
What IS Affiliate Marketing and Why Do I want to try it?
Just so you know, I may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. I have a full affiliate disclosure that you can find here.
Affiliate marketing is an excellent way to make extra money by sharing products that you love and would recommend anyway! For example, I’m an affiliate for my favorite business courses and tools. I already use them often and genuinely recommend them. As an affiliate, I make a small percentage if you buy through one of my links. But your cost remains the same. Is this a get rich quick scheme? NOPE. But affiliate marketing can add a few extra hundred dollars to your bank account each month. Who wouldn’t like that?!

As an affiliate marketer, you promote other businesses’ products and earn income based on the traffic and sales that your site drives. When you become an affiliate, you agree to the terms and conditions (T&C) of that merchant’s program, and you use a specific link to mention the seller on your blog, social media, or email list.
When a visitor clicks the link, a cookie that tracks their browsing sessions and is placed on their computer for a period of time determined by the merchant. If the customer then makes a purchase, the seller checks for the cookie and credits you with a sale according to the terms of your contract.
Want to get started, but don’t have a blog or a big following? That’s ok! Here are my five favorite affiliate programs for you to check out and start using today!
Wait, this seems too easy.
Affiliate marketing really can be that easy! Personally, I stick to being an affiliate for products that I already like and services that I know and trust. Can you promote tons of different things and create lots of content and make lots of money? Sure.
I see bloggers around the internet doing that, and sharing about it. But, the affiliate marketing that I’m talking about is far more realistic in terms of time investment and income. I have to prioritize my tasks ruthlessly, because of my fatigue and Multiple Sclerosis. Plus, I know that many of you don’t have an extra forty hours each week to devote to a full-scale affiliate marketing business. However, with affiliate marketing, you can realistically make enough extra money each month to pay for those nice extras that your family wants, but doesn’t always get.
You can start using affiliate programs on a blog, social media page, etc. that you’re already running, or you can choose to start a new blog too. In my opinion, it is best to promote products you actually know and authentically recommend! Those products will fit in with your current or future Target Audience.
Yes, you can actually make money by sharing the things you already love in places that you’re already posting anyway! Not only can you make money, but you can also help your visitors find solutions to their problems. Promoting products that you’ve used yourself is easy for you because you have firsthand experience with them. It makes things easier for your customers too, because they find more of what they’re looking for in one place and from a person that they trust.
If you already have an existing customer base, you’ve already established trust with them, which will make affiliate marketing even easier. And if not? That’s okay too, we’ll talk about some basic marketing principles including how to be your authentic self and establish trust with your audience in my upcoming affiliate marketing course.
How do I get started?
The trickiest part of affiliate marketing, for me at least, was figuring out where to start. Now that I’ve done a ton of research, I’ll be sharing it in an affordable affiliate marketing course to help you make more money doing things you enjoy. Want to be the first to know about my new course when it releases in May? Grab my top five favorite affiliate programs for marketers without a blog or a small following and join my email list.
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