Affiliate Marketing

You recommend; a seller pays you if a buyer uses your link. You will be able to explain how commission links work and judge programme terms before joining, protecting your time and reputation.

• Link, cookie (a small tracker that credits your click), commission percent or fixed amount.
• Approval periods and the minimum amount before payout.
• Programme rules on claims and coupons.
• Trust is your asset.
• Remember that you earn a commission only when a reader buys through your link, so a small trusted audience can outperform a large indifferent one.
• Read each programme's terms for tracking-cookie length, payment threshold and banned methods before you join, and keep a copy of the terms.
• Write down what you would pay for yourself; start with products you already know.
• Read the terms for banned claims such as 'cure' or 'guaranteed'.

Activity. Read the terms of three programmes.

Standard to meet. Compare rates, windows and thresholds in the summary.

Common mistake. Joining every programme.

Check yourself. Which programmes did you pick?

Serve a specific audience. You will be able to test whether a niche has enough buyer questions and fair-paying products to sustain fifty articles.

• Interest + knowledge + buyers.
• Check competing pages and gaps.
• Pick products with real quality.
• Define who you help.
• Choose a niche you could write about across 50 articles, check that people search for it, and confirm that related products pay a reasonable commission.
• Test the idea by listing twenty questions buyers ask in this niche; if you cannot find twenty, the niche may be too narrow.
• Use a spreadsheet to compare three programmes on rate, window, threshold and payment date.
• Keep a list of products you tested and the dates, so claims can be proved.

Activity. Write niche statement and audience.

Standard to meet. Name the person and problem in the statement.

Common mistake. A niche too wide.

Check yourself. Who is your reader?

Recommend only what you would use. You will be able to compare alternatives honestly and drop partners with poor refunds, weak support or late payments.

• Test or research each item.
• Check returns, support, reviews.
• Prefer fair commissions and transparent terms.
• Avoid anything unsafe or misleading.
• Recommend only products you have tried or researched thoroughly, and compare at least three alternatives so your advice is fair to the reader.
• Check each seller's refund rate, support quality and reputation, and drop partners who pay late or are hard to contact.
• Set a rule: no product is listed without at least one real use or a documented second source.
• Keep sponsored and affiliate content labelled differently so readers can tell them apart.

Activity. List 10 products with notes.

Standard to meet. Show evidence of use or research for each.

Common mistake. Recommending by commission.

Check yourself. What did you reject?

Help first; link second. You will be able to write single-question guides with a summary, balanced pros and cons, and dated updates readers can trust.

• Comparison tables; how-to guides; checklists.
• Pros, cons and who it suits.
• Pictures of your own use.
• Update when prices change.
• Write guides that each answer one clear question, with a short summary at the top, honest pros and cons, and a plain recommendation.
• Update each article every six months to check prices, links and facts, and show the update date so readers know it is current.
• Re-check links monthly; dead links lose trust and income.
• Disclose changes of programme in a short note when you move links.

Activity. Write three pieces.

Standard to meet. Show that each helps even without buying.

Common mistake. Thin pages.

Check yourself. What is your test?

Say it clearly. You will be able to place plain-language disclosures near every link and avoid claims or fake reviews that break advertising rules.

• "I earn a commission if you buy through this link".
• Place it near the link and at top.
• No fake reviews or hidden claims.
• Follow the advertising rules for your place.
• Place a statement in plain words near each link saying you may earn a commission, visible before the reader clicks rather than buried in a footer.
• Never claim results you have not seen, never write fake reviews, and follow the advertising rules of your country and of each platform you use.
• Offer a free checklist for readers who sign up with consent, instead of pushing sales.
• Respond to every comment within two days, including criticism.

Activity. Add disclosures and check each page.

Standard to meet. Place a notice near every link.

Common mistake. Burying disclosure.

Check yourself. Where is yours?

Earn attention without tricks. You will be able to grow readership through useful articles and an email list, while avoiding tricks that risk account bans.

• Search: write what people ask.
• Social: share useful posts.
• Email: with consent.
• No spam or bought traffic.
• Build traffic with useful articles, an email list and honest social posts, aiming for steady growth such as 10 percent more visitors each month.
• Avoid spam, hidden links and paid fake engagement, since these can get your account banned and destroy trust that took months to earn.
• Use clear photos from your own testing rather than stock pictures.
• Track clicks by page so you know which advice is read.

Activity. Share content in two places.

Standard to meet. Track visits.

Common mistake. Chasing quick traffic.

Check yourself. Where do readers come from?

Know what pays. You will be able to track clicks and sales per article and calculate real profit after hosting, tools and advertising costs.

• Clicks, orders, commission.
• Conversion = orders / clicks.
• Earnings per click = commission / clicks.
• Drop what does not work.
• Use a unique tracking link for each article, record clicks, sales and earnings in a spreadsheet, and then work out your earnings per click.
• Calculate profit by subtracting hosting, tools and advertising costs from commission earned, and choose the three articles that deserve more effort next month.
• Delete pages that no one reads after three months.
• Share one lesson from each month in your own words.

Activity. Track four weeks.

Standard to meet. Check that formulas are correct.

Common mistake. Not tracking.

Check yourself. What are your clicks?

Decide whether to continue. You will be able to review page performance each quarter and decide, with a written plan, whether to continue, adjust or stop.

• Hours spent vs money earned.
• Audience feedback.
• Fix weak pages.
• Plan 90 days.
• Every quarter, review your best and worst pages, retire the weak ones, and set a target such as two new guides and one update each month.
• Write a one-page plan with goals, schedule and budget, and review it with a trusted friend who will tell you honestly which parts are unclear.
• Write the next month's plan with three pages to improve and one to build.
• Ask two readers if the disclosure and the advice felt fair, and apply their comments.

Activity. Write the review.

Standard to meet. Review uses time and money.

Common mistake. Counting only money.

Check yourself. What is your hourly return?

A seller offers a high commission for a doubtful product.

Question: What do you do?

Model answer: Test it; if it fails, decline and say why.

A reader notes you did not disclose a link.

Question: Response?

Model answer: Add it at once, apologise and review all pages.

On the slide: L1 Basic · Basics of recommending

Notes: Explain what it means to recommend something to a friend and why honesty matters. Notes: write a recommendation for a product you really use. Standard: it says one thing it does badly.

On the slide: L2 Awareness · Awareness

Notes: Describe how affiliate links work, how a recommender earns and why disclosure is required. Notes: read a public disclosure rule for your place. Standard: a sample disclosure line in plain words.

On the slide: L3 Foundation · Foundation

Notes: Pick five items you know well and write honest notes, with who each is for and who should avoid it. Notes: no links yet. Standard: each note has a limit named.

On the slide: L4 Practitioner · Practitioner

Notes: Build a draft page with ten items, disclosure above the fold and a tracking sheet. Notes: practice links only. Standard: disclosure is visible without scrolling and the sheet records clicks.

On the slide: L5 Specialist · Specialist

Notes: Build a recommendation page or channel with at least 10 useful items, honest disclosure and a four-week tracking sheet. Notes: report clicks, sales and complaints. Standard: report shows what you removed because it was not good enough.

On the slide: L6 Advanced · Advanced

Notes: Run several recommendation channels with partner terms, a disclosure audit and a removal policy. Notes: add a quarterly check of every item. Standard: items that fail the check are removed and logged.

On the slide: L7 Super expert · Super expert

Notes: Set the honest-recommendation method (disclosure, evidence, link records) for affiliate work and teach the partners who use it. Notes: hold an ethics review of disclosed links and complaints each year.