Can affiliation be a way to earn extra income? Or maybe a way of life? Find out what affiliate programs are and how to effectively make money from referrals.
What is affiliation?
The simplest way to say it is that affiliation is earning money from referrals. You don’t produce anything, stock, sell, or care about anything. You simply recommend attractive offers, for which you receive a commission. In addition, you choose what you recommend yourself. Nothing is imposed on you.
Surely more than once your friends have asked you about your new phone. Does it take good pictures? Is it pleasant to use? How long does the battery last? They want to know if it is worth buying this model. If you’re satisfied, you recommend it, and… you get nothing out of it. But you could if you send them your affiliate link.
I know what you’re thinking now, it’s a bit of a stretch. What if the store you’re recommending doesn’t have the cheapest deal and you think you’re stretching your friends for your own benefit? You don’t have to do that at all. In the affiliate network, you have hundreds of offers to choose from.
Do you feel that the phone may not be to their liking? Wait until they start complaining about fees at their bank. Then you’ll go all white with a promotional offer. Everything is for free, and if they meet 2 trivial conditions they still get $50. Please find me a person who will refuse free money. I don’t know one. I would take advantage myself.
These are just examples because you can recommend anything. From banking promotions and cosmetics to sports equipment, electronics, clothes, jewelry, and books, to chocolates and construction tools. You can’t complain about a lack of offers.
How does affiliation work?
Since you can recommend anything, there must probably be a lot of work involved. Writing to every store to get a deal is a terrible waste of time. True, such behavior would be very time-consuming and probably unprofitable.
That’s why affiliate networks have emerged to help connect advertisers with publishers.
Advertiser – A store that wants to increase its sales in exchange for a commission.
Publisher – You, or the person who recommends offers. You can do this on your blog, social media, or simply among friends.
Affiliate network – A system that combines the interests of the above two parties. Instead of writing to more stores, you simply sign up and browse the offers. If one suits you, you apply to recommend it and after a few minutes, you can do it.
Before you have time to brew yourself a cup of tea, you get a personalized link ready. You can share it, for example, on Facebook. And if you have your own website or blog, you can use the ready-made HTML code. You can choose from more than a dozen creations in different sizes, so you can easily find something that fits your place on the web.
Who can make money from affiliates?
Anyone! The only requirement is to be of legal age. You don’t have to be an extra blogger like me. Reach doesn’t count, you may not even have a blog. Although if you don’t want to just, every once in a while, make money to buy a yacht, and start making a living from affiliations, a place where you can add links is useful.
How to choose the right affiliate program?
There are many affiliate programs on the market, but most are just plain lame. Problems with charging commissions, poor offerings, or high payout threshold. You don’t want to deal with that. So what should a good affiliate network offer?
Large selection of advertisers – Even if you run a blog with a specific theme, it’s worth having a larger selection of offers for your readers.
Promotional campaigns – A casual link to a store doesn’t tempt you as much as a limited-time discount that can be found with you. You can recommend such promotions often – on a store’s birthday, on black Friday, before the holidays, etc.
Referral program – Affiliation is not a secret and someone will also want to earn like you. What can you do? Send him your link to register and get 5% of his earnings. Of course, this is covered by the affiliate network. None of the users have their salary deducted.
Realistic rates and reliable billing – The basis of any business is trust. Don’t believe in pears on willows and million-dollar profits from day one. This is how scammers most often operate, taking advantage of your work and then not paying commissions. What matters is honesty and crediting all clicks, not just a select few.
Negotiable rates – Feeling that you are a good employee, you go for a raise, and a good boss gives you one, appreciating your performance. It’s no different in decent affiliate networks.
Low withdrawal threshold – To withdraw the money you need to reach a specific balance. The lower, the better.
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