Want to get started with affiliate marketing? Maybe you’re more familiar with the term “influencer.” Whatever you want to call it, it’s when you make money by sharing a product with your followers and they purchase as a result, earning you a commission. For many micro-influencers, this is how they make $$ on social media if they don’t have their own product or service to sell.
Many brands you know and love have affiliate marketing opportunities, but you may not know it. Go to the website of a brand you would like to promote. Scroll down to the very bottom of the page and look for “affiliates,” “referrals,” “ambassador,” or a similar term. Click on that link and their affiliate program will likely pop up with a call to action to apply. Some brands make this super easy without any application required. Other brands require more effort and a formal application. If you don’t see this, you can always reach out via a contact form and inquire about an affiliate program. More on that in a second.
Some companies will offer cash payment for commissions and others might just offer store credit. Obviously store credit doesn’t pay your rent, so if you want to make money with this, then only apply for cash payment brands. If the commission is less than 10%, I wouldn’t make it a top priority. I aim for 25%-50% commissions for my affiliate marketing partnerships. Yes, 50% commissions do exist!
The biggest mistake I see influencers or wannabe influencers make is offering too many affiliate products. I know you love a lot of brands and the thought of making money from them is super exciting, but you don’t want to come across as “constantly selling something.” You also want people to listen and trust you, so if you are promoting half a dozen products, it comes off as inauthentic.
Start with one, get good at selling that one thing, and then add another. Warm up your audience to the idea of buying from you. I promise this will bring you more success in the long term.
If you do go affiliate for a company, please message me and tell me which one you chose! I’m curious to hear about it!