Now that I have an idea of the content I need to focus on writing, it’s time to consider the affiliate part of this adventure. Finding affiliate programs is actually the easy part if you know where to look. It’s finding ones that are relevant to your blog, and that pique your interest, that is the hard part.
Keep in mind that I am aiming for continued authenticity. I’m not going to show products or services that I’ve never tried myself, unlike some YouTubers who teach you how to scam your audiences. Yes, I’ve come across a few of those videos.
I suppose it’s personal preference, really. A lot of folks push the narrative of “fake it till you make it.” I’d rather just know so that I don’t have to fake anything. Each to their own, I suppose.
Where to Find Affiliate Programs
There are a couple of different methods you can use to find affiliate programs to join. However, keep in mind that some of them are going to have traffic requirements. For instance, for lifestyle bloggers, Commission Junction states you need at least 10,000 pageviews per month on their website.
Yet, Commission Junction’s website is a bit jacked up at the moment when viewed from Google Chrome. Not sure if I can trust a company that has faulty pages.
Affiliate Networks
Affiliate networks are sites that connect you to a variety of businesses that are willing to give you a commission on sales and leads. Usually, these brands will put money in an escrow account that pays out to the publishers (you) when a sale is recorded. That way, brands can’t screw the little guy.
Well, in ideation, anyway. It happens sometimes, but some of the better affiliate networks put as much value and protection for publishers as they do for the brands.
There are several popular affiliate networks available. You can sign up for multiple networks, but make sure they don’t have an anti-compete clause. This is when you show brands from two or more different networks. Some of them will cancel your account if caught.
I’m going to list the ones I am currently using, but you can find affiliate networks on other sites with no problem. I’ll continue to add to this list as I built up my various websites.
Impact
One of the newer networks I’ve signed up with is Impact. I initially was turned onto the network through World Anvil, as I decided to make a few videos and blog posts about world-building.
Impact doesn’t have an extensive list of brands that it supports, but it wasn’t all that difficult to sign up. Though, I would like to say that the developers could have made using the site a bit easier. It’s kind of a pain in the ass to navigate.
Amazon
Amazon affiliates don’t earn very much per sale. The range is anywhere from 1% to 10% of the sale, depending on the product. But for the most part, I often see commissions in the 4% range. And 4% of a $3 item is quite paltry at $0.12.
However, it’s perhaps one of the easiest to get into, especially if you’re new to affiliate marketing. Amazon’s sheer number of products it offers makes it ideal for a very long list of blog niches.
Googling Brand Affiliates
If there is a particular brand you’d like to showcase on your website, you can always try a Google search. Usually, it’s something like “(brand) affiliate.” For example, let’s say I wanted to be an affiliate of Max Muscle because I like the product. I would search for “Max Muscle affiliate” in Google.
Coincidentally, there is a Max Muscle affiliate program, which is perfect for the Crossing Colorado blog.
The point is that you can usually Google the brand you would like to partner with and then make some great content around. However, I’d like to point out that a lot of the brands you’d like to partner with as an affiliate use platforms like AWIN and Commission Junction.
Nonetheless, you’ll be able to find a lot of brands you enjoy using through a search on Google, which is great. That’s because you’re more likely to make a lot of content while promoting the brand you enjoy. The content is more authentic that way, which makes human and search engine algorithms happy.
Essentially, you’re more excited about the product and are more likely to write some positive content, which may influence one of your readers to buy the product or service.
How Many Affiliates Should I Start With?
Most of the “expert” articles I’ve read suggest somewhere between 3 and 10 affiliate accounts, depending on the source. One cited that using too many may make your blog’s content feel saturated or “unauthentic.”
In reality, it boils down to a few things:
- The amount of authentic content you can make regarding the brand
- How much content you already have on the site
- What your audience will find useful
In my case, the writing blog would be more apt to include at least 10 affiliates, mostly because of the content involved. I cover all forms of writing, such as self-publishing, blogging, and freelancing, and have published more than 1000 posts. The health and fitness site is much smaller in comparison, so I would only look for a handful until I build up the library as well as the audience a bit.
So, probably a good rule of thumb is to start off with 3 at the maximum until you build up a reputation and audience to introduce more products that you enjoy. This isn’t a rule, mind you, but more of a guideline to help you build momentum.
In reality, you can add as many affiliate programs as you’d like. Just make sure your blog’s content doesn’t seem too salesy and inauthentic.
Conclusion…
Finding good affiliate programs that match your site’s niche and content is the hard part. There are a lot of brands out there, and you have to remain vigilant for your audience.
I’ve turned down sponsorship offers for the YouTube channel because they didn’t fit what I was sharing with my audience. The latest was a video editing app that wanted me to make videos for them. The problem is that the YouTube channel focuses on writing. My audience has no interest in video editing…mostly.
So, find affiliate programs that are ideal for your current audience. What do you want to sell them that you can support without it seeming salesy?