Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is simply helping other companies sell their products or services online — and getting paid a commission to do so.

I’ve been an affiliate since 2004 and affiliate marketing was the vehicle that let me quit my job. It actually still brings in a majority of my revenue today.

The challenge when it comes to making money as an affiliate is the WHY:

Why should someone visit your site?
Why should someone purchase through your affiliate link?
What unique value are you adding to the equation?

In the case of my original affiliate business, ShoeSniper.com, I was able to save customers money on their next pair of shoes by comparing prices from multiple stores, estimating their tax and shipping, and integrating any available coupons or discounts into the price.

If you’re not sure where to start, this monster list of the best affiliate programs for recurring revenue should get the ideas flowing.

340: Affiliate Review Sites Done Right: How to Market and Monetize Like a Pro

June 12, 2019June 20, 2019

Robert Brandl is a German entrepreneur now living in Spain with his wife and twin 16-month olds, but 10 years ago he was working full-time, wanting to travel, and was just trying to figure out how to get a blog online.

He did what most aspiring bloggers did, he turned to Google for answers. But was disappointed with what he found. Nobody was doing a great job answering his question and comparing all the different options.

With that, WebsiteToolTester.com was born.

313: Making Money in Your Sleep – By Blogging About Sleep

January 14, 2019December 13, 2018

“Everyone needs it, people tend not to get enough of it – so that’s how the site came about,” said Kieran.

Kieran MacRae is talking about sleep.

The site he started is called TheDozyOwl.co.uk, a UK-based site that Kieran has taken from $0 to $2.5k a month in revenue in its 12 months.

The 90+ Best Affiliate Programs for Recurring Commissions

June 3, 2019October 28, 2018

Affiliate marketing is usually thought of as a monetization channel for bloggers, but I think it’s also an interesting way for freelancers to make extra money outside of your current service offer.

The trick is to find the best affiliate programs for your audience or clients.

285: The Passive Income Service Business: Recurring Revenue for Freelancers

June 3, 2019May 31, 2018

“I set up a big business just selling somebody else’s stuff,” Wes said.

Wes runs TheSalesWhisperer.com and is the host of The Sales Podcast which started around the same time as The Side Hustle Show back in 2013.

Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: Earn $200/Month with this Stupidly Simple Step-by-Step Guide

February 27, 2019January 22, 2018

Getting started making money online is as easy as following a few steps — steps that I’m going to outline for you in this how-to guide.

What you’ll learn is a step by step process that is all but guaranteed to make you a couple of hundred dollars per month via affiliate marketing.

The setup is minimal and once things are flowing it really is as close to passive income as you can get.

231: Affiliate Marketing the Authority Hacker Way: Build a Profitable Website from Scratch

May 30, 2018May 25, 2017

Perrin Carrell is a senior contributing editor at AuthorityHacker and well-known within the internet marketing community for building niche/authority sites.

He has built several successful sites from scratch, including one site that went from a value of $0 to $200,000 in just under 20 months.

How to Make Money with Affiliate Marketing: Lessons from 9 of the Most Innovative Affiliates Ever

October 1, 2018July 31, 2013

Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular side hustle business ideas, and indeed it’s one of my favorites as well. An affiliate business is an attractive one since you earn money by referring people to buy someone else’s products. You don’t have to process payments, carry inventory, or worry about order fulfillment. It’s a … Read more

Simplx Review: An Affiliate Site Posing as a Dropshipper

October 15, 2018April 23, 2012

Earlier this year, I came across an interesting business called Simplx.com. They claim to be “The Next Generation in Dropshipping.” That’s a pretty bold claim. (At the time, I was considering adding my own inventory to ShoeSniper and using dropship suppliers to mail the products.) Quick Definition: Dropshipping is when the perceived seller of the … Read more

RetailMeNot.com and the Greatest Affiliate Success Story of All-Time

October 10, 2018October 3, 2011

If you’ve shopped online at all in the past 4 years, you’re probably familiar with RetailMeNot.com. The online coupon aggregator generates millions of page views each month and enjoys top Google ranking for almost every “_______ coupon” query. How Profitable is RetailMeNot? This is a company that literally prints money — an estimated $30 million … Read more

VigLink vs. Skimlinks

March 14, 2017March 31, 2011

VigLink and Skimlinks are two companies that aim to help bloggers and other website owners monetize their content and traffic. They do this by transforming regular outbound links into affiliate links wherever possible. If any sales result from those links, the website owner earns a commission. (Technically, VigLink or Skimlinks earns the commission, which they … Read more

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