How to Start Affiliate Marketing
                     How to Start Affiliate Marketing? A Five-Step Guide
Are you tired of the monotonous 9-5 work schedule and typing long emails in the  
era of remote working? Are you trying to quit the rat race and make some money  
at your convenience? You can choose affiliate marketing as it is truly a real  
business. Most of you must have heard affiliate marketing as “making money
while sleeping.” While that is definitely true, this blog will help you understand
how to start affiliate marketing ? A five step guide
Firstly, let’s understand what is affiliate marketing?
In simple terms, affiliate marketing is the process of earning a commission when  
you recommend or suggest someone’s products or services to your readers. It is  
also known as CPA marketing or performance marketing.
If you’re thinking affiliate marketing is hosting ad banners, then stop right there.  
Because in affiliate marketing you get paid only when a visitor purchases the  
product or service you recommended.
Affiliate marketing is widely adopted by brands to drive sales and earn massive  
online revenue, making it a win-win for both brands and affiliate marketers.
So, let’s dive into how to do affiliate marketing and have an affiliate marketing
strategy
Pick a Product/Service for your Affiliate Marketing  
Strategy
The first step of how you can start affiliate marketing is choosing a product or  
service that you wish to promote. If you are unable to decide on a product or  
service, you can choose an industry niche. But make sure while selecting a niche,  
you are aware and well-informed of the industry.
For example, if you are an accounting expert, it bodes well to sell accounting  
solutions rather than selling automotive parts. Since you know about the  
accounting industry, it’s better to stick to it and gain fruitful results with your  
affiliate marketing strategy.
Also, pick a niche that is popular, has a good reader base and is not too 
broad.
Create a Website
Once you have determined the niche, your next step is to create a website and  
start writing. While many people say that you can do affiliate marketing through  
YouTube or Pinterest, remember that you don’t own these channels.
You own your website/blog and can do hundreds of modifications if nothing  
works as per your affiliate marketing strategy. Moreover, it is important to have  
organic traffic to your blog. You can create a website on WordPress and start  
writing blogs and product reviews. Make sure you add original, genuine content  
and nothing salesy. You want readers to read your blogs and purchase the  
product. Your content will play a fundamental role in your affiliate marketing  
strategy.
Find and Join Affiliate Programs.
To basically start affiliate marketing, you need to find affiliate programs that sell  
products or services of your niche. The most popular affiliate program is Amazon  
as it sells almost everything. Check if it sells your product niche!
Besides Amazon, you can have a look at Clickbank, Commission Junction, etc.  
However, before signing for an affiliate program, ensure you have a good amount  
of content on your website. You don’t want to be rejected by any affiliate  
program. It is like building a house without any foundation.
Most of the affiliate programs are free to join however, the payment terms will  
vary. Further, you can reach out to vendors who don’t have an affiliate program  
and suggest them to start one with you. However, you can reach out to them  
once you’re well-established in the affiliate industry.
Review Products and Services
Start writing reviews of different products and services in your niche. When  
writing anything, make sure you follow SEO practices as you want your content to  
rank when a user is typing a highly competitive keyword in the search console.
Properly insert affiliate links in your content. The more content you write, the
more links, which will kick in the law of averages and you’ll eventually start  
selling.
Tell your readers why the product or service you’re promoting is beneficial to  
them. Try building a rapport with the readers. This will help users to trust you  
than anyone else. It is also important to show comparisons of products in the  
same category. Remember, you need to have conversions. The better the  
content, the better the conversions.
Measure the Performance of Your Affiliate  
Marketing Strategy
Any activity performed without measuring its success is half done. Regularly track  
the success of your affiliate marketing strategy. Set measurable goals and check  
the success in terms of conversion rates, amount of income earned, AOV, etc.
If your affiliate marketing strategy isn’t meeting these goals, it’s time to modify
your strategy and rework your affiliate lineup.
Wrapping UP
Now that you know how to start affiliate marketing, you can now start your own  
affiliate business. Don’t forget to analyze the competitive landscape and then  
design the affiliate strategy. Follow the steps included in this article and after  
constant practice and perfection you will be able to make money while you sleep.
Nonetheless, to start affiliate marketing, it takes perseverance and commitment  
as it won’t be an overnight success. Stay determined and committed, it’s possible  
to be very successful with affiliate marketing.
Know more about best affiliate programs to join .  
Join Affiliate Marketing University.