I’ll be honest. I’m no online marketing genius. But after combing over notes, I wanted to write about affiliate marketing for beginners and the one rule you should follow when starting out.
While researching new opportunities and programs this January, I started thinking about what products are easy to sell as an affiliate and which ones aren’t. I looked back on where I’d made money on 5+ websites and where things didn’t pan out.
Some stuff stood out. I started to see a pattern with what sells and what doesn’t. It was a simple trend.
Hell, the answer was obvious. Smack dab right in front of my face. If it was a snake, it would have bit me.
It’s so blatantly obvious, yet I see dozens of rookie bloggers and niche site operators making the same mistake I did – over and over, again!
See, it’s an easy mistake to make. But once you know what you’re looking for, you’ll never make it, again.
P.S: If you’re ready to start making money online right now, just click here!
Affiliate Marketing For Beginners?
What is it? What’s the secret rule to success? Well, we’re getting to that. See, I just got to the point where I’m confident enough to give out this advice.
I couldn’t have wrote an affiliate marketing for beginners article six months ago because I was still a rookie, too.
Just one year ago, my passive income from affiliate marketing was $0 USD.
I was making nothing. No money coming in from my websites. All my income came from freelance copywriting.
But, I knew that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to make passive income. I wanted my writing to make me money month after month. Freelancing is fine, but I didn’t want a one-time payment. I wanted to get paid every single month.
So, I got to work and luckily, things have changed a little bit. I’ve got multiple affiliate programs hitting on multiple websites. I’m making some passive income.
Money is flowing in. It’s not where I want it, but I’m not stressing over rent in third-world countries any longer.
This is one of the programs I affiliate for:
It’s certainly not shilling shitcoins on Binance money, but it’s not too bad.
I’m currently enrolled and linking to over two dozen of these type programs throughout my different sites. About a dozen of them are doing well, although the one above is certainly one of my bigger earners.
I only share this because there’s good money in affiliate marketing. If you have four programs earning like the one above, you’re sitting at nearly $50K USD a year.
While it’s much easier said than done, you’ll shorten your learning curve considerably by following this one rule…
The “Walmart” Rule
Walmart. Target. Your local mall. It doesn’t matter what you want to call it, it’s simple. The rule really couldn’t be any simpler. If you’re curious about affiliate marketing for beginners, then you must follow it.
What is it? This magical rule all noob bloggers and niche site creators should follow…
Only promote items you can’t buy in stores like Walmart, Target, or at your local mall.
That’s it. If you can buy it locally, then there’s no reason to promote it on your sites. You’ll simply be wasting your time putting effort into affiliate content about items people can buy locally.
The reasoning is two-fold:
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Incentive
If someone can buy an item locally for a similar price, then there’s no incentive for them to purchase it online. They can purchase it locally and get it now. Why wait an extra 2-5 days for it?
You want potential customers with incentive. You want to be the “only” source for a product. Half the battle is getting a desperate customer on your site looking for a place to buy and then clicking your link.
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Competition
Now, some people will argue with me about this rule. They’ll say the best niches are items you can buy locally because they have the biggest markets. And they’re right. But…
I’m writing about affiliate marketing for beginners. I want to help people looking to monetize their first websites.
If you don’t know how to test click through rates, create sub-IDs, find out which comparison table plugins are best, where to buy backlinks, and more – then you won’t be able to compete in these niches.
…And it’s not a bad thing! I can’t compete with a lot of affiliate marketing “whales” either. The good news? There’s millions of products you can only buy online.
That means we have more niches to work with than we could ever write about. There’s gold in them there hills!
For Example
One niche or product I’ve recently started selling is traveling yoga mats, which honestly, was a bit of a surprise.
Sure, you can buy yoga mats everywhere these days. However, most of them won’t fit well in a carry-on backpack. They’re simply too big.
Most yoga mats can’t fold up. Most yoga mats have to be rolled up. So the mats are hard to travel with, especially if you’re traveling light.
Enter traveling yoga mats.
Lots of digital nomads, backpackers, and business travelers alike all have incentive to search for and buy traveling yoga mats. The product could make their lives easier.
How do I know this? Because I use the product and know how beneficial it can be. Hell, I wrote a review of the Manduka eKO Superlight Travel Yoga Mat because I loved the product so much.
You won’t find this product at Walmart, Target, or the local mall. Unless you go to a select few yoga studios, you can’t buy this product locally. No one keeps it in stock.
Someone looking to hit the road with their yoga mat has to turn to the Internet. That’s where you come in. Well, that’s where I come in.
I’ve found a traveling yoga mat I love, I’ve used it, and then created an in-depth review. That article comes up in a few search terms, people see if the product fits their needs, and I profit.
Now, this review doesn’t make me a ton of money. You didn’t think I was going to give away some of my favorite niches I don’t even write about here on Nomadic Hustle 😉
But an extra $30+ a month on Amazon isn’t anything to sneeze at. That’s $360/year for three hours of work creating the review and YouTube video.
Think if you had 20+ articles just like that bringing in money every month. That’s an extra $600+ in income.
Affiliate Marketing For Beginners: One Rule Noobs MUST Follow
I’m no business guru, but I wouldn’t write this article about affiliate marketing for beginners if I didn’t think it could help you.
If you’re just starting out and looking to monetize your new site, always think if the product you’re promoting can be bought at Walmart. If not, then you may have stumbled on a winning niche!