If you have a blog, YouTube channel, Facebook page, Twitter account, etc., you will want to know how to promote your content using link building strategies like affiliate marketing.
This is especially true if you're an entrepreneur who wants to grow their business in the digital age. This article explains exactly how people are making millions of dollars by promoting products that they don't own but just happen to be affiliated with.
In this post I'm going to explain two ways people can actually monetize the traffic they receive through social media channels. The first way is called "affiliate promotion" while the second method is known as "link building." These methods allow someone to earn income passively (without any work) by simply sharing information about other companies' products online.
So let's say you run a blog about fitness training. You may not own a gym membership, yet you might still find it profitable to share articles about gyms so readers can learn more about them. Or maybe you sell health supplements which you've tested out yourself. In either case, there's nothing wrong with sharing this kind of info because doing so could help others become healthier and happier!
But here's where things begin to get interesting. If you place your own affiliate links into these posts, you'll also be able to earn some passive income each time someone clicks one of those links and purchases something. And since many of us spend most of our waking hours reading blogs, videos, and tweets, we tend to click around quite often when looking for new ideas. So if you're able to provide value-added advice within these pages then you should expect your earnings to increase over time.
I'd recommend starting small. Don't try to go all-in right away unless you really feel confident writing quality content. That said, you shouldn't wait too long before getting started. Once you've developed a good following, you'll likely be able to generate enough revenue to quit working full-time at your current job. And once you reach that point, you can finally take off your shoes and relax...for real this time!
Now let me show you exactly how to build a successful affiliate business based solely on the traffic you gain through social networks.
When you create content for your blog, podcast, YouTube video series, or whatever else you choose, you should always include an affiliate disclosure statement at the bottom of every single piece of material you publish. It looks something like this:
Disclosure: All information provided on this site is strictly intended for informational purposes only and does not substitute or replace professional medical advice. Please consult a doctor for personal medical advice. I am not a certified financial planner nor licensed insurance agent/representative. My views are my own and are based upon research and personal experience. My recommendations are based purely on my own opinions and experiences - not yours. Please note that I am not responsible for any losses suffered due to reliance on such information. Copyright © 2020 by Clickbank.com.
The above disclaimer includes important details regarding the author's affiliation with Clickbank.com, including his role as an independent contractor for the company. This means he has complete control over the creation of content and the distribution of its proceeds. He also retains ownership rights over the original materials created for publication. As far as anyone outside of Clickbank knows, he's not associated with the company in any capacity.
That being said, I strongly urge everyone to read up on the topic of affiliate disclosure statements. There's plenty of free resources available online, such as the FTC's Webmaster Guidelines. But in order to avoid potential legal troubles down the road, it's best to understand the basics of how affiliates operate.
As soon as you finish creating content related to the subject matter of your chosen niche, send an email to yourself containing the URL of your newly published piece. Then head back to Google Analytics and open the Audience section under Behavior. From here you can see who clicked on your link.
To view a list of websites where your audience visited after clicking on your link, type "site:" followed by the domain name of the website in question. For example, if you sent an email to yourself containing the address www.myawesomeblog.com, you would enter "site:www.myawesomeblog.com" into the search bar.
You can now check to see whether or not your visitor came directly from your website. To confirm, hover over the column labeled Source. If you see anything besides Referral, it's safe to assume that person came across your link via another source.
Note: Some bloggers prefer to track referrals separately. They believe that tracking both sources provides greater insight into how well their efforts are paying off. However, I personally haven't noticed any significant differences between results obtained when referring to direct visitors vs. indirect ones.
Once you verify that it was indeed a referral that brought your reader to your site, you can decide whether or not you want to put an affiliate link into the text itself. There are pros and cons to placing affiliate links in different locations throughout your webpages, so it pays to experiment until you figure out which works best for you. You can also opt to hide the links altogether if you wish.
For instance, if you're running a fitness blog, you might consider adding an affiliate link to a specific product review in the body copy rather than hiding them behind the fold. On the flip side, if your target audience tends to be older folks, putting affiliate links in the footer area might work better.
Keep in mind that whenever you place an affiliate link anywhere on your webpage, you must disclose that fact. Here's an example showing how you might write a sentence explaining why you chose to put your affiliate link in this particular location.
Your readers deserve to know where your links are coming from, so please keep this in mind when deciding where to insert them. After all, nobody likes sneaky tactics.
What happens next depends on whether or not you decided to add affiliate links to your content. If you did, you'll notice that you now have a number of options for displaying those links. You can display them alongside the rest of your main content, below the fold, or somewhere else entirely.
Again, there are pros and cons to each approach. Personally speaking, I think it makes sense to stick them near the top of the page, if possible. Why? Because it gives viewers a chance to discover additional benefits along with your primary message. Of course, this isn't necessarily required. Your choice is completely dependent upon your goals and preferences.
Here's an example of how you might format a few of your affiliate links:
Instagram is a great platform for earning passive income thanks to the massive amount of users who flock to the service every month. Many of those same people are also willing to pay to advertise products featured on their feeds.
Because Instagram doesn't offer paid advertising opportunities, marketers usually resort to creative forms of promotional activity instead. One popular strategy involves inserting short clips of sponsored content within user profiles. While this tactic helps brands spread awareness, it comes at a cost.
To illustrate, suppose you were to feature a brand ambassador's profile photo with an ad for a certain pair of sneakers. When viewed within the context of the entire feed, it's clear that the image contains a sponsored message. Yet when viewed individually, it appears as though the model is wearing her normal footwear.
It's important to remember that Instagram allows advertisers to purchase promoted posts. Therefore, whenever you see a branded hashtag appear in your feed, it's probably been purchased by a third party.
Since Instagram hasn't made it easy for businesses to buy ads outright, savvy marketers have had to develop alternative ways to promote their products. A common solution is to utilize hashtags to drive traffic to their sites.
For example, suppose you wanted to promote a new book written by Jane Smith. Instead of purchasing an advertisement featuring the author's face, you might opt to tag the book's title with #janesmithbooks and hope that people searching for books featuring similar titles stumble onto your page.
Of course, if you're running a blog that features regular reviews of various products, you won't be able to rely solely upon hashtagging to boost traffic. Fortunately, it's relatively simple to integrate affiliate links into photos posted to your Instagram account.
All you need to do is follow the steps outlined earlier in this guide to locate the URLs of relevant pieces of content hosted elsewhere on the internet. Since Instagram automatically removes any images tagged with hashtags, you'll have to manually edit your posts before publishing them to ensure that you aren't breaking the rules.
Afterward, upload the modified file to your computer and drag-and-drop it into the editor window located at the very bottom of the screen. Next, scroll down to the section titled Links. Select Add Link, then paste the URL of the corresponding article into the box. Finally, hit Save & Publish.
You know that link building is important in the world of online business, but have you ever thought about making money from it? You can use this method to drive traffic back to your site by getting paid every time someone clicks one of those links!
You may be wondering if there are ways to earn extra cash from links. For example, you could promote products using affiliate marketing techniques (like ClickBank) and then get paid each time someone buys something as a result of your efforts. Or maybe you could partner up with an influencer who makes money through their own social media channels. The possibilities really aren't limited when it comes to earning income from linking sites like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, Pinterest, and more.
However, before we dive into some examples of how to make money with influencer links, let's first talk about how these types of links actually function. In short, they're just pieces of content that include clickable links within them. When someone visits that piece of content, they'll most likely end up following the link so that they can learn more information or buy the product directly. If you want to find out how to make money with affiliate marketing and where you should focus your attention, keep reading below.
Link-building has become extremely popular among bloggers over the past few years because it helps increase visibility for websites while also increasing the chances of having readers visit pages on other sites. This means you can build relationships with influencers who might potentially feature you on their channel, which will help improve your reputation and brand awareness. And once you've built enough trust with them, you can offer them links to share on their own platforms.
For instance, if you had a blog post about a certain type of car, you could create an article titled "5 Reasons Why I Love My Honda" and add a link at the bottom that goes towards buying the same vehicle. As long as the person clicks on the link after seeing the title, they'll go straight to your page where they can purchase whatever you recommend.
If you're interested in learning how to make money with affiliate marketing and how to find good opportunities to sell your own stuff, check out our guide on finding new products to promote. But if you'd rather not deal with all that hassle, here are three different methods you can take advantage of right now.
When it comes to making money with influencer links, it doesn't matter whether you're looking to promote your personal goods or affiliate offers -- you can still profit from the exposure provided by others. There are many different avenues available for influencers to make money via the internet. Here are a couple of common ones:
YouTube ads: Influencers can put sponsored videos onto their channels and allow companies to advertise during specific times of the week. Sometimes, businesses will pay influencers to show their video ad space instead of putting it behind regular advertisements.
Social media followers: People follow people they believe are influential, which often leads them to spend money as well. They don't care if the influencer is selling anything, though: All they want is for the influencer to give them advice or tips that they can later pass along with a positive review.
Advertising services: Some influencers charge a fee for posting their image or text to another platform. These posts typically carry an endorsement of sorts, meaning the company pays for the advertisement and benefits from increased sales as a result.
Influencer networks: With these programs, influencers join together under one umbrella organization and receive special perks based on the number of total members they bring onboard. They also usually receive additional compensation for bringing in new users.
In addition to advertising, influencers can sometimes make money from sponsorships as well. Companies will sponsor events held by influencers in order to gain access to their audience or give away free gifts.
One big difference between promoting your own items versus working with influencers is that you won't get paid unless someone purchases the item. However, if you're able to convince someone else to buy the things you're recommending, you'll probably get credit for it anyway.
It depends entirely on whom you decide to partner up with. While some influencers only accept sponsorship deals, others will ask for payment upfront depending on the value of the promotion. It's always best to read over any contract carefully before signing on the dotted line to avoid any unpleasant surprises down the road.
Here are two key points to keep in mind if you plan to participate in an influencer network:
Don't expect to make millions overnight. Building up your influence takes time, especially if you're starting from scratch. Some influencers require anywhere from five hundred dollars up to several thousand dollars upfront for joining their team.
Be realistic about what kind of results you can achieve. Don't think that simply being featured on a major TV program will automatically lead to thousands of views and hundreds of sales.
There are plenty of ways to generate revenue from social media shares and likes. Check out our guide on how to boost engagement on Instagram and follow us on TikTok to stay tuned for more tips.
Now that you know how influencers make money from linking, let's look at exactly how the process works. To begin, you'll need to write a detailed description of your offering alongside an enticing headline. Then you'll choose a relevant niche market that fits your target buyer persona. Once you've done that, head over to the marketplace of choice and search for people sharing similar interests. Next, contact them and explain why you would benefit them by featuring your content. Be sure to provide evidence to support your claim, such as testimonials, case studies, or statistics showing growth trends in the industry. Finally, attach the final copy to your email and send it to the influencer you wish to partner with.
Once they agree to collaborate, you'll both commit to creating original content that includes a link to your brand. That way, the influencer gets to spread their name across multiple platforms while viewers can easily find your offerings on various websites. Keep in mind that you shouldn't expect immediate profits from these kinds of partnerships since it can take months or even longer for you to reach critical mass.
As far as how much you can realistically expect to earn, the sky really is the limit. Depending on how much effort you invest, you can either set yourself up as a full-time influencer or work part-time until you hit your stride. Either way, the potential for success lies with you alone. So never feel discouraged if you fail early on: Just keep trying and eventually you'll figure out what works for you.
To learn more about making money with affiliate marketing, watch our How to Make Money From Your Blog series. If you're ready to try your hand at becoming an internet entrepreneur, you can sign up for courses and guides to master basic skills like writing articles, growing your social media presence, choosing keywords, hosting webinars, and more.
If you're looking to learn how to make money online by making links that earn you commissions, then this article will help you get started in the right direction. And if you want to know more about how to make money with links, check out our list of 10 ways to make money from links.
It doesn't matter whether your niche is selling products like ebooks, courses, or digital downloads - there are plenty of opportunities available to those who have some technical knowledge and an internet connection. If you can write well and follow directions, you'll be able to build websites, blogs, landing pages, and squeeze articles to promote them through various platforms. You might also consider getting into social media as it's one of the most popular avenues for people trying to make money online today. But before we go any further, let's take a moment to understand how you actually make money when you promote other peoples' content online.
When someone clicks on a product link from another site (such as Amazon), they've taken action that resulted in revenue for that company. It could be anything from buying a book to signing up for a service or purchasing something else off their store. The person clicking may not necessarily buy anything at all since many times these purchases aren't made until after their click has been recorded by the web server hosting the page. However, you don't really care about these details because you just want to get paid!
So how does the publisher get paid? Well, usually either the owner of the original webpage pays for the traffic or a third party payment processor handles everything. In exchange for sending visitors to their sites, publishers pay affiliates around 65% of each sale generated by their links. This means that while the visitor didn't purchase anything directly from the source, the publisher still gets paid. There are several different types of programs and companies offering payments based on performance. They include Pay Per Click advertising, CPA networks, AdSense, and many others. Each program offers slightly different terms but the basic premise remains the same -- send qualified visitors to a merchant's site and receive compensation for every single visit.
You should always look for affiliates that offer high-quality results in order to maximize your earnings potential. Don't settle for less than 2%, which is common among the majority of merchants. Also, remember that affiliate marketers work hard to find relevant keywords so they can drive targeted traffic to their sites. By doing this, they increase the likelihood of earning commissions.
To earn extra income, you can sign up as an affiliate of multiple businesses and choose whichever ones you'd prefer to market. For example, you can become an Amazon Associate, creating ads for books, music, movies, electronics, etc., or join a network like Commission Junction where you can advertise hundreds of thousands of items from over 1,300 retailers including Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Sears, Kohl's, Home Depot, Lowes, JC Penney, Walgreens, Staples, Office Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond, PetSmart, Sephora, Nike, Starbucks, Disney World, Southwest Airlines, American Eagle, Victoria Secret, Macy's, Gap, Banana Republic, Abercrombie&Fitch, Old Navy, Nordstrom, New York Times, ESPN, Fox News, CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, National Geographic, HBO, Showtime, Netflix, Hulu, Sony PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Playstation 3, Roku, Google Play Store, Apple App Store, Spotify, Pandora, Sirius XM Radio, NFL Sunday Ticket, NBA League Pass, MLB Extra Innings, UFC Fight Pass, NHL Center Ice, Golf Channel, AMC, Sundance TV, Discovery Communications, BBC America, FOX Sports, Bloomberg Television, CNBC, Animal Planet, History Channel, TLC, Lifetime, HGTV, Food Network, TravelChannel, DIY Network, TruTV, Spike, BET, E!, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, Syfy, Sci Fi, Investigation Discovery, Court TV, A&E, HSN, QVC, ShopNBC, StyleNetwork, FYI, Oxygen TV, Bravo, G4TV, MSNBC, Fox Business, Weather Channel, WeatherBug, AOL, Yahoo Finance, MSN Money, and dozens more.
But wait...there's more! With so much choice, why would anyone pick just one? Because having access to multiple sources allows you to diversify your portfolio and generate passive profits year round. Plus, affiliates often refer new customers to their partners so the process continues indefinitely.
There are two main methods for generating sales using links. These are known as PPC (Pay Per Click) and CPC (Cost Per Conversion). Both require similar efforts from you though the former requires additional software tools and expertise. Let's explore both briefly below.
PPC refers to paying advertisers only when a user performs a specific task such as searching for a particular keyword, visiting a certain URL, entering a search term, etc. This method works best with highly competitive markets and makes sense for long tail searches. Once again, you must research the competition thoroughly and find profitable keywords as well as target relevant topics. When selecting keywords, keep in mind that the longer the phrase used, the higher the cost to use. While you can set bids manually, most good systems allow you to select keywords automatically based on criteria you define and adjust accordingly.
CPC stands for Cost Per Click and involves placing advertisements near the top of Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) above organic listings. This is generally done via text ad units placed within a sidebar, header, footer, or elsewhere on a website. To optimize your placement, you'll need to carefully analyze your competitors' SERPS, determine how much each ad costs, and figure out what percentage of conversions are likely to result from each position. Then, place your ads according to the data gathered. Some systems provide automatic bidding functionality too.
While neither of these approaches guarantees success, they are simple enough to try and free up time to focus on building relationships with readers instead of chasing low quality leads. So, if you're interested in learning more about how to make money with links, check out our previous post on "10 Ways to Make Money From Links." Or read our guide to becoming an expert affiliate marketer.
Yes, absolutely! We already discussed how to sell products via links. Now, let's talk about how to create your own business by simply sharing great resources.
For instance, you can share helpful information related to health, fitness, nutrition, technology, travel, entertainment, self improvement, home decorating, parenting, fashion, beauty, cooking, pets, gardening, crafts, hobbies, cars, sports, news, politics, religion, dating advice, personal finance, investing, and so much more. Just think of all the things you love and enjoy. Your friends and family probably value your opinion on the subjects mentioned above. Why not give back by writing blog posts, reviews, videos, podcasts, and guides on the subject? You can easily leverage your existing connections via Facebook groups, forums, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Reddit, Quora, Tumblr, StumbleUpon, and countless other places to gain exposure and followers.
Then, once you begin receiving positive feedback from audiences, you can monetize the relationship by setting up shop on a platform like Etsy or Shopify and selling merchandise, digital downloads, physical goods, coaching services, classes, consulting, speaking gigs, and so forth. As you grow a following, you'll eventually attract sponsorships from brands willing to support your cause.
And finally, you can turn your passion into cash by developing your own products. Whether you plan to publish eBooks, courses, apps, software packages, audiobooks, video tutorials, live events, workshops, or whatever else, you can put together a compelling package to pitch to distributors of premium content like Udemy, CreativeLive, Kinsta, JVZoo, WealthyAffiliates, and so on. Many of these platforms offer readymade templates you can customize and upload. Others will supply detailed instructions. Either way, you can expect to spend hours editing images, adding titles and descriptions, optimizing graphics, and fine tuning copywriting skills in preparation for uploading your final project.
Once you complete this step, you'll have created a valuable resource that you can promote to subscribers, clients, and fans alike. Of course, this approach isn't limited to individuals. Corporations and organizations can become part of the equation too. Companies big and small seek writers, consultants, speakers, trainers, coaches, instructors, experts, authors, bloggers, podcasters, vloggers, videographers, photographers, artists, musicians, dancers, performers, etc. to promote their brand. All you have to do is submit your proposal and show proof of your qualifications.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.