If you're new to affiliate marketing and want to start making money from your passion, it's important that you don't just jump into any network or platform without doing some research first. You should always know what type of content is most popular on which platforms before you decide where to put your efforts.
This may seem like common sense, but many people who have been around for awhile will tell you otherwise. They'll say things like "it doesn't matter" or "you can try everything out." But if you really think about it, this isn't true at all. There are hundreds of networks, each one targeting different niches, products, etc., so it would be near impossible to test them all and figure out which ones make the best returns. And even if you could somehow manage to go through every single option available, wouldn't it take years off of your life trying to do something like that?
So instead, we recommend choosing a few niche-specific networks that target similar audiences. These are usually smaller than larger options, meaning they won't require as much effort to build up their audience (and hopefully earn more from). The reason why these types of sites tend to offer better payouts is because they cater specifically towards a certain market. For example, someone selling makeup might choose a network that specializes in beauty, while another person promoting weight loss supplements might use a site that focuses on health & fitness.
Below, we've outlined three ways to easily identify potential affiliates within your niche. All of these methods also apply whether you're looking to promote digital or physical products - we'll cover those later on in our guide!
It's important to note that when using social media, it's not enough to simply follow celebrities or other famous figures. This strategy only works if you actually engage with them regularly and share valuable information. Instead of following random accounts, look for those whose posts consistently include useful advice, tips, tutorials, reviews, etc. If they post once a week, then you probably shouldn't bother contacting them unless they clearly state they need help with a specific product or service.
In order to narrow down your search, here are some suggestions:
1. Look for hashtags on Twitter. Hashtags allow users to group tweets together by topic. Some of the most commonly used hashtags are #marketing, #content creation, #advice, #makemoneyonline, #affiliate, etc. You can see this by typing a hashtag followed by @usernameofpersonalityinto Google. This brings up a bunch of results including mentions, retweets, replies, quotes, and whatever else was posted under that particular tag. Try searching for relevant keywords related to your industry as well.
2. Follow Instagram Influencers. A lot of big brands now sponsor IG accounts full time, paying influencers thousands of dollars per month. If you're interested in starting a business in the same vein, consider reaching out to these professional influencers directly. It might sound daunting at first, especially since you don't necessarily know anything about Instagram itself, but it's definitely worth learning if you plan to grow your account. In fact, you can learn a ton about building your own personal brand by studying others' pages first.
3. Join forums. Forums are great places to connect with other marketers and entrepreneurs. Many times, forum members will be willing to share their experiences and advice with newcomers. Plus, you can often find free guides and templates to assist with your campaigns. To join a forum, head over to Reddit and click on the "r/[your_niche] sub". Make sure to read the rules of the community beforehand though, as forums aren't always open to everyone.
There are several websites dedicated solely to finding quality influencers. Most of these focus primarily on YouTube, although there are plenty of others to check out too. We personally prefer using Refersion, a website that helps you find relevant influencers based on keywords and interests. When you enter a keyword, the system pulls up profiles that match your criteria. From there, you can view their videos, browse their channels, message them directly via email, etc.
A good place to begin is to pick two or three keywords that relate to your niche and add them to Refersion's keyword tool. Once you submit your query, you'll receive a report detailing the number of matches found along with the recommended influencers to reach out to.
You can also look at Facebook groups, subreddits, and LinkedIn groups to find influencers in your area of expertise. Just remember that people who frequent these communities tend to already be familiar with your company or website, so it's unlikely you'll gain access unless you belong to said groups yourself.
The easiest method is to simply do some quick searches using Google Trends. Type in a couple of terms related to your niche, such as “best workout clothes” OR “how to lose 10 pounds fast.” Then hit Enter, scroll down, and select the Trend button next to the first result. Underneath each term you typed, you'll find a graph showing popularity trends over the past year.
Another easy way to locate influencers is to visit Fiverr.com and purchase a gig. Choose a niche like “blogging services” or “graphic design,” then spend a little bit of time browsing the various gigs offered. As long as you stay away from sales pitches, you'll likely come across a handful of real professionals who can provide high-quality work.
Finally, you can also look at YouTube analytics reports. Analyze the Top Channels section to discover which accounts and videos are receiving lots of views. Next, take a look at the Content Creator page to see who exactly uploaded these videos. Finally, skim the comments underneath each video to uncover possible leads.
Websites like Linkup.io, PeerIndex, and SocialRanker are all tools designed to help you find influencers in your niche. Each has its advantages, so we suggest taking advantage of multiple resources to ensure you're getting the right fit.
Linkup.io offers a huge amount of data regarding influencers, including demographics, follower counts, revenue streams, and more. However, you must sign up for an account in order to access this info.
PeerIndex provides a unique set of metrics to determine influence levels among individuals. Although it does cost $39 per month, the premium version ($99) includes additional features such as advanced filters, custom rankings, and more.
SocialRanker allows you to track individual accounts across six major social networks. Unfortunately, unlike the aforementioned alternatives, you cannot access data about influencers without signing up for an account.
These are just a few of the numerous options available out there. Before you dive into any of them, keep in mind that the process of identifying influencers takes time and patience. Don't expect instant success overnight, but you will eventually end up with a decent collection of contacts to work with.
Once you have a solid foundation built, you can move onto creating original content and building relationships with your followers. Remember, the goal here isn't to make cold hard cash immediately -- it's to establish a steady stream of traffic that converts into customers. So give your audience what they crave -- helpful content -- and you'll soon reap the rewards.
If you're looking into starting your own business or just want some extra cash to pay off that credit card debt, then it's time to consider joining the world of affiliate marketing.
There are many ways in which you can use affiliate marketing as part of your overall strategy and there are also plenty of different types of affiliates available on any given platform. From big brands like Amazon, eBay, Uber, Google, Facebook, etc., to smaller niche sites such as Refersion, Clickbank, and even Instagram influencers – they all have their place within this industry. And while most people will look at these markets from one perspective, there are actually two very distinct sides to this coin.
One side involves finding new customers who need what you offer (the product), convincing them to buy through affiliate links on your site/blog and getting paid when they complete the transaction (affiliate commissions). The other side involves building relationships with existing customers by promoting products and services that align well with their interests and needs (referral commission payments). This article focuses more on the second aspect but if you’d like to learn about the first, check out my previous post here.
So before we jump right into it, let me explain exactly how both forms of affiliate marketing work. As mentioned above, you'll typically earn money either via referral fees or through direct sales. In order to generate those referrals though, you must build up trust with your audience first so that they feel confident enough to share your content with others.
The easiest way to accomplish this goal is by creating high-quality original content that speaks directly to your readers' problems and provides valuable resources and solutions to solve said issues. You should be able to provide information that will help your visitors become better versions of themselves and ultimately turn them into buyers.
Once you've established yourself as an authority in your field and built up a loyal following around your blog, social media channels, podcast, YouTube channel, etc., you can start thinking about reaching out to potential partners. There's no shortage of options out there but here are three of the biggest ones along with tips on where to begin.
When you're trying to establish new partnerships, remember that word-of-mouth advertising has always been the backbone of every effective business plan. So instead of blindly pitching random strangers, try contacting someone already known in your community. People tend to gravitate towards similar people, especially when it comes to sharing their opinions and experiences.
This doesn't mean you should immediately contact anyone you see posting something positive online because you don't know anything about him or her personally. Instead, spend some time researching each person and determine whether he or she would be interested in working together. If you think they might fit your ideal customer profile, send them a quick message asking for advice on how to improve their website or blog. Once they agree to meet up face-to-face, introduce yourself and ask them questions related to their professional experience.
You may not be able to land a partnership straight away but at least you will have learned a lot about your prospects. It's important to note that although this method works great for websites and blogs, it won't necessarily apply to Instagram influencers since they usually only interact with their followers in real life.
While it isn't always possible to go after the same type of clientele as the bigger players, it does give you a chance to connect with individuals who are actively using popular platforms. Some of the best influencers often end up having hundreds of thousands of fans across multiple social networks, making it easy to strike up a conversation with them.
To increase your chances of success, take the time to figure out why they were chosen by their audiences. What makes them stand out among all the other celebrities and public figures? Perhaps they have unique hobbies or talents that set them apart from everyone else. Or maybe it's simply their ability to communicate effectively with people. Whatever the reason, you can bet that they have developed strong connections with their current fanbase, so now it's your job to convince them to collaborate with you!
After you've found their contact info, send them an introductory email outlining the kind of relationship you'd like to develop. Keep it short and sweet but include a link to your website or blog where they can read more details about your company. Then follow up with another few emails over several days until they decide to respond. Don't forget to add value throughout the process so they understand why they should choose you over the competition.
It takes persistence to succeed in this space, but once you master the art of cold outreach, you'll never run out of opportunities again.
Finding the perfect partner is far less difficult than establishing meaningful relationships with your target clients. One of the key factors to keep in mind is the quality of the service provided. Before signing up with anyone, conduct a thorough background check including checking his or her business license, reviews, testimonials, and ratings. Make sure that the company offers 24/7 support whenever necessary.
Another thing to watch out for is any hidden costs associated with the agreement. Most companies will allow you to test certain aspects of the system without paying upfront but if you sign up for a full package, make sure the price includes everything listed.
And finally, make sure that you receive regular updates about the progress made by the team responsible for managing your account. While you certainly shouldn't expect constant communication, you should still be kept informed about the status of the campaign. For example, if a payment hasn't gone through yet, you deserve to know about it immediately. Otherwise, you could lose out on millions of dollars worth of revenue.
In terms of popularity, Amazon ranks number one for obvious reasons. But if you're a newcomer to the world of affiliate marketing, it wouldn't hurt to sign up with a reputable brand as well. After all, you're going to invest a significant amount of effort into earning profits from your campaigns, so it pays to stick to proven methods rather than jumping headfirst into the unknown waters. That being said, there are dozens of reliable affiliate programs out there waiting for you to join them.
For instance, ClickBank currently houses more than 1 million active merchants offering a wide range of digital products. They also boast a 99% refund rate, which means that you can rest assured knowing that all of your earnings will come back to you if things aren't quite right. On the flipside, PayPal is probably the fastest growing eCommerce platform today due to its convenient user interface and low minimum payout threshold.
As for the remaining major players, you can easily find tons of information online regarding their respective policies, features, and advantages. Just search "best affiliate marketers" + your preferred network and you'll likely uncover countless results. However, the truth is that none of them really have a monopoly on the market. Every single affiliate program has its strengths and weaknesses and the best solution depends entirely upon your personal preferences and goals.
Ultimately, the choice between them boils down to convenience and cost. If you prefer a simple setup with fewer bells & whistles, PayPal is definitely the clear winner. Plus, you can open accounts with a variety of major retailers like Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Home Depot, Starbucks, Disney Store, Overstock, etc.
But if you want to explore additional avenues, you'll be glad to hear that many of the larger networks offer custom plans tailored specifically toward specific niches. This gives you the opportunity to tap into untapped traffic sources and potentially boost your bottom line significantly.
If you're looking into starting a profitable side hustle through selling products or services online, then it's likely that one of your first steps will involve finding someone who has already proven their ability as an internet marketer and knows what works best in this industry.
Finding these people isn't always easy though, especially if you don't have experience working with them yet. That said, there are ways to get around this problem by using tools like Refersion (formerly known as MyTapFee) which connects brands directly to popular social media profiles such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, etc., to find out more about potential customers' interests before approaching them.
Below we'll explain exactly how to use this service so you can easily discover new affiliate partners without having to spend any money upfront. We've also rounded up some other great resources that will help you figure out whether or not you should approach a certain person as an affiliate partner based on his/her following size and activity level.
The easiest way to find quality influencers to promote your product or service would be to simply search for "influencer" on Google and see how many results come back. You could even try doing this with keywords related to your niche such as "affiliate", "marketing", "blogger", etc. This method should give you plenty of options, but it won't necessarily lead you to the most effective ones.
Instead, you can take advantage of tools such as Refersion (formerly called MyTapFee), which gives you access to over 100 million active users across all major social networks including Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Snapchat, YouTube, and Twitter. By searching for specific hashtags associated with each platform, you'll be able to quickly identify relevant accounts to target when promoting your brand.
You can also look at sites like SocialBlade, where you can see exactly how much engagement your posts receive within 24 hours of being posted. The higher the number, the better chances you'll have of converting those followers into future sales leads.
With the above information in mind, it becomes easier to understand why getting started with affiliate marketing should include creating content aimed specifically towards your ideal customer base. After all, if you want to build a long-lasting relationship with someone, you need to know everything about him/her. And since they probably aren't going to buy from you just because you found them via a random website, you need to prove that you care enough about them to actually know everything about them.
This means that instead of trying to reach everyone you possibly can with your message, you'd rather focus on reaching only the right audience with tailored messages designed to meet their needs. If you can successfully do this, you'll end up building relationships with real people who value your opinion and trust your advice.
Instagram is becoming increasingly important for businesses interested in growing their presence online. It offers companies a unique opportunity to connect directly with consumers and gain valuable insights about their behavior, preferences, and motivations.
But unfortunately, Instagram doesn't offer its own affiliate network, leaving companies reliant on third party platforms like Post Affiliate Pro to advertise their products alongside others'. Fortunately, Post Affiliate Pro allows members to tap into a wealth of high quality influencers and bloggers, meaning you can still start making money by sharing other peoples' content while simultaneously gaining exposure yourself.
Post Affiliate Pro currently boasts almost 200,000 registered affiliates from every continent and nearly 40% of these are active daily! With access to thousands of influential individuals, you can now begin targeting audiences interested in your particular niche. All you need to do is follow their account guidelines and set up your campaign page once you've been approved.
Once you click 'Create Campaign', you'll be given a short overview of your chosen profile along with instructions on how to post your link to your desired channel. When you're done posting your campaigns, you'll be notified immediately whenever anyone clicks on your link. From here, you can choose to view analytics detailing which channels led to the highest conversion rate and earn commission accordingly.
There are several different types of influencers on Instagram, ranging from personal style blogs and fashion photographers to beauty gurus and lifestyle entrepreneurs. But even though there are countless numbers of influencers available, it may seem difficult to find the kind of people you really want to work with.
Fortunately, Post Affiliate Pro provides a handy feature to locate these kinds of people - you can type in phrases such as 'beauty blogger','makeup artist', 'hair stylist', 'fashion designer', etc. and filter your results according to location, gender, age, occupation, and more. Once you've narrowed down your list, you can contact these people individually and ask them to become part of your team.
You might wonder why you shouldn't hire professionals instead of relying on untrained freelancers. While this strategy does require additional time spent on planning and managing your projects, it's worth it if you intend to grow your business exponentially. Not only will hiring professional influencers save you significant amounts of cash in the long run, but it gives you peace of mind knowing that they'll deliver outstanding results.
An Instagram affiliate is an individual whose job is to promote another company's products or services. They typically share sponsored posts containing links to the advertiser's site to drive traffic to it. As opposed to traditional affiliate marketing strategies, Instagram affiliate marketing involves no monetary exchange between the two parties involved. Instead, both sides benefit from increased awareness and popularity among their mutual followers, resulting in higher revenue for the company behind the ad.
In order to join the ranks of Instagram affiliate marketers, you must comply with certain rules laid out by the platform itself. Before joining the community, you should familiarize yourself with the policies and terms of use outlined below. Keep in mind that the vast majority of advertisers abide by these regulations since they provide substantial benefits to both the user and the company behind the ad.
1. Follow Instagram's Terms Of Use & Community Guidelines
2. Only use official hashtags provided by the platform
3. Don't spam your feed
4. Don't mislead your followers
5. Do not violate Instagram's TOS or Community Guidelines
6. Always respect fellow users
7. Never sell anything unless otherwise stated
8. Be respectful of fellow users
9. Show genuine interest in other people's lives
10. Provide helpful comments when appropriate
11. Share images related to topics you discuss
12. Create original content
13. Include #hashtags throughout your updates
14. Avoid advertising illegal goods
15. Make sure to tag all sponsors correctly
16. Stay true to yourself
17. Do not allow ads to appear on your phone
18. Consider adding a disclaimer stating that you are an affiliate
19. Remember to keep things lighthearted and fun!
20. Maintain good communication with clients
21. Offer a variety of services
22. Have a positive attitude
23. Treat your work environment with respect
24. Ask permission before tagging friends and family
25. Respect privacy settings
26. Take screenshots of your posts and tags properly
27. Follow Instagram's TOS and Community Guidelines
28. Do not engage in abusive conversations or harassment
29. Do not impersonate other users
30. Do not make misleading claims regarding the affiliation status of your account
31. Do not attempt to scam users
32. Do not remove any paid advertisements without prior approval
33. Do not delete or change any paid advertisement without prior approval
34. Do not manipulate follower counts or likes
35. Do not make false statements regarding your affiliations or involvement with the promotion of any product or service
36. Do not solicit funds from followers for any reason
37. Do not display inappropriate content
38. Do not share private data or send unsolicited communications
39. Do not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others
40. Do not harass, stalk, threaten, bully, or intimidate others
41. Do not defame or abuse anyone verbally or physically
42. Do not upload copyrighted material illegally
43. Do not steal, alter, or tamper with other users' content
44. Do not download, stream, copy, distribute, perform, reproduce, modify, adapt, translate, publish, license, sublicense, sell, exploit, broadcast, transfer, communicate, display, live stream, frame, embed, repost, syndicate, e-mail, text, hyperlink, deep-link, mirror, cache, archive, store, rehost, transmit, or otherwise use any Content except solely for noncommercial purposes and solely with attribution of authorship to their respective owners
45. Do not encourage, facilitate, assist, or incite conduct contrary to law
46. Do not collect personally identifiable information of any user under 13 years old
47. Do not circumvent any measures implemented to prevent unauthorized linking or copying of Instagram content
48. Do not circumvent any security features implemented to protect against copyright infringement
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.