Getting paid to write articles and collecting ad revenue from a blog aren’t the only ways you can earn extra cash online; you can make money with affiliate programs very easily!
If you’ve never heard of affiliate programs before, that’s okay. Basically, an affiliate program is a way for you to make money from recommending someone else’s product to a potential customer. When the person buys the product, you get a commission.
Here’s an example, to show you what can be done with this. A few weeks ago a new Sony portable game system called the PSP G0 was about to be released, so I created an affiliate link for the product from Amazon.com. Two game systems sold, netting me a total commission of just over $20. Not a huge pile of money, but not bad for 10 minutes of work!
Creating affiliate links is as easy as signing up with whatever company has products you want to promote (assuming they have an affiliate program of course) and then sharing the links they provide. Any time someone buys a product through your link, you get a commission. You can promote these links in many ways, such as:
- Your blog or website
- Paid ads such as Google AdWords
- Classified ads
No matter what you want to promote, there’s a good chance there’s an affiliate program just right for you. Probably the best one to get started with is Amazon.com, as they have a wide range of products that many people are interested in, as well as being a very well known and trusted online merchant. You can sign up for the Amazon affiliate program and get started referring people today. It’s free to sign up, and doesn’t cost anything to promote the links.
Another great resource for finding affiliate programs to promote, is Share-a-Sale. There are thousands of merchants on this site, all free to join. You can search by keyword to look for products you’re interested in, and then apply to those programs. You’ll need to fill out your profile so the merchants can see your website, as some require approval before letting you in to their program. Join Share-A-Sale and you can get started within minutes. Each merchant has a variety of text links, coupons, and image banners for you to use, and the system is very easy to learn. This has proven to be a consistent income source for me.
Finally, another popular affiliate program for people just starting out is Clickbank. This website offers digital products on a variety of topics, with payouts ranging from a few dollars to around $100. This program is also free to join, and promoting a merchant/product is as simple as creating a link and sharing it with people. Take a look at the products Clickbank offers, and sign up to start making money with them!
Links:
Tags: blogging, make money online, writing
