Writing and Marketing
Affiliate Marketing Can Enhance Writers’ Lifestyle
A practical overview of digital affiliate marketing with five steps and eleven takeaways based on decades of experience
Why Writers Need to Consider Affiliate Marketing
Our job and income significantly impact our physical and mental health. However, our lifestyle choices determine our quality of life.
Money is not everything in life, but its deficiency can be a source of misery. Without economic freedom, it is usually difficult to have a satisfying life in this modern world.
I was inspired to write this piece after reading motivational and informative stories posted in one of my publications on this platform. I read hundreds of success stories from writers and bloggers. They are inspiring and encouraging for beginners.
We can learn from others by emulating and customizing their methods. Many people love sharing their knowledge.
As I practiced affiliate marketing for decades as part of my full-time job and mentored hundreds of writers and bloggers, my goal is to pass along my knowledge, share helpful tips, introduce best practices, highlight risks, and inspire writers and bloggers to leverage this undermined passive income stream.
In this article, I specifically focus on writers as they are in an advantaged position. Writing and blogging skills can empower affiliate marketing skills. The sub-skills of writing can directly contribute to affiliate marketing.
In addition to a practical book, I wrote many articles and blog posts about affiliate marketing. My goal is to inform and inspire my readers.
In this post, I only focus on practical points and refer readers to do their investigation and customization. I hope you find this piece practical and valuable.
1 — Educate yourself methodically.
As I pointed out in the previous article, the biggest hurdle and risk factor causing the failure of affiliate marketing is a lack of adequate education.
We don’t need a degree or diploma to practice and leverage the power of digital affiliate marketing. For example, a short course, like 20 to 50 hours, can be an excellent start.
You might check articles and blog posts. YouTube has many free courses. In addition, there are communities with supportive members helping each other to learn new tricks. You might obtain feedback from them.
There are also free or cheap courses on Eudemy, Teachable, or Skillshare.
Education never ends in any discipline. Initial training is critical, but lifelong learning can enhance our skills and capabilities.
Informal learning is invaluable in any job, which I will cover in the next section.
2 — Start experimenting with a few products
The theory itself in any job does not guarantee success. Even philosophers practice their preach. Affiliate marketing is a hands-on job.
Knowledge is essential, but practice is critical to success. Unless we practice by experimenting gradually, it is impossible to succeed in affiliate marketing.
Like any entrepreneurial pursuit, gradually making progress is an excellent approach. Therefore, I encourage beginners to start with one or two products that they are familiar with.
Clickbank, an established and leading organization, is the easiest way to start affiliate marketing. More importantly, Clickbank is free and user-friendly, including thousands of merchants that we can easily select.
I provided practical tips to start with choosing products from Clickbank in this article titled The Power of Digital Affiliate Marketing -Chapter 24: How To Start Your First Promotion With Clickbank.
3 — Create a plan and update it regularly.
Every job requires a plan. It is like a map to navigate easily.
A plan for affiliate marketing can include a high-level strategy. For example, it can cover which products to include, which platforms to use, and how to introduce chosen products to our readers.
There is no standard plan, as everyone is different. Therefore, writers must create and update their plans regularly with changing circumstances.
Products and markets change. We have new subscribers who might need different products than previous ones.
4 — Collaborate with writers and bloggers.
Collaboration in business is a critical success factor.
Affiliate marketers collaborate in various ways. Writers and bloggers can support by sharing their products and obtaining testimonials.
Collaboration happens in many ways. For example, I review the products of new affiliate marketers and share my experience with their chosen products and services. My proteges do the same for me.
Another collaboration method is sharing the products and services of our collaborators on social media. They reciprocate. Reciprocation in business can create a win-win position.
Guest blogging is another form of collaboration.
5 — Scale up your affiliate marketing business.
This is an entrepreneurship approach. I see digital affiliate marketing as an entrepreneurial role. Every entrepreneur has a growth mindset to increase their return on investment gradually.
The good news is affiliate marketing does not require substantial investment upfront. Therefore young entrepreneurs use affiliate marketing as a starting point. Starting a business with minimal investment, such as education, is easy.
I know people who start affiliate marketing with ZERO dollars and achieve a six-figure income within a year. They gained skills with public resources on the Internet but systematically improved their skills and practiced in a disciplined way.
Hard work is essential in every business. Every passive income requires active involvement in the beginning. But when we scale it up, the business can turn passive, allowing people to retire at a young age.
I know many people who retired at a young age with passive income.
Scaling up is critical to becoming an entrepreneur. For example, Jean mentioned that she would hire an employee for next month.
I shared my perspective on entrepreneurship and freelancing in several articles, such as this one, Seven Psychological Reasons to Become an Entrepreneur.
Final Words
Affiliate marketing is not rocket science. Every writer or blogger can learn it. Moreover, writing and blogging are complementary and transferable skills. Passive income can contribute to improving our physical and mental health.
I worked with many successful writers and bloggers. With hard and smart work, some of them create a six- or even seven-figure business, allowing them to retire at a relatively younger age.
However, I also witnessed many who failed affiliate marketing for known reasons. I documented my findings in an article titled Why Affiliate Marketers Fail And How to Fix the Problems in Five Steps.
We need to know blindspots and reasons to fail. However, I focus on success factors. From my experience, the critical success factors are a growth mindset, optimism, education investment, experimentation, flexibility, commitment, diligence, persistence, empathy, and collaborative spirit.
Takeaways
I would like to pass along the best practices that I used and observed in successful affiliate marketers, especially from writing and blogging communities.
1 — Complete a starter education and training program.
2 — Gradually improve your knowledge of the products and services you advertise.
3 — Increase and use a variety of products and services gradually.
4 — Understand your stakeholders, including merchants, partners, and consumers.
5 — Monitor your traffic and track your earnings.
6 — Benefit SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and social media tools.
7 — Leverage the public networks to grow mailing lists.
8 — Learn about the legal and ethical requirements and act ethically.
9 — Create multiple website landing pages to grow your mailing list.
10 — Communicate with customers effectively and support them.
11 — Scale up and create your brand with quality and consistent delivery.
You might find the details of these points in my book freely available on this platform in article format in 25 short chapters: The Power of Digital Affiliate Marketing -Chapter 1: How Authors Can Write More And Earn Passive Income.
The key point for writers and bloggers is declaring affiliate links to remain ethical. I provided guidance to writers in an article titled: The Use of Affiliate Links on Medium.
I’d like to share a testimony of a protege using affiliate marketing successfully.
I love writers to improve their skills and earn income from their hard work. Therefore, I pass along my decades of accumulated knowledge and experience to contribute to their success. Creating visibility is a good start.
Inspiring and Encouraging Guidance to Writers
In addition to affiliate marketing, I’d like to share six stories that inform and inspire writers to improve their reading times and increase earnings methodically.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
As a new reader, please check my holistic health and well-being stories reflecting my reviews, observations, and decades of experiments optimizing my hormones and neurotransmitters. I write about health as it matters. I believe health is all about homeostasis.
ALS, Metabolic Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Fatty Liver Disease, Heart Disease, Strokes, Obesity, Liver Cancer, Autoimmune Disorders, Homocysteine, Lungs Health, Pancreas Health, Kidneys Health, NCDs, Infectious Diseases, Brain Health, Dementia, Depression, Brain Atrophy, Neonatal Disorders, Skin Health, Dental Health, Bone Health, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Brain Fog, Chronic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Elevated Cortisol, Leptin Resistance, Anabolic Resistance, Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Metabolic Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, Thyroid Disorders, Anemia, Dysautonomia, cardiac output, and urinary track disorders.
I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:
Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Phosphatidylserine, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and other nutrients.
Disclaimer: My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness.
As part of my creative non-fiction writing goals, I’d like to share a few stories that might warm our hearts with a bit of humor into weighty topics.
Sample Humorous Stories
Finally, After Burning Her House, Georgia Found Enlightenment
Hilarious Tips to Prevent Brain Atrophy and Keep the Gray Matter Giggling
8 Psychological Points I Had to Unlearn and Relearn the Opposite
Based on my writing experience and observations, I documented findings and strategies that might help you amplify your voice, engage your audience, and achieve your desired outcomes in your writing journey.
I publish my lifestyle, health, and well-being stories on EUPHORIA. My focus is on cellular, mitochondrial, metabolic, and mental health. Here is my collection of Insightful Life Lessons from Personal Stories.
You might join my six publications on Medium as a writer by sending a request via this link. 22K writers contribute to my publications. You might find more information about my professional background.
