How to Get into Affiliate Marketing: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

If you’ve wanted to get started in affiliate marketing but didn’t know how this guide is for you.

Updated for 2023 strategies!

In this guide we run over:

• What is affiliate marketing
• How it works
• The benefits
• Advantages
• How to choose a winning product
• How you can actually make money
• Plus much more…

Basically all the bits and pieces you need to know as a beginner or for some a bit of rejuvenation for your old brain cells.

So let’s get right into it.

What Is Affiliate Marketing and How Does It Work?

Affiliate marketing is a type of online marketing in which businesses pay affiliates to promote their products or services. The affiliate earns a commission for each sale or lead that they generate through their marketing efforts. It is a win-win situation for both the business and the affiliate, as the business gets more sales and the affiliate earns money for their efforts.

In almost any niche imaginable it’s likely you will be able to find a product that has an affiliate program. These days the majority of businesses out there have some sort of affiliate program and for many businesses, it’s their main source of new revenue.

We threw together some mind blowing affiliate marketing statistics – Check it out here

Sneak peak

• The Global Affiliate Marketing Industry is Worth Over $17 Billion
• 8 out of 10 brands run an affiliate marketing program
• 81.2% of affiliate marketers claim to earn above $20,000 each year

From the businesses point of view it’s like having thousands of sales people all over the world introducing them new customers, only these sales people don’t demand a pay check each week they are rewarded solely based on performance.

Pro Tip: Businesses love affiliates

Our role as affiliate marketers is to learn the skills and strategies to best introduce customers to established products and businesses.

Benefits of affiliate marketing

One of the main benefits of affiliate marketing is that it is a cost-effective way for businesses to acquire new customers. Instead of spending money on expensive advertising campaigns, businesses can pay affiliates only when they make a sale or generate a lead. Additionally, affiliate marketing can be a great way for individuals to earn money online, as it does not require a significant financial investment to get started.

Key terms and concepts

Key terms and concepts in affiliate marketing include affiliate programs, commission-based income, promoting products, and partner relationships.

Affiliate programs: are the specific programs that businesses offer to affiliates to promote their products or services. Commission-based income refers to the payment that affiliates receive for each sale or lead that they generate.

Promoting products: refers to the act of advertising or marketing a product or service to potential customers.

Partner relationships: refer to the connections that affiliates build with businesses and other affiliates in the industry.

Top Advantages Of Affiliate Marketing (Why It’s So Popular)

A The top advantages of affiliate marketing are;

• It’s one of the best ways to make money online
• Don’t need your own product or idea — (Product creation is a serious roadblock for many beginners)
• Fast to get started — Save time since your latching on to already established businesses. In many cases businesses can spend years coming up with an idea, making investments, inventing, testing and creating products. Affiliate marketing instantly skips this whole process.
• Low barrier entry — No experience or expertise needed
• Consistently Earn over 25% commission sometimes up to 100% commission
• Start with little or no investment
• Freedom — Do it from anywhere in the world, You can run a successful business with only internet and a laptop
• Huge & Lucrative industry — Affiliate marketing is estimated to be worth 12 Billion in 2022. Which has tippled in the last 10 years (source)
• Simple tracking — No need to learn technical tracking software
• Flexible work life balance
• Promotes Independence and sense of achievement
• Save a butt load of time -No need to come up with your own marketing kit. Most good affiliate marketing programs have pre-made marketing material with pictures, videos, articles etc. Done for you promotional tools so you can get started instantly.
• Good source of supplementary income — Its not uncommon for busy parents, full time workers or students to have successful affiliate marketing campaigns set up attracting supplementary income.
• You can build a whole brand and business around affiliate marketing
• Convenience

Affiliate marketing is an extremely convenient method for creating and generating a new source of income.

Whether your looking help your family, build a brand, start a business, earn a little extra each month, there’s little in your way. The advantages of affiliate marketing, low barrier entry and instant start time makes it perfect for any experience level to investigate.

It starts to become clear why affiliate marketing is a popular avenue to success.

To Start Affiliate Marketing (4 simple steps)

Getting started with affiliate marketing can be broken down into 4 steps;

Step 1: Choose a product

Tips on finding the right affiliate programs to join

• Research different affiliate programs in your niche or industry
• Look for programs with high commission rates and a good reputation
• Consider the products or services offered and whether they align with your personal brand

Step 2: Build a website or blog for affiliate marketing

• Choose a domain name and hosting provider
• Use a website builder or content management system (CMS) to design and create your website
• Use the website to share valuable content and promote affiliate products

Step 3: Develop a  marketing strategy

• Identify your target audience and create content that appeals to them
• Use a variety of marketing methods such as blogging, social media, and email marketing
• Use referral links, tracking links, and landing pages to measure the success of your campaigns

Step 4: Product promotion and influencer marketing

• Use your website and social media platforms to promote affiliate products
• Reach out to influencers in your niche and ask them to promote your products
• Use product reviews, testimonials, and case studies to build trust with your audience

By following these steps, you will be able to get into affiliate marketing with a good knowledge of how to find the right affiliate programs, how to develop a website and marketing strategy, how to promote products and how to use influencer marketing.

How To Find Affiliate Marketing Products To Promote

There are a few different ways to find products to promote, each with their own pros and cons.

Affiliate Networks

Affiliate marketing networks are a great place to start. Networks are essentially a marketplace of products in different niches. These platforms are generally well trusted, have good support and a history of reliable payouts.

With this ease of access also has increased competition, and in many cases take a bit of the commission themselves.

Platforms are where most people get started, they are usually free and can’t hurt to sign up to a few and have a look around.

Pros

• Easy to locate products
• Well trusted
• Good support and feedback from others
• History of reliable payouts

Cons

• Higher competition
• Often lower commissions than direct to merchant

Direct From Merchant

Direct from merchant means you are working direct with the company, there is no middle man.

While going direct often attracts higher commission and less competition from the masses, marketers who know this strategy are often more experienced and can be tougher competition (you will have to stand out). Going direct also has the reality that in some cases you may convert a sale and not get paid.

An easy way to find if the product you want to promote has an affiliate program is a simple google search.

I often use (software or service name) + Affiliate or (software or service name) + Affiliate terms

Pros

• Can promote products you use or have affiliation with
• Less competition from the masses
• Higher commission
• Builds a relationship with the company

Cons

• Less reliable payout history
• Terms can change
• Competing against experienced affiliates

What Are Some Of The Most Popular Affiliate Networks?

As you can see there are pros and cons of going direct or through an affiliate platform. For those interested in having a deeper look into networks, here’s a selection of some popular platforms (all free to join).

• Amazon — Every product on amazon, Wow!
• ShareaSale — Lots of exclusive merchants. Over 1,000 of the merchants at ShareASale only work with ShareASale.
• Clickbank — ClickBank definitely leans towards digital products, but you’ll find some physical products as well.
• Awin — 13,000 Merchants.
• JVZoo — Digital products / service.
• Avangate — digital goods and software, rather than physical products.
• Moreniche — Promote high performing health, beauty and fitness offers with a leading health affiliate network.

Affiliate Product Selection Checklist:

Affiliate marketing is growing at a rapid pace, snowballing with the real world COVID-19 situation! (More people are trying to make additional income from home)

The search for ‘affiliate marketing’ rose over 200% between 2015 and 2020. (Stats: 99firms)

Due to the millions of affiliate products out there, choosing which product to promote is a daunting task even for the most experienced marketers.

So what the heck should I promote?

To make the selection process easier I recommend using a combination of criteria from this checklist.

• Commission level
• Interest or enjoyment
• Include up-sell or high ticket
• Recurring income model
• Trending products

I found this criteria extremely helpful and to this day continually bring in passive income following these guidelines.

Commission Level

First is commission level, I like to focus on affiliate products that pay commissions of over 25%.

Programs can range from 2% to 100% on various purchase levels so 25% I’ve found a good level of effort vs reward

Interest Or Enjoyment

Second is promote what you have an interest in or enjoy. This is especially helpful for new affiliate marketers.

It’s said time and time again follow your passion.

The reason this is preached everywhere is because people lack motivation, we give up on things…

If we’re being honest, both you and I are equally guilty of this at some point in our lives. To be fair, it’s not easy to wake up and grind every day, especially if you don’t see instant rewards.

A tried and tested scenario is, if you enjoy what you do the money will come. If you love what you do you’ll be able to push through the tough times.

Once sufficient skills are built this won’t matter so much as you will be able to build profitable campaigns in any niche.

Just remember when starting, out each success will inspire you to the next, so celebrate the little wins.

Every achievement begins with one small win

High Ticket Item or Up-Sell

What is a high ticket item or up-sell? A high ticket product is a (higher value $) product, where you can make a significant commission from each sale.

As you can see from the example below.

50% Commission on a $10 product = $5 per sale

5% Commission on a $1000 product = $50 per sale

Even though commission payouts are higher on the lower prices items, you stand to earn significantly more promoting a high ticket offer or up-sell.

A common myth in affiliate marketing is it’s harder to sell high value items, this is simply not true.

It takes the same amount of effort selling a $10 product as it does a $1000.

The product only needs to solve a problem and be presented to a person who needs this problem solved.

Often a high ticket item will also carry across a lot of value — It may be worth $10,000 to the purchaser and $1000 is just a small investment to solve this problem.

See our list of the best high ticket affiliate programs

HINT: Some affiliate products will have pre-built websites with up-sells including high ticket items.

Recurring Income Model

Another criteria to think about is products that have a recurring income model, for example software, services or subscriptions. (Here’s a page dedicated to our top recurring income affiliate programs).

Recurring income programs are great as they allow you to actually build a business with regular income coming in.

HINT: Until you have recurring income you don’t have a business

The true beauty of recurring income is; once you’ve put in the initial effort you can continue to receive monthly commissions regardless of where you are. It doesn’t matter if your at work, on holidays or sleeping the money keeps rolling in.

Let’s conjure up an example of how this might look;

Client = Established retail only business , cafe or entrepreneur with a product to sell.

Problem = The problem is they don’t have the tools or support to sell their product online.

Solution = Software or service to sell and follow up with clients online

Your role as the affiliate is to seek out the software and place in front of the people most likely to buy.

In this scenario in order for the client to sell their product they would need a website or funnel builder such as Clickfunnels or Systeme.io plus an email autoresponder such as Aweber to follow up with their leads. (Both of which have a recurring affiliate program).

As an affiliate marketer if you can locate these clients and present them with a solution.

For every person you help set up their online sales system you can receive up to $44.5/ month

10 Clients = $445/ Month

30 Clients = $1335/ Month

100 Clients = $4450/ Month

Are you starting to see the power of recurring income?

Trending Products

The final criteria to keep an eye out for is Trending products. There are certain times in the year when a product or service may trend and you will have a much better chance of making sales.

Think about;

Valentines day — Gift boxes or personalized gifts

Back to school — Shoes, backpacks, stationary packs

Halloween — Halloween costumes, masks, props

You may also use a free tool — Like google trends or exploding topics which will show you current searches of exploding and trending topics.

If you foresee a trend beginning, complete a search for potential affiliate programs to take advantage of the trend.

Understanding the Basics of Affiliate Marketing

In this section I will run over some of the basics of affiliate marketing;

• Partner networks
• Online advertising
• Referral marketing
• Revenue sharing

Partner Networks

• Partner networks are companies that connect businesses with affiliate marketers. They provide a platform for businesses to list their affiliate programs and for marketers to find and join them.
• Joining a partner network can be an easy way to find and join multiple affiliate programs without having to research each one individually.

Online Advertising

• Online advertising is a key component of affiliate marketing. This can include paid ads on search engines, social media platforms, and websites.
• By using online advertising, affiliate marketers can reach a wider audience and drive more traffic to their website, increasing the chances of making a sale.

Referral Marketing

• Referral marketing is a type of affiliate marketing where a customer is incentivized to refer friends and family to a business’s products or services.
• This can be done by offering a referral link or code that the customer can share, and the referrer will be rewarded with a commission or discount.

Revenue Sharing

• Revenue sharing is a type of affiliate marketing where the affiliate marketer receives a percentage of the revenue generated by their referrals.
• This can be done through a one-time commission or a recurring commission for the lifetime of the customer.

By understanding the basics of affiliate marketing, such as Partner Networks, Online Advertising, Referral Marketing and Revenue Sharing, you will be able to make informed decisions when selecting affiliate programs, developing marketing strategies, and measuring the success of your campaigns.

How To Obtain and Share Your Affiliate Links

When you’re just starting out in affiliate marketing its important to keep it simple, so many people over complicate it.

Contrary to many courses — You don’t need an email list, website, opt in form or fancy funnel. This is a great advantage of affiliate marketing, skipping hurdles and technical blocks.

Sure, as you begin to grow your brand and business, personal websites and lists will become useful. Initially though, all you need to focus on is introducing customers to relevant products.

Once you join an affiliate program you will be able to get a direct, unique affiliate link style=”font-weight: 400;”> attached specifically to you. It might look something like this…

• Quora
• Facebook groups
• Forums
• Reddit
• Twitter

Other more visual sharing options are

• Pinterest
• Instagram

If your interested in creating video content YouTube should be your go to platform.

Or if interested in articles Medium is a great free platform or for a small investment you can start a blog or review site.

Advancement in Affiliate Marketing

As you become more experienced in affiliate marketing, there are several advanced techniques you can use to increase your earnings. These include:

• Blogging and content creation
• Social media marketing
• Email marketing
• Referral links and tracking links
• Landing pages and Sales funnels
• Conversion optimization
• Product reviews
• Affiliate tracking
• Marketing strategies
• Website monetization

Blogging and Content Creation:

Creating a blog or website is one of the most effective ways to promote affiliate products. By regularly posting valuable content, you can attract an audience that trusts you and is more likely to click on your affiliate links.

Social Media Marketing:

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can be powerful tools for promoting affiliate products. By building a following on these platforms, you can share affiliate links with a wider audience.

Email Marketing:

Email marketing can be a highly effective way to promote affiliate products. By building an email list of subscribers, you can send targeted messages and affiliate links to people who are already interested in your niche.

Referral Links and Tracking Links:

Affiliate marketers use special links called referral or tracking links to track which products their audience is buying. These links allow you to earn commissions on any purchases made through them.

Landing Pages and Sales Funnels:

Landing pages and sales funnels are used to guide potential customers through the process of buying a product. By creating effective landing pages and sales funnels, you can increase the chances that people will click on your affiliate links and make a purchase.

Conversion Optimization:

Conversion optimization is the process of testing and tweaking different elements of your landing pages and sales funnels to see which ones are most effective at converting visitors into buyers.

Product Reviews:

Reviewing products and services that you promote as an affiliate marketer can increase conversions. By providing your audience with honest and detailed reviews of products, you can help them make informed purchasing decisions.

Affiliate Tracking:

Affiliate tracking software helps you to monitor your affiliate campaigns and track your earnings.

Marketing Strategies:

There are many different strategies you can use to promote affiliate products, and the best one will depend on your audience, niche, and goals. Some popular strategies include pay-per-click advertising, search engine optimization, and influencer marketing.

Website Monetization:

There are many different ways to monetize your website or blog, including affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and display advertising. By experimenting with different monetization strategies, you can find the ones that work best for your audience and goals.

Making Money With Affiliate Marketing

Once you have a product selected, your personalized link and distribution focus, you have all the tools you need to launch your affiliate marketing business.

Your role then moves to locating where potential customers would hang out.

Making money with affiliate marketing is achieved by simply sharing a product or service with people. When they sign up through your link, you earn commission.

How we actually make money with affiliate marketing

It’s important to understand that in order to make any money with affiliate marketing the incoming customer or client must purchase, sign up or register by clicking your personalized link.

If you mention the product to your friend and they visit the vendors direct website to purchase, unfortunately you will not be rewarded for this transaction.

Knowing this we can position ourselves to make sure when mentioning a product or service via either word of mouth or our content we follow with a clear call to action directing too our link.

Call to action examples:

1. Click here to learn more
2. Now you have to ask yourself how badly you really want that in your life.
3. Act now before this deal is gone for good!
4. For the investment of $29.99, you’ll get an instant download of our software solution & guide, allowing you to fix the <problem> within seconds of purchase:
5. I’ve shared with you my personal story… shown you a video on how easy it is to start… and included testimonials from people who are making money with this system right now, even as you read this… and I’ve even offered this system to you 100% RISK-FREE FOR TWO FULL MONTHS. The only thing left to do is click on the order button and start building your future — today.
6. Register free today
7. Confirm your reservation!

Affiliate Marketing Example

How do we link affiliate marketing back to the real world with an example?

Product: Computer Keyboard

Imagine your keyboard in front of you…

If your keyboard broke this is a pretty serious problem that would need solving.

An example of affiliate marketing here would be if you were able to locate a keyboard vendor with an affiliate program. Then share your affiliate link with people who might be looking for a keyboard.

In this example when someone buys the keyboard through your link you can earn a commission, amazing right!

This ultimately is the broadest of explanations how affiliate marketing works in the real world.

The recurring pattern is always — Solve a problem with a product.

Anyone can learn and master this for incredible results.

Can You Really Make Money With Affiliate Marketing?

Yes absolutely,

While the amount you can make with affiliate marketing can vary significantly from person to person.

One fact that holds true is, the only people making any money are the ones who have attempted and taken the first steps to learn more.

Commissions can range on the higher end of 50% and sometimes up to 100%.

As a general rule I tend to target commissions of 25% or more. Anything less would only be considered if it brought in either recurring income or was a high ticket item $1000 or more.

Frequently Asked Questions

In this section of the article, we will be answering some of the most commonly asked questions about affiliate marketing.

These include questions about the cost of affiliate programs, whether or not you need to show your face for affiliate marketing, how to get started in affiliate marketing, and how to conduct market research for affiliate marketing campaigns. Additionally, we will address questions about the difficulty of getting into affiliate marketing, qualifications needed, earning potential, and the costs associated with becoming an affiliate marketer.

Do affiliate programs cost money?

Many affiliate programs are free to join, but some may require a fee or have membership costs. It’s important to read the terms and conditions of the program before joining.

Do you have to show your face for affiliate marketing?

Not necessarily. Affiliate marketing can be done anonymously, and many successful affiliate marketers do not show their faces online. However, some marketers choose to use their personal brand to build trust with their audience.

How do you get into affiliate marketing?

To get into affiliate marketing, you can start by researching different affiliate programs and selecting the ones that align with your interests and audience. Next, you can create a website or blog to promote the products, and develop a marketing strategy to drive traffic and sales.

How to affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing involves promoting products or services of other companies and earning a commission for each sale or lead generated through your unique referral link. It can be done through a website, blog, social media, email marketing, and other online platforms.

How to do market research for affiliate marketing campaigns?

To do market research for affiliate marketing campaigns, you can start by identifying your target audience and understanding their needs and preferences. You can also research the competition and see what products and strategies they are using. Additionally, you can use tools like Google Trends and Keyword Planner to see what products and keywords are currently in demand.

How to get into affiliate marketing?

To get into affiliate marketing, you can start by researching different affiliate programs and selecting the ones that align with your interests and audience. Next, you can create a website or blog to promote the products, and develop a marketing strategy to drive traffic and sales.

How to get into affiliate marketing program?

To get into an affiliate marketing program, you can start by researching different programs and selecting the ones that align with your interests and audience. Next, you can apply to the program by filling out an application form and providing information about your website or online presence. Once accepted, you will be given a unique referral link to promote the products.

Is it too late to get into affiliate marketing?

No, it’s never too late to get into affiliate marketing. With the rise of e-commerce and online shopping, the opportunity for affiliate marketing continues to grow.

Where to begin affiliate marketing?

To begin affiliate marketing, you can start by researching different affiliate programs and selecting the ones that align with your interests and audience. Next, you can create a website or blog to promote the products, and develop a marketing strategy to drive traffic and sales.

Is it hard to get into affiliate marketing?

The level of difficulty in getting into affiliate marketing can vary depending on the individual’s experience and knowledge. However, with the right resources and guidance, it can be a straightforward process.

Is Affiliate Marketing Different To eCommerce, Amazon and ebay Selling?

Yes, very different

With other typical online businesses where you sell things online like e-commerce or amazon. You generally need to buy stock plus invest in necessary equipment, software and tools if you wanted to sell online.

Affiliate marketing you don’t need to do anything like that, it has an extremely low barrier to entry. You can join affiliate programs for free, share links for free and earn money from following this process.

You can set up a campaign from the comfort of your home directing leads to your link. Once a lead is obtained, in many cases the business follows up and converts the sale where you get paid.

After your initial effort to set up, you can head off to the movies, shops or the beach and can still get paid, a true lifestyle business.

It’s an amazing feeling receiving a buzz or notification on your phone saying you have received another commission.

I have received these emails in some of the strangest places… 4am message waking me up before work, on holidays, at work, on my lunch break, in the toilet or in the middle of the night.

I was once on the phone to someone, received a message and they asked why I was silent — I nearly fell off my chair because I had earned $450 in a single commission — I told them;

I feel like I just got a shot of Adrenaline,

I just earned more sitting here speaking to you than I did at work today.

What qualifications do I need for affiliate marketing?

There are no specific qualifications required for affiliate marketing. However, having a background in marketing, business, or a related field can be beneficial. Additionally, knowledge of the industry and experience in building an online presence can also be helpful.

How much do affiliate marketers make?

The amount affiliate marketers make can vary greatly depending on the products they are promoting, their marketing strategy, and the size of their audience. Some affiliate marketers make a full-time income, while others may make a few hundred dollars a month.

Is it free to become an affiliate marketer?

Many affiliate programs are free to join, but some may require a fee or have membership costs. It’s important to read the terms and conditions of the program before joining. 

Final Thoughts

Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn a commission-based income by promoting products and building partner relationships online.

By understanding the basics of affiliate marketing, developing a marketing strategy, and utilizing advanced techniques such as blogging, social media marketing, and email marketing, you can increase your chances of success as an affiliate marketer.

Remember that it is never too late to get started!

FACT: The only people who make any money with affiliate marketing are the ones who get started.

With the right tools, research and determination, you can achieve your goals.

As you embark on your affiliate marketing journey, be sure to bookmark and favorite this website for more great ideas, tips, strategies and of course the absolute best programs to join.

Thanks for reading,

Happy marketing!