affiliate links are unique links that are given to an affiliate for each promoted product. When a customer clicks on your link and makes a purchase, the affiliate program tracks it and you make money.

After you have shortened the links, place them according to the platform you are using. If you are creating an article, the link can be inserted natively, for example, in a subheading, so as not to alienate readers.

If you are using YouTube, you can post links in the description field or directly in the video. If you are blogging on Instagram, you will need to post the link in the bio field.

How to choose affiliate products

Rule number one when choosing affiliate products is to stay in your niche. When you start exploring affiliate programs, you will be surprised at how many program options there are. The main thing is not to be distracted.

Think about it - whether you're building a website, blog, or social media accounts, it's all about engaging your target audience. You should be aware that all content should be directed to information that the audience finds relevant and useful.

Once you become a partner, choose products that are relevant to your target audience. What's the point of promoting a product that doesn't interest people who read, view, listen to your content?

About strategy ; Once you've selected products that fit your niche, keep working. A smart strategy is to choose products with a constant commission . This means that you have to select products or services associated with your subscription. For example, many web hosting services come with an annual or monthly subscription. If you've become a marketing partner with a web hosting company, they may give you a commission every time someone renews your subscription after a purchase made from your link. These products do not have to be expensive, because you will receive constant payments for one lead, as a result, the final amount will always grow. Another type of affiliate products to consider are high-value items. These are products that have a pretty high price tag, so when you get a percentage of that sale, those are good numbers. Of course, changing the price of high-value products can be a problem, so we suggest promoting both subscription-based and high-value products.

Cookies ; Cookies are stored on visitors' computers every time they use your link to go to a product page. And if they come back to the site within a certain period of time and make a purchase, you will receive a commission. Cookies differ from program to program. For example, some programs offer 180-day cookies, while some only offer 24-hour cookies.

Profitable niches for affiliate marketing

When it comes to affiliate marketing niches, there are plenty of options out there. You can find many examples of successful affiliate sites that make money from affiliate marketing.

It is in your best interest to occupy a large niche, see the list below, and find a micro-niche in it. If you use this strategy, you will have a better chance of gaining credibility and reducing competition.

Health and fitness

This is a huge niche with tons of opportunities. You can work on a number of fronts, from nutritional supplements to exercise and diet. There are tons of affiliate products to choose from, depending on which direction you choose.

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Beauty and fashion

This is another huge niche that has dozens of micro-niches. Makeup guides have gone viral on YouTube, which has led some content creators to become YouTube stars. You don't have to be a YouTube star to be successful in this niche. There is a huge selection of affiliate products that you can promote on almost any platform. If you choose the Beauty and Fashion niche, be prepared to do a lot of research. This niche is constantly changing and evolving, so it is very important to stay up to date with all the news.

Finance

Not surprisingly, finance is a lucrative niche. People will always look for advice and answers to questions on this topic, so if you have knowledge in the field of finance, become a partner in this niche. There is a wide variety of financial affiliate programs on the market that offer fairly high commissions.

Food and cooking

This is another big niche covering a huge selection of micro-niches. You can focus on vegan food or food from a specific geographic region. The great thing about the food niche is that it works really well on both video and article publishing platforms. If you are more comfortable with blogging, creating simple recipes with pretty pictures is a doable task.

If you prefer video or photography, you can easily showcase your recipes on social media. When it comes to affiliate programs in the culinary niche, you can focus on cookware, food delivery services, and more.

Dating and relationships

We started in this niche and we can say that there are many opportunities here. When choosing a niche, remember that it is popular in the long run. Since dating and relationships will always be relevant, the niche is called evergreen. The great thing is that you don't need to be a dating expert to get started.

Games

This niche is incredibly popular, but you need some basic knowledge. Your target audience is likely to be good at gaming, so the first thing you need to do is build trust.

In other words, if you do not know what you are writing or talking about, prepare for difficulties. But if you're a gamer, you have the potential as a marketing partner.

Affiliate programs and affiliate networks

After all the talk about niches and affiliate products, it's time to talk about affiliate programs and networks. Let's take a look at the differences between affiliate programs and networks so as not to get confused.

What is an affiliate program?

An affiliate program is a program from one brand or company. Each affiliate program describes its own terms and conditions, including payments, commissions, cookies, etc.

A typical affiliate program will come from one brand.

But there are affiliate programs like Target Affiliates that cover multiple brands under a single affiliate program. This type of program combines the best of affiliate programs and networks. You get the convenience of working with one company, but you have access to multiple brands and products.

What is an affiliate network?

Affiliate network is a collection of hundreds of affiliate programs on one platform. This makes it easier to find programs that might interest you.

This is especially useful if you are looking for programs in a specific niche. One of the most popular examples of an affiliate network is the Admitad company. There are about 2000 programs to choose from on this site. Categories range from internet services to adult products.

When using an affiliate network, remember that each program in the network still sets its own terms and conditions.

This means there are different barriers to entry, commissions, and more. Be sure to read each program carefully.

If you're new to affiliate marketing, learning the ins and outs at the start can be a little tricky. Our advice is to take your time developing a simple strategy. Start by choosing your niche and targeting your target audience. Then select your publishing platform and content type.

Finally, choose carefully the affiliate programs that best suit your knowledge and understanding.