At last, the exciting part of the process!
This is the step in the process of building an affiliate marketing business where you find relevant products to promote. That way, when people visit your site and click on your affiliate links, you can earn a commission when they buy whatever it is you are recommending.
There are 100s of millions of products and services you can promote as an affiliate, too. So the options as to what you can promote are practically endless.
That said, you need to know how to find the right products for your niche and how to promote those products effectively if you want to actually make sales as an affiliate.
And that’s what this page is all about.
But first, let me explain something super important…
Why This is the LAST Step in the Process
Naturally, most people begin their journey by thinking about what products they are going to promote as an affiliate, and that is actually the complete opposite of what you want to do.
Choosing products is the last step for a reason – because the most important thing (by far) is establishing a website with quality content so that you have an audience.
As mentioned on the last page, without traffic, you cannot make any sales. So the main thing you want to focus on before this is getting traffic to your site. Period.
Because once you have an audience, you can promote ANY product you want. Of course, you want to make sure the product is relevant to your audience and of high quality (among other things), but you have a great deal of flexibility when choosing products to recommend on your site.
So with that said, let’s move on…
What to Look for When Choosing Affiliate Products to Promote
The main thing to consider before you even think about how much money you can make promoting different products is relevance and quality.
On the first point, you need to make sure that whatever you are recommending on your site is actually relevant to the people on your site, or they will not buy it. So the first thing you want to do is take the time to understand your audience and what problems they are facing so you know what products they are likely to be interested in buying online.
Next, you want to make a commitment to only ever recommend products and services that offer genuine value. Don’t fall into the trap of recommending stuff to make a quick buck, or you will likely regret it later as the negative feedback starts to impact your brand and site.
Ask yourself, is this something I would buy myself?
And would I recommend it to a friend or family member?
You don’t have to buy every single product you promote, nor do you have to recommend your affiliate offers to people you know (this isn’t MLM). But these are both good questions to consider before selecting a product to promote on your site, as it helps ensure you are giving your audience value, and value is the key ingredient in every successful affiliate site.
Aside from those considerations, there are a few main things you want to take into account when choosing an affiliate product that can help you maximize your site’s overall revenue:
- Product price: It is typically best to promote low-to-mid ticket items on a website (products that cost under $500 or so) because people are much more likely to buy these products online. Whereas the perceived risk is a lot higher with higher ticket items, which can make these very difficult to succeed with as an affiliate.
- Commission rate: Generally speaking, physical products will fetch a commission rate of up to 10%, whereas digital products can fetch 50% or higher commissions. You might think that means digital products are “better,” but remember, you need to consider the relevance and quality of what you’re promoting. And you don’t always want to choose a product because of its commission rate, even if it is relevant and of high quality. Why? Because as I will now explain, you need to consider the product’s conversion rate.
- Conversion rate: The conversion rate is the rate at which people buy the product you are promoting after they click on your affiliate link. For example, if you get 100 clicks on your affiliate link, and 12 people buy, that product has a 12% conversion rate. Conversion rates vary from product to product, and depend greatly on the marketing on your end, but though testing, you can compare how products convert with the goal of figuring out which one generates the most overall revenue for your site (which is a combination of the product’s price, commission rate, and conversion rate.
I created a video explaining this concept in more detail if you want to know more, but that’s the gist of how these three elements work. And as you gain experience, knowing this can help you improve your business as you test promoting different products on your site.
Where to Find Awesome Affiliate Products
Now that I’ve walked you through the fundamentals, the starting point for actually finding products to promote and getting your affiliate links is by joining an affiliate program.
An affiliate program is basically an agreement between you and the vendor as to what you can promote, how you can promote it, and how much you earn per sale.
There is more to it than that, but that’s the basic idea.
And these affiliate programs are 100% free to join.
For example, Amazon has an affiliate program called Amazon Associates, and by joining that, you will have access to millions of products to promote.
Another one is ClickBank, which is a marketplace for digital products.
And there are numerous others that have a mix of physical and digital products you can promote, like Awin and ShareaSale.
I’ve signed up (and earned commissions) with all of those companies over the years, but I’ve also worked with individual companies that run their own affiliate programs.
So, how do you find relevant affiliate programs?
The best way is ultimately to use Google. Simply type “[niche name] affiliate programs” and see what comes up (obviously, you will replace “niche name” with your niche).
Another method is with Wealthy Affiliate.
As a member of Wealthy Affiliate, you have access to a platform that brings many different affiliate programs together in one place and shows you what their commission rates are, provides details about the program, and more.
Whichever option you choose, it’s not difficult to find an affiliate program.
The key is to follow the tips I mentioned earlier to make sure you are recommending something relevant that gives your audience value.
You also need training on the best ways to promote the offers on your site, and as a member of Wealthy Affiliate, you will get access to in-depth, step-by-step training on this. So if you want to know more, I would highly recommend you join Wealthy Affiliate.
So with that said, I hope you found this page helpful, and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to chime in below, and I will get back to you.
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