If you’re a blogger, you’ll definitely want to learn how to make money with affiliate marketing. It’s one of the most popular ways to monetize a blog and can really boost your income!
Affiliate marketing is great for beginners due to how easy it is to find affiliate programs and add affiliate links to your content.
Plus, affiliate marketing is a form of passive income, meaning you can make money without having to actively work for it all the time (even while you’re sleeping or on vacation).
So, how do you make money with affiliate marketing on a blog? The key to making affiliate sales is to write blog posts that help the reader make their purchasing decision. The best types of blog posts for affiliate marketing include product reviews, product comparisons, listicles and more.
You can make affiliate sales easily as long as you post the right content to your blog. Here are 5 types of blog posts that’ll help you make money with affiliate marketing:
Product Reviews
Research shows that 89% of consumers search online for more information about a product before making a purchase, so it’s no surprise that product reviews are one of the best types of blog posts for making affiliate sales.
A great product review will be one that is thorough and lists both pros and cons of the product. Your goal when writing the review is to help people decide if the product is right for them.
But what if there’s a product you want to review that you’ve never used before?
This is a problem many bloggers face. We don’t always have the budget to purchase every product in our niche. So, do you have to own the product in order to write a review?
Well, not always.
It’s certainly better if you actually own the product and can share your honest thoughts and experience with it, but you can still write a great review by compiling objective information about the product such as performance details, specifications, dimensions, etc. and explain them in a way that is detailed yet easy to understand.
You can also take advantage of personal experiences that other people have had with the product and include that information in your review.
Always remember to be honest when writing your review. Don’t lie about your experience with a product if you hate it or have never used it before just for the sake of making affiliate sales!
Product Comparisons
Product comparisons are blog posts where you pick two or more similar products and compare them in order to help people decide which product is best for them.
People who search for product comparisons typically WANT to make a purchase, they just aren’t sure what to pick yet. This makes product comparisons a very effective style of blog post for affiliate marketing.
When writing a product comparison, be sure to list the pros and cons of each product you’re comparing. Which product performs better in one area than the other? Which product doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do as well as the other? Which one is better for lower budgets? Is the more expensive option worth the price? So on and so forth.
Overall, your goal when writing a product comparison is to help the reader decide which one of the products you’re comparing they should buy, so be detailed in your comparison while making it easy to understand!
Listicles
“Listicles” are blog posts in which you create a list of things in a particular category. For affiliate marketing, your listicle can consist of products that relate to your niche.
Here are a few examples of affiliate marketing listicles in different niches:
- 10 Best large dog beds (dog/pet niche)
- 15 Budget sleeping bags for kids (camping/parenting niche)
- 20 Gifts for women under $20 (lifestyle niche)
- 10 Best credit cards (finance niche)
Listicles are great because they help readers feel like they’re shopping rather than being sold to. Listicles provide many different options, so readers can find what they like the most and click through your affiliate link to find more information about the product.
Add a couple of paragraphs, or a little blurb, about each product you’re listing when writing your blog post.
What makes the product good? Is it budget-friendly? Is it expensive? Simply write a little overview about each product so people get a better idea about what it is or why they should consider purchasing it.
Solve People’s Problems With A Product
This type of blog post has a very good conversion rate.
If you can solve people’s problems with a product, they’ll feel more inclined to click your affiliate link and potentially purchase the product. Especially if they’re desperate for a solution.
Here’s an example: Say you have a camping blog and you’re writing a blog post about how to prevent mosquito bites during a summer camping night. That’s a pretty annoying problem that people must want a good solution for, right?
So, recommend the best products that will solve their problem (the best mosquito sprays, protective clothing, etc.). Your readers will be willing to purchase the products you suggest if you can provide a good solution.
Always give honest, HELPFUL recommendations. Don’t recommend random products just to make sales. You’ll see the best results if the products you’re recommending truly help solve your reader’s problem.
Genuine Product Recommendations Within Blog Posts
Wherever appropriate, add in your genuine recommendations within your blog posts using affiliate links, even if the blog post isn’t specifically geared toward selling affiliate products.
If you provide good, helpful content on your blog, your readers are going to want to see what products you love and recommend!
Here’s how you can do this. Say you’re a travel blogger writing a blog post on your experience backpacking in a certain location. You can add affiliate links to the products that were the most convenient for you during that time, such as absorbent towels, your backpack, your wallet, etc.
Or maybe you’re a parenting blogger writing about how to keep kids entertained during the summer. You can add affiliate links to games and activities that you and your kids love.
Doing this will give people more of a chance to click on your affiliate links while reading through your blog, which is great for you! If you can fit more affiliate links around your blog, then why not do it?
Final Thoughts
Commissions from affiliate marketing can really add up, so I highly recommend trying it out if you’re a blogger!
Provide helpful advice and solutions, be honest with your recommendations and use affiliate links wherever appropriate. If you follow this advice, you’ll be earning affiliate income in no time.
P.S. One of the easiest ways for a beginner to get started with affiliate marketing is by signing up for Amazon Associates (Amazon’s affiliate program). I wrote about it in this blog post if you’d like to learn more.