Many bloggers avoid affiliate marketing because they think it’s too difficult, a waste of time, or fear it will alienate their followers. When I asked several bloggers about their affiliate marketing earnings, most reported making around $500 or less, with some earning nothing at all. Surprisingly, this included bloggers with over a million page views each month.
These bloggers don’t realize how much potential income they’re missing out on and don’t know how to effectively approach affiliate marketing. This is surprising to me, as I’ve made a decent income from affiliate marketing even with fewer than 100,000 monthly page views. Last month, I earned over $50,000 from affiliate marketing, and I expect this to continue or even increase.
A common fear among bloggers and social media influencers is that promoting affiliate products will make them seem like pushy salespeople. However, I’ve never received complaints from my followers about the affiliate products I promote. In fact, some have encouraged me to promote more because they don’t mind the recommendations.
When done correctly, affiliate marketing can be a lucrative income source without driving readers away. If you approach it the right way, your readers will appreciate the products you recommend and may even prefer buying through your affiliate links.
Affiliate marketing has many benefits, as I’ll explain below.
First, affiliate marketing can provide passive income. You can create a post or review that continues to earn money years later with minimal maintenance. While it’s not entirely passive—you still need to build a following, consistently publish content, and build trust—you can earn from a single affiliate link or blog post for a long time with little additional effort. For instance, I’ve earned over $300,000 from a single blog post about starting a WordPress blog on Bluehost.
Second, affiliate marketing involves less work than creating your own product. While it’s not easy, you don’t have to worry about shipping, product creation, cancellations, or customer service. You do need to build a following and earn your readers’ trust, but it’s a great way to increase your income, especially if you already have loyal followers.
Third, it’s affordable. You don’t need to create products or spend time developing them. You can start promoting affiliate products on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you choose to have a website, starting one can be relatively inexpensive. For example, I offer a tutorial to help you start a blog for as low as $3.49 per month, including a free website domain through my Bluehost link.
Fourth, you can get paid for promoting products you believe in. If you love a product, it’s easy to promote it enthusiastically because you already know everything about it. Your genuine recommendations can help others, and people will appreciate your honest reviews.
There are many options for products to promote, including financial companies, cell phone apps, digital products like online courses and ebooks, Amazon items, travel booking websites, blog-related products, clothing, home decor, craft items, and outdoor gear.
Affiliate marketing isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. You need to build a loyal audience that trusts you, which isn’t always easy. However, if you can build an interested following, you can earn a great living promoting products you enjoy and believe in.
One of the best things about affiliate marketing is the flexibility to work from anywhere. As long as you have a loyal following, a laptop, and an internet connection, you can grow your affiliate income. Thanks to my blog and affiliate marketing, I’m able to travel full-time.
Are you interested in affiliate marketing? If you have a blog, feel free to share your affiliate marketing earnings and page views. Sharing helps everyone!
10 Easy Tips to Increase Your Affiliate Income
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