Starting a successful affiliate marketing business is an excellent way for beginner digital content creators to make money.
It is a profitable revenue stream if done correctly and can build a real passive income.
There are many ways to become a successful affiliate marketer, but I've seen so many people quit before seeing any success or earning their first dollar online.
Summary: Is affiliate marketing still profitable and worth it?
Yes, affiliate marketing is still worth it, and it can be a great business model even for beginners.
If you are someone who has tried selling online courses or eCommerce and failed, starting an affiliate business can be a great path.
This comprehensive guide will discuss if affiliate marketing is worth it, how it works, and the different types of affiliate programs available.
We'll also provide some secret sauces on starting as an affiliate marketer so that you can generate income today!
Is Affiliate Marketing Worth it? 5 Reasons Why It Is.
The affiliate marketing industry is worth billions of dollars, and it's only getting bigger.
With so much money at stake, it makes sense that everyone from small businesses to major corporations wants to get a piece of the affiliate marketing pie.
However, affiliate marketing is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It takes time, effort, and creative thinking to succeed in this type of online business.
Businesses must create compelling copy and content writing, persuading potential customers to click on an affiliate link.
They also need to have a solid business model in place to make money from affiliate sales.
While an affiliate marketing business model can be quite profitable, it cannot be done overnight. Anyone who wants to become a full-time affiliate marketer must be prepared to do the work.
So yes, being an affiliate for companies and digital services is completely worth it, and you'll find out below, including my own affiliate efforts promoting many affiliate programs.
1. Affiliate Marketing Is A Great Way To Make Passive Income
Affiliate marketing is a great way to make passive income.
By simply including an affiliate link on your website or social media platform like TikTok, you can earn a commission on any sales generated from clicks on that link.
I've spoken with many entrepreneurs who've worked as freelance writers, consultants, or content creators, and everyone says that making money with affiliate programs is on their top-tier list.
This online business model is a great way to start your own business with little up-front investment, and it can be a great way to supplement your current income with a new revenue stream.
As an affiliate marketer, you can choose to promote products that you are passionate about, and you can be as creative as you like regarding how you promote those products.
I have generated a very healthy income by creating content online as a content creator. Many people don't know, but you can become an affiliate for many products as a personal brand.
Many affiliate marketing programs are out there, so they will perfectly fit you. You can them promote them on social media and make money.
You need to factor in the commission rates, whether they offer a sound backend follow-up system, and if they have had any other success stories.
2. Affiliate Marketing Is A Low-Risk Investment
For those unfamiliar with running an affiliate business, it is a low-risk way to generate income by promoting other people's products.
As an affiliate marketer, you typically earn a commission on sales made through your own promotional efforts.
While SOME initial investment is required to start, affiliate marketing is a relatively low-risk option compared to starting your own product from scratch.
Side Note:
Several social media platforms offer excellent affiliate marketing opportunities, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
It's an easy way to start and make money from TikTok and other platforms with affiliate marketing.
Social media posts are the perfect place to market your business and introduce affiliate offers to your audience. Pick a traffic source and learn everything you need about that platform.
This can be even easier if you already have a website or blog bringing in traffic.
You can add affiliate links to your existing content to start generating income. As long as you're consistent, you can become a successful affiliate marketer.
My affiliate earnings have grown exponentially after learning to optimize my blog posts better. You can use a tool like the Lasso affiliate plugin to create better product display boxes like the one below.
Another great thing about affiliate marketing is that you can get started with little money. You only need a laptop, an internet connection, and creative ideas.
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If you have a large following on any of these platforms, you can earn income by promoting relevant products to your audience.
For example, if you're a fashion blogger with a large Instagram following, you could promote fashion items from popular brands and earn a commission on every sale.
There are so many ways that affiliate SEO and blogging can make you money. You must put in the time and effort, which will pay off if you stick.
You can use tools such as Google Analytics to track your progress to ensure your efforts pay off.
Affiliate marketing is a great way to generate revenue and can be a low-risk option for those interested in starting their own business or a brand-new affiliate partner.
3. There Are Many Different Ways To Succeed With Affiliate Marketing
There's no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to affiliate marketing. You need to find the best approach for you and your target audience to succeed.
But that's the best part; you can choose many ways to become a successful affiliate marketer.
How I Promote Other Companies Products And Services:
- Website Traffic That Ranks On Google's Search Engine
- Landing Pages That Lead To A Bridge Page
- Engaging Content That Leads To A CTA
- Free Training That Uses The Affiliate Products As A Solution
Different affiliate campaigns will be more or less effective depending on your niche and the type of product or service you're promoting.
For example, suppose you're promoting a physical product or digital product.
In that case, creating informative blog posts and YouTube videos is the best way to engage potential customers and get them interested in your offer.
I've brought in multiple sales from my YouTube channel and website, which earn money with affiliate marketing.
On the other hand, if you're promoting an online course or something that is a high-ticket offer, running ads on popular platforms like Facebook and Google can be a more effective method of reaching your target audience.
Here are a few marketing channels you should check out when generating leads for your affiliate marketing business.
- Start your own website or blog
- Capture emails with an email marketing strategy
- Try Google Adsense
- Pick a social media channel like TikTok Or Instagram
- Create a private Facebook group
- Use YouTube to create search-intent videos
The important thing is to experiment and find out what works best for you and your business.
With a little trial and error, you'll be able to find the affiliate marketing strategy that works best for you and helps you reach your goals.
I even started buying courses on blogging and affiliate marketing, which helped me start a blog.
I currently run this affiliate website in multiple niches, which allows me to earn more money with affiliate marketplaces.
I don't own any products, I don't have an online store, and I don't put myself in the category of social media influencers.
I create high-quality content and promote my affiliate link to the correct engaged audience.
So why have you yet to build an extra income stream for yourself? Try this out for yourself and see why affiliate marketing is definitely worth it.
4. You Are Able To Join Affiliate Programs In Any Niche
One thing I love about making money as an affiliate is that you can join almost any affiliate marketing program in any niche.
This gives you a lot of options when it comes to affiliate products that you can promote.
You can find affiliate programs for physical products, digital products, services, and membership sites.
You can look through the offerings with affiliate platforms that provide multiple affiliate offers in different niches.
ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, and Clickbank are affiliate networks you can join to find affiliate programs.
Make sure you follow FTC guidelines and disclose that you are an affiliate.
Here are a few affiliate network platforms that I use to find the perfect affiliate product to promote.
- Partnerstack Marketplace
- LinkMink
- Appsumo
- Rewardful
Becoming an affiliate and making money with Google and other traffic sources is simple.
As long as you choose products and services, you only know you can make money from them to earn affiliate sales.
Don't choose something because it's popular or because you think it will be easy to sell.
Do your research, read reviews, and ensure the affiliate program is a good fit for you before joining.
How To Join Affiliate Programs
To get automatic approvals on affiliate platforms, you must have a blog with search traffic or show social media channels with many engaged followers.
Once you have that, here are a few quick tips on how to get approved for affiliate programs.
- Have a good LinkedIn account
- Show income reports from other affiliate marketing revenue streams
- Create a custom affiliate application
- Email the affiliate manager and let them know how excited you are
- Let them know how you promote to internet users
Side note:
It's important to note that only some affiliate programs are available in some countries.
Some affiliate programs may only be available to residents of the United States, while others may be available internationally.
These tips will help you become the most successful affiliate marketer possible and make an affiliate marketing business worth it in the long run.
5. Most Affiliate Programs Offer High Commission Rates
If you're considering making affiliate marketing a part of your business strategy, what kind of commission rate can you expect?
The good news is that most affiliate programs offer high commission rates. Every time someone clicks on your referral link and purchases, you earn a percentage of the sale.
Here's an example of the highest-paying affiliate marketing programs by Adam Enfroy:
The commission rate varies from program to program but typically ranges from 5% to 40%. So, if you refer a customer who spends $100, you could earn anywhere from $5 to $40.
This is one of my favorite types of marketing since you don't even own the product yourself.
Of course, the more customers you refer, the more money you can make.
Side note:
You can earn even more money online by joining affiliate programs with recurring revenue. But even if you only refer a few customers monthly, affiliate marketing can still be worth your while.
Here are a few affiliate programs that pay the highest:
- WordPress Products And Themes
- SaaS Products
- Digital Marketing
- High-Ticket Physical Products
- Recurring Subscription Services
After all, it's only sometimes that you get the opportunity to earn income simply by referring others to digital products or services that they're interested in.
Many other affiliates fight over the same affiliate products. If you find an affiliate product that's not too popular, you have a higher chance of getting approved and making sales.
Or you can create content that resonates with your audience and provide bonuses whenever they purchase from your referral link.
So to start making affiliate marketing worth it, you want to do your market research before joining affiliate programs.
By researching and finding affiliate programs that fit your niche, you'll make affiliate marketing worth it in no time.
After you complete your research, you should have been able to answer the question: Is affiliate marketing worth it in 2023?
When Is Affiliate Marketing Not Worth It?
Now there comes a time when affiliate marketing is definitely not worth it.
When affiliate marketing is not worth it:
- You're hurrying to make money and don't want to wait for affiliate income.
- You're not willing to put in the work required to be successful with affiliate marketing.
- You're promoting products you don't believe in or trying to promote to the wrong audience.
- You're not providing value to your audience; you're only in it for the money.
- You're violating affiliate program terms and conditions.
- You're not tracking your affiliate links, so you don't know which product sells or how much commission you earn.
- You buy affiliate marketing courses and expect to have overnight success.
These are valid reasons why affiliate marketing might not be worth it.
Unfortunately, many new affiliates promote other affiliate programs and get stuck in this never-ending cycle:
And when affiliate marketing is done like this, it's definitely not worth it.
But if you're willing to put in the work and you're promoting products that you believe in, then affiliate marketing can definitely be worth your while.
Affiliate Marketing FAQ
Is Affiliate Marketing Profitable?
Yes, affiliate marketing is very profitable and can be a great way to supplement revenue with your own products or courses.
As a content creator, you can start affiliate marketing for little to no money, allowing you to scale much faster and have a successful affiliate marketing business from the beginning.
Is Taking An Affiliate Marketing Course Worth It As A Beginner?
100%! I recommend affiliate marketing courses for beginners as you will learn so much more about the affiliate marketing business model and be able to take action immediately.
You'll also have access to exclusive affiliate tools, resources, and support to help you grow your affiliate business faster.
How Much Time Does Affiliate Marketing Take To Be Successful?
It took me 3 months to earn my first dollar online with a specific affiliate niche in the credit repair industry.
It took me 11 months to quit my job and turn this side hustle into a full-time business.
So affiliate marketing can take some time to be successful, but it is very possible to make a full-time income with an affiliate marketing business.
You can also speed up the writing process with AI copywriting software.
The Bottom Line:
Affiliate marketing is definitely worth it and can be very profitable if you're willing to put in the work. You can leverage AI to make money with affiliate marketing and use that as leverage.
How Much Do Affiliate Marketers Make?
One thing I enjoy about affiliate marketing is viewing other digital marketers' income reports.
How much affiliate revenue an affiliate marketer can make varies and largely depends on how much traffic they can generate to their affiliate link.
It's not uncommon for affiliate marketers to make several hundred dollars daily; some even drive over a million dollars annually in affiliate revenue.
ZipRecruiter states that the annual salary of an affiliate marketer in November 2022 was between $59000 to $208000 per year.
So in my personal experience, affiliate marketing can be very lucrative if you can drive a lot of traffic to your affiliate links.
I currently earn $6500 per month from affiliate marketing, and I'm on track to hit my goal of $10,000 by the end of 2022.
Update on my affiliate revenue:
I know earn 10,000 per month with affiliate commissions.
This is possible because affiliate marketing has allowed me to quit my job, work from home, and do the things I enjoy most. Spend time with loved ones.
Does Affiliate Marketing Work?
Affiliate marketing works and is a great way to make money online. However, it takes work, and you must be willing to work to succeed.
Most affiliates I've met with either give up because their YouTube channel doesn't grow or their blog doesn't appear on the search engines.
You can use AI to blog and rank on search engines as well.
Many people make money on Twitter and other social media channels with affiliate products.
You must build an engaged audience, generate traffic to your affiliate links, and make sales. You can use AI writing tools to tell help you come up with content creation.
Affiliate marketing can be very profitable if you're willing to do these things. For me, it ranked on Google and promoted products based on search intent.
Is Affiliate Marketing A Pyramid Scheme?
No, Affiliate marketing is not a pyramid scheme.
A pyramid scheme is an illegal business model where people are recruited to sell a product or service, and they earn commissions from the people they recruit.
This is becoming a regular full-time job for most people, and many companies are hiring many affiliate marketers to help them with this 8.2 billion dollar industry.
So is Affiliate Marketing Legit?
Affiliate marketing is legal and a legitimate way to make money online.
Most companies you know more than likely have their own affiliate program you can join, such as Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and more.
Many smaller companies work with an affiliate network like ShareASale or Rakuten Marketing to help manage their affiliate marketing program.
These businesses are moving in the online marketing world and increasing their affiliate marketing spend limit for us affiliate marketers to grow.
In affiliate marketing, you promote other people's products or services in exchange for a commission.
Is Building an Affiliate Marketing Business Easy?
The affiliate marketing industry is vast and growing every day. There are thousands of affiliate products to promote and affiliate programs to work with.
So, is affiliate marketing easy? The answer is yes and no. The affiliate marketing industry is filled with opportunities, but to make affiliate marketing work, it takes hard work.
Building a successful affiliate marketing business takes time, dedication, and effort, like any other business. However, if you are willing to work, affiliate marketing can be a great way to make a full-time income from home.
So Is Affiliate Marketing Worth It?
After learning how affiliate marketing can be worth it, you should know whether it is for you.
Affiliate marketing takes a lot of work, from creating engaging content to writing blog posts that rank in Google and figuring out where your customer base lives.
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Here's a recap if you went to the bottom of this blog post:
- Yes, affiliate marketing works and is completely worth it
- Work with and study from other affiliate partners to gain experience
- Create content that ranks or goes virals to grow your organic reach first
- Get organic traffic to your best affiliate marketing program and stay consistent.
- Build your revenue stream and reinvest that into paid channels to keep growing online
But if you're willing to put in the effort, many affiliate marketers will agree that this is a great way to earn money online and supplement your income.
Here's a remarkable comparison of affiliate vs. network marketing you can also review.
After leaving this article, ask yourself whether Affiliate marketing is worth it in 2024 and beyond.
The short answer? Yes.