If you’ve ever browsed online and clicked on a product recommendation that led you to Amazon or Aliexpress, you’ve already seen affiliate marketing in action, maybe without even knowing it. So what is affiliate marketing, really? Let’s break it down in a way that makes total sense (no marketing degree required).
What Is Affiliate Marketing?
In plain English, affiliate marketing is a way to earn money by promoting someone else’s products or services. When someone clicks your special link (called an affiliate link) and makes a purchase, you get a commission.
Yup, that’s it.
Think of it like being a middleman or middlewoman: You help connect buyers to products they’re already looking for, and in return, you get a slice of the pie… and I love pies 🙂
What Are The Benefits Of Affiliate Marketing?
- Low startup costs.
- You don’t need to create your own products.
- It is passive income that works for you after the initial work is done.
- You can work anywhere there is a computer and the internet. Coffee shop or the beach.
- Unlimited earnings potential. Scale to six figures.
- Allows you to build your ultimate lifestyle.
What Is Affiliate Marketing About?
Affiliate marketing is not just about money; it is also about helping others and what this brings in return.
Affiliate marketing is about:
- The ability to work from anywhere.
- The ability to build a business around the things you love to do.
- It is about helping people find what it is they need.
- It’s about growing your network.
- It is about personal growth
- And yes, it is about the money, but more so, what the money brings with it, which is freedom.
Passive income is the key to freeing up your time. This is what affiliate marketing is. Websites never sleep and work for you 24/7.
How Does Affiliate Marketing Work?
This is the basic process overview of how affiliate marketing works.
- Join Affiliate Programs: Companies like Amazon, Clickbank, and Aliexpress offer affiliate programs to people like you and me. Once approved, we can advertise their products.
- Get Your Unique Affiliate Links: After being approved into an affiliate program, you will be able to access special links for each product you want to advertise.
- Share Your Affiliate Links: You can display or share your affiliate links on blogs, Facebook, YouTube, eBooks, etc.
- Earn Commissions: If people click on your affiliate links and make a purchase, you will receive a commission to say thanks for helping generate the sale.
This is just a basic overview; however, this is how affiliate marketing works in an easy to understand way.
Why Do Companies Use Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate Marketing is performance-based, so companies only pay when someone actually buys. That makes affiliate marketing a low-risk way for companies to generate sales and reach more people, without spending a ton on traditional advertising.
So in many ways, affiliates are like a flexible sales team that only gets paid when they deliver results.
For example, if I had a product that costs me $10 to make and it sells for $89, I make $79 on each unit.
If an affiliate marketer wants to do all the advertising for me and I offer 40% commission per sale on the $79.00 I would lose (Pay the affiliate) $31.60, and my new profit would be $47.40
Let’s say, this affiliate marketer makes me, on average, 10 sales per day on his worldwide website… He will make a total of $316 per day, and I would make $474.
Keep in mind… I do not have to advertise for this income.
Weekly earnings for product creator = $474 per day x 7 days per week = $3,318
Weekly earnings for the affiliate = $2,212
Now imagine 100 affiliates advertising your product… This gets insane!
How Do You Get Paid In Affiliate Marketing?
The payout process depends on the affiliate program you have joined, but here are a few common methods:
- PayPal or direct deposit – Usually paid monthly or bi-weekly
- Minimum threshold – Most networks require you to earn a certain amount (like $50) before payment
- Tracking via cookies – When someone clicks your link, a cookie tracks their purchase for a certain time (e.g., 24 hours to 90 days)
Either way, each affiliate program will have its own terms and conditions, so make sure you read this carefully, as you do not want to be suspended or removed from the program. If you need help with this, please do not hesitate to reach out on my contact page.
Who Can Do Affiliate Marketing?
This is what I love about affiliate marketing… ANYONE can do it!
Trust me, I was a concrete placer and finisher for almost 15 years and hated computers growing up as a kid… Now I absolutely love what I do, and I know and believe wholeheartedly that anyone can make passive income online and build themselves a better lifestyle; they just have to start and keep going. I am here to help as well 🙂
Who Affiliate Marketing Is For
- Anyone needing supplementary income.
- Anyone looking to build a business based around the things they love to do.
- Anyone wanting to build a better lifestyle through passive income.
- People who want to escape the 9 – 5 rat race.
- Anyone looking for a job.
- Low-income earners can start with very little capital.
- People who want to live life on their terms.
In my opinion, affiliate marketing can be for anyone. If you are willing to learn and dedicated to keeping at it, anyone can build a better lifestyle for themselves or their family.
Is Affiliate Marketing Hard To Learn?
Affiliate marketing is not hard. Learning the process of affiliate marketing takes time to learn but the process is not hard at all. Trust me, I spent almost 15 years in the concrete industry… that was hard work and many hard years… compared to this, affiliate marketing is a dream…
However, there are many aspects of affiliate marketing that people find challenging, for example:
- Taking the first step is often where many struggle… just make a start, the rest follows.
- Finding time to learn and grow. Success does not happen overnight, but it will happen if you stick with it.
- Finding a trusted training platform that teaches correct information. Don’t fall for “Hyped up courses” they promise the world but never deliver.
- The feeling that you are getting nowhere. Many give up a month or two after starting. This is the worst thing you can do, as it usually takes 1 – 6 months before Google will start ranking new websites and blog posts.
All in all, if you are willing to stick with it, keep nudging forward, keep learning and practising what you learn, you will be successful online.
How Much Does It Cost To Start Affiliate Marketing?
There are several ways in which people can go about learning affiliate marketing; however, in my opinion, a trusted affiliate marketing training platform like Wealthy Affiliate is my number one recommendation.
They offer a free starter membership with limited training and tools, but it is a great way to test drive the system, and two paid membership plans, which are:
- Premium Membership: $49 per month or $497 per year… (Save $91)
- Premium+ Membership: $99 per month or $497 per year… (Save $691)
BONUS TIP: If you pay yearly instead of monthly, you will pay the same for Premium+ as you would for Premium… This is well worth it, and means you have no other bills for the year… You also get a free .com domain name when you upgrade.
Final Thoughts: What Is Affiliate Marketing Really?
Affiliate marketing is a legit way to build long-term online income. If you’re willing to put in the work, stay consistent, and continually learn, affiliate marketing can be absolutely worth your time.
So next time someone asks, “What is affiliate marketing?”, you can confidently say:
“It’s when you get paid to recommend products online. And yeah, it actually works.”
For me personally, it was a way out of the 9 – 5 rat race… I am passionate about helping others achieve a better quality of life by creating passive income online.
Please do reach out if you would like to know more or need further clarification on any part of affiliate marketing.
You can contact me on my contact page, or message me on FB Messenger 🙂