Melanie

  De Jong

Melanie

  De Jong

Hey There, I’m Melanie! I am a former CPA turned personal finance blogger and mom of three. When you ‘Budget With Mel’, you’ll develop monthly budgets, cost-cutting tactics, and learn new behaviors and beliefs about money. It’s time you took the stress and confusion out of your personal finances.

Hey There, I’m Melanie! I am a former CPA turned personal finance blogger and mom of three. When you ‘Budget With Mel’, you’ll develop monthly budgets, cost-cutting tactics, and learn new behaviors and beliefs about money. It’s time you took the stress and confusion out of your personal finances.

The Best Affiliate Programs for New Bloggers

melaniedj • Feb 05, 2019

You've got your blog up and running (if you haven't, this post will get you started in 15 minutes). You're sitting back, enjoying a glass of wine, hoping that money will start appearing !

Ok, maybe that's not quite what you're doing, but if you're anything like me, you like the idea of making money while your sleeping.

Warren Buffet is quoted as saying "if you can't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die."

Y'all. I definitely don't want to work until I die. Heck I don't even want to work until retirement.

I want to make money while I sleep so that I can do life on my terms.

If that sounds like you, you're at the right place. I am going to tell you all about one of the best ways to make money blogging- affiliate marketing!

WAYS TO MAKE MONEY BLOGGING

Let's get right to it.

First, I want to make sure that you have an understanding of the basic ways to make money blogging.

  1. Create a Course/Product -  This is a great way to make money, but you have to have the right tools and it takes a while to research and develop your own product. I just created my first product- the Budget Bundle!
  2. Sponsored Posts- A company/person will pay you to write a product review. You are in control of the content, but they do have requirements that you have to meet.
  3. Display Ads -  You can either use an ad company like Google Adsense, Mediavine, AdThrive (must have over 100k pageviews), etc, or you can have paid ad space on your blog. For instance, you can sell the space on your sidebar for $300.
  4. Affiliate Marketing-  Alright friends, this is the good stuff. In the most basic sense, affiliate marketing is where you earn a commission when someone clicks through and buys a product from a link that you publish, and this is how you can literally make money while you sleep.

WHY AFFILIATE MARKETING?

Affiliate marketing allows you to work smarter, not harder.

That sounds pretty nice, eh? I think the reason that some people are so hesitant when it comes to affiliate marketing is because they have connected time and value in their minds.

What I mean is that they say, well that's just too easy.

Don't get me wrong, affiliate marketing will require hard work if you want your links to convert.

However, once you can master conversion, you are setting yourself up to make money on autopilot.

BEST AFFILIATE PROGRAMS FOR NEW BLOGGERS

1. BLUEHOST

There are sooo many reasons that I love Bluehost , and one of the perks of using Bluehost for hosting is that they have an outstanding affiliate program, and you are of course accepted immediately.

For every person that you refer to Bluehost that purchases through your link, you can receive a commissions starting at $65 per referral.

There are so many ways that you can earn commissions through Bluehost, no matter what kind of blog niche you are in.

If you haven't signed up with Bluehost already, read How to Start a Wordpress Blog on Bluehost in Under 15 Minutes.

If you want to make any sort of money blogging, you need to be self-hosted otherwise you will not have control over your content/affiliate marketing and you will not be taken seriously as a blogger.

It's super easy to promote Bluehost if you actually use them as your hosting provider- you can do a simple how to start a blog post and use your affiliate links there!

2. SHARE-A-SALE

Share-a-sale is a network that has thousands of different advertisers who offer affiliate products and are looking for bloggers to promote those products/services.

I came across Share-a-sale after taking the Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing Course , as it was recommended by the course creator, Michelle, who makes over $50k per month from affiliate marketing.

Y'all. When someone who makes over $50k per month from affiliate marketing gives you advice, you write it on your heart. Memorize it. Breath it. You get the point.

Even as a brand new blogger, you can easily find companies within your niche that offer affiliate programs!

3. EBATES

All you need to promote Ebates is an account. It doesn't get easier than that, friends.

Ebates is not that difficult to promote either, because it's a service that offers cash-back on purchases.

I have Ebates installed on my browser (they have a mobile app as well) so whenever I go to a site to make a purchase, it alerts me if they offer cash back for that site, or any coupons available!

Cash back ads up really fast, and Ebates offers it for TONS of stores/chains.

I've even used Ebates on our hotel stay at the Holiday Inn, and I got 8% cash back from my purchase.

My favorite part? It doesn't require that any credit cards are involved (we don't have any)!

WIN WIN!

4. IBOTTA

Ibotta is very similar to Ebates, offering cash back on different purchases.

They offer a mobile app as well and it is the same concept as Ebates, you earn cash back for your purchases!

Ibotta is great for saving money on groceries!

5. CONVERTKIT

Ok, I'm going to share a blogging secret with you.

Convertkit + good content/opt-in freebies = major blogging success.

I used to use Mailchimp as my email marketing service (because its free), and I recently switched to Convertkit. I'd love to tell you that the free version works just as good, but I'm here to help you!

Once I switched to Convertkit , my email list started growing 300x faster than when I used Mailchimp, mainly because of the advanced features that Convertkit offers.

So, moral of the story is if you want to grow your email list, Convertkit is a must.

Although Convertkit is spendy (worth every single penny) , they offer a great affiliate program!

As a ConvertKit affiliate you’ll earn a 30% commission each month from everyone you refer. That means if someone purchases an account worth $99/month, you’ll earn $30. Every month.

6. TAILWIND

Tailwind is magic!

This is a service that schedules your Pinterest pins for you at optimal times, based on when your specific audience is active on the site.

When I started using Tailwind, my traffic jumped by 525% in one month!

One of the great things about Tailwind is they offer $15 credit per referral, OR if you sign up through Share-a-sale, they offer 15% recurring commission on purchases through your link, with a 90 day cookie!

What this means is if someone signs up for a free trial in June, but doesn't purchase Tailwind until August, you will still get paid for the sale.

The best part? Your testimonial will be your greatest tool in promoting Tailwind.

In other words, because Tailwind has literally increased my traffic 5x over in just one month, it makes it really easy to promote, because I believe in it and it works.

Get started with Tailwind , and start writing about your success!

7. SendOwl

If you create digital products and/or would like an affiliate program for your product, SendOwl is a very popular service to use to deliver a product and manage your affiliate program.

Many of the affiliate programs I am a part of use SendOwl to manage it.

What's nice about SendOwl is that all your affiliate links for different websites/products are on your dashboard.

8. Ultimate Bundles

I have had major success using the Ultimate Bundles affiliate program, and the reason being because they make it SO. EASY.

What makes Ultimate Bundles so great is that it is applicable to many niches, and they make is so easy to sell by offering great affiliate resources.

Below is a snapshot of my affiliate resources available for the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle.

They have bundles related to everything from parenting, photography, healthy living, money saving tips, and blogging, to essential oils, just to name a few.

Here is what I love about Ultimate Bundles :

  • Excellent affiliate resources- You can access your affiliate dashboard at any time and ge t links, email swipe copies, and social media graphics.
  • Free affiliate training to help you convert sales!
  • Ethical- Promote only products you believe in. Every product they sell is hand-picked and reviewed by their team.
  • Value - their bundles include around 75+ products for a low cost.
  • High commissions - 40% for affiliates and 70% for bundle contributors!

I started as an affiliate with Ultimate Bundles a few months ago and LOVE it.

They have the best of the best contributors to their bundles, so you don't have to worry about your audience not receiving value.

9. Minted

If you're in the wedding industry/niche, you need to be a Minted affiliate. I started my blog after my wedding, but I used a service similar to Minted and designed my own invitations online to save money!

They have beautiful designs, like pictured below:

How cute are those?! No matter what your niche, consider if you could somehow incorporate wedding inspiration into it- some great niches for this include photography, calligraphy, DIY/crafts, etc.

10. Rakuten

Rakuten is an affiliate database where bloggers can go to find publishers and advertisers.

For instance, I am a Sam's Club affiliate, and I find all my links for Sam's Club on the Rakuten affiliate network.

If you use Rakuten, then you should promote them using their affiliate link!

11. CANVA

Canva is what I use to make my Pinterest images, logo's, ebooks, and other designs for my website! If you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend you do so!

Although Canva offers a pro (paid) version, I use the free version and while it has it's setbacks (storage space, customizations, etc), it does everything I need it to.

Their affiliate program is hosted by Impact, an affiliate network that anyone can join!

BLOGGING COURSES

I know, I know, you don't have all sorts of time and money to invest in blogging courses. I completely understand, and I have some good news for you!

You do not have to sell your soul when promoting blogging courses.

In fact, I would recommend taking only one or two a year, and then focusing hard on implementing the strategies learned in those courses.

The bonus of courses is that not only are you investing in learning, but if you love the course and choose to promote it, you can make excellent commissions off of them.

MAKING SENSE OF AFFILIATE MARKETING (THE PERFECT COURSE)

My favorite blogging course is Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing.

This course is easy to promote because I honestly learned everything I know about affiliate marketing from the creator, who makes over $50k per month through affiliate marketing!

HOW TO CONVERT AFFILIATE SALES

So, now that you have the tools you need, how do you convert?

Be Authentic & Only Promote Products You Use & Truly Believe In

In order to have success, you have to be authentic. Don't promote products that you don't use, don't know much about, and don't believe in.

This means you might have to turn down some high-paying affiliate products, but it's worth it!

Your readers can tell when you are promoting something that you truly love verses something you don't really care that much about.

You want your readers to trust you, and in order to gain trust, you need to be authentic.

Don't Drop Links Everywhere

You will be tempted to put your affiliate link anywhere that you mention the product you are promoting, don't do it!

I did this all the time when I first started blogging, don't make my mistake!

Readers can tell that you are just trying to make a sale if you have your affiliate link dropped 100 times in one post.

All you need is your link once at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end.

Don't overdo it!

Trial & Error

Much of the success found in affiliate marketing is through a process of trial and error.

Don't get discouraged when you get your first affiliate product to promote, you write a blog post or send out an email, waiting in anticipation for all the sales to start blowing up your phone, and nothing happens.

This happens to EVERY single blogger.

The difference between the great bloggers and those who give up is that great bloggers don't get discouraged when they fail, they just find a different way.

Take a Course/Do Research

First, you need to know what your audience is looking for.

Use Google Analytics to see what people who come to your page are searching for, what your most popular content is, and the "problem" the majority of people visiting your site need solved.

After all, that is your mission- to serve your audience's needs and serve them well.

Second, you need to invest in education. Sometimes in order to make money, you need to spend money.

This is coming from someone who HATES spending money.

Listen, I wasted a lot of time trying to figure everything out on my own. Don't waste your time. I highly recommend the course Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing , by Michelle Schroeder-Gardner.

Why should you take it?

  • Michelle makes over $50,000 PER MONTH from affiliate marketing, I'd say she knows a thing or two.
  • The course includes bonus content including HUNDREDS of different affiliate programs for bloggers in every niche.
  • Expert advice on how to convert affiliate sales.
  • Tips on how to make money without selling your soul.

After taking this course , I started using the expert advice on my own blog, and I doubled my affiliate income in the first month!

YOUR TIME IS VALUABLE

Friends, time is money.

Start implementing these tips now and sign up for a few of the affiliate programs to get started!

If you are not making money from affiliate marketing on your blog, you are leaving money on the table.

Affiliate marketing allows you to make money on autopilot.

I hope you are able to implement these tips and start making money using affiliate marketing.

Please, if you have any questions at all or need some advice drop a comment below! :)

ARE YOU READY TO LEARN WHAT IT TAKES TO BLOG SUCCESSFULLY AND WITH PURPOSE? SIGN UP FOR MY FREE EMAIL COURSE BELOW :)

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