Are you looking for affiliate marketing tips that will significantly increase your bottom line?
Then, you’re going to love this post.
In these tips, you’ll learn:
- Why it’s essential to know your audience
- Why quality content matters more than ever
- How to increase commissions overnight
And much more.
Let’s dive in.
23 Affiliate Marketing Tips for More Income
There’s nothing wrong with wanting more income in business, and these affiliate marketing tips will help.
Follow as many of them as possible, and you’ll see your affiliate commissions sore.
1. Know your audience better than they know themselves
Understanding your target audience is essential if you want to be successful in affiliate marketing.
Why?
Because your audience has a problem, and sometimes they have no idea what it is. And the ones that sort of know struggle to eliminate it from their lives.
They need your guidance and support in making a decision to overcome this struggle.
For example, it could be as simple as helping someone improve their golf swing by recommending they practice with a swing trainer.
The pain they face is looking like an amateur and feeling embarrassed. Another pain could be fear of failure or wasting money if it doesn’t work.
It’s your job to build their confidence so they have less resistance in making decisions.
And you do that by knowing your audience and understanding them inside out.
So, how do you get to know them on a deeper level?
One of the best ways is to create a buyer persona or customer avatar. This simple exercise will have you define their needs and wants.
It helps you understand what they struggle with and guides you in finding better affiliate products to recommend.
Not only that, but you’ll be better equipt at communicating in the language of your audience, thus building more rapport and trust with them.
2. Promote a mixture of popular and newer products
As an affiliate marketer, it may be tempting to only review the most popular products in the market.
However, the most popular products have the highest demand and, thus, are the most competitive.
Therefore, it’s a good strategy to promote popular products as well as newer and trending products.
This can benefit you in many ways.
First, you’ll be seen as an authority in the niche if you’re reviewing up-and-coming products that no one has heard of.
It’s commonly known that being a first mover in business can give you a competitive advantage, which also applies to affiliate marketing.
Second, new products in your niche will naturally have less competition and less search volume.
This means it’ll be much easier to rank your content higher because fewer people will be targeting them.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to review the competitive products either. It’ll position you as a niche expert and make you stand out as a result.
If you already get a lot of traffic, this affiliate marketing tip can potentially increase your income overnight.
The main reason is that many people visiting your site are skimming the content and don’t see your affiliate links.
However, adding a popup with a call to action with your affiliate links is hard to miss.
You can use persuasive copy and an image of what you’re promoting to help get the click.
In addition to a pop-up, you could add a sidebar CTA, as these show directly beside the content they’re reading.
A pro tip with sidebar banners for affiliates is to use a sticky sidebar plugin. This will keep the affiliate offer in view as they scroll down.
4. Create an affiliate marketing funnel
This is one of the best affiliate marketing tips you can implement because it builds more trust with your audience and converts more sales.
But what is an affiliate marketing funnel?
Essentially, it involves strategically creating content at each stage of the buyer’s journey and guiding them to make a purchase.
The stages of the buyer’s journey go from unawareness of the problem to purchasing a product to resolve the problem.
It’s called a funnel because there are more people at the top than there are at the bottom.
Moreover, specific types of content attract people who are at different stages.
Therefore, it’s important to include content at each stage.
Here’s a quick look at what that looks like:
- Top of funnel content: Informational posts that start with “why” or “what”
- Middle of funnel content: How to’s and ultimate guides
- Bottom of content: Affiliate product reviews, comparison guides, and case studies
When developing your funnel, it’s best to start with your offer and then work backward.
This will help you map out an effective content strategy for your blog and other marketing channels.
5. Spend time on high-quality reviews
Whether you’re writing content for a review blog or showing off products in a YouTube video, content quality is vital.
Especially since Google implemented the product reviews system update.
Now part of the Google algorithm, this update looks at specific criteria when ranking product reviews.
They have since changed the name of the update to “reviews system” to encompass any type of review.
Still, we can learn a lot about what Google deems important when ranking an affiliate website.
To give a quick overview, focus on these to ensure your review content is on par:
- User-Centric perspective: Reviews should focus on the user’s experience and needs
- Evidence-based: Provide evidence, visuals, or links to support your expertise and review authenticity
- Comparative analysis: Explain what sets the product apart from competitors and discuss comparable options
- Include pros and cons: Share the benefits and drawbacks based on your own research
- Product evolution: Mention how a product has changed from previous versions
- Multiple sellers: Provide links to multiple merchants
Essentially, Google wants you to focus on quality and original reviews, not arbitrary metrics like article length.
They also state in their documentation to try and follow as many of the 14 guidelines as possible for the best results.
6. Follow the rules
Another vital affiliate marketing tip is following the rules of The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and affiliate program policies.
However, you don’t need to panic.
The most important thing to do is include an affiliate disclosure on your site.
This piece of text clearly states that you’re an affiliate and that links on your site may result in a commission.
You can get more details in our in-depth post affiliate link disclosure examples.
Other rules you need to follow will be similar across most affiliate programs. The Amazon Associates program policy outlines everything you need to stick to.
Our post on how to become an Amazon affiliate breaks this down simply.
7. Collect email addresses
This next tip won’t come as a surprise.
Email marketing has been the channel with the highest Return On Investment (ROI) since the beginning of the internet.
To be specific, for every $1 spent on email marketing, you can expect a $40 return.
That’s huge.
But how does this work with affiliate marketing?
Well, let’s say you only share affiliate links on your blog. You will only convert a small percentage of your visitors into affiliate commissions.
Plus, the studies show that more than 90% of your website visitors will never return to your site.
So, collecting email addresses gives you another way to communicate with your readers. And promote more affiliate products that they’ll love. And we recently listed some of the best lead generation tools to help!
You’ll also have another means of getting people back on your site to increase income with other blog monetization strategies.
8. Promote across multiple platforms
Did you know you can post affiliate content on social media sites?
It’s true. And, the more channels you promote products on, the higher your income potential.
It means you don’t have to reserve affiliate content for your blog alone.
You can repurpose it on other platforms.
Here are some of the sites you can post affiliate links on:
- YouTube: In the description box
- Medium: In the articles you publish
- Pinterest: In the Pin description
- Instagram: In Reels, Stories, and the Instagram shop
- Facebook: In your profile, Page, or Group
- Twitter: In your tweets
- TikTok: The video description
It’s the ability to promote affiliate products on multiple platforms that makes affiliate marketing so appealing.
9. Use informational content to your advantage
Affiliate marketing isn’t just about product reviews. It can also be about educating your audience to help them make better buying decisions.
And you can use it to your advantage.
Just imagine a site with only product reviews. Or a social network account that only posts promotional content.
It would be quite a turn-off.
Instead, you can add informational content and include affiliate recommendations within.
For example, you publish an article on “how to stop a cat from scratching furniture.”
You can list different tips, with one or more being products that prevent it, such as a scratching post.
That’s exactly what this site does in one of their articles. This example links to their own products, but the same can be done with an affiliate blog.
Adding contextual links directly to an Amazon Associates product works wonders. Additionally, adding buttons and links from images also works well.
10. Show hands-on experience with the products
With the recent updates to the Google algorithm, demonstrating hands-on experience will go a long way when ranking in Google.
More specifically, the Helpful Content Update emphasizes the importance of expertise and depth of knowledge.
Stating an example: “Expertise that comes from having actually used a product or service, or visiting a place.”
This is reiterated in the “reviews system update” mentioned above (affiliate marketing tip #5).
Essentially, humans want to be recommended products by other humans who have actually used the products.
Therefore, knowing the products inside out and showing evidence with pictures will go a long way to satisfy readers and search engines alike.
11. Build a brand to gain trust and reputation
Branding isn’t an aspect that comes to the minds of many affiliate marketers.
But it could be one of the best affiliate marketing tips to implement.
When you build a brand, you benefit from so many things:
- Trust
- Loyalty
- Reputation
- Expertise
- Individuality
Without a brand, you get lost in the sea of other affiliate sites trying to compete for the same things, with little way of telling them apart.
With a brand, you not only differentiate yourself through design but also through positioning yourself with strong values and a mission to fulfill.
These values and the mission you express will attract the right people to your content and catapult your conversions.
Building a brand with a strong identity will give you an edge over the competition and add credibility to your affiliate promotions.
12. Apply for affiliate programs with recurring commissions
It’s a no-brainer. Signing up for recurring affiliate programs will vastly increase your income in the long run.
So, instead of settling with one-time payouts only, see if you can find affiliate programs that continue to pay you in the future.
These can be programs for software, web hosting, WordPress themes, productivity trackers, marketing tools, and many more.
To find these types of programs in your own niche, search Google with using the following operator:
“affiliate” “%” “recurring” niche
Replace niche with the niche you’re in; whether it be gardening, fishing, or backpacking, there could be a recurring affiliate marketing program to join.
Also, you might be able to find something in our list of the best niches for affiliate marketing.
13. Partner with brands for exclusive discounts
This tip is a win-win-win for all parties involved.
You offer a discount code to your audience, and they save money. You make an affiliate sale, and the merchant makes a sale.
But how do you offer discounts?
Luckily, many affiliate programs will offer affiliates a discount coupon.
It’s a case of checking inside your affiliate dashboard with the affiliate networks you sign up to.
Failing that, you can contact your affiliate partners to see if they’ll provide you with an exclusive deal.
This will incentivize people to use your affiliate links over others if your discount saves them more money.
It’s all about negotiation but also comes down to the size of your audience and how well you convert people.
Give it a try and see your affiliate commission rise.
14. Join multiple affiliate programs
Similar to joining recurring affiliate programs, joining multiple programs will maximize your earning potential.
Furthermore, it safeguards you if you see a dip in commissions from one affiliate partnership.
Luckily, there are tons of affiliate networks and independent programs out there in every niche imaginable.
To find the right ones, check out our post on the best affiliate programs for beginners.
15. Use analytics to track performance
In business, they often say, “If you can’t measure it you can’t improve it.”
This also applies to affiliate marketing campaigns.
Posting content on your blog and never checking how it performs should be avoided at all costs.
The most successful affiliate marketers are measuring everything.
From CTR in SEO and time on page to affiliate link clicks and conversions, gathering this data will be insightful.
One of the best ways to implement this is to use affiliate tracking software such as Affilimate.
This will give you a detailed overview of what content is performing at its best and which ones need your attention.
Moreover, it will help you make more informed decisions about the products and affiliate programs you work with in the future.
16. Publish product comparisons
This affiliate marketing tip will help you rank for even more product-related keywords.
That’s because these types of keywords are less competitive and aren’t targeted as much as individual reviews.
It’s an effective strategy because many people are on the fence between two products.
Hence, the search volume for keywords such as Bluehost vs Hostgator.
Adding product comparisons to your blog content strategy will not only increase your affiliate revenue but also help support individual reviews.
You can internally link to the individual reviews from a “VS” post, which will boost SEO rankings as a result.
You can use a couple of methods to find these types of comparisons between products in your niche.
The first one is to look up the keywords in one of your competitors. For example, in Ahrefs, you’ll find a list of their keywords, which can be filtered with the word “vs”.
The second method works if you already know one of the products you want to review. Just search for this product in your keyword research tool of choice and add the same filter to find “vs” related keywords.
17. Niche down, but not too much
Finding your niche is one thing, but to niche down can feel even more limiting.
But there is a solution.
First, write a list of niches you’re interested in that are almost related.
For example:
- Sustainable living
- Mindfulness
- Technology
- Personal development
Even though these are different niches, they could work well together on one website.
The second step is to find products you can promote in these areas.
Such as solar panels for sustainable living (check out the best solar affiliate programs here), meditation cushions for mindfulness, productivity apps for technology, and online courses for personal development.
Third, you want to list five blog topic ideas for each of these niches and publish those on your site.
It won’t happen overnight, but checking Google Search Console will reveal which niches are getting the most traction.
The fourth step is to go all in on this sub-niche.
You can find more keywords that relate well to those already or find new opportunities in Search Console.
This affiliate marketing strategy will help you establish topical authority and topical relevance, as the content you share is so specific.
Pro tip: If you haven’t yet chosen a name for your affiliate marketing business, choose something broad, so you don’t get locked into one product.
You want to niche down with the content, but not with the name, so you can expand in the future.
18. Use retargeting to increase returning visitors
Retargeting is a popular strategy used in the eCommerce industry.
It works with a piece of code called a “pixel” that tracks people’s browsing history.
The visitor will then see ads all over the web, depending on where the merchant runs ad campaigns.
You can also do this as an affiliate marketer with a slight twist.
Instead of browsing your products, visitors read your product reviews, comparisons, and roundups.
Then, they see an ad on a platform like Facebook, attracting them back to your article.
If the visitor didn’t click your affiliate link and make a purchase, this is a great way of hooking them back into your funnel.
Some great platforms for this include Replug, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
19. Optimize your calls to action
Your call to action is essential when it comes to affiliate marketing. That’s what makes this affiliate marketing tip so powerful.
Instead of simply instructing people to “click here”, your CTA needs to be so compelling that they can’t help but click.
Here are a few pointers to follow:
- Track your CTAs: Use GA4 and GTM to get specific with your external affiliate clicks
- Above the fold: Place CTAs above the fold so people see them as soon as they land on the page
- Use words that convey urgency: Such as “Get Started Today”, “Exclusive Offer”, “Grab It Now”, and “Act Fast”
- Link color: Test different colors for your buttons and text links
- A/B test: Use tools such as Optimizely to test different variations
- Use heatmaps: Examine how well your CTAs are performing with heatmaps
Don’t underestimate the power of an effective call to action. They can drastically explode your earnings.
20. Update content regularly
The landscape of SEO is changing, and information that performs well today may not perform so well in the future.
With the explosion of AI technology, the way people access information has significant consequences (and don’t forget to check out some of the best AI affiliate programs here).
For example, anyone can access ChatGPT for free and gain more knowledge on a topic than most of the population.
They can then compare what they know with the top results in Google.
Essentially it gives hundreds or thousands of people a competitive advantage based on what they know and the value they share.
If you think there is a wealth of information online today, imagine what the internet will look like in 5 years from now.
It’s likely that even the biggest publications we know about will compete with newer sites that don’t even exist yet.
Therefore, that’s why keeping your content up to date is essential.
Especially for affiliate marketers.
To stay informed, follow industry leaders, monitor your competitors, and analyze how your audience interacts with your content.
21. Choose reputable brands
This tip is essential for long-term affiliate marketing success.
Why?
Because you don’t want to recommend unreliable brands or products that will give your audience a bad experience.
Remember, affiliate marketing should be treated as a business thus, you should treat your audience as if they are your own customers.
Working only with reliable brands and providing quality products and services, the more your audience will trust your recommendations.
Thus, the more they will likely use your affiliate links in the future.
22. Utilize multiple sources of traffic
An essential ingredient to make money as an affiliate marketer is traffic.
Without it, no one will see your links and buy the products you promote.
But limiting yourself to one source of traffic is also a bad idea.
Imagine getting tons of organic traffic from Google, and one day, it’s cut in half due to an algorithm change.
That’s devastating, but it happens all the time.
It’s best to diversify your traffic sources across multiple platforms.
Here are just a few options:
- Social media (organic): Grow an audience on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and X (Twitter), and send organic clicks directly to your affiliate links
- YouTube: Turn your blog content into YouTube videos and post affiliate links in the description
- Organic search (SEO): This might be one of the best traffic sources out there because the traffic usually has a higher conversion rate than other platforms
- Paid traffic: This method is best used to send more traffic to your blog as many affiliate programs won’t allow affiliate promotion with paid ads
- Push traffic: These are browser notifications visitors sign up to
- Email newsletters: Send blog updates that contain affiliate or link directly to affiliate links from your email campaigns
By diversifying your traffic, you ensure a continual flow of visitors to your affiliate offers.
Ultimately, this will increase your overall earnings and protect you if other traffic sources dry up.
23. Keep an eye on what’s trending
An underutilized affiliate marketing tactic is looking for products that are currently trending.
This could be due to a brand launching a paid marketing strategy, resulting in more people searching for their products online.
This buzz around these products can help you boost exposure to social media accounts or organic searches.
You can use Google Trends or a tool like Exploding Topics to find trending brands or products.
Exploding Topics gives future trend predictions so you can get in before anyone else.
Affiliate Marketing Tips in Conclusion
There you have it. An epic list of affiliate marketing tips you can start implementing today.
Adding these tips to your affiliate marketing strategy will give you an edge over your competitors. Not only that, but you’ll gain more trust with your audience and rank for more keywords.
However, don’t be put off if you don’t see results immediately. Some might take longer than others.
The next step? To diversify your revenue to other income streams. See how to do that in our post on how to make money from a website.