ProBlogger: 12 Tips for Affiliate Marketing to Help You Monetize Your Blog

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ProBlogger: 12 Tips for Affiliate Marketing to Help You Monetize Your Blog

12 Tips for Affiliate Marketing to Help You Monetize Your Blog

Posted: 27 May 2021 05:00 AM PDT

The post 12 Tips for Affiliate Marketing to Help You Monetize Your Blog appeared first on ProBlogger.

12 tips for affiliate marketing to help you monetize your blog

This post is based on episode 51 of the ProBlogger podcast.

This week's post is all about affiliate marketing – one of the many ways you can make money blogging. I'll tell you what it is and how it works, and then give you 12 tips you can use to earn more from this type of monetization.

What is affiliate marketing?

In a nutshell, affiliate marketing is when you earn money by helping someone else sell their product or service.

As you can imagine, over on Digital Photography School we talk a lot about camera equipment – cameras, lenses, tripods, etc. And whenever we mention a particular product we include a link to that product on Amazon. That way, if the reader likes what they see they can buy it from Amazon without needing to search for it.

In effect, we're helping Amazon sell their camera gear. And so Amazon rewards us by paying us a small commission each time a reader buys their camera gear through one of our links.

Here's a diagram to illustrate how it all works.

For this to happen, we joined their affiliate program. They then gave us a unique code we've added to all our links to let them know the buyer came from our site.

Why businesses like affiliate marketing

More and more businesses are offering affiliate programs that work in pretty much the same way. Why? Because it's a much safer way of spending their advertising dollar.

When an advertiser pays you to have a banner ad for their business on your site, there's no guarantee they'll get a return on their investment. That banner might get a thousand clicks, but it could just as easily be ignored completely – especially now that ad blockers are so popular.

But with affiliate marketing, it doesn't matter if no-one clicks on the affiliate link because they didn't pay you to put it there. And they only have to pay the commission once they've made the sale.

When affiliate marketing works best

While this might seem like an easy way to monetize your blog, don't expect to be living off your commissions any time soon.

Affiliate marketing will work best if your blog has these three qualities.

Perceived authority or expertise on a topic. If you're seen as someone who knows what they're talking about, can be trusted, and has authority, then you'll have a much better chance of someone clicking on one of your affiliate links.
A trusting relationship between you and your readers. Affiliate marketing works much better when your readers feel as if they know you, trust you, and have a relationship with you.
Readers who are in a buying mood. Not everyone comes to your blog intent on buying something. But if you regularly review products on your blog then they may well be ready to buy when they get to the end of your posts.

Affiliate marketing also works better when you have a lot of traffic. But it needs to be the right kind of traffic. There's no point bringing people to your blog who aren't the slightest bit interested in the products you're linking to.

Different types of affiliate programs

The Amazon model, where you're effectively helping them sell products on their site, isn't the only way to do affiliate marketing.

There are also affiliate networks such as Rakuten Advertising and Commission Junction, where you promote a variety of products from different suppliers.

There are also private affiliate programs you can join to help people sell ebooks and courses, such as our own Ultimate Bundles affiliate program.

Tips to help you get more out of affiliate marketing

Now that you know more about affiliate marketing, here are 12 tips to help you earn more from having it on your blog.

1. Make sure you're committed to your readers

You need to take your relationship with your readers seriously, because if you promote the wrong product it can do a lot of damage. Make sure it's relevant to them, and never promote anything you wouldn't be prepared to buy yourself.

2. Aim for the affiliate sweet spot

An important part of affiliate marketing is knowing about your readers' wants, needs and desires (which, as a blogger, you should already know). That puts you in a good position to recommend an affiliate's product that can fulfil those wants, needs and desires.

But you also need to find a way to talk about that product and what it can do for the reader without it sounding like sleazy sales talk.

So what you're looking for what I call the affiliate 'sweet spot'.

It's where the needs of your readers, the products you're promoting and the way you're promoting them are all in perfect balance.

3. Choose the right products for your audience

As I said earlier, you need to make sure that what you're marketing is a good fit for your readers. And that can mean more than just the products themselves.

Most of my readers on Digital Photography School are beginners who don't have a lot of money to spend. And so I'm much better off selling $20 ebooks than $2,000 courses. And even when we do promote higher value products, we usually offer something similar at a lower price.

4. Go beyond banner ads

Many affiliate programs will give you different options for promoting their product. As well as the raw link, they may also offer banner ads or buttons to put on your site.

These days, most people mentally 'filter out' these kinds of things (assuming a plugin hasn't hidden them already). Instead, put them in any post where you talk about the products. You can also put them in your email newsletters and social media posts.

5. Make sure your reviews are transparent and genuine

Don't say a product is perfect just so people will buy it. Be honest, and tell them what they might not like about it. Or at least point out that it will suit some people better than others.

Your readers will appreciate your honesty – especially when you help them avoid a purchase they may end up regretting.

6. Use social proof

People often make purchasing decision of what other people are buying. If something is popular, then it's probably for a good reason. And they'll use this 'social proof' to gauge what they should buy.

If your affiliate program gives you information on what people have been buying through your links, you can use this information to create a 'bestseller' list with affiliate links to the most popular items. And because they're the biggest sellers, your reader may be more inclined to make a purchase.

7. Drive traffic to your best converting promotions

Another tip is to drive as much traffic to the pages containing those bestselling items as you can. Whenever we create these kinds of lists I drive as much traffic to them as I can through social media. I also mention them in our newsletter, and create links to them in our site navigation.

8. Be transparent and use disclaimers

Whenever you're promoting a product for financial benefit, you have a moral obligation (and probably a legal one) to disclose that you're making money from it. It's another way to build trust with your readers and strengthen your relationship with them.

It can also give them an incentive to buy products through your affiliate links, as they'll be helping you by making the purchase.

9. Track your results

Most affiliate programs have some kind of reporting system. Use it to find out what promotion method works best for you. Some even let you use different links so you can track what worked on social media versus what worked in email.

10. Try different promotion methods

Whenever you promote a product that has an affiliate link, don't just stop once you've written about it. Think about other ways you could talk about the product – in your newsletter, on social media, in a post interviewing the creator, etc.

Here's a graphic showing a possible sequence of events for promoting a product.

Of course, you don't need to do them all. Just choose the ones you think will work for you.

11. Try seasonal promotions, events and bundles

Each year we do a '12 Days of Christmas' campaign on Digital Photography School where we negotiate deals with different affiliates every day for 12 days before Christmas. (We also throw in a few of our own books.) And every day for those 12 days we offer a different deal to our audience.

You might me able to do something similar. Or you can simply look for any specials that are being offered on the likes of Amazon and let people know about them.

You can do the same for other occasions, such as Thanksgiving or Cyber Monday.

12. Balance the frequency of your promotions

With so many products available online, you could easily promote one every day. But chances are your readers would quickly get sick of the constant promoting. And that's the last thing you want.

So think about how often you'll promote a product. You could have a 'Pick of the week' post each Friday that talks about a new product you've spotted. Or you could base your promotions around particular times of the year such as Christmas and the end of the financial year.

Over to you

If you’ve never done affiliate marketing on your blog before, then I hope this post has given you some ideas about where you might start. And if you’re already monetizing your blog with affiliate marketing, I hope these tips will help you get more out of it.

Want to learn more about creating a profitable blog? Then check out our Make Money course.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

The post 12 Tips for Affiliate Marketing to Help You Monetize Your Blog appeared first on ProBlogger.

ProBlogger: 5 Tips from Full-Time Bloggers

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ProBlogger: 5 Tips from Full-Time Bloggers

5 Tips from Full-Time Bloggers

Posted: 13 May 2021 05:00 AM PDT

The post 5 Tips from Full-Time Bloggers appeared first on ProBlogger.

5 Tips from Full-Time Bloggers

This post is based on episode 155 of the ProBlogger podcast.

About five years ago I started using a new piece of software for creating and distributing surveys. As you probably know, I've been using surveys for a while to learn more about my readers and their needs.

As part of my testing process, I sent out a survey to a list of 50 full-time bloggers asking one simple question: "What's the number one tip you'd give a blogger who's just starting out and wants to become a full-time blogger?"

The software did what I expected it to do, and soon I had replies from nearly everyone on my list. What I didn't expect was the variety of answers I got back.

Or rather, the lack of variety.

In the end, there was so much overlap and similarity in their responses that I ended up with five tips. And those tips are just as relevant as they were five years ago, so I thought I'd share them with you.

Here they are (in no particular order).

1. Be yourself

"Just be you. Speak in your own voice, and don't try to be anyone else. Swim in your own lane."

"Be yourself."

"Keep it real."

"Find your authentic voice."

"My best tip is to write about what you love and have experience in. Honesty comes out in your writing."

"Only write about what you're passionate about, your own unique experiences."

"Don't copy, find your own voice and use that. Remember, cover bands don't change the world."

"If you're passionate about something, let it shine through in every aspect of your blog. Don't get so caught up in watching stats and gaining followers that you forget why you started blogging in the first place. Be authentic and make those connections organically, because those are the people who'll stick with you during your rollercoaster journey of ups and downs."

"Write about something you're genuinely interested in. In a crowded space, the best way to stand out is to be yourself. There's no-one like you. Your story, your opinion, your voice, and your humor are all unique. Tap into that."

I love this piece of advice. It may take you a while to work out who you really are. But that last comment is spot on: The way to stand out is to find out who you are and to let it come through in your voice.

2. Be consistent

Out of the 50-odd people who responded to my survey, almost a quarter of them mentioned being consistent.

"People like consistency."

"Be consistent and be yourself."

"Be regular with your writing. It really helps to keep the momentum going for both you as the writer and your readers."

"Blogging is never about one post. It's your body of work that you'll become known for."

"Keep going, keep talking, and keep taking consistent action no matter how small. When you look back in a year you'll be amazed at how far you've come."

"Be consistent with the content you deliver. Be genuine in what you write about, and how you deliver your message. If you do those things, the money and business side will naturally start to flow."

"Keep going, and stay true to your voice and the info you want to provide."

I talk about being consistency a lot here at ProBlogger, and that you need to keep creating content no matter how well you write. Sure, you may have a post go viral and bring you a heap of traffic. But unless you have a large archive of content to keep those readers on your site – posts, videos, tweets, etc. – that traffic will disappear as quickly as it arrived. And that's why consistency is key to making a full-time career from blogging.

3. Be persistent

Along with being consistent, a lot of the replies talked about being persistent.

"It takes time to build a good blog."

"Beware. It's going to be a lot of work."

"Slow and steady wins the race."

"Keep going, it can take time to grow."

"Keep going and keep learning."

"Keep going. If you feel like quitting, reconnect with your why and keep going."

"Persist for you, not the numbers."

If you want to enough money to be a full-time blogger, you need to keep going no matter what. Make no mistake: it's going to be a while before you start earning enough money to even consider going full-time. And the only way you'll make it is to keep writing great content.

4. Give it a go

Of course, these tips won't amount to anything unless you actually create your blog and start writing content for it. And that was the fourth tip that came out of all those responses.

"Jump in and give it a go."

"My biggest tip is to just start. So many people want to start a blog. They worry about how they won't be good enough, or compare themselves to established bloggers. If you don't start, you can never build on it. Don't worry it not being perfect because it will never be perfect, no matter when you start. So start now."

"If you haven't started, start. And then stick at it."

Every full-time blogger I've met became successful by finding their own path and their own distinct way forward. But they all shared one common trait: they started out with nothing. No blog, no readers, no traffic, and no idea what the future held in store for them.

I was no different. My email list was just as empty as theirs to begin with, and I ended up subscribing just to get it above zero. Later on I subscribed my dad, my wife, and a bunch of other people I knew.

My first email went out to 17 subscribers, and I wondered why I'd even bothered creating and sending it out, especially as no-one had clicked on any of the links.

But my next email went out to 30 people, and a couple of people did click on the links. And the next week it went out to 45 subscribers, and I got even more clicks.

Today I have more than 750,000 subscribers on that list. And it brings in a lot of traffic to my blog, which helps me earn enough money to be a full-time blogger.

Will you have similar success with your blog? I can't tell you that. But what I can tell you is that it will never happen unless you give it a go.

5. Do something meaningful

The last tip I got out of my survey results was to make an impact by doing something meaningful.

"Reach the heart of your readers because the more hearts you touch, the more the numbers will start to follow."

"Do something meaningful to you and your readers. If it means something to you, you'll be able to get through the tough times. If you do something meaningful to others, you'll do something that people will want to connect with and share."

"Know your why. Know why you're blogging, and then write it down so you can wave it in front of anyone who tells you that you should be doing something else. You might blog to make money, to draw up business, to help others, to connect with others, or to simply be creative. Figuring out your motivation for blogging will stop you from being overwhelmed by all the things you could or should be doing with your blog."

This tip really resonates with me. Knowing your why will influence the direction you go, and help you to make wise choices about what to do.

What's your tip?

Imagine you found my survey in your inbox. How would you answer my question? What would your number one tip be? Let us know in the comments.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

The post 5 Tips from Full-Time Bloggers appeared first on ProBlogger.

ProBlogger: The Power of Being Vulnerable

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ProBlogger: The Power of Being Vulnerable

The Power of Being Vulnerable

Posted: 06 May 2021 05:00 AM PDT

The post The Power of Being Vulnerable appeared first on ProBlogger.

The power of being vulnerable

This post is based on episode 255 of the ProBlogger podcast.

A lot of bloggers feel that showing any sign of weakness will damage their reputation and weaken their authority . And so they talk only about their successes, and never about their fears, doubts, or mistakes.

But I've learned from personal experience that being vulnerable and talking about the not-so-successful decisions you've made can be incredibly powerful. And while showing vulnerability can be risky, it it's done right it can provide a number of benefits.

And that's what I want to talk about this week: being vulnerable with your audience.

My first experience with vulnerability

When I was 16 I did a course in public speaking, which included a series of five-minute talks. I was incredibly nervous, and proceeded to fill my five minutes with as many facts and theories and as much how-to information as I could. And while it was all good information, all I could think while looking at my audience was, Are they even listening to me?

After my talk, the teacher gave me this piece of valuable feedback: "You need to include something a little bit more personal. Share something about yourself".

For my next talk I decided share a story about a mistake I'd made. And I can still remember the entire audience leaning forward as I shared my moment of vulnerability. They were more than interested. They were captivated.

And that's when I learned about the power of being vulnerable.

My Medium experience

A few years ago I wrote an article about my third mid-life crisis. But while I talked about my career as blogger in that article, it wasn't really a blogging article. And so I submitted it to Medium.com instead.

It was definitely a risk, because showing 'weakness' like I did could have eroded some of my authority or even frustrated some of my readers and listeners. After all, I'd built my brand and reputation about creating useful content.

But the feedback I got from those who read my article (bloggers and non-bloggers) was staggering. Here are just some of the highlights.

The article received 8,000 views, 1,400 "Claps" and 38 comments.
It resonated with a much wider age range than expected (20–85).
People responded with personal, vulnerable, and in-depth comments.
More than 350 people joined the Facebook group to discuss the article.
Real-life friends, family members, blog readers and complete strangers contacted me, and talked to each other to form a community.
People found it refreshing that I was transparent and didn't always have it all together.
The feedback gave me energy and freedom.

With power comes responsibility

Vulnerability can be contagious. When you show people that you're willing to let your guard down and show some vulnerability, a lot of them will do the same.

But while that can be a positive, you also need to realise that you could be opening the proverbial can of worms for some people. And so you need to be there to care for them, respond to them, acknowledge them, and value them in some way. And depending on how many people read what you've written, that can involve a considerable amount of time, effort and energy.

What to consider before you show vulnerability

While being vulnerable can be a powerful thing, you need to consider what you're saying. There's always the risk of oversharing, which can potentially damage your brand and your reputation. And depending on what it is you're sharing, you can also hurt other people – even if you have their best interests at heart.

So here are four questions you should ask yourself before you hit 'Publish'.

(Full disclosure: I didn't come up with these questions myself. I'm actually borrowing them from a post Aimee Beltran wrote for BlogPaws. It's a great post, and you should definitely read it when you finish reading this one.)

"Am I ready to share this?" As much as you want to show your vulnerability, it may be too soon to do it. You may not be in a good space. You may need time to process information, or deal with your emotions. And remember: being vulnerable may be lead to other people being equally vulnerable. Are you ready to have those conversations with people?
"Why am I sharing this?" Are you doing it just to get back at someone, or to get lots of traffic? If so, then you may want to think twice. Perhaps you're doing it to help others, or even as a form of therapy. If that's the case the question might be "Why are you sharing this here?" You might be better off sharing your story in a different place where you have a more suitable audience.
"Am I oversharing?" As I said, oversharing can potentially damage both your brand and your reputation. So you may want to get a second opinion on whether you should be publishing what you've written. You may want to ask your friends for their opinion, or try it out on a smaller group of people. Another option is to sit on it for a few days and then come back to it. You may feel a lot differently about what you've written.
"Will this hurt someone I love?" This is an incredibly important question to ask yourself. In my Medium article I talked about periods of my life that I shared with my friends and family, and I didn't want to offend any of them. So I had to work really hard –rewording and expanding some parts, and deleting others – so I could show my vulnerability without hurting anyone else.

Ready to show some vulnerability?

I can understand you wanting to keep your vulnerabilities to yourself. But I truly believe that being vulnerable with your audience will help you in the long run.

You don't have to be vulnerable in every post you write. And your vulnerabilities don't need to be the entire focus of your post. You can quickly mention something that didn't quite go to plan, and then either move on or use it to create a teaching moment. And over time, your readers will get a much better idea of who you are and the journey you've taken to be where you are today.

So how are you going to be vulnerable? Let us know in the comments.

Photo by Oxana Lyashenko on Unsplash

The post The Power of Being Vulnerable appeared first on ProBlogger.

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