The Ultimate List of Answers To (Almost) Every Affiliate Marketing Questions

Last Updated on 26th July 2023

If you’re new to affiliate marketing then you probably have a ton of questions whizzing around your head.

Here is a list of 57+ (I’m still adding to the list and I lost count after 57) useful answers to the most popular affiliate marketing questions.

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular ways to earn money online. It involves promoting someone else’s products by placing links to them on your website, blog, social media page, etc. In return, you’ll receive a commission if people click through and make purchases.

How Does Affiliate Marketing Work?

A product owner, known as a vendor or merchant, will set up an affiliate program for their products. Some merchants choose to run their affiliate program privately, meaning they have in-house staff to handle the program.

Other merchants prefer to host their program on an affiliate network like ClickBank, ShareASale, Commission Junction, or FlexOffers (to name but a few).

A person who would like to promote the merchant’s products is known as the affiliate or publisher.

Once the affiliate has been accepted into the program they will be given a special affiliate link that is unique to them. The link is set up with certain parameters which enable both the product owner and the affiliate to track activity via that link.

When a sale is made via an affiliate link the product owner will instantly be able to tell which affiliate made the sale. The affiliate will then receive their referral commission usually a few weeks or a month or so after the sale has been made.

This buffer of time allows for the possibility of a refund. If the customer refunds within the buffer window, then the affiliate will not get paid for that particular sale.

Basically, if the merchant makes money through your affiliate links then you as the affiliate will also make money.

Here is a great affiliate marketing tutorial for beginners by super affiliate, Spencer Mecham.

Check out Spencer’s free training here.

Is Affiliate Marketing Legit?

Yes, it is completely legitimate. It’s just like any other business. The main difference is you don’t have to spend a lot of money to start, and you don’t need to have your own product, you can simply sell someone else’s.

Is Affiliate Marketing Safe?

Yes, it is safe if done correctly. There are many scams out there, but if you do your due diligence on any company you choose to promote, or any course you choose to join then you should be fine.

The best thing to do is to look at the companies you are considering working with and see what they are like. Look into reviews and complaints from previous customers.

You can also ask in any affiliate marketing on Facebook groups that you may be a part of to ask if anyone has had experience dealing with the company as an affiliate. Don’t just take anyone’s word for it. Do your own research.

When it comes to your education as an affiliate marketer, there are a lot of scam courses out there. So it is important to know the legit courses from the bad. Please see the question above for a list of recommended affiliate marketing courses.

Is Affiliate Marketing Dead?

No, affiliate marketing is not dead, it has just evolved. In fact, it is thriving now more than ever.

I’ve been working as an affiliate for 10 years as of writing this post, and my affiliate income has continued to grow every year. I also know a lot of other people who make a full-time living as affiliate marketer.

Will Affiliate Marketing Die?

I doubt it! Affiliate marketing is an effective strategy for businesses to increase sales and revenue. It’s not much different from the traditional salesman or woman, except the arena has been moved online.

How Long Will Affiliate Marketing Last?

As long as there is an internet and people want to buy stuff online.

Does Affiliate Marketing Still Work?

Absolutely! As I said above, there are indeed a lot of people who make a full-time income online as an affiliate, myself included.

Why Affiliate Marketing Is Poised To Grow

 Around 80% of all businesses and brands also have an affiliate program. Affiliate marketing is responsible for more than 15% of all revenue generated online, and that is projected to grow by more than 10% over the next few years.

How Do Affiliate Marketers Get Paid?

Percentage

The most common form of payment is through a percentage of the sales generated by the affiliate link. This means that if someone buys something using your affiliate link, you will receive a commission.

Depending on the company and type of product you are promoting, your commission will typically be somewhere between 2% – 40% of the sale. However, I have known some companies offering as much as 100% commission per sale.

In this case, the product owner does not take any money from the first sale but is relying on following up with your customer (usually via email) to sell them multiple products over time.

Set Fee

Instead of paying the affiliate a percentage of a sale, some programs will pay you a set fee, for example, $50 per sale.

Recurring

Products that are sold on a monthly subscription basis such as a software products or membership programs commonly (but not always) offer a recurring commission. For example, if the product you are promoting will cost the customer $97 per month and you as the affiliate are set to receive 40% recurring commissions, then you will receive $38.80 each and every month that person remains a customer. This is known as a recurring affiliate program and is one of my favorite types to promote.

Pay Per Lead

Some affiliate programs do not pay you on a per-sale basis, but instead, they will pay you just for generating a lead. Usually, these are some of the easiest programs to promote because you do not need to rely on your customer to make a purchase.

Instead, you can get paid if your referral submits an email address or other contact information. While you can often generate more commissions via a pay-per-lead program with not much traffic, the commissions are often very low.

Cost Per Action

Similar to the pay-per-lead model, some affiliate programs will pay you based on an action your referral takes on the merchant’s website. For example, if you send a lead to the merchant’s website and they then take a specified action set out by the product owner (for example, filling out a form, watching a video, or leaving a review), you get paid.

Again, commissions are usually low in CPA programs.

High Ticket

Some affiliate programs pay out very high commissions. These are often courses, software, or expensive products that require additional salesmanship from the affiliate in order to make the sale.

If you are promoting high ticket products then you can expect to earn anything from $100 – $10,000 per sale.

Affiliate Marketing Pros and Cons

Like any business model, there are advantages and disadvantages to affiliate marketing too. Here are the main pros and cons to be aware of:

Pros

• Low barrier to enrty
• You don’t need to own the product
• You don’t need to deal with customer issues
• You don’t need to worry about shipping
• You can get started for little or no money
• You can choose to promote any products you like
• There a lots of great products out there to promote
• You can earn passive income
• You can work as much or as little as you like
• Some programs pay out huge commissions
• Some programs pay you a monthly, quarterly or yearly recurring commission
• You can work from anywhere
• You are your own boss
• You call the shots in your business

Cons

• It can be difficult to find profitable products
• There is competition in many niches
• Sometimes programs change their terms
• Sometimes affiliate programs can shut down

What Are The Main Advantages of Affiliate Marketing?

The main advantage of affiliate marketing is that it allows you to earn passive income from products that you may not necessarily want to provide yourself.

This means that you don’t have to spend any money to create your own products, which makes it a popular choice for many people who want to start earning extra cash quickly.

How to Pick the Right Affiliate Marketing Strategy for Your Business

There are a number of effective affiliate marketing strategies you could use to build your business. However, which one you chose should really depend on your target market ie, where are your customers hanging out, and your personality/ preferred working style.

If the majority of your audience congregate on Facebook then using either Facebook ads or an organic Facebook marketing strategy will make sense. On the other hand, if most of your target audience typically watch YouTube then starting a YouTube channel should be a no-brainer.

Having said that, if you want to be able to stick with your business long-term then you should also consider what method you will most enjoy using,. For example, if you are more introverted by nature, you like to remain behind the scenes and you enjoy writing then blogging will be a great fit for you.

If, on the other hand, you love networking and building relationships then employing one of the popular social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, TikTok) can work great for affiliate marketing, providing a good portion of your target audience are also using that platform.

How Do I Become an Affiliate Marketer/How Do I Start?

The first step is to choose a niche market. This could be anything from health and fitness to making music or video games.

However, I recommend choosing a sub-niche in one of the 3 top evergreen niches: Health, Wealth, or Relationships. Then start researching products within that niche market.

Once you find something you like, check out the seller’s website to see if they have an affiliate program. Are they offering a good commission rate? Does their website look professional? Would you buy from this site as a customer? If not, why not? Have a look online to see if there are any customer reviews. Ask in affiliate marketing Facebook groups if anyone has had experience working with the company as an affiliate.

If all checks out then read through the company’s affiliate program terms to see how you can get accepted into the program.

Once you’re accepted you can start promoting your affiliate links. However, in order to do this, you will need to start producing content that your target audience would like to consume. Then, begin placing your affiliate links in your content.

Next, I recommend you take this free training here.

How Much Money Can You Make as an Affiliate Marketer?

The amount of money affiliate marketers earn depends on several factors. These include the type of products you promote, how large and responsive your audience is, and how experienced you are at online marketing.

A lot of people give up on affiliate marketing before they make any money at all. This is a shame because it’s a highly lucrative skill that almost anyone can master if they stick with it and put the effort in to learning the correct strategies.

Having said that, it is possible for beginners to start earning 4-figures per month fairly quickly if they have a good work ethic.

Some affiliate marketers make 5 and 6-figures per month. However, these super affiliates have learned a lot of skills over a number of years in order to reach that level.

Is Affiliate Marketing Worth It?

Yes, if you are willing to put in the effort. It takes hard work and dedication to succeed in this type of business model.

The best part is that you don’t need to spend any money to start making money. And once your business is running smoothly you can earn passive income for years to come from your efforts.

How to Choose a Niche For Affiliate Marketing

Choosing a niche for affiliate marketing is one of the most important decisions you will make as an affiliate. It is not enough to just pick a topic – you must find a sub-niche within that topic.

For example, if you are selling dog food, you might want to focus on a particular type of dog (e.g., small dogs) or a certain brand of dog food. If you go too broad then you will get lost in the crowd and it will be too difficult to compete.

Wherever you can sub-niche down, and then sub-niche down again until you are marketing to a very specific audience, the better you will do.

For more info on choosing a niche, I recommend you read my article on the 6 evergreen niches and 81+ sub-niche ideas.

How to Start Affiliate Marketing Without a Website

There are many ways to begin affiliate marketing. Some people prefer to build affiliate websites from scratch or buy one that is already receiving traffic and making sales.

If neither of these options appeals to you, or you just don’t have the money to buy a ready-made affiliate site, don’t worry. Probably the vast majority of affiliates out there do not use a website to promote their business. Instead, they rely on social media channels, YouTube, or paid advertising.

How Can I Start Affiliate Marketing With No Money?

Fortunately, it is possible to start this business model with no money. However, bear in mind that it will take you longer to grow your business without any money at all. Once you start making some money you should reinvest it into your business to buy a few tools that will help you to grow your business much more quickly.

If you are starting with no money then you will need to spend time creating content on a platform like YouTube on a regular basis in order to build an audience. You can place your affiliate links in your video descriptions and encourage your audience to click your link.

If you have no money to start your business then I recommend you read my step-by-step guide to start affiliate marketing with no money.

Can You Do Affiliate Marketing Without Followers?

Yes, it’s just a myth that you need followers in order to do affiliate marketing.

If building a following isn’t your thing, then check out my article here on how to do affiliate marketing without any followers.

Where Can I Promote Affiliate Products?

There are many different ways to promote affiliate products. The most popular method is through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest for affiliate marketing.

You can also advertise via Google Ads, Bing Ads, and other ad-based platforms.

Personally, my preferred method is via a WordPress website. I think this method because it allows me to be more in control of my business. Using a website for affiliate marketing also allows you to earn money passively from your content.

How Much Money Can You Make From Affiliate Marketing?

Beginners usually make zero until they have acquired the core skills that are necessary to make affiliate marketing work.

The majority of experienced affiliates make between $1,000 – $10,000 per month.

Top affiliates can make over $100,000 per month.

How Fast Can You Make Money With Affiliate Marketing?

For most people, it takes time before they earn good money from affiliate marketing. A lot of people quit before they start making money because they don’t have the patience.

Besides skill level, some methods are faster than others. For example, blogging is quite a slow method, but it has the benefit of being able to yield high profits for years to come if done correctly.

The fastest methods involve using social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok for affiliate marketing.

Super-affiliate Spencer Mecham teaches a fast method to build an affiliate business in his Affiliate Secrets 3.0 course by using Facebook.

Spencer says this method can earn beginner students as much as $10,000 per month in their first 30 days providing they follow his method and put the work in. You can check out Spencer’s full course here, or you can also take his free mini-training here.

How To Create Content For Affiliate Marketing?

Content creation is one of the most important aspects of affiliate marketing. It helps build trust with your audience and keep them engaged. And, of course, your content will include your affiliate links.

The kind of content you create will depend on which platform you are using.

If you are blogging on WordPress then you will be creating articles and blog posts.

If you are building your business on a video platform like YouTube or TikTok then you will need to create videos on a regular basis.

For visual platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, you will need to create image posts and publish on a daily basis, preferably multiple times a day.

Whatever method you are using, it is important to create content as often as you can and publish it for your audience to see. Consistency is key.

Here’s a good video on how to use AI-generated content to create blog posts.

Which Affiliate Marketing Niches Work?

There are a number of great affiliate niches that you can work in. However, unfortunately, not every niche out there is lucrative.

It is important to have an interest in your chosen niche, but you also need to make sure that you will also be able to earn good money working in it.

If you go too broad then you will get lost in the crowd and come up against competition that is too great. You will want to sub-niche down as much as you can in order to define a target audience.

For example, the best niches to work in are Health Wealth, and Relationships. These 3 niches are known as evergreen niches because there will always be people who need answers to problems in these areas until the end of time. However, they are very broad and too competitive to dive into head-on.

Therefore, choose one of these 3 niches, and then look for a sub-niche within that category. For example:

Relationships >> Female dating advice >> female dating advice for divorced women over 40

Wealth >> Cryptocurrency >> Ethereum trading

Health >> Weight Loss >> how to lose belly fat >> how to lose belly fat for new mom’s

See my article here on evergreen niches and sub-niches for a more detailed guide on choosing a niche.

What Is CPA In Affiliate Marketing?

The cost per action (CPA) model is one of the most popular methods for monetizing affiliate programs.

This means that affiliates receive payment each time someone takes some kind of action related to your website. For example, if you write an article about how to start a business, you might offer an affiliate commission for anyone who signs up for your email list.

What Is EPC In Affiliate Marketing?

The Earnings Per Click (EPC) is the amount of revenue generated by each click-through from one site to another.

EPC is calculated by multiplying the number of clicks by the average cost per click. For example, if I earned $1,000 and I had received 1,000 clicks, then my EPC is $1.

For more info, see my full guide to EPC here.

How To Use Social Media For Affiliate Marketing?

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube are all great platforms for building an audience and engaging with potential customers.

If you want to use social media for affiliate marketing then I recommend starting with just one platform at a time. Spend at least 6-12 months publishing content regularly on that platform, engaging with your audience, and building a following. You can monetize straight away by including your affiliate links in posts.

Once the first social media platform is established you can then look to start a new revenue stream on a second platform.

How to Use Native Advertising For Affiliate Marketing?

Native advertising is a type of content that looks like regular content but has one key difference – it isn’t actually from the publisher who publishes the content. Instead, it comes from another company, which may be a competitor or partner of the publisher.

The aim of native advertising is to promote products and services within the context of the article itself. This means that the content doesn’t look like ads; instead, they blend into the flow of the text.

Typically, native ads are seen at the end of blog posts and look like thumbnails for other content pieces on the same site. However, when you click on the image you will be taken to the advertiser’s website.

The thumbnails are often highly enticing to click and rely on click-bait-like headlines in order to grab your attention and click the ad.

Here’s a great video from super affiliate Liam James Kay.

Can You Do Affiliate Marketing With Google Ads?

Yes, you can use Google ads to directly promote affiliate offers. However, the most common method is to use Google ads to first send people to a landing page to collect personal information like an email address first. Then, marketers typically follow up with their customers on the back end via email.

How To Use PPC For Affiliate Marketing?

There are many different ways to use pay-per-click (PPC) advertising for affiliate marketing.

The most common method is Google AdWords. This is where advertisers bid on keywords that relate to their product.

Bidding high, and having a well-optimized ad will result in higher ad rankings. In turn, this will lead to greater visibility of your ad. And then, once your ad is getting seen it will inevitably attract clicks. Then, hopefully, those clicks will lead to sales.

A lot of people think that you need to send Google ad traffic to a landing page or website. However, this is not the case. You can also send Google ad traffic directly to affiliate offers.

How Easy Is Affiliate Marketing?

It’s not easy. However, it is a highly lucrative skill that anyone can learn with time and the right training.

The main problem is finding good products to promote and then being able to generate targeted traffic.

The main skill of an affiliate marketer is being able to create engaging content that your audience wants to consume, and then directing them to check out your affiliate offer by clicking on your links.

Can Affiliate Marketing Be a Career?

Yes! It can be a fun and rewarding career if you know what you are doing. There are many ways to earn money through affiliate marketing but it all comes down to two main skills:

• Knowing which products will convert best
• Knowing how to create content to generate steady traffic

As of writing this article, I have now been doing affiliate marketing for 9 years and I love it! it was hard in the early days, but once I learned the necessary skills I started to earn a regular income for my efforts.

It took me a few years before I was earning a full-time income because I went the blogging route. I do personally think the blogging route is the best, but beginners need to understand that this method is slower to get going.

If I were to do it all over again I would start with YouTube and then incorporate blogging a year or so later once I am earning a full-time income from my YouTube channel. But that’s just me.

Other people prefer to work only with social media. A lot of it does depend on your personality type and what method you will enjoy the most.

Can Affiliate Marketing Make Me Rich?

Yes! I am living proof of this. I started out making $50 per month from affiliate marketing but now I earn over $10,000 per month.

Can I Be an Affiliate Without a Website?

Yes! There are many ways to earn money through affiliate marketing besides blogging. These include:

1. YouTube – create videos and link to your affiliate offers in your videos description
2. Facebook organic – network with other Facebook users through Facebook groups and Messenger, and introduce them to the products you promote
3. TikTok – Create 15 second videos and encourage people to click your link in your channel bio. Your link leads to a landing page where you collect their email and offer a product
4. Pinterest – Publish pins on a daily basis that either lead directly to an affiliate offer, or to your landing page where you can collect their email address and follow up with them via email

These are just a few examples of how you can earn money as an affiliate without a website.

If you would like to go the blogging route but you don’t have any money to start your own website just yet, then you can blog for free on Medium. You can then add your affiliate links within your articles on Medium.

Once you are earning money you can invest in a good affordable web host and start your own WordPress site (much more preferable).

How Do Affiliate Payments Work?

Each affiliate program will have slightly different payment terms. Therefore, it’s important to read the affiliate terms and conditions to make sure you’re happy with them before promoting.

Typically, each company will have a buffer window of at least 30 days to allow time in case a customer requests a refund. If your customer requests a refund within this window then you will not receive the commission for the sale. Be aware that some companies can have a buffer window of up to two months.

The company will also state in their T&C’s what date of the month they pay commission out to affiliates, and the frequency. Some companies will pay weekly, while others will pay fortnightly or monthly.

Some merchants will have multiple payment options, typically giving you the option to receive payments directly into your bank account, or via PayPal. Some companies will only offer one option. Payoneer is also another popular payment processor used by merchants to pay affiliates.

What Are Affiliate Partnerships?

When you sign up as an affiliate to promote a product, you are not in an affiliate partnership with that company.

How Does Affiliate Tracking Work?

Link tracking is a powerful tool of digital marketing. It allows you to gain granular insights into your user’s journey and key learnings about their behavior.

The technology tracks affiliate links embedded in a website’s content and records the publisher ID. A confirmation cookie is used to credit transactions to an affiliate channel.

Once a customer clicks on an ad or affiliate link, the affiliate tracking cookie remains in their browser until or unless the user clears their browser cookies. So, if a customer clears their browser cookies, the affiliate will not be tracked.

In order to track sales from affiliates, the product owner will set up a unique AffiliateID for each affiliate, and for each product. In the case of the Amazon affiliate program, this code is called SubID. Each affiliate’s unique link should contain this code.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOHBbryJqTo

Where Can Sellers and Affiliates Connect?

Some companies run their affiliate program privately. In this case, you will need to contact the company directly to apply.

Most companies will have an ‘affiliates’ page on their website. The link to this page is usually found in the footer of the website. This page should tell you the main details of the program, commission percentages, how to apply, etc.

Many other companies prefer to host their program on an affiliate network. Some of the most popular include ClickBank, Commission Junction, ShareASale, Impact, FlexOffers, LinkShare, Rakuten Linkshare, Partnerize, and others.

To work with a company on one of these networks you will first need to sign up to the network as a publisher or advertiser.

Then, once you are approved for the network you can search their database for possible promotion partners. Some merchants on the network will want to further vet each affiliate. If this is the case then you will need to apply to the program directly via your affiliate network account.

On the other hand, many merchants will be happy for you to promote their products as long as the network has approved you. In this case, you won’t need to fill out an additional application for said company.

Are Affiliate Marketing Courses Really Worth It?

Yes, absolutely! When it comes to affiliate marketing there are a few core skills that you need to master. Without thee core skills you will find it very difficult if not impossible to make good money as an affiliate.

Be aware that while there are several great courses out there, are also a lot of bad ones too. Unfortunately, the industry is rife with a lot of people who are just trying to make a quick buck selling a course that contains either outdated material, or information that just doesn’t work.

If you want a solid recommendation of the best affiliate courses to take then I recommend the following 3:

• Affiliate Secrets 3.0 by Spencer Mecham (best overall – teaches YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Blogging, Paid Ads)
• The Affiliate Lab by Matt Diggity (best if you are interested in blogging and affiliate SEO)
• Legendary Marketer 15 Day Challenge by Dave Sharpe (best if you are on a very tight budget and just want to get a nuts and bolts blueprint to follow)

All of these courses are kept up to date with the latest information and techniques that are working today. If you choose to invest in any of these courses then you will also get access to all future updates of the course without needing to pay again.

Once you’re a member you get lifetime updates so you can always keep your skills sharp and keep making money online.

What’s The difference Between Affiliate Marketing and Network Marketing?

Affiliate marketing and network marketing are very different business models. The main difference between these 2 is that affiliates work online to make sales, whereas network marketers mostly work offline (but not always) to sell the products of one specific company.

Network marketers also aim to build a team of people and then motivate them to do most of the selling. If you want more details on these 2 business models then read my article here on the difference between affiliate marketing and network marketing.

Is Affiliate Marketing a Pyramid Scheme?

No, it isn’t. It’s not a pyramid scheme because you don’t pay people to join. Instead, you earn commissions by referring others to sign up for products and services through your affiliate links, which are usually placed on your website or social media channels.

The commission rates vary from company to company (see above), but typically affiliates will receive 2% – 40% of sales generated by their referrals.

Can Affiliate Marketing Be a Career?

Yes! It can be a career if you know what you’re doing. There’s a huge amount of potential to earn a living from it.

The best part is that you don’t need any special skills or qualifications to get started – all you need is a computer, a good course to follow, and some determination.

Can Affiliate Marketing Make You a Millionaire?

Yes! It’s true that affiliate marketing does have the potential to make you a millionaire if you take it seriously. But please know that affiliate marketing takes hard work, dedication, and persistence in order to reach these heights.

Can Affiliate Marketing Be Done Without a Website?

Yes! There are many ways to earn money through affiliate marketing without having a website. For example, you can promote products by posting them on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc.

Can Affiliate Marketing Be a Side Hustle?

Yes! Most affiliate marketers operate start out as a side hustle business as it can be done from anywhere and at any time. It doesn’t require a huge investment up front and it can be scaled up or down depending on your needs.

Some affiliates choose to keep their affiliate business as a side hustle, while others choose to evolve their business into a full-time career.

Can Affiliate Marketing Be Done On Facebook?

Yes! There are a number of ways to earn money as an affiliate through Facebook. The most common method is by using Facebook ads. These ads allow you to target specific demographics, locations, interests, age groups, etc. In addition to this, you can choose from different ad formats including text, image, video, and carousel.

Alternatively, if you don’t like the idea of paying for ads then you can also make money as an affiliate on Facebook completely for free. This is done through the Facebook organic method that super affiliate Spencer Mecham teaches.

Can You Do Affiliate Marketing On TikTok?

TikTok is a great platform for affiliates since it has huge potential for your posts to go viral. Even some beginner affiliates are having huge success using this platform.

Basically, you place your affiliate link in your profile bio and then make 15-60 second videos around a topic, and then encourage your audience to click your affiliate link.

Once a TikTok user clicks your link they will be taken to a landing page where you can collect their email in exchange for a free offer such as an eBook. Once the TikTok user submits their information on your landing page you can then automatically redirect the visitor to a second page called a bridge page where you can introduce them to an affiliate product.

Your new subscriber will also receive automated emails from you through which you can make more sales.

If you want to learn the exact method that beginner affiliates are using to crush it on TikTok then I recommend you invest in this TikTok course for $1.

Can You Do Affiliate Marketing On Pinterest?

On Pinterest, you can link your pins to articles on your website or even directly affiliate offers. This is why Pinterest is one platform you can use for affiliate marketing without a blog.

Alternatively, you can link your pins to a landing page and collect email addresses from your visitors, then send them to an affiliate offer in the same way outlined above for the TikTok method.

Can You Do Affiliate Marketing Without an Audience?

Yes, although it is recommended to start building an audience as soon as possible.

Can You Do Affiliate Marketing Without Social Media?

Yes, if you don’t want to use social media for affiliate marketing then there are other options. These include blogging with a WordPress website or on a free platform like Medium, using paid ads, native ads, or YouTube.

If this interests you, then check out my full article on doing affiliate marketing without using social media.

Can You Do Affiliate Marketing Without Showing Your Face?

Yes! Although it is a lot easier to gain trust and make sales as an affiliate if you show your face, you can also become a successful affiliate while remaining anonymous.

I did this for years because I did not want it to interfere with my then primary business when I first got started. The method I chose was blogging, and I ran a few websites completely anonymously.

Paid ads such as using Google AdWords is also another method you can use and still remain anonymous. You can even create a faceless YouTube channel and have success as an affiliate.

Here is a great video about how to be a successful affiliate with a faceless YouTube channel.

Can You Do Affiliate Marketing Without Being An Influencer?

Yes! Just follow one of the methods mentioned in the answer to the question above if you want to remain anonymous, or you just don’t want to be an influencer.

Is ClickBank The Best Affiliate Program?

I do personally like ClickBank, and I have made a lot of money with them over the years. Some people will say they are the best affiliate network out there, but I would not agree.

While I do think they are one of the best networks, especially when it comes to digital products, ClickBank does have a lot of scammy-looking products on their network too. Having said that, there are also lots of good, reputable products here too.

When it comes to affiliate payments, ClickBank is one of the best networks. They pay affiliates once per week (on Wednesdays), only keeping your money for 2 weeks in arrears in case of refunds. ClickBank will also pay you directly into your bank account.

ClickBank support is also quite good, although it is only via email. Each time I have needed to contact support I have always received an answer within 24hrs.

How To Start Affiliate Marketing on ClickBank

First, go here and open an account as an affiliate or publisher.

Then, read my detailed guide on how to make money with ClickBank here.

How Affiliate Marketing Works With Amazon

First, you need to sign up for the Amazon Associates program. Once approved, you can search the Amazon marketplace via your associate’s dashboard for products to promote.

Amazon will give you access to an affiliate link and an image graphic for any of the products you choose to promote. You can then place this link on your website.

I do not recommend you promote Amazon since their commission percentage is so low and the tracking cookie set by the company is only 24hrs.

Secondly, it’s important to be aware of what Amazon did to its affiliates at the beginning of COVID-19. In April 2020 (one month after COVID-19 hit), they decided to severely cut the commission percentage offered to affiliates in spite of 2020 being a very lucrative year for Amazon. Many affiliates were completely reliant on their Amazon commissions in order to survive.

for these reasons, I avoid the Amazon affiliate program. But you should make your own mind up if you want to partner with them.

The other way people typically make money with Amazon is through Amazon FBA, which is different from affiliate marketing.

When Did Affiliate Marketing First Start?

Affiliate marketing got its start in the mid-1990s when an online florist named William J. Tobin started an affiliate program for his floristry business, PC Flowers and Gifts.

When To Start Affiliate Marketing On a Blog

You can include affiliate links in your blog posts straight away. However, if you are not receiving much traffic then your time will be better spent in the early days focusing on producing more content to increase traffic.

Then, once traffic starts to increase you can up the monetization of your blog.

Which Affiliate Marketing Method Is Best For Beginners?

The best method depends on what you want to achieve. Do you just want to earn some extra cash? Or do you want to build a successful business?

I have tried several methods of affiliate marketing over the years, so in my personal opinion, I would say that either YouTube or Facebook organic are the best affiliate marketing methods for beginners.

If you are a beginner looking to get started making money online quickly then I recommend you watch this free training from super affiliate Spencer Mecham.

What Is The Best Affiliate Marketing Ebook?

I have not read every affiliate marketing book out there, but I can say that The Insider’s Guide by Dave Sharpe is an Ebook for beginners to read.