Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: Get Paid to Promote as a Mini Salesperson

What is affiliate marketing anyway?

Well, hello there, future digital marketer superstar! So you want to learn how to start affiliate marketing for beginners, eh? As a midlife dude who's seen a thing or two on the internet, let me break it down for you.

Affiliate marketing is when you promote someone else's products or services on your website or social media and get a commission if someone buys after clicking your link. It's like being a mini-salesperson for companies without all the annoying cold calling!

The best part is you can casually chat about things you already love, then drop a helpful link here and there. It's kind of nice getting paid when friends and followers discover new stuff!

I know you youngins' think us 40-somethings don't understand the internet, but we've been online since the days of dial-up modems and GeoCities sites, baby! The good news is affiliate marketing is perfect for tech-challenged newbies.

You don't need to make your own info-products or online courses. And you definitely don't have to deal with shipping products or handling customer service. Most programs do all the heavy lifting for you!

You just share the love, then cash money in your account. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy, as the kids say!

Now comes the part where most affiliate marketing beginners mess up—picking crappy affiliate programs that pay pennies. Rookie mistake, homie! Let this seasoned web dude guide you to the good stuff.

Focus on affiliate programs related to topics you already know and love. Maybe you're a yoga mom who lives in her Lululemon? Promote their gear! Fan of video games and have strong opinions on graphics cards? Share that knowledge, nerd!

The key is choosing programs with products you genuinely use and recommend. That way, the sales pitch comes naturally.

Oh, and make sure they offer at least 10-20% commissions. None of this $20 bonus for a $2,000 mattress nonsense. We want programs that pay out some real cheddar, ya dig?

Alright, time to get your affiliate links out there! Now if you're just starting out, don't get bummed if you only have a handful of followers. We all start small, you know.

Share your affiliate links organically within social posts about your day. For example, after drinking some wild, new kombucha flavor, recommend it in an Instagram Story. Smooth product drop!

Have a blog or YouTube channel? Sprinkle affiliate links within roundup articles and video descriptions. Just don't go overboard! A touch here and there keeps it legit.

And no shame in asking friends and family! They want to support your success, so hit them with coupon codes.

Focus on providing value, building a genuine community, and recommending services you love. The sales will come.

Once you level up a bit, there's all kinds of cool affiliate techniques to try. Let this former Geocities pro guide you to some trendy tactics for 2023.

Pinterest virtual sales boards Create themed Pinterest boards of affiliate product collections tailored to different customer avatars. It's all the rage with online momfluencers!

Income stream newsletters: Curate an email newsletter of deals and affiliate offers. One for things like SaaS tools and books. Another for outdoorsy gear and adventure travel packages. Set it and forget it!

Podcast sponsor ads: If you have a decently big podcast, sponsors will pay BIG BUCKS to be shouted out. Seriously. I know nhobby podcasters pulling multiple six figures from sponsor spots alone! Wild, I know.

Layer these next-level methods as your audience grows. Before you know it, you'll have multiple thriving affiliate income streams. Now go get that cheddar!