Want to get started with affiliate marketing?
Over the past 10 years I’ve grown my affiliate marketing business from scratch to over 5 figure months and 7 figures in total earnings. I share my journey on Instagram, YouTube & MentorCruise where I actively helped hundreds of others launch their own successful affiliate marketing businesses or scale their existing business to new heights.
Why listen to me?
I’ve been an active Affiliate Marketer for almost 10 years now, earing over $1 million in commissions. At heart I am an Entrepreneur and I understand what it takes to run a successful online business and build brands.” I am honored to have been featured in Profile Magizine, Channel 7, WIN News as well as being the winner for “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” in Australia.
How to Start Affiliate Marketing in 2024
Affiliate marketing is, at its core, all about sales & marketing. You’re already recommending products to friends and family, but you’re not getting paid for it—yet! With affiliate marketing you earn a commission when someone buys through your referral link.
What sets affiliate marketing apart is its simplicity and no customer service headaches like e-commerce or social media marketing agencies. Plus you get to help people by researching and recommending the best products for their needs.
I love affiliate marketing because it’s one of the only businesses you can start today for under $100. I’ve written an article on why affiliate marketing is the best way to make money online. The world is going digital and now is the best time to get in.
On this page you’ll find my COMPLETE guide to starting affiliate marketing. I’m most excited about this guide because I think it’s my best Affiliate Marketing Guide yet.
One of my goals is to provide the best FREE training on affiliate marketing available online. My previous Affiliate Marketing Guide on Udemy has over 9,600 students and it’s been over 4 years since I released it. During that time I’ve gathered tons of feedback and insights to make this new guide even better. I’m excited to share the 2024 version which includes big improvements and a brand new tool to make your affiliate marketing journey easier.
Disclosure: Using the links on this page might save you up to 50% off the regular price because of exclusive partnerships. If you buy through these links I get a commission but it doesn’t cost you anything extra – in fact it can save you money. It’s a win-win!
Step 1. How to Choose Between Building a building a Website, YouTube Videos, TikTok or Instagram Affiliate Marketing
First step in affiliate marketing is to pick a SINGLE niche. Focusing on one niche instead of many allows you to build a stronger connection with a specific audience rather than a general store type of business.
Your niche is the category of products and the market or industry you’ll focus on and build your business around. You need to “niche down” which means get very specific, the main reason for this is SEO and I will go into this in more detail later.
For example instead of targeting “Sports” you could narrow it down to “Tennis” and then further to “Tennis Racquets ”. Many beginners make the mistake of going too broad like targeting all consumer electronics which includes everything from Tech and mobile phones to cameras and clothing. Starting small in a specific sub-niche allows you to establish authority faster and rank for keywords sooner.
My first Affiliate Marketing business was so niche that I ranked in the top 3 for every article and this grew to be a $20,000 a month business.
My advice for choosing your first niche: Pick something you already know about or are passionate about. This gives you a competitive edge and prevents burnout especially during the early stages when sales might be slow.
I would choose a niche you love to talk about and enjoy creating content around. This will get you through the tough times and help you build a successful affiliate marketing business.
Here’s a List of Profitable Niches:
1. Health and Wellness
Sub-niches: Fitness gear, supplements, mental health, organic products, weight loss programs.
2. Personal Finance
Sub-niches: Credit cards, investment platforms, personal loans, cryptocurrency, insurance.
3. Tech and Gadgets
Sub-niches: Smartphones, laptops, smart home devices, gaming gear, software.
4. Beauty and Skincare
Sub-niches: Anti-aging products, natural skincare, cosmetics, haircare, men’s grooming.
5. Online Education and E-learning
Sub-niches: Online courses, certification programs, language learning, coding bootcamps, educational tools.
6. Home Improvement and DIY
Sub-niches: Tools and hardware, home décor, smart home systems, gardening, furniture.
7. Travel and Tourism
Sub-niches: Travel insurance, booking platforms, luggage, travel gear, guided tours.
8. Pet Care
Sub-niches: Pet food, grooming products, pet health supplements, training programs, pet insurance.
9. Fashion
Sub-niches: Apparel, Shoes + Sneakers, Athletic Wear, Watches, Sunglasses, Smartwatches
10. Luxury and High-End
Sub-niches: Designer clothing, high-end accessories, luxury watches, premium travel experiences, fine dining.
Remember almost any niche can be profitable and it’s normal not to get it right first time.
That’s why it’s important to master the basics, it’s easy to start a second, third or even fourth business in a different niche later on.
If you’re struggling to choose one niche, consider starting a personal blog that covers multiple topics – you can test multiple niches under one umbrella.
My top tip for choosing your first niche is this: Don’t worry about getting it right first time. Once you get the basics down, starting a second, third or even fourth business is easy and cheap.
Remember your first niche is a learning experience so don’t let this decision hold you back.
Step 2. How to Build an Affiliate Marketing Website
You don’t need a website HOWEVER, all the top affiliate networks require a custom website to apply for their Affiliate Programs. IF however you already have a following on YouTube, Instagram or TikTok you can use your social like in the application. Please note though that networks prefer a real website and lets face it if you don’t get approved into programs you can’t do Affiliate Marketing.
Building a simple website is the best way to tell the networks you are a REAL and serios brand that is worth while partnering with. In terms of standing out from the crowed this is also an easy way to become a real digital entrepreneur and build a real brand that you might even be able to sell one day.
You might already be intimidated by having to build a website, but don’t worry I have you covered! And for Affiliates it has never been easier than now to build a website.
Choose Your Brand Name & Website Domain
You don’t need a website HOWEVER, all the top affiliate networks require a custom website to apply for their Affiliate Programs. IF however you already have a following on YouTube, Instagram or TikTok you can use your social like in the application. Please note though that networks prefer a real website and lets face it if you don’t get approved into programs you can’t do Affiliate Marketing.
Building a simple website is the best way to tell the networks you are a REAL and serios brand that is worth while partnering with. In terms of standing out from the crowed this is also an easy way to become a real digital entrepreneur and build a real brand that you might even be able to sell one day.
You might already be intimidated by having to build a website, but don’t worry I have you covered! And for Affiliates it has never been easier than now to build a website.
Don’t make it too hard—people want to be able to find your site. For example if your site reviews tennis gear, call it tennisgearreviews.com or toptennisreviews.com.
Choose a brand name that’s specific to your niche and tells visitors what type of content you have. This will establish you as an authority in your niche.
Ideally your domain should be .COM but if that’s not available then .CO, .NET, .ORG or .IO will also work fine. You can also choose country domains like .UK or .COM.AU for example, they often have less competition as well, but keep in mind your traffic will be mostly targeted to that country.
Can’t find a domain you like? Try adding “the” or dashes (e.g., “your-website-domain.com”) to get more options.
I recommend using Namecheap.com to find your domain or a local provider if you will use a country LTD like .co.uk for example.
Tip: Buy AGED Domains NOT new Domains
Ranking on Google is hard enough as it is! Buy a used domain that already has backlinks and a history. Make sure however that the domain name is in your niche! This is vital due to Googles content relevancy guidelines. Check out Odys for Aged Domains.
I don’t usually share tips like this to the public, but like I said I want this guide to be one of the best I have made. If you want to fast track your results, you are welcome to join my Free Masterclass or the Mentorship Program where you can get access to READY to go templates as well.
How to actually build an Affiliate Website
To get your website off the ground you are going to need a couple more things now that you have the domain name.
1. Website Hosting
Hosting varies in both Price & Quality a lot and the main reason why is due to the infrastructure you are paying for. Thankfully there are some really good options on the market right now for Web Hosting, I recommend all my students Hostinger or Bluehost. They have the best performing servers for SPEED and you need this to out rank your competition.
2. WordPress Installation
Installing WordPress is simple, with 1 click you will be able to install WordPress if you choose to host with either of the recommendations above.
Your website theme can make a big deference, not only the appearance but also the speed at which it loads and this is a really big factor in ranking at the top of search results. I recommend going to Theme Forrest and buying a premium theme.
In my Mentorship Program and course I share all of the plugins I use to boost sales, track commissions and scale websites to $1000’s per month PLUS how to set them up. At a minimum I recommend using RankMath for SEO and WP Rocket for speed optimisation.
For branding and logo design, keep it simple! I recommend checking out Fiverr for a professionally designed logo from just $5 or using Canva to create your own.
Content is the KEY to your success as an Affiliate Marketer. You will want to use the following tools to do keyword research and make amazing content! Check out Surfer Content SEO and Jasper AI.
Make sure your website is connected with Google Analytics as well as Google Search Console. Once you are connected you will be able to track the keywords and see exactly where you are getting traffic from.
Step 3. Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners to Join
Now that you have your website built and full of content about your specific niche, you are going to want to find Affiliate Products to promote throughout your pages or in the description of your BIO on YouTube / Instagram for example.
Click here to check out the Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners.
Step 4. Email Marketing & Automation
Ever heard of free money? Probably not but it is a thing! When people visit your website you need to capture the email of at least 1-2% of your visitors. Each email you collect is worth around $1 in Affiliate Commissions per month. It doesn’t sound like a lot but now imagine 2000 emails or better 10,000 emails which is very achievable if you grow your business the right way.
The beauty of email marketing is that you can sell multiple products or upsell existing customers and increase profit and lifetime value.
One of the biggest challenges of being an affiliate is you don’t own the product or company you’re promoting.
That’s why you need to build your own audience that aligns with your brand. Email marketing helps you build a list of people interested in what’s on your website.
Most importantly, without email marketing if someone visits your site, likes the content but isn’t ready to buy you lose that sale. With email marketing you can re-engage those visitors and get them to come back to your site and buy.
Which Email Marketing Service to Use?
There are plenty of options as you can imagine however most of them charge alot for little to no service. I have used Mailchimp, Aweber, Constant Contact, AWS and a few others and the one that stands out the most for affiliate marketing is MailerLite.
MailerLite is completely FREE for the first 1000 subscribers which is amazing. Plus you can still use the automation features without even paying a dollar. If you use this link you will receive a $20 Gift from MailerLite.
Step 5. Creating Content that People Trust
This step is hands down the hardest part and it is what separates the successful Affiliate Marketers making sales every day from the ones that only make a few sales per month.
Spending time researching and understanding not only the product you’re promoting but the competition will help you create content that sells.
If writing isn’t your thing or you’re not comfortable on camera you can focus on the research and outsource the rest through Fiverr or better yet use Surfer SEO Tool.
You can have your research turned into well written articles, get your videos edited and color corrected, or even hire someone to do voice overs.
When you’re just starting out trying to master every aspect of an affiliate business can be overwhelming. Outsourcing allows you to not get stuck on tasks that are hard for you.
Personally I recommend Fiverr for logos and graphics, the service is fast and very affordable with some gigs starting from just $5.
Deciding what Content to Create
Before you start product research, you need to find out which products in your niche pay the highest commissions. So you can focus on what will actually produce results and sales.
To find affiliate products you can either search for “product name affiliate program” or join affiliate networks and browse their categories.
Written Articles / Blogs: I highly recommended using tools such as AHREFS, SEM Rush for your topic research and keywords. For the content itself I really avoid AI as much as possible, however tools like Surfer SEO can help a lot since they give you a full picture of what optimisations need to be done with your content to make it rank.
YouTube Affiliates: For beginners any modern smartphone camera will do for video reviews. Just make sure you set it up right or invest in a cheap phone tripod to get the right angle and ensure there is good lighting.
Video Editing: You can opt for advanced software like Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro, or use a free program like Capcut.
Step 6. Getting Traffic to Your Website
The main skill to master here is SEO. If you can nail picking the right headings and descriptions for your content as well as write engaging content you will see results.
There are 2 ways to get traffic to your website:
SEO Traffic (Free): This takes time to get results but the results are USUALLY passive which is the best part about it.
Paid Ads: Weather its Facebook, Google or YouTube they each have the option to pay for engagement and traffic. I teach this skill in my Mentorship Program in depth.
Most beginners think paying for ads is the easiest way because you just need traffic right? Well not exactly.. What you need is traffic from the right people. Those people are the ones that are already looking for information related to your content. The best solution in my opinion is a combination of both Paid Ads and SEO which overall will give you the boost you need and propel you in the right direction by building Authority.
Good luck on your journey as an Affiliate Marketer! If you need an extra bit of guidance I am here just reach out. I hope you found value in this guide! Take care & talk soon.
