Learning how to make money with affiliate marketing is not the hard part.
It’s getting the right training that will lead you in the right direction.
That will ultimately lead you to online success.
Getting started wasn’t my problem either.
It was trying to avoid the many scams and get rich quick Ponzi schemes that came my way.
Being the average human I was, I figured that if I paid $1,000 for something, then it meant that it had to work.
Stupid me.
Not only did I believe that, but I fell for it more than once.
Go ahead and slap me.
With nothing but debt and confusion, I decided to do some soul searching and more research.
All while still trying to get others to join my Ponzi and me, so that I can make money.
It took one of my failed attempts at selling my scam to someone else, for me to realize I was wrong.
This person told me they were comfortable with the $2k they were making, every single month, thanks to this thing called affiliate marketing.
I was desperate, so I had to give it a try.
Guess what?
It fricken worked.
With that experience, I want to show you how to make money with affiliate marketing.
But before you think about any money, let me tell you what affiliate marketing is.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is nothing more than selling other people’s products, all while earning a commission in the process.
It requires no purchasing of products on your part, you don’t ever see the product, and you don’t have to ship or deal with product returns either.
You just have to obtain an affiliate link that you will use to promote the products, as this is how you will get credit for your work.
It is entirely legit and was created for product owners to connect with content creators to promote their products.
They make money, you make money, and everyone’s happy.
That’s the basics of what it is, but you can get a more detailed explanation from Investopedia.
How to Make Money With Affiliate Marketing
There is more to the equation than getting affiliate links and getting others to purchase a product using your links.
There’s a process, there are rules, and there are requirements.
You also need the right knowledge and resources, even to get started.
But before we get into the actual steps, let’s go over the different ways that you will be making money.
Ways to Make Money With Affiliate Marketing
The beauty of affiliate marketing is that there isn’t just one way for you to make money.
There are several ways to do it, and they are amazing.
I implement every single one of these methods in my efforts, and I recommend you do the same.
Of course, each niche is different, so use what is available within your industry.
Entrepreneur.com has an excellent article on niche selection, so check that out if you are having a hard time deciding on the direction of your business.
Okay, I’m getting ahead of myself, but I will be covering on that a little further into this guide.
Just not as in-depth.
Pay Per Sale (PPS)
Pay per sale is the most common way that you can make money with affiliate marketing.
You get paid for every sale, as long as they clicked on your affiliate link.
They must click on your link, or you will not get credit for that sale.
It may require a little extra effort on your part but costs nothing more to the consumer.
And if you become an Amazon affiliate (yes, the biggest online retailer that we all use), it gets even better.
That same link you used for that one product will get you a commission for whatever else they decide to throw in their cart.
I don’t care if it’s not related to your niche; you will still get paid for that item.
Pretty sweet, huh?
Pay Per Lead (PPL)
Getting paid per lead is my most favorite way to make money with affiliate marketing.
Also referred to as CPA (cost per action) marketing, PPL is something you must implement if your niche allows.
With PPL, companies will pay you for every person that you bring on board.
All this requires from you is to get people to opt-in to their email list.
Opting in usually comes with some kind of incentive, so it’s a real no-brainer for people to join.
Take Swagbucks, for example.
They pay you as much as $10 just for signing up and for using my affiliate link.
And just for me referring you to them, I too will make $10.
It’s a win/win situation, and the main reason why CPA offers are a great way to make money with affiliate marketing.
Pay Per Click (PPC)
Just like it sounds, you will get paid for every single click.
However, this form of marketing usually comes in the form of an ad.
You might have heard of Google’s Adsense program, and that is what they are precise.
Getting paid per click is a brilliant idea, but it is a lot more complicated than most people think.
For one, most website surfers are immune to these ads.
We see them, but they don’t phase us unless it’s something exciting.
Google does display relevant ads, so the chances of getting one clicked on can be higher if you know how to implement them correctly.
Secondly, the cost per click is not going to be that much.
Everything depends on the type of ad displayed, as well as where that click originated.
When Adsense first started, early content creators, were earning over $100,000/month just from ads.
These days, the feat is not as easy, but you can still make some decent money.
Just ask Jeremy from Shoemoney.com.
That same image with him and his check is one that stuck in my mind and always motivated me.
I have not made that much money with the Adsense program, but thankfully so, other ways have allowed me to accomplish that.
Pay Per View (PPV)
Getting paid per click already amazed me, but I never knew that you could make money just from people seeing your ads until 2018.
I never considered ads because they slow your site down, and they pay too little.
I saw it as a lose/lose situation.
That was the case until I learned all about PPV ads.
Yup, it’s a thing.
Without hesitation, I joined an advertising network called Monumetric.
That simple change added an extra $1,000/month to my income.
No one wants or likes a slow site, and that includes Google.
But with an extra thousand bucks, it’s almost impossible to say no.
Those are the ways that you can make money with affiliate marketing; now let’s see how you can get started.
What You Need
Affiliate marketing comes with several requirements before you can even obtain an affiliate link.
And this is not something you just go crazy with either.
Spamming products on social media and craigslist is not going to work if that’s what you’re thinking.
You need a solid plan, a reliable training program (I recommend Authority Hacker), and maybe some 1-on-1 coaching.
There are many free resources on the net, but without any direction, you might end up being apart of the more than 95% of failures that try to make money with affiliate marketing.
At the very least, let me tell you what you need and why you need it.
A Website
I say need because it is essential.
For one, most programs require you to own a website, or you will not get approved.
Period.
No website, no affiliate link.
Two, a website is going to be a massive asset to you and your soon to be an online business.
Sure, you can make money with affiliate marketing without a website, but no one recommends it.
Trust me.
You need a website.
An Interest
Just like how you would make money blogging, affiliate marketing requires some kind of interest.
At least.
The problem with picking that topic and making money with affiliate marketing is the fact that people do too much copycatting.
They see someone successful with something, and they try to go and copy them.
Then they fail and wonder what just happened.
Take Tom From Online Media Masters.
He does the same post on how to make money with affiliate marketing.
Although his post is insanely massive, he shows too much on the different products he uses.
Not that it’s a bad thing, but for newbs, they don’t have a single clue as to where to start.
Seeing someone’s example doesn’t necessarily help, even if that’s what he’s trying to do.
Yeah, it happens.
For you, you need to do things your way.
Think about what YOU are interested in and start there.
As you progress through the online space, you will see that there is so much potential.
No matter what niche you decide to build on.
Affiliate Programs/Partners
Making money with affiliate marketing is the idea, but it is impossible if you aren’t going to join any affiliate programs.
Joining these programs are necessary, just like your website.
What’s cool about them is they are COMPLETELY FREE TO JOIN.
I emphasize that because there are many programs out there that try to act like one.
They come off as some high ticket program when they’re nothing more than a recruiting based Ponzi scheme.
So be careful with what you join, or you might just be apart of a pay to play scam.
Real affiliate programs are free to join, and they will all depend on your niche.
Amazon has an affiliate program, and so does Walmart for those of you running a website based on the products they offer.
You can also signup with digital product companies like Clickbank that can offer you some high commissions.
There is another company called TicketFlipping that I’m proudly part of. They have mastered the art of flipping tickets online and provide a variety of valuable free materials, courses, and videos that help you make money from the comfort of your home.
They also offer a very cool affiliate program that I personally use, and you can too by simply joining my personal network.
If you are serious about this and would like to earn commissions by recommending this company to others interested in making money flipping tickets online, please:
If you’re in the website development niche, commissions are insane.
I personally use a hosting company called Hostek to host all of my websites. They have an affiliate program that you can join and earn some extra money while enjoying their services.
Their services are just amazing and it’s a great way to make money with affiliate marketing.
Traffic
You can not make money with affiliate marketing if you don’t get any visitors.
Once you do have that website in place, you can start focusing on the different avenues that will bring you traffic and, ultimately, affiliate sales.
Affiliate marketers spend most of their time on this, and one that you should as well.
You can accomplish this in several ways, but mastering just one will do wonders for you.
I like to mix and match like McDonald’s myself as they all go hand in hand.
Creating Content
Creating content is my most favorite way of getting traffic.
Writing blog posts around a specific product is a great way to get completely free traffic from Google.
You can make money doing product reviews, which I find to be the best way to get traffic.
This kind of traffic has people ready to make a purchase.
Tell them why they should or should not buy something and voila!
You get paid.
You will make money, as long as they click on your affiliate link.
Social Media
Most of you probably had the idea of joining affiliate networks and throwing your link all over social media.
That was a brilliant idea until you learned that most affiliate programs require a website.
Having one allows you to be approved.
That allows you to get your links, and then you can put them on social media if that company will enable you to.
People don’t like to be sold to, though, and that’s just how it is.
But send them to your website with more information, and you have a higher chance of converting visitors into buyers.
YouTube is also a great way to get traffic, but it’s one that I haven’t dabbled in just yet.
You can transform that same content into a video.
Doing so can double your traffic, but it is also something that requires more education.
Add this to your list of ways to get traffic, and you’ll be that much closer to make money with affiliate marketing.
Don’t forget about other social media channels, especially that doggone Tik Tok, that seems to be in style.
Advertising
Advertising is another great way to get traffic to your affiliate offers but requires some advanced skills.
This learning process requires lots of trial and error, along with a friendly little budget.
What’s great, though, is the fact that you are targeting what you want.
The downside with advertising is that the prices have gone up big time.
The more you make, the more you want, and you can thank Facebook and Google for that.
But whatever.
If you have an affiliate offer that can get you a decent commission, ads are the way to go.
Ads are also better if you’re not into creating content and trying to fight with Google for rankings.
Before You Make Money With Affiliate Marketing
There are several things that you must know and understand before you see any green coming in.
Everything might sound so simple, but it’s probably not.
If it sounds too good to be true, then it most likely is.
Okay, that doesn’t apply here, but it kind of does.
Affiliate marketing is not too good to be accurate, but it does come with more than just getting links and making sales.
Affiliate Marketing is Not Easy
Every single way of making money is not easy, especially on the internet.
Unless, of course, you’re making money taking surveys or something.
That’s another great free way to make money online, but don’t expect to make much.
Besides that, affiliate marketing or any other legit way of making money online is not going to come easy.
Be prepared to work and be ready to make $0.
Don’t let that stop you, though, as this is just part of the process.
It Requires Time and Patience
If you don’t have the time or patience, affiliate marketing is not for you.
Now, if you can find it, you’re going to love everything about it.
That first blog post is going to turn into 100 in no time, so put your head down and get it done.
Nothing ever comes easy, but the final result is usually a great one.
Getting Rich Quick does not happen in the real world, and it does not occur online.
With a little patience and a lot of work, you too can fire yourself as I did.
I figured that having a regular job was just not for me.
Is Worth it in the End
Not many people have heard of affiliate marketing, and that’s one of the reasons it’s so unique.
Not because it’s not legit but because it gets covered up by all the other nonsense that doesn’t work.
Being that you are interested in making money online, be expecting all kinds of ads to pop up in your face.
These ads are completely useless, and you need to ignore them.
You should know that whatever it is they are selling is not going to be cheap because of the beyond high pricing for advertising.
Do things the right way and with the right program, and you will see results.
It’s worth the work, especially with the possibility of financial freedom to do what you want when you want.
Conclusion – Start Making Money with Affiliate Marketing Today
I don’t care what you do with your life, but you have to give this whole affiliate marketing thing a try.
At least.
There is no other business that can you can start at such a low price and offer a high ROI.
You can try looking for something better, but I can promise you there isn’t much out there.
Stay away from anything that promotes fancy cars and lots of money and focus on an actual business model like affiliate marketing.
I made that same mistake when I first started, and it only got me into more trouble.
Affiliate marketing is one of the few legit ways to make money online, so do give it a try.
Besides that, I hope you have found out how to make money with affiliate marketing, as it truly is a beautiful opportunity.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section below, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
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Thanks for reading, and don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can not make money on the internet.
Awesome post-John!
I can attest to the fact that affiliate marketing is 1 of the best ways to make money online in 2020.
As a seasoned marketer who has been in the game since 2013, I know my way around in this industry.
I’ve made hundreds of thousands of dollars from this business model over the years so I know it works.
However, as you mentioned in this post, this requires lots of hard work and dedication to be successful in this industry.
This is something most people aren’t willing to put in and expect to see results overnight.
Thanks so much for providing valuable information on affiliate marketing and the best practices to follow in 2020 and beyond.
Cheers
~Scott~
Thank you so much… You really hit the nail on the head, and newbies would find it easy to work with this.
You’re welcome Iniabasi and I hope your business is growing!