How I’ve Made $1.1M With Affiliate Marketing (And How You Can Too)

In the past five years alone, I’ve made $893k with affiliate marketing. (All time, I’ve made over $1.1M).

Affiliate marketing is not my only income stream, but it has consistently month-to-month, year-to-year been my largest (and also easiest) income stream. You know that 80/20 rule, where 20% of your effort produces 80% of your results? Affiliate marketing has been that for me.

The other good news about affiliate marketing is that you can start making money with it right away. Brand deals and sponsorships require a big audience (that takes time to build). Advertising income requires traffic (and usually a certain number of views or subscribers) to qualify for. With affiliate marketing, you can sign up for a program tonight and start promoting a product tomorrow.

All that said, most people don’t succeed with affiliate marketing because they do it in a way that’s outdated (what used to work doesn’t anymore) OR they do it in a way that’s slimy and unauthentic. (People only buy from people they trust).

In this article, I’ll walk you step-by-step through how you can get started making money with affiliate marketing, and the strategies that have worked well for me.

But First, What Exactly Is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing means you’re helping promote and sell somebody else’s products (or services), and if you end up referring a sale (through a special link or code), you get a percentage of the sale.  This can be anywhere from 1% to 50% depending on the industry and product. 

Think of it as being the trusted friend who recommends something you genuinely love. Except in this case, you get paid when someone makes a purchase through your recommendation.

The key word here is “trusted.” The most successful affiliate marketers (myself included) only promote products they’ve actually used and believe in. When I recommend a bike trailer on Rascal Rides, it’s because I’ve tested it with my own son and know it’s worth the investment.

Step 1: Choose Your Niche (It Should Be Something You’re Knowledgeable and Passionate About)

The key for getting started with affiliate marketing is to choose a niche. You don’t want to promote anything and everything under the sun. Instead, choose one topic that you can start posting content about.

Your niche should hit three sweet spots: you’re knowledgeable about it, you’re passionate about it, and people spend money on it.

What are your hobbies? What do you know more than the average person about? What do your friends in real life ask your for recommendations about?

For me, I’ve always LOVED riding bikes. When my son was born and we started biking with him, we’d have other parents asking us questions about the bike seat he was on and the helmet he was wearing. I was already giving these recommendations; why not share them with a larger audience and make money from it?! That’s how I started Rascal Rides.

For you, maybe you’re into running, cooking, home organization, or playing guitar. The key is that you can speak authentically about products in that space. You don’t have to be a capital E “expert,” you just need to know a little bit more about it than the average person.

If you wouldn’t naturally talk about this topic at a dinner party, don’t make it your niche. The passion has to be genuine because that’s what comes through in your content.

Step 2: Select A Product(s) To Promote

To start, select a handful of products to promote. If you’re recommending EVERYTHING, you’re diluting your message.

Make sure that it’s something you USE and genuinely love. Additionally, it should be something that solves real problems for your audience. On Femme Cyclist, I recommend bike shorts and bike saddles for women who are feeling uncomfortable on the bike.

Here’s my criteria for choosing affiliate products:

• I use it myself and love it
• It solves a specific problem that my audience has
• The company has a good reputation and superior customer service
• It needs to be over $50 to make any decent money on it

Start with 3-5 products max. Get really good at promoting those before you start adding in more. Even today, I still make the majority of my affiliate income from a few key products that I’ve promoted since the beginning. They are things I genuinely love and it’s easy to talk about them and recommend them.

Step 3: Become An Affiliate

Once you know what you want to promote, it’s time to join affiliate programs. The easiest way to do this is to simply google the product you want to promote along with the phrase “affiliate program.”

Let’s say your niche is running and you love HOKA shoes.  A quick search of “Hoka Affiliate Program” brings up their affiliate program which you can join.  

If you don’t find anything, don’t despair. Instead, email their marketing team. They might run a private affiliate program that they don’t publicly promote OR they might be willing to set something up for you.

Most affiliate programs are run through third-party affiliate platforms like Awin, CJ, or Impact. By joining these platforms (they’re all free!), you’re also able to browse different programs and see commission rates upfront.

Finally, if you can’t set up an affiliate partnership with a brand directly, or via one of the third-party affiliate platforms, see if the product is offered on Amazon. Amazon Associates is one of the easiest (if not most lucrative) ways to get started with affiliate marketing. The rates aren’t amazing (usually 1-4%), but people use and trust Amazon so the conversion rates are good.

Step 4: Start Creating Content

Content is how you build trust, provide value, and naturally incorporate your affiliate recommendations. What do I mean by content? Social media posts (chances are you already have social media accounts), YouTube videos, blog posts, podcast episodes, and email newsletters.

You do not need to do all of these things. Pick the place you already spend the most time, and start posting there.

You’ll grab the affiliate link (or code) provided by your brand partner, and naturally work it into the content your create. The content formats that work best for me are:

• Product reviews: These are my bread and butter. I don’t just list features; I share how the product fits into real life. When I review a kids bike, I talk about how it handled on our evening bike rides, my son’s reaction to riding it, how easy it was to load in the back of the car. Don’t be afraid to share the negatives (cons) along with the things you love.
• Comparison posts or product guides: “Best non-toxic cleaning supplies” or “fishing waders for women.” These posts get tons of search traffic and help people make purchasing decisions.
• Tutorial content: “How to string your guitar” or “How to refinish kitchen cabinets.” Naturally weave in product recommendations as part of the education.
• Personal story posts: Some of my highest-converting content comes from sharing my own experiences. “How I Raised A Child That Loves To Bike” performs incredibly well because it’s authentic and specific.
• Answering questions: I also pay attention to what my audience asks about. Some of my best-performing affiliate content comes from answering questions I get repeatedly. This can be as easy as a quick Instagram story sharing the question and your answer (ideally promoting a product for which you have an affiliate link)!

The key is to always lead with value. Your content should be helpful and valuable whether or not someone clicks on your affiliate links. The recommendations should feel natural, not forced.

Step 5: Track What Works, Rinse, & Repeat

Once you start driving some sales, take the time to go back and figure out what worked. And then, do more of that.

I look at:

• Which content drives the most clicks
• Which products convert best
• Which time of year sees spikes (hello, holiday shopping!)

For example, I noticed that my kids bike reviews get way more traffic in spring when families start thinking about summer activities. Now I update and promote that content every March and April.

Step 6: Build Long Lasting Relationships With Your Highest Performing Brand Partners

In the beginning, brands probably aren’t going to care that much about you. But once you start making sales for them, make an effort to reach out and build a relationship with their marketing team. I’m at a point where my biggest affiliate partners notify me of sales, offer special discounts to my audience, and send me new products to test. Like everything in life, it’s all about who you know and how you can provide them with value.

Help People, Make Money

Let me be clear about something: affiliate marketing isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. In fact, it took me a full year of affiliate marketing before I made any life-changing money. But it was consistent from the beginning, and it grew steadily as I created more content and built more trust with my audience.

The people who succeed with affiliate marketing are the ones who focus on building genuine relationships with their audience first. They provide real value, they’re honest about both the pros and cons of products, and they only recommend things they truly believe in.

Yes, I’ve made over a million dollars with affiliate marketing. But more importantly, I’ve helped thousands of people find the right gear for their cycling adventures, and that feels pretty darn good.

If you’re thinking about getting started with affiliate marketing, my advice would be to pick one product you genuinely love and do your first honest review about it. Don’t worry about being perfect, just be authentic and helpful. That’s where the real money (and satisfaction) comes from.

Ready To Get Started?!

What’s your hobby or passion? Baking? Kayaking? Reading books? Whatever it is, you can turn it into a business that makes money while you live your best life.

Yes, really! I did it, and I had no special background or education. In fact, I started out when it was still hard to find a lot of this information online (and before AI could help me).

I’ve documented the exact roadmap I used to build my online businesses—the same blueprint you can follow to create your own freedom-based business.

Ready to escape the 9-to-5 trap and start earning money from your passions? Grab my Online Business Quick Launch Guide and take the first step toward your new life today. 👇

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