How to Make Money With Affiliate Programs

Understand affiliate marketing., Know what sets each program apart., Understand the usual pay models., Choose an affiliate program.

4 Steps 2 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Understand affiliate marketing.

    Companies create affiliate programs to help push their products.

    When you become a program member—which is usually free—you can make links to promote the products on your website or another site.

    When people buy the products through your links, you will get a piece of the profits.

    As a member of an affiliate network, you can choose to promote any of several thousand products.

    It is possible to make up to 50–75% of the profit on each sale that results from your promotion.
  2. Step 2: Know what sets each program apart.

    Affiliate programs are everywhere online, and it can be hard to tell them apart.

    Each program distinguishes itself by the products it sells.

    Some affiliate programs only require you to post links; others will ask you to pay money to learn about how to sell the product you are selling.

    As the latter type of affiliate, you can make commissions by getting others to pay—by bringing other marketers into the fold.

    Be wary, however, of any program that asks you to pay. , There are a few ways that you can make money from online affiliate marketing:
    Cost-per-click: you get paid a very low amount every time someone clicks from your content onto the advertiser’s site.

    This is good for high-traffic content.

    Cost-per-lead: you get paid a low amount (but slightly more than cost-per-click) every time someone signs up or fills a form with the advertiser using a link from your content.

    Cost-per-acquisition: you get paid a fixed or percentage-based commission every time someone buys from the advertiser using a link from your content.

    Cost-per-acquisition marketing is good for focused, high-quality content. , First, you must decide which affiliate program to join.

    Affiliate programs often have a theme, such as gardening or weight loss, and you should find a theme that interests you.

    Look for a network with a lot of product codes that are relevant to your topic.

    Consider networks like Commission Junction, LinkShare, ShareaSale, Clickbank, and Amazon.

    Remember, it isn't really about the network – it's about whether the network is relevant to the content of your website.
  3. Step 3: Understand the usual pay models.

  4. Step 4: Choose an affiliate program.

Detailed Guide

Companies create affiliate programs to help push their products.

When you become a program member—which is usually free—you can make links to promote the products on your website or another site.

When people buy the products through your links, you will get a piece of the profits.

As a member of an affiliate network, you can choose to promote any of several thousand products.

It is possible to make up to 50–75% of the profit on each sale that results from your promotion.

Affiliate programs are everywhere online, and it can be hard to tell them apart.

Each program distinguishes itself by the products it sells.

Some affiliate programs only require you to post links; others will ask you to pay money to learn about how to sell the product you are selling.

As the latter type of affiliate, you can make commissions by getting others to pay—by bringing other marketers into the fold.

Be wary, however, of any program that asks you to pay. , There are a few ways that you can make money from online affiliate marketing:
Cost-per-click: you get paid a very low amount every time someone clicks from your content onto the advertiser’s site.

This is good for high-traffic content.

Cost-per-lead: you get paid a low amount (but slightly more than cost-per-click) every time someone signs up or fills a form with the advertiser using a link from your content.

Cost-per-acquisition: you get paid a fixed or percentage-based commission every time someone buys from the advertiser using a link from your content.

Cost-per-acquisition marketing is good for focused, high-quality content. , First, you must decide which affiliate program to join.

Affiliate programs often have a theme, such as gardening or weight loss, and you should find a theme that interests you.

Look for a network with a lot of product codes that are relevant to your topic.

Consider networks like Commission Junction, LinkShare, ShareaSale, Clickbank, and Amazon.

Remember, it isn't really about the network – it's about whether the network is relevant to the content of your website.

About the Author

E

Evelyn Ruiz

Writer and educator with a focus on practical lifestyle knowledge.

33 articles
View all articles

Rate This Guide

--
Loading...
5
0
4
0
3
0
2
0
1
0

How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: